To think this is the start of type 1 diabetes

[NeuroSpicyCat]

Hand hold please.

My 13 year old son informed me tonight that he wet the bed last night.

This has never happened before.

His late father had Type 1 diabetes which started around this age.

My son also has a sore tummy (that comes and goes) and sore calves (that come and go).

He seems to have low mood also.

He's always been really thin.

My husband (his stepdad) is driving to A&E with him right now. I’m staying home with the other 4 children. (I can’t drive).

I’m autistic and scared. I’m so worried for him. AI said he is highly likely to be diagnosed given his symptoms and family history, and he’s likely to be urgently admitted to hospital.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

You dont see a GP service for type one diabetes though, many GPs refuse to have anything to do with it as they arent trained like endocrinologist.
One bad piece of advice and you can end up dead from type one. It’s serious.

Ok. I must take more responsibility for the health of my family than others. Those two items cost about £30 together? Surely people think their children are worth more than that?

@Alondrathere is no strict diet for type one?

Sorry if someone has already mentioned this OP but, if you get the all clear now, perhaps consider seeing if you can access TrialNet in the UK. It screens close relatives of T1D for risk of developing it in the future.

www.trialnet.org

Actually that's a bit harsh. I think it more like there a series of stuff we keep in just in case. Most plasters, treatments for burns, stings etc expire before they are used but we keep them in case. It is better to have them when needed with some going to waste than not. It could be more in fuel to go to A&E to get basic checked that to have the stuff at home.

This is type 2 diabetes. Untreated Type 1 diabetes needs urgent and immediate medical attention.

It is nonsense to say Type 1 can be treated with dietary changes. It is insulin dependent and, if left undiagnosed, can be fatal. Doing the right thing getting it checked.

You’re just being silly now.

There is a very strict diet. They need to eat regularly 5-6 small meals a day with carbs being weighted and counted as they are slow released sugars. The proportion of carbs, vegetables and protein is given by a nutritionist who reviews the diet with the diabetes health team, depending on regular blood results.

Not all diabetes 1 are the same, some people are fortunate to control it with insulin, diet and exercise, with a small percentage so severely affected that only a dual kidney and pancreas transplant can offer a longer life.

Wow, that was a snide response @Lioncub2020

Are you also trained to know that you are doing the test correctly, at the right time and interpreting the results accurately.

For example, how long after eating would you do the sugar test? Would you know whether the result was actually normal or quite low based on the net value of carbs they’d consumed, or quite high based on the net value of carbs they’d consumed consumed?

Having kit in your home is useful IF you know how to use it and how to read the results, otherwise it’s far better to go to a medical facility because you are more likely to miss something.

This was my point too. Unless you have diabetes, or have friends/family who do and know what the readings mean, it’s pointless. And anyone diagnosed is supplied with kits on the NHS anyway. This poster also advocated for anyone not knowing how to recognise a diabetic emergency to take a first aid course. Also utterly pointless because if they’re unconscious you would ring 999 - unless you knew they were diabetic they could be unconscious for a number of reasons, and the action to take would be the same anyway. And if they’re conscious give sugar and look for rapid improvement. If none 999.

@Alondra My son is type one and has never been told of this diet, neither have any of the type one families I speak too. The 5-6 small meals appiles to type two.
insulin grants them the ability to eat anything, obviously in moderation don’t go crazy on the bad carbs like cereal & pizza but never heard of 5-6 meals for type one diabetic and I work with diabetes UK.

Usually it will take a few tests to confirm if he is diabetic or not; they might suggest he has it but they wont be able to officially diagnose him immediately I don't think. Maybe they will do some blood tests etc.

With the family history you are really sensible to take this action.
keeping my fingers crossed for you all

I’m out - the misinformation on this post is shocking. If anyone wants to educate themselves properly on type one diabetes look into the juicebox podcasts.

It’s not a question of cost. It’s that a blood glucose monitor is a pointless expense as part of a first aid kit unless you know what the results mean. For example did you know that raised blood sugar can be caused by a simple infection ? A UTI or kidney infection, chest infection and many others can all cause raised blood sugar. It doesn’t mean the patient is diabetic and it’s not important for a lay person to know because if the patient is not diabetic the levels will reduce as the infection resolves.

I'm beyond surprised at your response. Most people with diabetes 2 need to make a few lifestyle changes - eat a bit less, lose some weight and exercise more. They majority only need medication to treat it if they make those small changes without having strict diets except controlling how much sugar they eat.

Diabetes 1 is much more serious and again I'm surprised at your response. I won't comment further because I'm not a doctor treating your son.

Yep. My DH has type 2 and we’ve heard of this diet - only appropriate for type 2 and even then not suitable for everyone. I think many people don’t understand the difference. Type 1 can only be treated with insulin - adjusted according to what you’re eating. Type 2 can be controlled with diet alone in many cases and with a range of other medications. For type 2 insulin is usually a last resort.

It's just a shame your delivery was so poor. Dismissive & unplesant.

Why are you surprised ? My DH is type 2. We’ve investigated this type of diet and several others, and they’re only appropriate for type 2. I think you may have misunderstood this poster. And type 2 isn’t all about how much sugar you eat. It’s about carbohydrate intake. If you eat more than you use, it’s stored as sugar in the body, which raises your blood sugar because you have no ability to regulate it. My DH watches what he eats carefully but still needs medication input to properly control it, as do many with type 2 - especially as you get older.

Type 1 is an autoimmune condition that cannot be prevented or cured, only managed.

Type 2 is a complex condition with multiple factors including genetics, lifestyle, environment, age and weight. It can range in severity from reasonably mild (diet-controlled) to severe (insulin dependent), again depending on multiple factors.

To my mind, they need to be called different things, they're two such distinct conditions.

You are deeply unplesant

AI being used as a medical resource has told a recovering meth addict to "just take a little meth if it helps get through the day"

And encouraged people to kill themselves

It isn't medically trained and shouldn't be used in place of 111/GP

I hope it your son turns out to be fine.

Just so you know ‘AI’ like google Gemini is scrapping info from all over the internet. If it is medical related, the best thing you can do is search for the information on a trusted site like NHS online even if you don’t want to speak to 111.

Some of the scraped AI information may be accurate but some will just be from nonsense sites or blogs that pertain to other peoples personal circumstances.

It is infinitely more useful to type in something like ‘symptoms of Type1 diabetes, NHS’ and click on the NHS page.

My SiL is type one. Beyond calculating carbs and sugars and adjusting insulin accordingly there is no strict diet. She can eat what she wants and follows a healthy diet with no concerns. I think you’re misunderstanding the interpretation of strict diet. There is no prohibited food for type 1, as with everything in life moderation is the key.

Don't be so rude & so glib. T2 is not caused by 'eating too much' Typical outdated T1 attitude. 🙇🏻‍♀️