Did you have a Honeymoon Phase? - Diabetes

Carsinian Thau

Just kinda wondering about this recently. From reading some of the posts here it seems as though a lot of people got it whereas I was just kind of immediately gone.

mike65

Yep about 4 weeks which is pretty normal it seems.

CathyMoran

I was diagnosed when I was 10 on the 13th Feb of that year, by the 19th of April I was off insulin and that lasted just over a year - I was actually allergic to the bovine and porcine insulin but thankfully when I went back on insulin it was the human one.

mike65

A year?! Marriages don't last that long

robinph

No honeymoon period for me, I feel like I have missed out on something.

tbh

mine was about 3-6 months I think. I wasn't off insulin completely, but was on two injections a day and if I missed one, or both, for a day or two there'd be no effect.

DrIndy

the honeymoon phase is a strange physiological phenomenon - and just as the pancreas is decompensating - i suppose it depends on how early it is diagnosed and how rapidly the pancreas is affected......

yungwan

Hi everyone

My son (7) has just been diagnosed with Type 1 two weeks ago.

He is adjusting well to it, and I am adjusting to the injulin giving!!

Obviously it is very early days but any advise would be appreciated.

His sugars are all over the place! He is on the Novomix morning and evening, as he is too young to inject himself, and both myself and my partner work, so cannot go in to inject him during the day.

His BS is anything between 6 and 14 in the morning
His sugars soar after breakfast usually to high teens/early twentys, and are still at this come lunch time.

They stay in teens (maybe dropping to 10) steadily really until dinner time.

But then they always tend to dip to hypo before bedtime.

Is the "Honeymoon period" often spoke of?
I thought it tended to lead to lows though rather than highs?!

I assume things might settle more in time?

tbh

Hi yungwan, we cant really give advice, but I deffo would get back onto the diabetes team and get help to sort that out. My own experience would suggest that switching from the mixed to long/fast insulins would help but the fact that he can't inject himself would probably preclude that. Have you tried testing in the middle of the night to see if he's going low?

Carsinian Thau

yungwan wrote: »

I assume things might settle more in time?

They will. Just a matter of waiting until you're all used to it.

Best to contact the diabetic nurse to help out with regards to the fluctuating sugars, probably just a matter of tweaking a few things here and there.

tbh

Meant to say, things will get better in time, but don't leave it too long to ask for help

robinph

tbh wrote: »

Meant to say, things will get better in time, but don't leave it too long to ask for help

...and then ask for help from them as often as you need. That is what they are there for.

mardybumbum

Hi Yungwan.

I would echo the sentiments above and go speak your sons diabetes team.
Have you been informed about the somogyi rebound. It might be something important to consider if he is dipping into hypo before bedtime. Can lead to overestimating the required dose the following morning.

graflynn

I'm going to make a stab at this so please forgive me if I don't get it quite right.

When you are first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, the pancreas beta cells have all but stopped producing their own insulin. However, there may just be a little insulin being produced but it's not reliable and it's unpredictable.

yungwan

Thanks everyone for the replies.

@graflynn - yes i think that sounds correct - if research I have done is to be believed. I just worry as it all seems so unpredictable. When I asked his consultant on Tuesday he said reads will be unpredictable over a day and that the long term reading is more accurate. So perhaps they will be concentrating on this.

He doesnt have hypos at night (with one exception when I thought he was ok not to eat tea before supper and he dipped to 3.6) and I am still checking him every night at 2am. I am not sure how much longer I will do this for, but he wants me to continue for another while as I think he is nervous! We avoided the hypo before bed yesterday but this may have been because he wasnt outside playing because of rain. He did however dip to 2.6 yesterday afternoon before lunch as his sugars were quite high (20.2) at 11am break (in creche) and I advised his minder not to give him too much to eat and he dropped. Its a mine field but I guess we just have to play it all by ear and see what works and what doesnt

Question, do you agree with using diabetic foods? I know its widely acknowledged that there is no need for them (except I assume sweetners as a replacement for table sugar?) but his friends in creche all get a treat after luch and I dont want him to be left out!!

robinph

yungwan wrote: »

Question, do you agree with using diabetic foods? I know its widely acknowledged that there is no need for them (except I assume sweetners as a replacement for table sugar?) but his friends in creche all get a treat after luch and I dont want him to be left out!!

No. Diabetic foods = bad/ pointless.

Not sure how laced with sugar the treats are they they are giving out might be, but maybe try suggesting that they give all the kids something a bit less laden. Type 2 being a risk for all the other kids if they get into the habit of living off sugar constantly.

tbh

when they say excessive consumption may have a laxative effect - they ain't lying!

yungwan

I think generally they give a chocolate bar, ice cream, or piece of cake. I think portions are small and his diabetic nurse told us treats shouldnt be ruled out altogether or it will lead to resentment. In these early stages I am not comfortable with giving him anything really as I am still trying to figure out how foods affect his glucose levels. The first day or two they were giving him a rich tea biscuit but a 7 year old doesnt really see a rich tea and a chocolate bar as a like for like treat! So i thought sending in a few sugar free choc bars would be better. Now I see they are not recommended so I wont be doing this again. I just dont want him feeling like he cant have anything!

What do other parents give their kids I wonder!? Dont get me wrong, he never got LOADS of crap, but kids like treats and I dont want say no all the time.

P.S we have been avoiding bananas as some nurses say they too high in sugar. However our dietician said they are ok. My son is nervous of how they will affect his sugars so is avoiding them. DO you eat them and are they ok for you?

graflynn

yungwan wrote: »

I think generally they give a chocolate bar, ice cream, or piece of cake. I think portions are small and his diabetic nurse told us treats shouldnt be ruled out altogether or it will lead to resentment. In these early stages I am not comfortable with giving him anything really as I am still trying to figure out how foods affect his glucose levels. The first day or two they were giving him a rich tea biscuit but a 7 year old doesnt really see a rich tea and a chocolate bar as a like for like treat! So i thought sending in a few sugar free choc bars would be better. Now I see they are not recommended so I wont be doing this again. I just dont want him feeling like he cant have anything!

What do other parents give their kids I wonder!? Dont get me wrong, he never got LOADS of crap, but kids like treats and I dont want say no all the time.

P.S we have been avoiding bananas as some nurses say they too high in sugar. However our dietician said they are ok. My son is nervous of how they will affect his sugars so is avoiding them. DO you eat them and are they ok for you?

A fun size banana would have about the same amount of carbohydrate (sugar) as a slice of bread. It may effect your son's blood glucose differently than a slice of bread but ALL Fruits are good - just monitor the amount.

In the past couple of months there have been many support groups set up for parents of children with diabetes. You are so new to this and you have so many questions that it might be a good idea to find one of these groups and have a sit down chat with a couple of other parents who've been there. You'll be able to find out if there is a group near you by contacting the Diabetes Federation of Ireland.

Hope that helps:-)