ds1 tired, pale and thirsty...

[zonedout]

i had a telephone consultation with our gp this morning as i couldn't get an appt until june 30th and we will be going to see him then but in the meantime i was hoping someone may be able to shed some light on this;

i have posted here before about my ds1 (4.4)as he gets recurrent ear infections, tonsillitis and awful mouth ulcers extremely frequently. my latest concern is that for the past 4 to 6 weeks he has been looking extremely 'peaky' - pale, dark circles under his eyes etc and although he still has periods of being his usual lively self i also find him lying about a lot more than he used to. he looks so pale at times (naturally quite dark complexion, tans easily etc)that people have actually commented. he has also been raiding the fridge for cartons of juice when he used to almost always prefer water and has generally been drinking quite a lot. he has been eating very well (a good, healthy diet for the most part) so i am not yet panicking and a bit of me wonders whether he is just growing very fast at the mo (suddenly too tall for age 4 jeans for example) rather than assuming it is anything more serious like diabetes or anaemia...

he sleeps very well (11 or sometimes 12 hours each night). he has had umpteen courses of antibiotics over the last couple of years though

must dash to ds2 and his tummy bug [it never stops emoticon] [sheer panic of an emetophobe emoticon]any thoughts greatly appreciated [happy]

[castille]

June 30th is outrageous

He needs blood tests after such a long period of being out of sorts.

What did GP say on the phone?

[CarGirl]

I would ask for a quick urine sample asking them to test for diabetes as they can have it a long time before becoming properly ill with it especially if they are doing well to cope with self regulating their sugars - grabbing a sugary drink when feeling low, eating well so keeping themselves stable etc.

[zonedout]

it is indeed outrageous. i could take him and queue for an emergency appt to see a random gp and therefore spend pretty much the whole day at the surgery waiting with both ds1 and my asthmatic 20 month old ds2(who also happens to have a tummy bug at the mo) but frankly i just can't face it...

the gp said he will take a urine sample but wouldn't want to do anything invasive so would probably just put him on a multi-vit and iron supplement (although he already takes a multi vit)

thanks for replying

[CarGirl]

surely you can just take in a urine sample and ask the nursing staff to do the test?

Diabetes can be so dangerous, okay one day slipping into a coma the next......

Just turn up with urine sample? In fact around here I think the pharmacy may do them (probably costs though)

[zonedout]

sorry, x posts. thanks cargirl and pixie. i must say i have had the word 'diabetes' screaming at me too. he always seems to pep up after a sugary snack. we were at a party on sunday, he looked awful and wasn't joing in at all (v unlike him) but after stuffing himself with birthday cake the colour came back to his cheeks and he started running around...

[CarGirl]

Walk in centre?

[zonedout]

thanks cargirl, hadn't thought of that. my gp surgery can be so tricky though and i can just hear them saying i have to see the gp before they will do any tests... they did this once before with ds2 when i tried to hand in a stool sample after a week of awful diarrhoea...

frightening thought though, uncontrolled diabetes. both my mum and i suffer from quite bad hypoglycaemia but no true diabetes in the family so it would seem strange...

[SparkleRainbow]

You can get urine dip sticks from the pharmacy which will give you a pretty accurate answer as to whether it is diabetes or not.

Hope he is feeling a bit better today.

[mattellie]

?no true diabetes in the family so it would seem strange?

zonedout, at your DS?s age it would almost certainly be Type I diabetes ? that?s not genetic, or at least, there?s a possible genetic element but the vast majority of DCs with it don?t have older relatives with it also.

I don?t want to worry you, but everything you mention is a classic sign and constant infections requiring antibiotics are considered by many people to be a Type I ?trigger?.

You should phone your GP back and describe the symptoms ? any surgery worth its salt should call you in for an immediate appointment. 10 days is much too long to wait if your DS really does have TI. Good luck.

[zonedout]

thanks all. on top of everything, the poor mite came down with ds2's tummy bug last night and was up throwing up for most of the night . dh is away on a 2 week trip (a very regular occurence). i am an emetophobe. the illness just doesn't stop. i feel complete despair. and now really anxious about the diabetes possibility. i will have to phone the gp again on monday.

[off to brace myself for the vomiting bug to hit me next in an anxious emetophobic panic]

[BeenBeta]

This is screaming out 'diabetic' to me.

Get to a pahamacy and ask them if they have a simple test kit or beg for a nurse appointment at the GP.

If all else fails get to A&E or drop in centre. He sounds really ill.

[PardonMyClench]

Diabetes or coeliac occur to me as well but beware urine tests won't necessarily give you an answer. DS needs to be properly assessed.

[zonedout]

oh god, now you are frightening me. he hasn't been sick since the early hours of this morning and perked up in himself this afternoon, even left the sofa and cbeebies to play a little. he has today eaten and kept down half a toasted wholemeal muffin and a banana along with water, apple juice and several cups of camomile tea sweetened with honey. he has gone to bed looking fairly well just exhausted from having been up all of last night. i am absolutely loathe to drag him and his baby brother out tonight when they both seem so settled and content in their beds. i have clocked up an hours sleep all week (ds2 poorly the first 3 nights of the week) and am both exhausted and unable to think straight so perhaps i am being totally blase about my ds1...

[mattellie]

zonedout, how is DS this morning? Please give us an update when you can, very concerned.

If you're anywhere near us I can come over with one of DCs blood testing monitors, it only takes 5 seconds to give a reading.

[hardygirl]

Hi,
Barging in a little here - have read through the posts and agree with the above possible diagnosis. There are a couple of other things too and if the urine is negative for sugar, he certainly needs a number of other blood tests. I always teach my students to trust what the parents say - if you think he is ill, then he is ill. Be forceful with your GP and ask that your son be referred up to a paediatrician immediately. I hope he is well - children are very resilient and it is good that he appears to be growing well - but he does need a review. Please keep us updated. Best wishes and good luck.

[notapizzaeater]

Hope your DS is better today. Havng a coeliac and a diabetic here in my house - its screaming either of these. FWIW is my D (coeliac) is badly glutened he gets mouth ulcers.

Likewise - we have a meter in the house if you are local.

[CarGirl]

please let us know how he is, hope the bug has long since passed and you've got some sleep.