What are the chances?

[MumTo3 Girls]

About 2 weeks ago my 2 year old started wetting her knickers and occasionally wetting the bed. She is drinking more than she used to and also going to the toilet more as well. When I took her the Drs on a Monday her blood sugar level was 7.8 but nothing showing up in the urine. They asked us to come back the next night and we did. Her blood sugar levels were 5.2 and still nothing in the urine. Her urine was very dilute for first morning so they told us to keep an eye on her. she was still going lots and so I took her to the Dr's again on the Saturday and there were ketones in her urine, but the Dr said she was fine. I was not happy with that and took her to a different Dr on Sunday. No ketones were found, but a trace of protein was. Her blood sugar levels were 5.3. now all the Dr's I have seen have been a different Dr each time. She is still occasionally wetting the bed and goes quite a bit during the day. She drinks more than usual still and more at night than during the day. What do other think? Is there any chance that she might have diabetes?? or should i just forget it?

[Abby-Dabby-Doo]

I can't say yes or no, that she has diabetes.
I wouldn't say to just forget it, I think your Mom radar is going off for a reason, and there could be another medical explanation for it, or a chance of diabetes. I would suggest you keep a very close eye on her, and keep going to the doctor if you feel necessary.

I don't want to alarm you in anyway, but give you more of the symptoms that I saw as a parent. One that isn't listed in our own personal story is terrible stomach aches. And by the way I saw 5 different doctors for my daughter!
Please keep an eye on your child~

Knowing the Warning Signs for Type 1 Diabetes Could Save A Child's Life

Warning Signs of Type 1 Diabetes (these may occur suddenly)
Extreme thirst
Frequent urination
Sugar in urine
Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath
Increased appetite
Sudden weight loss
Drowsiness, lethargy, increased fatigue
Heavy, labored breathing
Stupor, unconsciousness
Excessive thirst
Extreme hunger
Blurry vision


Good luck! Keep us updated~ A lot of us keep thinking of you and hope for the best for you and your child.

[MumTo3 Girls]

How did the Dr's finally decide that your child had diabetes? Was their blood sugar level always high or did it go down at one stage? I just wish I knew one way or another. I know that she is drinking and going to the bathroom lots as well as her behavior has changed recently. I am not saying she has diabetes, but if she doesn't I want to know what is causing the increased urination and her tiredness.

[Abby-Dabby-Doo]

Let me say first that every child is different when they get diagnosed.
Some are VERY sick and go to the ER or doctor, some it's just a routine check or physical and they appear as healthy as can be, others parents knew the symptoms and catch it early by taking them in.
In my case ONLY, my daughter was sick... down on the couch with a stomach ache for 3 days, no vomiting, dry mouth & face, thirsty all the time, very tired, emotional, wetting the bed after no accidents since potty training, urinating all the time, just sick. Our main focus was the terrible stomachaches we'd been having for 5 + months, we'd heard every excuse in the book why they were happening, tried different medicines, and it just got worse. We didn't think it was diabetes, because stomachaches aren't a symptom, and that was what I was so concerned about. I thought the stomach or intestinal problems were causing the other things to happen. We made a trip to the ER and they did a blood test and urine test. My daughter's blood sugar was 693, and she had ketones in her urine.
I do want to say that some parents on this site have stated that their child did not have ketones in their urine. So I want to make sure that that you understand children are diagnosed different. I would continue doing what your doing by keeping a good eye on your child~ keep taking him to the doctor if you see something "not right"~ Your doing the right thing.

[MumTo3 Girls]

Do you think it is of any concern that she had ketones in her urine. I know it was only once, but still should I be concerned, or just put it down to a fluke?

[Mama2H]

Do you think it is of any concern that she had ketones in her urine. I know it was only once, but still should I be concerned, or just put it down to a fluke?

Everyone can produce ketones when the are sick or during times when they are burning fat. The problem with ketones in diabetic children lies in the fact that they do not have insulin in thier bodies to clear those ketones unless we put it there.

I can't remember what 7.8 translates to but for diagnosis any number of 200 is an automatic diagnosis and a fasting (first thing in the morning) about 140. I am sure someone will chime in that knows how to translate the 7.8. I would keep a very close eye on her and if you it bothers you alot ask your Dr to run an A1C test on her to see what her average blood sugar has been. (((hug))) I will keep you both in my thoughts and hope that she is sick with something minor but if it is diabetes know that we are all here for you!

[aidensmom23]

The ketones don't have to mean something but I believe that they are usually seen in non-diabetics when someone is trying to lose weight (especially on diets like Atkins). As far as your concerns I wouldn't totally stress out yet. However, I fully believe in a mother's instinct and trusting your gut. My son Aiden was actually acting pretty normally and didn't really appear sick when he was diagnosed. He was drinking WAY more than normal and leaking a lot. I took him to the pediatrician and expected it to just be a stomach bug. Fortnunately, the doc happened to be diabetic himself and sent us to the hospital immediately. Aiden's BS was in the 400s which is much better than some when first diagnosed. In fact the doctor said that in his 22 years of practice we were the earliest case of diagnosis he's seen... in other words he praised us for being so observant.

