Hello all-
I am new here and would like to ask if anyone has had experience with or information about early onset puberty..in combination with type 1 diabetes? My fiances son is 12 yrs old and has type 1 diabetes. He started early puberty around the age of 9yrs with all the classic signs of a boy in his mid teens. The problem we are having to deal with now is high bs readings that don't seem to want to come down no matter what we do as far as diet and exercise are concerned. His endo has increased his insulin a few times in the past 6 months but it doesn't seem to help. All we are hearing from his doctor is don't worry about it, it's just a "growth spurt." That is unacceptable in my opinion considering we are getting numbers 300 and up almost regularly. I am getting really frustrated and would love to hear from anyone who could offer some insight!

Thanks so much...
SASS65

When you say "diet" what exactly do you mean? I mean exactly what foods is he eating?

Remember that it is not just sugar that significantly raises bloodsugar levels, but also starchy foods like cereal, breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, corn, etc. Virtually all carbohydrates other than fiber end up in the bloodstream as glucose.

An excellent book on diabetes, both Type I and Type II is "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution". I highly recommend it.

Thank you for your reply...When I say "diet" I'm refering to acceptable foods as outlined by his doctor. I know kids can't always eat perfect, but we have been watching everything very carefully and yet still getting high readings. (We have also been adding more fiber.)It just seems like pulling teeth with his endo to get him to explore the problem further. I always get the impression he feels parents "over react". Thanks for the book tittle, I'll be sure to look it up!

Take care-
SASS65

Sass -
You may want to ask your endo about the possiblity of an insulin pump for him. They now put children as young as 2 years old on pumps, and there have been some great successes in stabilizing blood sugars this way. The pump delivers a constant dose of insulin over 24 hours (basal rate), and you can bolus to cover the food you eat.

The pump does, however, require a commitment to learning how to count carbohydrates, as you must figure out the number of carb grams you're eating in order to determine how much to bolus. You don't have to figure in the protein. Don't know if this would be a possibility, but it's certainly something to discuss with the endo.

I would love for him to be able to use the pump...unfortunately his endo says he is not a candidate! Back to the original problem...unregulated bs counts!

tc-
sass65

Originally posted by sass65:
...When I say "diet" I'm refering to acceptable foods as outlined by his doctor...

If any of those foods deemed acceptable by his doctor are any of those I listed above, then these could and likely are contributing to his high bloodsugar levels. What was the basis for your doctors acceptable food choices?

i've only had type 1 for a year, but through my education on diabetes, i've learned alot more than people who've had it for 10 yrs. first you need to get a really good doctor who can answer all your questions, because, for all you know, he may have a hormone imbalance, so you need to start getting answers and having some tests done. then i really recommend to start carb counting, even if he isn't going to get a pump. i started and my a1c was 11.6 i thought i would of been in a coma, but now with carb counting, it whent down, with time, to 7.1. its a lot of work to carb count, but its amazing the results. you need to get everyone to know how to do it, so he can have help. take some carb classes thats what i did. if he does he should get a carb ratio and a insulin correction ratio. you will knoe what they mean if you go to a class.well thats all i can give you,sorry i couldn't be of more help.

[This message has been edited by moderator1 (edited 03-18-2003).]

Thanks for the info...I think the idea of taking a carb's class would be a good thing for us to look into! Maybe you can also offer us some insight into how you handle sick days? With existing high bs counts and now a chest cold, I'm getting overwhelmed!

Thanks for your input!
SASS65

well, for sick days for type 1 especially.if he doesn't take enough insulin for highs then he can develope Ketoacidosis (DKA) if his bg are very high for a long period of time he can develop that, but when your sick, you have more of a chance. the symptoms are: nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, chest pain, rapid shallow breathing, and difficulty staying awake. here are some rules for sick days:
1. NEVER skip insulin dosages unless he is low
2.test his blood sugars every 4 hours ( i know its a hassle but if you don't you'll regret it in the end)
3.if he vomits call his doctor immediatly
4.get a prescription for Phenergan (they will stop the vommiting and help prevent deydration)
5.test for urine keytones
6. rest and avoid excersise
7.eat and drink foods regularly to prevent dehydration and to provide your body with energy to overcome the illness
those are the rules for sick days. if you don't really know much about diabetes, i recommend taking a diabetes class it will give you all the necessary things to know about diabetes from mood swing, medications, stress, sick days, and long term complications. i have a great doctor, she gives classes and always does the best for her patients. she is really great because she has a son that has diabetes since he was 4 yrs. old and now he's 14. she specializes in juevenile diabetes so she knows about the whole puberty and growing up stuff. i truly believe she is the best doctor in America.

Sass- I have been the same way lately (though I am not as young as your son, and I am on the pump). I'm not sure what the right thing to do is. Every time my blood sugar is in the 200-250 limit, I end up giving about 20 units of insulin. If you come up with anything let me know!!

Lacy

sass, my daughter is going through the same thing. She is 12 years old and has been suffering high bsls for a year. Her endocrinologist keeps increasing her insulin every 3 months and it's SLOWLY coming down.
Her doctor has advised me to increase the dosage myself between visits to him. Maybe you could ask your son's doctor if this is O.K. to do.
Sick days are hard! Others have already given good advice which I won't repeat. Hang in there, it sounds like you're doing a great job.

forgot to add, is your son taking a lunchtime dose of insulin as well? My daughter was on a.m. and p.m. only until it was suggested she test at lunch and have some rapid acting insulin before lunch at school. This helped to level things out a little [although she forgets sometimes!]
Good luck!