December 14, 2006
Honeymoon, Sick Days
Question from Connecticut, USA:
My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes one week ago today. His blood sugar upon admission was 1424 mg/dl [79 mmol/L]. He was discharged the following evening and his levels have been adjusted by phone with the doctor on call. Two days ago, he came down with a respiratory infection and was started on Zithromax. His appetite was down, so his levels were lowered. He started eating well again today and we returned to the regular sliding scale. All day long, he has been testing close to 60 mg/dl [3.3 mmol/L]. Could he be entering the so called “honeymoon” phase? Should his insulin be adjusted? Also, with a sick child, does it make more sense to administer insulin once we know how well he will eat? We were just making guesses. This is all so scary. So, now we are testing him every two hours for fear of something going wrong. Is it usual to be discharged so fast? Should we seek treatment elsewhere? Sorry for all the questions, but we are scared for our baby boy.
Answer:
The answers are all yes. This is a time when you must be in daily contact with your team. The Internet is not a substitute for the phone. Talk to the educators. I also agree that you need to give rapid insulin based on food and glucose level. It is likely also that he is entering the “honeymoon’ and insulin doses go down.
You may find information on our site beginning with Diabetes Basics, but most of all talk to your doctor. Do not talk to two or three cooks. You need a single manager. Each of us does it a bit differently, but, for a new parent, the best help is a single individual.
Just as a point of reference. I give my new parents my cell number and talk to them at 7 a.m. every day for the first month. It’s only a one or two minute call, but helps with all these problems. It works.
LD
