My son is 14---juvenile diabetes?!
Question: My son is 14. Has recently began wetting the bed. My husband (not his biological father) is diabetic. I checked my sons' glucose level and it was 270. I called my Ped. to let them know, and also told them about his wetting the bed. They had us go to the lab the next AM for bloodwork. His triglycerides and his cholesterol are very high. And his fasting blood sugar was 117. (they said a bit elevated for his age) Today he got off the bus and was walking around dazed almost. I checked his glucose and he was 60. I had him eat a snack size (The small bags you might get from trick or treating) of sweet tarts. He ate that bag. An hour later, we checked it again and it was at 272. I bought keytone strips and checked that, there was a trace. Ped. has ordered an A1C and a repeat of all bloodwork done yesterday. (we do that in the AM) What would cause a 14 year old childs triglycerides and cholesterol to be so high. (his cholesterol was 220!) He is not overweight.
Answers: My son is 14. Has recently began wetting the bed. My husband (not his biological father) is diabetic. I checked my sons' glucose level and it was 270. I called my Ped. to let them know, and also told them about his wetting the bed. They had us go to the lab the next AM for bloodwork. His triglycerides and his cholesterol are very high. And his fasting blood sugar was 117. (they said a bit elevated for his age) Today he got off the bus and was walking around dazed almost. I checked his glucose and he was 60. I had him eat a snack size (The small bags you might get from trick or treating) of sweet tarts. He ate that bag. An hour later, we checked it again and it was at 272. I bought keytone strips and checked that, there was a trace. Ped. has ordered an A1C and a repeat of all bloodwork done yesterday. (we do that in the AM) What would cause a 14 year old childs triglycerides and cholesterol to be so high. (his cholesterol was 220!) He is not overweight.
Your son is diabetic and needs the assisitance of a doctor who has all the knowlege there is to be had about this disease. Get a referral to a pediatric endocrinologist
His triglycerides are so high because he is a diabetic that is not under adequate control. Try a piece of fruit with a slice of cheese if he goes low again. I think I would be standing on that pediatricians desk myself . he isn't being proactive enough to suit me .
Lower the cholesterol in his food. Make sure he exercises regularly. Don't worry so much about his cholesterol. He's young. It's not like he's 55 or something.
If you are going to pump him full of sugar after a low bg, don't overdo it.270-272 is not that high. He could do a few pushups to knock it down below 200. Don't rely on insulin all the time. Brief bursts of exercise are better for tweaking down a high bg than ping ponging with insulin and sugar.
You sound like a panic stricken parent, running to the doctor & having A1c's taken for a couple of moderately high bgs. That's ridiculous. Stop it! It just helps doctors play golf more frequently. They are laughing at you. Just relax and go with the flow. Diabetes is not that hard if you stay cool.
Yeah, that sounds like diabetes.
He is definately diabetic, the cholesterol is from the diabetes not being under control. when his blood glucose gets low, bring it back up in moderation repeatedly checking his blood sugar every 15 minutes if necessary. Use milk instead of sugarry sweets or juice. it will help his blood sugar from spiking but still get into his system quick enough with the lactose
Avoid sugar and high amounts of carbohydrates. Eat balanced meals with whole grain carbs at regular times. Losing weight helps control diabetes.
OMG! This is another stunning example of how general doctors and pediatricians are clueless about diabetes. You cannot wait until Monday. You need to take him NOW to the ER of a hospital that has an endocrinologist on call (a pediatric endo would be even better). Do not leave the hospital until you see the endo. Don't let the regular ER doctor tell you everything is ok. They should draw blood and send to lab stat for the A1C. They should then put your son on IV insulin drip until he is stabilized and they figure out an injection regime for you.
Best of luck. Please post a "question" so we know what is going on.
Just like most parents would be able to realise, your anxiety is entirely understandable over what's happening with your son just now.
You did exactly the right thing by phoning your paediatrician [pediatrician]. When things out of the ordinary are happening, and particularly with type 1 diabetes, you can't take risks.
You don't say how long your son has been suffering with diabetes, but you will come to realise that raised cholesterol and triglycerides almost go hand in hand with diabetes. Many diabetics are prescribed 'blood thinning' agents such as aspirin, as well as statins. These are used to lower the cholesterol level. Cholesterol, if you're not aware, 'clings' to the inside of blood vessels, making the passage of blood more difficult. This increases blood pressure which, in itself, adds to the risk of development of stroke and heart attack.
Please believe me, I'm not trying to frighten you, and I'm not suggesting that your son is in immediate risk. It's just that lack of control of your son's diabetes puts him at more risk of developing complications. I'm pretty sure that your doctor has explained what some of these complications might be, or how they can affect the diabetic patient.
When your son's blood sugar level was 60 mg/dL he was experiencing a hypoglycaemic [hypoglycemic] episode. Dependent on how quickly his blood sugar level had fallen to that level determines whether he could have passed out. Most diabetics, particularly type 1 diabetics, get a whole range of symptoms that warns them when their blood sugar level is falling. I can give you further information on that if you're not sure what the symptoms are. You obviously noticed one of them ... with his "walking around dazed". You did exactly the right thing by immediately taking action to increase his blood sugar level. Failing this, he may well have collapsed, so give yourself a pat on the back.
