4yro complaining of foot pain.

Hello.My son was dx with type1 when he was 3(little over a yr ago) his last A1C was 7.2 so I know he's not experiencing neuropathy. I was wondering if the foot pain could be related to diabetes or not. Some weeks he complains of it hurting at leat 3 times a week(diff days) then he can go some weeks without complaining. It's not an all day thing when it happens, just on and off. Everytime he gets a headache or a tummy ache I always associate it with his diesease, unlike with my other children it's just a tummy ache or a headache, no big deal, get over it lol.

Any thoughts as to why he's experiencing foot pain, and is this normal? thanx.

Actually 7 is good. Dr told me the normal range is round 6 or so..., so 7.2 was a good reading.

Hi I_willconquer

Like yourself, I use and also moderate on another board but Im going to post this for the newbies that use this board and might have some of the same questions.  A1c - well, its an AVERAGE of what your blood sugar has been doing over the last couple months.  Although the A1C test is an important tool, it can't replace daily self-testing of blood sugar. A1C tests don't measure your day-to-day control. You can't adjust your insulin on the basis of your A1C tests. That's why your blood sugar checks and your log results are so important to staying in effective control.

It is important to know that different labs measure A1C levels in different ways. If you sent one sample of your blood to four different labs, you might get back four different test results.

For example, an 8 at one lab might mean that blood sugar levels have been in the near-normal range.  At a second lab, a 9 might be a sign that, on average, blood glucose was high.  This doesn't mean that any of the results are wrong.  It does mean that what your results say depends on the way the lab does the test.

Talk to your doctor about your A1C test results. Know that if you change doctors or your doctor changes labs, your test numbers may need to be "read" differently. The A1C test alone is not enough to measure good blood sugar control. But it is good resource to use along with your daily blood sugar checks, to work for the best possible control.

Now, for the purposes of a general guide, this Ameriacan Diabetes Association chart will help show you what A1c levels typically mean: (Please note the DIFFERENCE between mean[the number in the middle) and average[sum of the results divided by the number of results])

HbA1c %	Mean Blood Glucose (mg/dL)	Average Plasma Glucose (mg/dL)	Interpretation
4	61	65	Non-Diabetic Range
5	92	100
6	124	135
7	156	170	Target for Diabetes in Control
8	188	205	Action Suggested according ADA guidelines
9	219	240
10	251	275
11	283	310
12	314	345

Now as to the foot pain.  Im not a doctor, but if your child has an A1c of 7.2 or 180+mg/dl AVERAGE (that means some higher and some lower) he very well could be in the first stages of Neuropathy.  Diabetic Neuropathy most always manifests itself first in the feet.  Even though we may be suffering neuropathy simultaneously in other areas of our bodies, the 1st place we generally notice it is in our feet. 

So yes, going back to see your doctor (hopefully an endocrinologist) is definately the right thing to do, and maybe a trip to a podiatrist is also in order.  Hope this helps shed some light on A1c and your childs problem.

Warren

Post Edited (Warren) : 11/3/2006 2:26:58 PM (GMT-7)