Smarter than we thought

Peter's need for insulin has been so low during the past 3 months that he's rarely had more than one injection a day.  We've been amazed at his consistent blood sugar readings from hour to hour and day to day.  And I'd started to notice a lot of missing food, and empty ice cream bowls in the sink.  Gosh, I thought, he's got to be sneaking food.  But it doesn't seem to be affecting his sugar.  What the heck could be going on?  We know Peter is genetically "different", but is this really possible?

Today Carl took Peter to the endocrinologist for a checkup and to put the final touches on his diabetes management plan for this school year.  Peter must have assumed that his secret wouldn't keep, because while waiting to be called he confided in Carl that he had been putting down erroneous readings in his log book.  (We've been letting him handle his testing on his own for some time now, as long as he calls out his readings to us while writing them down). 

This all began after our last appointment when the doctor spoke to Peter about the cheating he was obviously doing.  There was no other explanation for readings that went sky high between meals after giving him sufficient insulin to correct for any excess sugar and cover what he ate.  So Peter went undercover, chosing values in the 100-120 range seemingly randomly.  And then he ate exactly what he liked.  When Carl got home, he checked the memory on Peter's testing device and -- yeowch! -- there were many, many readings over 200. 

Peter is typically a really bad liar.  ("Where did you go Peter?  You didn't ask permission!"  "Not to 7-Eleven, Mom!")  But this time -- 60 IQ and all -- he created an incredibly believable remission from diabetes.  He heard the doctor telling me that some kids experience a "honeymoon" period after they are first treated with insulin, which can last up to a year.  Well, Peter's self-initiated honeymoon allowed him to eat a LOT of high carb foods.  No WONDER he's put on so much weight!

Now we're back to the original problem: cheating.  Twice this evening I've heard him rustling around in the kitchen, doing "nothing, Mom, just checking something."  The second time I heard him close the door of his room very, very softly.  I suspect surreptitious eating, but I'm loathe to burst in on him.  His bipolar medication gives him terrible carb cravings.  And, as a fellow sufferer who never met a sweet thing she didn't want, I am soooo sympathetic. 

If anyone has any brilliant ideas about keeping a compulsive eater with no self-discipline from packing in the carbs and packing on the pounds, I'd love to hear them.  So would my bathroom scale, my sore knees, my aching feet, and all the clothes in the closet that I can't fit into.