When his blood sugar rocketed from 60 to 272 mg/dL, this is usual. At that level, it is not an excessive amount, though it is still high. Whatever you do, please don't give him extra insulin in an attempt to bring his blood sugar level back down. The sweet tarts that you gave him are the reason his blood sugar level shot up so rapidly. The problem though is that because they, themselves, are so full of sugar, they are easily utilised by his body's cells to convert into energy. This means that the high sugar level is short-lived. If you do give extra insulin to bring his blood sugar level down, he will undoubtedly fall into another hypoglycemic episode.
In these sorts of instances, it is better for your son to exercise a little, once he's recovered fully from his earlier hypo. What you must bear in mind, however, is that the sugar level will not normally fall dramatically. It will be an hour or so later.
Again, when you purchased some ketone strips, you did the right thing. Over the level of about 252 mg/dL there's the danger that ketosis, and then ketoacidosis, can start. This results in improper fat metabolism. Basically, this means that his body will start to burn up muscle and fat reserves instead of utilising the sugar (glucose) from within the bloodstream. Normally, this state won't be reached from a sudden boost of sugar levels. It's when the sugar levels are consistently high that it occurs.
The times when your son's blood sugar level is in the 200s is when complications start to get a foothold. It's best for the levels to be closer to 'normal' (72-126 mg/dL) to combat this ... and I don't mean for short periods of time, I mean all the time.
The triglycerides you spoke of are a major component of LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol. This is the 'bad' cholesterol that you may have heard mentioned. The 'good' cholesterol, or HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) aids the body in getting rid of LDL. Might I suggest you ask your doctor for advice/guidance on helping to lower LDL cholesterol. (There are, of course, many website articles available that would offer the same advice, but it's gone 03:30 am here, and my bed is calling me.)
Please believe me, you son is in no immediate danger from either raised blood sugar levels or raised cholesterol and triglyceride levels. At least, not before you speak with your nurse on Monday.
As for why your son has started wetting the bed, it's hard to say what might be causing this without further investigation. It could be that his blood sugar level is falling during the night, causing him to lose consciousness whilst he is sleeping, or it could just as easily be that his blood sugar levels are climbing high. The body's natural reaction then would be to get rid of the excess glucose (sugar) that's in his system. This, of course, would result in him peeing.
Psychologically speaking, it could be something else that's causing him anxiety. Is he worried about what's happening in the home, about school work, about being bullied, etc.?
It might pay you to get him to wake up during the night, specifically to test his blood sugar level.
Do you actually keep a record of your son's blood sugar levels, and show them to your doctor? This might aid him/her to adapt the treatment plan for your son.
I must say that I am quite surprised that your doctor didn't order a HbA1c test (Glycated or glycosulated hemoglobin). This gives a measure of what your son's blood sugar levels have been like over the previous 3 months or so. It's usually one of the tests that my own endocrinologist requests, along with cholesterol, triglycerides, kidney function, etc. etc.
I apologise [apologize] if I sound pessimistic, but my view ... though it's quite a detached view ... of American doctors is that they'll order test after test as long as you're paying. It's not always just because it's in the patient's best interest.
I realise you're questioning whether you should be concerned with your pediatric group over this, but personally I'd give them the benefit of the doubt if your son's overall control has been OK up until recently. Give them a chance to get things back on an even keel, and take it from there before you make any decisions.
You didn't mention whether your husband is type 1 or type 2 diabetic. There is a difference ... predominantly that type 1 is an autoimmune disease where the pancreas just doesn't produce insulin, and type 2 is caused by insulin resistance. The pancreas still produces insulin, but the body's cells can't use it appropriately. There are different types of tablets that either stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin, or to make better use of insulin that is being produced. I won't go any further as time is against me. If you do want to talk more about your son, and how it's affecting you all, please don't hesitate to send me an email. (Click on my avatar/photograph and click on send email.) I'll do my best to help you out, even if it's just for you to 'sound off' to someone outside of the situation, or someone you wish to use as a punchbag.
Rest assured that although I'm going to bed now I will say a prayer that you will all come through the next few days, weeks, months successfully, and that you'll look back and think, whatever was I worried about.
Blessings to you all.
If he's already on the same diet as your diabetic husband is, and his sugars are all over the place it sounds like it would be juvenile diabetes. And if it's in the 200's and 300's, that means you're catching it pretty early. My 2 year old daughter developed juvenile (type 1) diabetes a few months ago, and her sugars were between 400 and 600+ when she was diagnosed.
You need to get him to the hospital so they can check him out and put him on an insulin regimen. With sugars above 240 he's at risk of getting ketoacidosis, which is immediately life threatening. This is urgent, if your doctor is dragging his feet on this, you need to take him to the hospital right away.
My daughter has a great pediatrician, thank God. He knew pretty quickly what it was, my daughter was diagnosed in his office. The first thing he did after i found out, was he put his hand on my shoulder, and he told me to remember that it is not my fault, there is nothing I could have done to prevent it. You remember that too ... type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with weight, or diet, or exercise ... it's an autoimmune disorder caused by unknown environmental factors combined with his genes.
Email me if you need anything ... :o)