[liasmommy2000]

One that isn't listed in our own personal story is terrible stomach aches.


OMG, same here! That was the first clear symptom and the one that had me insisting the doctor see Lia again even after she said it was just "anxiety". We did have some increased thirst and urination but NOTHING like what I've heard other children have. It was the tummy aches for three weeks that had Lia crying, miserable and an emotional mess. No vomiting and she was only very early in to DKA when admitted, but those tummy aches were making her a wreck. She kept crying "mommy, my tummy hurts so BAD" and I didn't know what to do when the doctor said it was anxiety, something must be going on at home or at school to upset her and she needed counseling. I am SO glad I took her back in and insisted they do blood work. I had a tiny inkling at that point it could be D, but I was still rather shocked as like I said, the urination wasn't THAT increased.

OP-I have no idea but just keep on insisting if you feel you are right. I am so thankful I trusted my intuition with Lia! I was only a little bit suspecting of D and thought appendictis or something like that more likely but I *knew* something was wrong!

[Kaylee's Mommy]

Kaylee potty trained at 2.5 years of age, and never ever had an accident, and then all of a sudden the accidents started happening, and the begging for a drink, any drink.. we always watered down juice, and she's literally chug 5 cups and ask for more.. when we'd tell her no, she'd throw an absolute fit! when we took her to the dr he said that she isn't eating well because she's drinking so much, and that she's going to just be petite (she hadn't gained any way it over 10months, but hadn't lost any either) but he did a urine test anyway.. to rule it out.. came back with sugar in it, NO ketones.. so he rain a blood test, came back at 321.. now... he was extremely surprised that her unrine came back with sugar in it.. he didn't except it at all and thought that she only had elevated BG for a few weeks.. which was proven by her first A1c of 6.2, typicallly its much higher at dx..

if your mommy radar is going off, I'd keep a look out on her.. the ketones could be from most anything.. my non-d daughter had a very large amount of ketones when she was sick a few weeks ago.. they were 4.3 on the meter which translates into large amount on the urine sticks..

I hope its nothing and your daughter does not have D!

[MumTo3 Girls]

I have spoken to my husband and we are going to take all our girls to be tested tomorrow. I would prefer to check again and have a definite answer, rather than say it is nothing and find out I am wrong. I am hoping it is nothing, but don't want to take the risk. She is drinking more and going more, but I don't know if it just because she is growing. She doesn't drinks tons of fluids in one go, but she does drink more on a whole during the day and sometimes when she foes to the bathroom, she can go 3 times in 10 minutes...but sometimes it is only a little bit when she goes. I try to get her to hold on loner, but sometimes she just starts to grizzly and hold herself. Other times I find she has already wet herself. I am really hoping it is just a phase and nothing serious. Thank you all again for replying.

[Mama2H]

(((hug))) it is better to know than to wonder!! I really hope for you that it is not. Please keep us updated. I wish you the best of luck tommorow and you and your girls will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[MumTo3 Girls]

I have been reading up about diabetes and it says that a child will urinate a large amount each time they go to the bathroom. Now I was wondering, what is considered a large amount? My daughter goes so often that sometimes she only urinates 10-20 mls. The most I know that she does go only amounts to 100mls at one time. Generally when she goes it is between 25-100 mls. So because it doesn't seem like she is urinating large amounts, does that seem like it is less likely to be diabetes??

[Abby-Dabby-Doo]

Don't apologize! :) I'm sure I'd be doing the same thing, and questioning everything! :confused:

Unfortunately, I can't tell you either way whether or not the amount of urine has any thing to do with diabetes. I'm not sure, but I think it's just frequent urination.

[EmmasMom]

Usually once a child's blood sugar is staying high they will be consuming a large amount of fluids, and still be thirsty. At dx's most kids will drink endlessly, even until their stomach is distended, but still want more. This kind of excessive thirst is a key sign of diabetes.

The urine output is also usually excessive, not just frequent. With high blood sugar levels your kidneys can no longer function properly, and huge amounts of fluid are flushed out of the body. This is what creates the vicious cycle of thirst. At dx's kids are often quite dehydrated in spite of the constant drinking because the fluid doesn't stay in their body.

Ketones are not diagnostic for diabetes, but are very common in children that are developing diabetes. With a shortage of insulin the body must burn fat for fuel, (because carbohydrate (sugar) can't be processed) and the byproduct of burning fat is ketones.
Anytime a child is not getting enough nourishment they may have ketones, even with out diabetes.

It's great that you are taking her in tomorrow to follow up. Sometimes the dx's takes time if children are in the very early stages of developing D, but usually once they have symptoms that are related to hyperglycemia it's an easy diagnosis. A blood sugar over 11mmol or 200mg/dl is usually considered diagnostic.

