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Asking for advice daughter - Showing signs of diabetes

JJ4

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Hi, I'm new here and my first post is a long post I'm afraid but I'd really appreciate any advice/help/opinions please!

My daughter is 2 years and 8 months. She has had issues with reflux and with what we think is milk and is currently being intolerance tested privately after our useless GP dismissed our concerns despite very real symptoms and issues with her. Only doing 1 RAST (allergy rather than intolerance) test in the 1.5 years we've been pushing to get to the bottom of that issue.

We are currently getting her tested privately for intolerance and also Ceaolic's Disease.

Apart from that she seemed perfectly ok until approx. 4 weeks ago. She suddenly started drinking a lot - 70-90ozs per day and wetting through her night-time nappy. She always was a soaker but it is now at the point where we put her to bedg at 6pm, change her at 10pm and by morning, 6am, she's soaking again.

We also noted she was waking up each night, sometimes 2 or 3 times, crying out and her hands were jittery and she appeared not to be quite orientated with her surroundings. Also asking for drink each time too.

She has also got a nappy-type rash that she had a problem with on and off since she was about 1.5 years old (connected to her intolerance issue) but back then it always cleared up after a dose of Sudocreme overnight but this time it's been ongoing. Like the skin isn't broken, just very red like nappy rash but also there are a couple of spots under the skin in that area that just won't shift whilst the redness varies from every other day or so - never going away completely.

She also has a very pale complexion and dark almost mauve rings around her eyes, she is not tired though at all - infact she's dropped her afternoon nap.

We had her weighed on the request of her GP (regarding the intolerance issue) and she has dropped slightly on the centile chart which she was right up the top end of it until then. The HV who had no idea about her intolerance stuff alone said it wasn't a concerning issue but coupled with these new symptoms, I am starting to wonder if there is a connection.

And lastly, we've noticed a couple of times that she will stare into space, with no reaction and then suddenly just drop off into a nap of sorts. This has only, so far, been noted in the car travelling so we are unsure if she was just zoning out because of the motion and the warmth and suchlike.

We've noticed she is also very temperamental these days although of course that could just be the age she is, terrible 2's and all that!

As my husband is Type 2 and my grandmother had Type 1, of course diabetes was our first guess. But I tested her a few times and am not convinced by the results, they do not indicate diabetes to me - I'm actually leaning more on the hypoglycaemia diagnosis actually but I thought I'd seek the advice from you people.

For your information, the various results have been:

Fasting of around 7 hours, 4.9 mmol/L
Fasting of around 8 hours, 4.1 mmol/L
Fasting of around 7 hours, 5.2 mmol/L
Fasting of around 6 hours, 5.0 mmol/L
Before evening meal, 7.1 mmol/L which went down to 6.0 mmol/L after only milk and a bit of yoghurt for 'meal' and then down to 5.1 mmol/L 3 hours later
After approx. 1 hour after her lunch, 6.1 mmol/L
After 90 minutes of having her lunch (seperate day to above measurement), 6.3 mmol/L

One night she was jittery and crying out and wouldn't settle, I didn't get the meter but gave her some milk and her BS was 5.4, 15 minutes after that. She hadn't had anything for 4.5 hours or so before that event.

As you can see, nothing at all indicitive of diabetes on that front, I hear that there a significant amount of people who test normal on the fasting but not on the OGTT? Is that true?

I don't want to home test her any further since it's not showing anything worrying or obvious but she has classic symptoms without any blood work signs.

Knowing how much we've struggled to get help with my daughter's health already, I am reserved about wanting to go back with these new concerns. Don't get me wrong, that's not to say I won't or I'd ever let her suffer for fear of being labelled a neurotic parent but yes, I wanted some advice and opinions first please!
 
Hi JJ4

Welcome to the forum, unfortunately I dont know very much about children and diabetes so hopefully someone much cleverer than I am will answer your specific questions.

I am sorry that your little one is not so well at the moment, sorry for you too, its such a worry when there is something wrong with our children.
The thing that strikes me is that you mention her allergy and increased thirst, is it possible that the allergy is causing her to have a dry or sore throat and that is why she is drinking a whole lot more?

I know its all difficult to work out, and then you start thinking and notice any little symptoms and class them all together and then you worry even more.

