Worried about diabetes in a three old. - picture included.

[SmallDucks]

My three year old has been generally unwell on and off for most of his life and it's manifested in self in sickness.

GP and I have basically put it down to cyclic vomiting given that he is otherwise thriving developmentally and physically - and he still is.

About 2 months ago he started developing a real thirst and started needing a wee at night or wetting the bed.
Alarm bells clanged, so I did a blood glucose test on him which was fine, around 5.

Also in the last couple of months he's developed a white coating on is tongue (see pic) which has not improved and I believe for a bit worse, but perhaps I'm being paranoid? Please see pic.

Im not very familiar with diabetes, but I know the key signs and that children don't usually present to hospital until they are DKA.

Can blood glucose go up and down before DKA?

Could the normal reading be a red herring or can that continue to reassure me?

Thanks.

can you text again? Those symptoms can present for diabetes (thirst, weeing lots), but there will always be a high blood sugar reading too.

*test again

Ok, I tested about a week ago so not that long ago.
He isn't very compliant now after I said it would just be a scratch he didn't agree with the description.

Its unlikely that it was inaccurate isn't it?

If he's symptomatic, he would be high, wouldn't he?

Yes it can, there's a phase usually around the point of diagnosis called the honeymoon period where the pancreas is still producing beta cells. Is he tired more than usual? Does his breath smell? Have cuts been taking longer to heal? I would take him to the GP who will do a urine test and the finger prick test. They may suggest a venous blood draw for HbA1c.

His breath has been unpleasant at the same time but not that classic pear drip smell.

I just did it again 5.4.

I can stop worrying, can't I?
I will look up the honeymoon period.

I know you have other concerns but that tongue I wouldn’t be convinced is oral thrush at all. In poorly controlled/undiagnosed diabetics it’s usually really florid in away you cant mistake it. That whitish coating combined with halitosis could be related to mouth breathing at night. Does he snore? Have big tonsils?

I think some children can get sleep apnoea which could explain the tiredness (the fact children can get sleep apnoea is the start and end of my knowledge on that!) or maybe reflux causing the vomiting and bad breath?

I do think back to his GP for another check though. I hope it resolves or you get some answers soon.

He doesn't snore and has tiny tonsils but he absolutely does have reflux.

As a baby he took Ranitadine until he was about 14 months old when it was taken off the shelf.
I stopped giving it to him but he's never stopped being symptomatic.

I think you're right, I think I'm looking in too many directions and it does still point to the ongoing reflux.

The GP is calling on 27th to discuss Omperazole, so perhaps I can stop being crazy about diabetes.

With my husband there were no signs until in London on a trip away where he complained his eye sight was bad. We checked his bloody a few days later (his dad has a kit) it was 26.4. They made him take it 3 times as they couldn’t believe the result!

Can you get some urine test strips to dip for glucose? Less invasive than finger prick tests. I caught my 3 year olds type 1 before DKA but she was still quite ill with it. As well as thirst and weeing, she was starving hungry while getting thinner, and said her body hurt. I feel so sad thinking about it.

Have allergies been ruled out? I knew a child who was forever being sick until when he was 3 they diagnosed a form of nut allergy.

His brother has a ton of allergies.

It's been on my mind a lot but I have kept a food diary and it doesnt coincide with anything obvious.

Although if it's an Ige allergy it could take days to show symptoms so there's always that.

He had this when he was exclusively breastfed.
I stopped egg, soya and milk for three months thinking he would be the same as my older son but it didn't make any difference at the time.