September 10, 2001
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Bishop, California, USA:
Over two years ago, my now 15 year old son (6 feet 2 inches tall, 180 pounds) was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and in the beginning, he took seven units of insulin per day, but now he takes one unit of Humalog and one unit of NPH per day. Many days during the week he goes hypo (30s-40s mg/dl [1.7-2.2 mmol/L]) in the afternoon, and at night, he does not take any insulin and wakes up with blood sugars in the 70-90 mg/dl [3.9-5 mmol/L] range. If he exercises, he will go hypo. The only time his blood sugar is high is around noon, and then it never goes over 250 mg/dl [13.9 mmol/L].
At the time of my son’s diagnosis, they told us when that this was the honeymoon stage, but it is almost like his body is trying to cure itself since there have been times that they have taken him off of insulin because he became so hypo. We tried pills, but he broke out in a rash. Are there cases where the diabetes has ever just gone away?
Answer:
Two units of insulin really has no effect on a person who weighs 180 pounds. Your son’s swings of glucose are not caused by the injected insulin, and a glucose of 250 mg/dl [13.9 mmol/L] isn’t normal either. I don’t have enough information to really make a diagnosis.
LD
[Editor’s comment: If your son hasn’t been under the care of a pediatric endocrinologist, ask for a referral for further evaluation.
WWQ]