She is only a little baby still and cannot tell you whats really wrong, and if she could tell you she probably wouldnt know anyway, so really the best thing is go to your doctor, make a double appointment and explain that you dont want to be seen as a neurotic parent (and you are not neurotic, just a normal, caring, loving parent who wants the best for you child) and that your daughter is experiencing all these symptoms; a double appointment gives you more time and might make you feel more comfortable talking about everything that is worrying you.

Never feel that you are a nuisance or neurotic, my goodness, you want the best for your little girl and the symptoms do need investigating and you need to have peace of mind as if you are nervous and anxious it will rub off on the little one and make her restless and crotchety too.

I hope that it all works out for you all, please let us know how you are getting on.

All the best and a little cuddle for the baby

Karen x
 
Thanks for the swift and kind reply, Karen - it's much appreciated!

She has had the food intolerance issue since she was a baby, it's just getting Drs to be bothered to want to get to the bottom of it that's caused it to go on for so long. We jump through their hoops, trying out the basic stuff and waiting it out and then go back and are fobbed off with more silly things to try which is why we're going private to a certain extent now.

Anyway, sorry to get slightly off topic but my point is that she's lived with that issue for so long and thirst hasn't been an issue up to this point and then the sudden appearance of the other symptoms just don't tie in with intolerance symptoms she's experienced before but I'm certainly not going to rule anything out at this point, it could all be related and until I know differently, any and all suggestions most welcome!

Ok so I'm waffling again, I apologise but thanks again for your reply.
 
OH gosh JJ - never apologise, you are not waffling at all, you are desperate for answers and reassurance, I am the one who is sorry because I cannot really help, I think the Mums with diabetic children tend to be in the forum during day time so hopefully you will receive a more expert response from one of them.

I have just basically written to you from one Mum to another, I know what it is like when a little one is poorly and you feel so helpless, especially if the health care professionals are not being very helpful. I am so angry that your little girl has suffered with this for such a long time and that you are now forced to pay out for private health care to try and get this sorted, it is disgusting.

Of course you cannot rule out anything, you need a firm diagnosis, and then at least you know what you are up against and deal with it to the best of your abiility. As I said, please do go back to the doctor, make that double appointment and maybe even take someone else with you to back you up, your husband, a friend or anyone to add a bit of extra clout to the consultation, speak up, tell the doctor that being passed from pillar to post with vague suggestions of what to try is just not good enough any more and you want some positive action, not more of the stuff that they have doled out so far. You need answers not games, this is your daughter and she is clearly not very well at present.

I am keeping fingers, toes and everything else crossed here for you.

Love from

Karen x
 
You obviously NEED a better doctor and at least a referral to a pediatrician, like yesterday!

Just a thought, any chance that something might be wrong enough that you can request a home visit? You may well then get a different doctor and a second opinion. Or casualty/ER. Sometimes you HAVE to buck the system to get anywhere.
 
Doesn't really sound like diabetes melitus with those readings, they're not high enough to give her symptoms. Just a thought though, diabetes insipidus (which has nothing to do with blood sugar) shares the symptoms of excessive thirst and urination. Best to get her referred to a paediatrician for thorough tests.
 
Hi JJ4,

I agree that her BG's don't sound like Type 1. My daughters (one of whom was 2yrs at diagnosis) were both in the upper 20's at diagnosis, and the younger one had moderate ketones too - scary. However, she was also drinking loads and wetting through her nappy at night. Do you have any way of testing you daughter's ketones, bearing in mind that she will probably have a low level of 'starvation' ketones if you test 1st thing in the morning.

Please don't leave it, as if she is developing Type 1, she could become very ill very quickly once ketone levels start to go up, especially as she is so young.

Sorry if I am telling you what you already know!
Best wishes
Sue
 
The fasting tests would suggest T1 would be low on the list of considerations..

I did how ever notice that you say that you feel that your duaghter might have a interollence problem with some foods, and at present having these tested Ceaolic's Disease + I would assume with the milk a lactose interlloance..

Is it possible that you can look yourself at these, if you feel that milk and /or dairy products that contain lactose could be the problem, is it possible to remove these from her diet for perhaps a week or so, to see if there is a improvement? If no improvement then this is unlikley to be the cause..

Same with the Ceaolic's Disease, which is based around the interollerance of gluten,

You would need to decide which you feel is more likely to be the cause, and slowly removed one item at a time, to see what happens etc.

I did this with my own son when he was little, I worked out that he had a intollerance to some food colourings, which once removed solved the problems we were having..

Another thought, is has your daughter been tested for a urine track or kidney infection, as these can cause similar syptoms....
 
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