September 20, 2000
Daily Care
Question from Syracuse, New York, USA:
Our 21 month old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 18 months old. She has had on and off highs (300+ mg/dl [16.7 mmol/L]) at her regular test times. Her doctors say that highs are okay and nothing should be done if it’s an explainable high. If the high is unexplainable we have been giving her a half unit of Humalog, but, often, it only brings her down a few points. This leads us to believe that some foods stay in her system longer. Is there any danger in what I consider excessive highs? I am also curious as to whether or not her growth will be affected at all. Overall she is doing very well with her diabetes.
Answer:
In general, occasional highs should not make too much of a difference in the long-term, as long as they don’t affect her overall control. It is the pattern of her blood glucose readings that is important. Having A-1 control in a young child is extremely difficult and aiming to keep the blood glucose as stable as possible is an achievement in itself. Stick at it.
JS
