Questions

[JJ4]

My son is 6 and lately both myself, my husband and also my son's Grandmother have noticed his increased thirst and increased trips to the toilet. He also has had a few accidents in the night and some slight accidents in the day, having been fully dry and trained since he was 4.

My husband has Type 2 and so we're aware of these things and have a meter to hand. I tested my son randomly and his BSL was 12.1. I tested again later and it was 7.6.

He has a history of higher than normal BSL when we've randomly tested but more in the region of 8-9, nowhere near a 12 though.

Given that he has symptoms now though, I'm obviously more concerned. Would a professional opinion be in order or should I just dismiss this one high reading we've seen?

Can an undiagnosed Type 1 have a honeymoon phase, as such, where without treatment, they'd have a mixture of high and near normal levels or would it just be high all the time still?

Before anyone says it, I *know* no-one here can diagnose, I know and understand that, I'm just seeking others opinions at this time. I'm not stupid enough to be looking for anyone other than a medical professional to give me a diagnosis. :wink:

 

[leggott]

You are right that we cannot diagnose on this forum, but the symptoms he is presenting are classic of diabetes and combined with a blood reading of 12 means you really should be taking him to A& E immediately.

 

[JJ4]

Thank you for taking the time to respond, leggott. Appreciate that.

His levels have come down since then (6.5) at the last check and so I'm unsure whether this means that the higher readings were nothing to worry about in the grand scheme of things.

Would/should his readings remain high regardless, if he really did have a problem? Is it worth taking him to the Dr with just the 1 abnormally high reading?

I would never endanger my child obviously but looking at him screeching around the room, playing with his siblings, it's difficult to know whether I should create a fuss.

 

[cugila]

Good advice from Leggot so far.

The question is.....when did you test the child ? Before meals, 1 hr, 2 hrs after meals.......that is more relevant. Bg levels will fluctuate from minute to minute, hour by hour even in non-Diabetics, it is what happens after a high that is more important.

What had the child eaten/drunk prior to the tests ? All these things have a bearing on what you should do.

TBH, if you are at all concerned then you should seek professional advice regarding the welfare of your child. The advice from members here is all that they can give, as Leggot says, we cannot diagnose. Worrying about it is not going to help if you are concerned or unsure.

Whilst the symptoms could point towards undiagnosed Diabetes they can also be due to something totally unrelated. Please get it checked out.

 

[JJ4]

Thanks too, Cugila, for replying.

He had eaten what he usually eats for breakfast. Of course we don't usually test him to know if that affects him in that manner.

He had had 3 slices of bread, buttered and with a thin spread of peanut butter (low fat and with no added sugar type).

That was at 8:30am. I tested him at 12:15pm.

He had had nothing but sugar free orange squash between those times.

 

[leggott]

The high levels are something to worry about. You really should seek medical advice straight away. If any illness is left untreated. ( even if there appears to be no symptoms ), it can cause serious problems.

 

[JJ4]

Dr tested his urine this evening, which was clear and had the nurse do another finger prick, which was 6.9.

She just said 'it's nothing to worry about, keep an eye on things' and that was that.

:?:

 

[leggott]

That sounds good. Just keep your eye on things so see if he keeps drinking and weeing lot. Another thing to watch out for is weight loss and constant hunger. We had this problem with our son just before diagnosis. We took him to the hospital only to be told he was ok, but a week later we were back in hospital with a diagnosis of type 1. We caught my son very early on so he was never unwell, I just knew something wasn't right and went on my instincts.

 

[JJ4]

Actually he does suffer both of those too, I didn't think to put them in my original post as I was going off his main symptoms as they came to me. I posted and had to run off. I did, however, tell the Dr about them as I had sat and written my main concerns down.

When you took your son to the hospital the first time, do you know what his BSL was at that point?

Can you also tell me how you ended up back at the hospital for the 2nd time (was it you who took him back or was it via the GP and he was sent on)? Also what eventually made them then give you the dreaded diganosis of type 1?

 

[leggott]

My husband has type 1 so we were aware of the symptoms. My son started to wet bed and drink more than usual. He was always hungry as well and started to ask for food only a short while after a meal. We tested his urine for sugar which was positive so we took him to hospital. They did finger prick test which was ok so we came home relieved that all was ok. However, he still continued to have the symptoms and I knew something was wrong , so we took him back and at that point his blood was 12.

When the pancreas starts to fail, it still produces insulin and that is why you can get ok readings and high ones. It is best to test about 2 hours after eating as this will give you a better indication. If you are still concerned then go back to the GP and ask them to do a glucose test on your son. This will highlight any problems.

 

[JJ4]

Just goes to show that it pays to be vigilant!

I was relieved when that first reading came back that high which sounds strange but it meant that our concerns were almost validated. Then I came crashing back down when the readings became lower. Obviously no-one wants their child to have diabetes but it all fitted the picture and I felt relief that it seemed we may have an answer.

I read that your daughter was diagnosed a day after your son, wow, that had to of been tough. Was she also exhibiting symptoms for a while before diagnosis or was that a complete shock?

Thanks for offering advice, I will absolutely be keeping an eye on my son and might well consider testing him 2 hourly after meals for a few days to get a better picture of the situation.

 

[leggott]

We didn't notice any symptoms with my daughter! We just did a blood test on her and my younger daughter the day after my son was diagnosed. My eldest daughters blood was 16mmol! I felt like the worst parent for not realising something was wrong. In fact, it was about a year before that, that my GP thought she may be diabetic and sent us to A& E but they said she was unwell and prescribed antibiotics. We will never know but I suspect thAt she may of had it for sometime.

 

[JJ4]

That is crazy! What are the odds.

I assume in a way it's helped having each other with the same diagnosis, for you and for them but at the same time, I can't imagine the strain it's also been.

Well thank you once again for your replies, I really appreciate it and a Happy New Year now it's gone midnight - Time to get myself into bed! :lol:

 

[JJ4]

Just to update, his fasting test was 4.6 so absolutely fine.

Today I've decided to keep a diary of his eating, drinking and bathroom trips, for my own peace of mind. I'm sure other parents agree that you can often lose track and what might seem like an issue, isn't really when you properly take notice. I know it's just a whirlwind of requests and trips to the loo with 3 of them!

I do wonder if this is the beginings of something though (pre-diabetes?) because as I said, he's had higher than usual readings for a while and they seem to be creeping up even further.

At this stage I know I can do no more than simply watch and check every so often though.