I asked my 16 year old to take a day off college tomorrow i dont know if im doing the right thimg or not

[aufolandedonmyface]

my 16 year old started college in september was fine at first but rhe last few weeks has been extremely tired , lost weight not sure if its related or not but it has been a quick loss - she went fr size 14 trousers to size 10 in around 4-6 weeks. She has been just lying down when she gets home , too tired to go to clubs she normally goes to. She struggled to walk around shops even and that was on a saturday so no college. She sleeps well.

i took her to the gp a few days ago
and he made me feel like i was over reacting and kept asking her things like “do you have an eating disorder” . She has had a folic acid deficiency in the past and i really had to push for just a test for that an anemia. she has the blood test next week. She recently had a 5 day heart monitor on after fainting iver a year ago ( it took that long to get it) but tbh she has no symptoms of anything like that.

She is only at college three days a week today is her second day this week and she looks awful. Shes just lying on her bed and has been since 5 when she got home. She was not feeling strong enough to go to an group she normally loves tonight.

I am really concerned about her and ive told her i think she should really take tomorrow off (shes not in friday anyway) and rest. She has the blood test next wednesday.

am i just over reacting here to normal teenage things because the gp made me feel like a crazy old woman!

The exhaustion is a sign of advanced DKA (blood poisoning) according to this chart. Please take her in tonight.

I would take her to A&e, the blood glucose could be high for other reasons other than type 1, but your daughter really needs a HBA1C test and blood gases done as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the morning as keytones can develop quickly, and can be lethal.

Helpful.

I’m a healthcare professional and also have T1 diabetics in my family. That is not a normal reading for a healthy 16 year old and she has classic signs.

You need to take her to A&E tonight if you are not already doing that. They will see her and get things rolling to help her feel better and on a plan of treatment. Take an over night bag.

Do make a complaint to the GP surgery once things have calmed - this could easily have been identified sooner.

Wishing you all well x

Hi op, my DD has type 1.
Does your son’s girlfriend have a ketone meter? It’s a simple finger prick test, as you would have done for the blood sugars, but with a different test strip/ machine?
A high ketone level would suggest type 1. Anything over 0.6 is of concern & needs immediate action.

She does but not but not here she doesnt live here she just stays over sometimes (my son is 19) . I have asked for a 111 callback but not sure when that would be. Dd is asleep now .

im hoping its just all ok in the morning and this reading was a fluke i have no idea how likely that is though.

You must be so worried, I hope you get some help tomorrow x

I would be listening to the countless people that have suggested A&E.

If she is Diabetic its not the end of the world
Nobody wants their child to be Diabetic of course but its so well managed these days with pumps and CGM,s.

Ok, hope you hear back from 111 quickly.
Just a thought - did she wash her hands before the finger prick test? If not, this can give ‘false’ highs.
But the weight loss and tiredness are big red flags for diabetes. If you can test her ketones asap, that would hopefully set your mind at rest in terms of Type 1.
My daughter had lost a lot weight and was just ‘under the weather’ and tired when diagnosed. My gut told me something was wrong - it’s a 6th sense that shouldn’t be ignored!

My daughter was diagnosed with T1 last year. I would wake her up and take her to A&E. I didn’t. I had suspicions but decided to call the GP in the morning. After being checked in the surgery we were sent straight to hospital. Please go tonight.

I’m certain 111 will also tell you to go A&E due to the amount of symptoms your daughter has. Everyone is different in how quickly Type 1 develops, the pancreas still produces insulin for a short period, and can for as long as 6 months. However the blood gets acidic over time and this can cause DKA, which is a coma. It’s not worth the risk of waiting until the morning.

I would take her to the hospital!

My 18 year old DD is currently laying very ill in a bed in hospital with this;I’m typing this from her bedside.

She’s been having very similar symptoms;please call your GP surgery first thing.

I'm sorry to hear this ,this was my now 19 year old three years ago ,he was in critical care for three weeks after collapsing in DKA ( complications ) I hope I can offer some reassurance in that three years on he's very well he has a Dexcom and manages his insulin very well
Beat wishes to your daughter.

Place marking because I want to know that your dd is ok. xxxxx

Diabetes doctor here. Tired and not read the full thread. It can come on very fast and be fatal if untreated. If not already done please get her blood sugar checked. And as another doctor on here said take her to see someone else and ask for bloods to be done.

I hope you’re both ok. I’m a doctor (registrar in diabetes) and once she gets some support with it it’s a very manageable condition. Tons of diabetes technology nowadays and it’s a completely different disease from what it was like in the past.

Checking ketones alone won’t be enough to reassure.
Please ensure reviewed again.

Have you smelt her breath?... if it smells like pear drops that's another diabetes indicator.

I really hope all is well for your dd once she is seen by the medics..

@aufolandedonmyface A Blood Sugar reading of 10.7 is high 3 hours after eating, regardless of what your son's Girlfriend said. She may have different targets - and yes, they can go much higher than that , so everything is relative. And a one off reading of 10.7 isn't a firm indicator of Diabetes - other things like stress and infection can raise blood sugar levels, but given her other symptoms they really need to test her for Diabetes.

I would take her to A&E too. It's too potentially dangerous to wait, Thinking of you

Type 2 insulin dependent here - 10.7 after not eating for three hours and having eaten something fairly average (not say, cake/chocolate/sushi)... is FAR too high for a non-diabetic.

If it were that high for me at that point after eating, I'd be correcting that with some insulin, and whoever has told you that you don't need to worry until its 15 is talking shit (or you've wildly misunderstood). At 15 id be jibbering, falling asleep and seriously needing to correct, mine only goes that high if im really unwell or if I were to skip the insulin and eat sugar.

For a non diabetic it should be around 4 or 5 pre meal and around 7 or 8 a couple of hours after (depending of course on what the meal was), and be back on its way down to normal at the 3 hour mark.

My son’s fasting reading was 14 at diagnosis- not increifbly high (ketones 1.6) - he walked into hospital and out in less than 48 hrs. Thus only happened as my own was 39 and ketones were 7. I very nearly didn’t walk out. You need to ask them to do full diabetic bloods including c peptide and antibodies. There’s more than enough red flags- please don’t let her get into the state I was in as I ignored symptoms thinking I was too old for a t1 diagnosis

Lots about diabetes here but don’t be reassured if it isn’t diabetes - fast weight loss and exhaustion are red flags for more than just diabetes and need proper investigation.

This.

NHS Professional here.