Honeymoon advice

Hello..This is all very new to me so pls any advice would be much appreciated! My son 9 years old was diagnosed late Jan this year with T1. To cut a long and difficult story short we are now just giving him 4 units abasaglar (very similar to lantus we were told) every evening. Our doctor said he is insulin sensitive as he was constantly low..day and night before and after meals. By low I mean between 45-60 all the time. We were giving him 3 shots a day of just 2 units humulin R but still low readings.
Now with just the evening dose he is feeling great..no lows and perfect readings and is eating more or less the same as before he was diagnosed. We are keeping a constant watch over him and hes doing so well. How long does this last and is it normal? Our doc says honeymoon can last for months so we are v greatful for this but Im worried all the time incase I should be doing something more for him? Is it wrong not giving him his humulin even though his reaction to it was making him low? Still confused but making the most of it..I hope I make sense and any advise about the honeymoon phase!

TorqPenderloin said:

Monitoring his blood glucose levels is the key to getting answers to your questions. Just as your doctor mentioned, the honeymoon period generally lasts for a few months (in children), but it can be much shorter or much longer. Unfortunately, the duration is out of your control.

As a T1D myself, I have a few concerns:
1.) Why did your doctor prescribe Humulin? Does your son have an allergy to other insulins? I ask because Humulin is generally regarded as inferior (older) technology and there are newer (arguably better) alternatives.

2.) Did your doctor put your son on a set dose of 2 units for every meal? That may be a good starting point, but your son will eventually need to learn to carb count (google it if you've never heard of it). Insulin is necessary on an "As needed" basis. Meaning, the more carbs (and to a lesser extent protein and fat) you eat, the more insulin you need. Alternatively, the fewer carbs you eat, the less insulin you'll generally need.

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Thank you for your reply
We were not offered any other insulin apart from humulin or humalog. What would you suggest? I live in Cyprus and this is what they give here.
We started with 8 units but as time passed kept on lowering the dose until we got to 2 and even that was too much...we also started with carb counting at the begining but now no need to but at least I will be ready to do it again when the time comes!
Thanks again for the advice and hoping the honeymoon phase lasts!

azure said:

Hi @MarMiteMaria

Would you like me to move your thread to Type 1 as it may get overlooked in this section?

The honeymoon can last for months and sometimes a year or more. It sounds like you're doing the right thing. All that's imporatnt is that his sugars are in range as much as possible. If he can stay in range without some of his Humulin injections then that's fine

Just keep testing and be ready to,seek advice about making any changes if they're needed. The first few months after diagnosis are a time of many tweaks with doses, etc.

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Thanks for the advice. For sure the first few months are difficult especially as a parent that really had no clue about any of this! The important thing is just to keep a watch over him and take each day as it comes

Claire007 said:

Hi there,
I was diagnosed two years ago and I'm still honeymooning. For me it's a blessing and a curse as my needs seem to change from week to week! That might also be something to do with my age/being a woman though!
The only way to tell if it's coming to an end is that insulin needs will increase, so just a case of monitoring really.
The better the control, the longer the honeymoon can be according to my DSN. So if I were you, I'd make sure I switched to sugar free drinks for example and if he's having something very high carb, then monitor him closely, and inject if he's climbing.
I'm on roughly 7 units of background (I'm on a pump now) and I inject on average 1 unit for 20g of carb. This week it's not been working so well, and I've had to increase the ratio, next week, I might have to drop it.
That's my experience of the honeymoon, I think mine is definitely on it's way out.

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Hi Claire
2 yrs and still honeymooning...thats great...I know everyone is different and needs change from week to week..hopefully its not ending for you.
My son woke this morning at 6am with a low reading of 68 and we are only on 4 units long acting insulin...and nothing else..Im still petrified he will go low at night and not wake up so im checking him every 3-4 hours!!!