I also wanted to tell you that my friend's daughter recently started having similar symptoms to those you have mentioned. She was urinating constantly and even having wetting accidents, (she's 7) but it was only a small amount of urine each time. She was negative for both diabetes and a UTI, but the symptoms persisted. They have now put her on Detrol, a medication that helps control frequent urges and mild incontinence. It is working very well for her.

Good Luck!

[MumTo3 Girls]

She doesn't have diabetes. We had to spend a night in the hospital though. Doctors aren't too sure what is going, but they want to recheck her in 3 months time. Hopefully it is sorted before then. Thanks everyone.

[yeswe'rebothD]

Keep us updated, Mum... The first time I saw a doc about my symptoms, I was told to come back in a month, but a week later was in a bad situation..... Just keep an eye on it and check back in with Doc!

[MumTo3 Girls]

Can I ask, were your blood sugar levels ok when you first saw the Dr? Hers seem to be fine at the moment. I will be keeping a eye on her for sure.

[elgaralex]

Hi,
As the other parents wrote, each child is different. I would, however, keep a very careful eye on your daughter. I too, had this nagging suspicion something was wrong because Hannah was wetting her bed too (she was six and was potty trained since she was 2.5) She was also drinking all the time. Ironically, the day I took her to the doctor, her teacher sent home a note telling me about her symptoms in school! The doctor diagnosed Hannah immediately with a finger prick; her bg was >760. I think she was spilling ketones too, don't remember, but she probably was because she was in DKA. Don't ignore her symptoms and keep taking her to doctors until you get a definitive answer. Hopefully it is not D, and something very simple and easy to remedy. Please let us know how things are.

[yeswe'rebothD]

Can I ask, were your blood sugar levels ok when you first saw the Dr? Hers seem to be fine at the moment. I will be keeping a eye on her for sure.

Well, this gets tricky. I don't want to scare you (cuz what adult wants to listen to scare tactics?) but here's a brief rundown of my diagnosis:

I was taken by a family member (who I won't name) to a family doctor (but not my normal doctor), who did a fasting bg test, it was 183. He told me I had type 1 Diabetes, but he did NOT put me on insulin (which he definitely should have). He gave me information about all kinds of things, and everything that talked about D said I should have had insulin. About a week later, my mom took me to my regular doc and he drew blood for labwork. They called the next day saying to get me into the hospital right away, my sugar while in the doc's office was 660. When admitted to the hospital, it was 880, I was in DKA, dehydrated, all the worst stuff just shy of being in a coma. They got me under control within a couple of days, but honestly I had to be kept in the hospital for over a week because my mother and the other party were arguing so bad CPS had to be called :eek: so I was kept to be in a safe place.

One of the previously-mentioned party is still convinced to this day that I was not "bad enough" to be treated with insulin yet, and that a trip to my aunt's house where I got a bad sunburn, was why my sugar sailed so high the next week. Yes, the sunburn contributed, but the major factor was that I SHOULD have been treated, and wasn't!

Like I said, I do NOT intend to scare you, and like other posters have said, it IS a different case for every child. When my dd was diagnosed, it was much more streamlined-- and we had been watching for it too, for 18 months. Her sugar was 453 in the hospital, but she was not sick at all, no DKA, not really dehydrated. Her symptoms seemed to sprout in one day (after disappearing for well over a year after we had some high readings one summer). The only thing I'd say that should have been a clue was that she didn't gain any weight from age 2 to age 5. But I just assumed she was growing upward, she had been quite heavy at age 2 and was slimming down. She was not exactly skinny even at 5, and has only gained about 10 lb since her diagnosis.

Anyway, lots more than you asked for, but feel free to keep asking! Anything we can do to help!!!

[kel4han]

Another word of caution, when Maddison was diagnosed she was 496 in the doctors office, ......after sitting in the ER for 8hours waiting to be admitted upstairs...no insulin given.....she tested at 82.
Why? She did have IV fluids in this time, which helped a tad....but she had not eaten since 11am. Thats 9hours it took for her blood sugar to correct itself. But it DID. I strongly strongly believe that post prandial numbers are the ones that are high first, becuase the pancreas cant keep up with the food consumption. I am the same exact way too. I can fast for a day with perfect numbers, but as soon as I eat food, forget it. Thats why when so many people are tested as a fasting blood sugar, it can be normal. In the early early stages of "D" I believe crazy post prandial numbers are seen. THATS JUST MY BELIEF,(but I know its true:D )

[MumTo3 Girls]

if I am just being paranoid if it is early stages of D. Her very first test was 140 which is normal, but still on the high side. The other 3 tests have been below that. I have notice that sometimes a lot of her drinking is around bed time. While some might say it is just her way of delaying going to bed, I am sure that isn't the case. When she is delaying bed time, she only has a tiny sip to drink, but most times at the moment, she is drinking big gulps. She has a few gulps and then I put her to bed, only to have her crying out for some more. Maybe it is just a phase, but I am keeping a very close eye on her until I am 100% sure it is just a phase, or until we have answers.