Question:
Thanks for your quick response. Unfortunately his cold isn't over yet,
but doctor wants to test him tomorrow. This time it'll be after fasting
so I believe that cold or not, the blood sugar shouldn't be too high if
he doesn't have diabetes.
He doesn't have any of the symptoms that you mentioned, though he has
been working very hard at the gym, building his body, and in the
process trying to drink a lot of water, as well as being very conscious
about his diet in general. In the past 10 days of being very sick, he's
only wanted sugary drinks because his throat is hurting and he coughs.
Sweet tea and gingerale and stuff like that helps him a little. I am
very concerned of course. But I am still hoping that his disease, the
medication for the disease, plus the carbohydrates loaded stuff that he
ate and drank before the test, could have been the cause. Though in the
back of my mind I doubt it. I keep reading that flu increases the blood
sugar in people with diabetes, but no where I can find if it is also
true for others.
One question is that he was tested a couple of months ago with no
signs. Up to what age juvenile diabetes can start in kids?
Answer:
". . . .Up to what age juvenile diabetes can start in kids?. . ."
Sorry, . .there is no age limit. It hit me at age 53. The cursory
statistics that I have seen on the incidence of Type 1 diabetes (aka T1,
aka Juvenile Diabetes) suggest that more folks develop T1 during any 10-year
period between age 40 and age 70 then the total number between the ages of 0
and 20.
FWIW, the incidence of new T1 peaks in children between age 10-20, falls
between 20 and 40, then rises sharply. Your son is at an age where
developing T1 is "relatively" common in children.
I echo Laughter's warning to be alert. Type 1 diabetes hits kids your
son's age really hard and really fast. He can progress from no detectable
symptoms to full blown T1 in a matter of weeks.
AFAIK, a blood sugar as high as 160 in a non-diabetic is extremely
unusual. Yes, a flu bug and a high carb breakfast can challenge a
non-diabetic's glucose handling system but most non-diabetics, sick or
well, can handle it. I tested folks at work (and doped them with candy
bars before the test to amplify any problems) and never found anyone with a
sugar of 100 or more. My non-diabetic wife has never topped 93 despite
carb-laden meals which would send a diabetic of any type well over 200.
If it were my son, I would acquire a home blood testing meter and check his
bG in the months to come. Spot-check fasting blood sugar, and sugar at
about 2 hours after a meal. A non-diabetic 17-year old should essentially
never rise above 100 mg/dL (though I am uncertain about the effects of
flu).
If you suddenly see 200 or more at any time for any reason, it suggests
that he is heading toward the extremely dangerous condition called DKA. He
can slip directly into a DKA coma without really manifesting the thirst and
weight loss symptoms typical of more slowly-developing T1.
DKA symptoms and a discussion are presented at:
http://www.embbs.com/cr/dka/diagn.html
AFAIK, the Wal-Mart house brand (Relion) home blood testing meter is the
cheapest available in the U.S.
There are freebie meters available; there are good rebate deals around
(check the box label in the pharmacy). I currently have six meters and
have never paid more than $15 after rebate. Three of the eight meters I
have owned were totally free.
Hocks has some pretty good mail order prices though mostly not as good as
Wal-Mart.
http://hocks.com/hocks_com_on_line_pharmacy/meterdeals.html
Caution: Wal-Mart has the cheapest strips, most others are fairly
expensive.
Good luck.
