To be sick with worry than DS (12) may have diabetes!

[HumiditySucks]

Please help calm me down until I can get a GP appointment this afternoon.

DS 12 has started drinking a lot more water, saying he feels thirsty. Started about 3 weeks ago while abroad. Obviously it’s hot but this is more than that.

He’s also lost a lost a lot of weight on his stomach. That may be him shooting up in height but he wasn’t over weight before.

Also saying he feels more tired but that could be due to being up until early hours of the morning 😡and sleeping rhythm messed up.

Noticed last night his breath has a chemical smell like acetone.

No Type 1 diabetes in families. MIL was diagnosed in her late 60’s with Type 2.

GP had no appointments by the time I got through this morning so have to try again at 2pm. Aarghhh!

GP would have sent him to hospital anyway.

No it wasn't, and it is still standing so MNHQ agrees, and the NHS advice agrees.

Each time I say he needed an emergency appointment and that he needed to be seen, however A&E is not the correct place and the obsession with sending everyone there when they can not get an appointment is in itself dangerous as it makes A&E less accessible to actual emergencies.

Urgent care or 111 was the right approach in a situation like this. The doctor should have seen him and I think that OP should raise with the surgery.

I've taken my adult diabetic son to hospital because he has had out of control blood sugars numerous times, By the time you can smell pear drops it's an emergency; by the time they are vomiting it's an emergency; if they can't breathe it's an emergency. The body is trying to reduce the amount of sugar in the bloodstream by any means possible, and that means that ketoacidosis is either started or going to start soon. The uncontrollable thirst and constant urination is another clue that things are very wrong, as is rapid weight loss. I didn't phone 999 unless I couldn't move him and get him in the car because it was easier to drive him 2 minutes to A&E rather than try other options. The risk of death was too great. When he was a child, we were given open access to the children's ward so that he could be seen quicker, when he became an adult I would tell triage at A&E that he was T1 with out of control blood sugars. He was seen immediately.
Please can people understand that this young man had to be seen at A&E straight away because he was in real danger.

OP I am not saying any of this to scare you, BUT I am getting so angry with people commenting who seem to think that out of control diabetes is not an emergency.

Had the doctor seen him they would have sent him to hospital anyway.

The fact the post hasn’t been deleted doesn’t mean MNHQ “agrees”.

loislovesstewie

That isn't the same.
Plus things since covid are different -urgent care attached to A&E like the op attended was the appropriate approach. Girlmum and I were not saying it isn't important, he needed to be seen today but not at A&E.

Iris it was reported and MN agreed it didn't break talk guidelines.

Anyway, the important thing is that the OP knew the signs and acted on them, she must be very stressed by it all but should be proud of her actions.

@loislovesstewie

I totally understand the anger. I have felt it. But, all you can is refute the nonsense and hope that anyone reading will understand. Untreated T1 diabetes and DKA is terrifying. Being in this thread today just took me back to that day my son was diagnosed. A lot of people know something about T1 diabetes, but untreated T1 diabetes and DKA, not so much. Only the people that have T1 diabetes, the people who care for someone who has it and the people who work with diabetics.

My family know nothing useful about T1 diabetes, but will happily talk about their relative who has it, thinking the association is knowledge. I was very careful in what I posted today because I only have one experience of dealing with untreated T1 diabetes, and that was 7 years ago, and I don't know what may have changed. Others, know nothing, and still spout advice that wasn't and isn't helpful. Giving advice about something you don't know about is reckless. And to not realise that at this point in the thread, what can you say?

The first appointment I had with my sons consultant he said (and I remember this word for word). "In a very short time you will know more about your sons' type 1 diabetes than his GP". I thought he was overstating it, but it is true. There is a lot of good help and support out there though.

Bad advice doesn’t break talk guidelines otherwise half the forum would be deleted.

Urgent Care sent him to A&E where he is now being admitted.

That is because A&E is the appropriate place. Technically OP could have gone straight there and saved her and Urgent Care’s time.

It’s fine to be wrong, we all are sometimes, but just accept it and don’t keep going on.

If every parent that thought their kid was sick bypassed the correct channels A&E would be swamped with healthy people.

Urgent care was the correct place to go, it was urgent and they treated and sent on as needed.

@HumiditySucks

I am so glad you got him checked. I hope you are both okay, and thanks for highlighting his symptoms. I have no experience with diabetes but this is useful to know what to look out for. X

No A&E was the correct place to go that’s why Urgent Care sent them there.

OP is not every parent she is the parent of a child with diabetes.

@Cece92 years ago they had an information campaign to teach people about it. I think it is a shame in lots of ways that we no longer have as many public health/safety announcements. Meningitis is another that seemed to be highlighted more in the past.

OP is not every parent she is the parent of a child with diabetes

This morning she wasn't, this morning she was a worried parent. Anyway this isn't helping OP.

OP I really hope you get great treatment and support from now on in, it is a tough time until you get used to it all but as others have said technology has revolutionised diabetes care. Make sure you speak to school asap, they often are a wealth of information and support, and for you joining a parent support group can really make your journey easier.

@Ducksurprise I am really uneducated on diabetes embarrassingly. I've not had to deal with it or think about. However I now know some signs and will definitely do some research on it. Meningitis yes sadly my neighbour lost her baby to this when I was pregnant and it was horrible. Then there was huge campaigns around the signs of it as there was another few local parents who also lost their children to meningitis. Was a very sad time. X

Wow @HumiditySucks - really impressed that you recognised the signs of T1 diabetes, and acted upon it. It's not a diagnosis that anyone wants, but now you know what's going on and you'll all learn what to do (hint: managing T1 diabetes is a job for the whole family). I knew nothing when DD was diagnosed 4 years ago - spotted by GP, who sent us straight to A&E; bed waiting when we got there. You got your DS to absolutely the right place.

For those of you who think that hanging around and not going to A&E was a good idea, have a look at the Diabetes UK website:

Concerningly, the latest National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA) report shows that 16% percentage of all children are not diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes until they are in DKA. This figure increases to 24% in the the under 5s.
Children can develop DKA within 24-48 hours of first presentation with the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, with the under 2’s most at risk. DKA is a serious condition and occurs when a lack of insulin causes high blood glucose and blood ketone levels which leads to vomiting and high blood acidity causing severe dehydration. If untreated it leads to unconsciousness and death.

TBH, unless you have T1 yourself or in your immediate family, or are an endocrinologist, you need to check your facts before posting.

So sorry to read this @HumiditySucks it’s upsetting and so new for you all right now but as a parent of a T1 diagnosed aged 7, I can tell you that you guys will work it out. There is amazing tech and support systems out there. It was totally new to our family too and took a flash of realisation from me. I wish we had gone straight to A and E rather than having waited for our afternoon Gp appointment.

My lad is now 22 and has finished Uni.

Wishing your boy and you all the best.

I'm so sorry to hear you've had to join this club. Our son is also Type 1. There are lots of brilliant Facebook groups for support.

Get him on a pump as soon as you can, it makes life so much easier

You'll find you really grieve for a while and that's totally normal.

As for people telling you not to go to A&E - what appalling ignorance. T1 is a medical emergency.

Xx

This morning she wasn't, this morning she was a worried parent. Anyway this isn't helping OP.

This morning she was a worried parent of a child with diabetes with telltale signs of it.

@Ducksurprise

You are absolutely tone deaf. MNHQ doesnt agree simply because they haven't removed your post.

Your doubling down is ridiculous and offensive to all the countless posters who live with diabetes and have told you that your advice emmas incorrect. Please educate yourself

It’s such a shock to the system for all the family. My husband was diagnosed 6 years ago.

He went to the doc with his symptoms and doc did a finger prick and his sugar was 28….doc sent him home to go back for a blood test in 3 days!! Luckily doc rang back 2 hours later (must’ve realised how fucking stupid that was) and sent him straight to the diabetes dept at hospital.

Good luck to your son on his diabetes journey xx

@Ducksurprise A&E would have been the right place to go, the signs and symptoms do sound very strongly like Diabetes. Have you ever heard of Diabetic Ketoacidosis or DKA for short, it can lead to life altering circumstances and pretty much end of life if left untreated. My GP sent me to A&E after I was eventually diagnosed with a UTI after a week of pain and high blood sugars that were hard to control. They suspected DKA on top because of the infection. If it wasn't serious, they wouldn't have sent me to A&E.

Gosh op incredibly well done for spotting the signs!! Wishing your son all the very best!!

Sorry, I shall say this and then leave it.; I took him once with off the scale blood sugars to then find out that he also had sepsis . What can I say?

Once again, OP , wishing you all the best.

Well done for spotting the signs and getting him seen.
It's gonna be an overload of info over the next few days but I promise you, you will be an expert in all things diabetesand will soon be glancing at a plate of food going 'yup that's 42 g of carbohydrates... your BG is 7 so give X units' all without really having to think too much.
There are lots of ways to manage it. Pumps/real time glucose monitors, smart pens.... you will find your way
There's also a great online support community on Twitter.
From a T1, all the best
Let us know how he (and you) are doing.