Is my 20mth old DS drinking too much?

[MummyWithA1Family]

Sorry if this question has a really obvious answer but I'm a first time mum and not sure if this is normal or not.

I have a 20 month old DS who normally drinks around 3 cups (training/toddler/sippy cups) of water or very, very dilute juice a day. In the past week or two he's been drinking alot more than normal, averaging 10-11 cups per day. Sometimes he's so thirsty he drinks two cups straight off and is gasping for air in-between sips (like you do when you're so thirsty you don't want to stop drinking to take a breath). It's all passing through him fine, so much so that after an hour or two his nappies are nearly falling off him with the weight of the urine inside.

Is this normal at this time of year? It's warm in our house but not too warm like a few weeks ago. Should I be concerned about diabetes etc or am I just thinking the worst because of my family history (diabetes runs in our family but not normally in childhood, we have late onset, gestational and one case of childhood but that's my 12 year old niece after my sister had gestational diabetes)?

My DS seems perfectly healthy apart from this (what I think is) excessive drinking. Please put my mind at ease as I don't want to go to the drs with DS unless I have to.

To be honest, as it is such a change from normal I would go to the Doctors just to reassure myself. If you didn't go and it WAS something to be concerned about you wouldn't forgive yourself.

I would definately get him checked out, a quick urine test would show up diabetes if this was the case. Try not to worry too much, it may just be that the warm weather gives him a dry mouth so he feels thirstier than he really is. Try giving him lots of fruits and juicy foods too.
Hope he's alright! x

I'm not overly worried but my mum (who lives with us) is, which makes me think it's not right as she isn't an undue worrier. Thank you so much for answering and giving your opinion I just don't want to be an overanxious first timer!
Will get him to drs if still the same at end of week.

I'm not sure whether or not the family history makes a difference or not given the fact that it's usually late onset diabetes, IYSWIM. It would be good to know what a dr or nurse thinks of this. I want to get him checked out, to be on the safe side, but don't want to waste drs time and be seen as a timewaster. Think I will take him though unless a dr or nurse comes on this thread before the end of the week (earliest I can get DS to drs) and tells me it's normal at his age or time of the year.

Thanks again to everyone who's taken the time to reply.

Hi Mumm, I'm a retired GP and I'm certainly not going to reassure you that this is normal. It might be Diabetes. Small children developing Diabetes also lose weight quite quickly. Don't wait to the end of the week. Can't you phone your GP and talk to him/her?

I'm sorry, but this is a classic indicator of Type I diabetes - sudden onset of thirst but with the liquids passing straight through.

It might prove to be nothing, but you are definitely not wasting anyone's time in getting it checked out.

Also please, please, please do not wait until the end of the week - a 4-day wait in a young child with Type I diabetes is potentially life-threatening.

Wouldn't he have any other symptoms other than excessive thirst if it was diabetes? He really does seem his usual self. The only other thing that's slighty different for DS is that he's sleeping more than usual. He's always been a good sleeper and usually sleeps 9 hours at night and 2 in the day, at the moment he's having 3 hours in the day and 10-12 at night.

Mummy, I?m not a doctor just a parent with many years experience of Type I diabetes. My understanding is that there are 4 main indicators of a possible diagnosis:

• excessive thirst
• frequent urination
• increased tiredness
• weight loss

Your DS is displaying elements of the first three of these and on that basis it warrants checking out.

The thirst and the urination are the body?s attempts to wash out the excess sugar in the body because the organ responsible for performing that function is no longer working.

A test using a blood glucose metre will give you a pretty definitive answer (the ones my DCs use take 5 seconds) and a GP or practice nurse could carry it out.

I realise this is extremely upsetting for you, but you really do need to get this checked out today.

Thank you. I've got a drs appt tomorrow even though I said it was quite urgent. Will let you know the results. Scary to think he has 3/4 of symptoms! I'm sure it's still just heat or something (desperately trying to convince myself now) but will def get it checked out. The other thing that's happening but not sure if he's just becoming a fussy eater or not, is that he doesn't want to eat. Probably this is because he's overloading with drinks which is normally a dieters trick!
Thank you all so very much for your advice. It's certainly helped to clarify I'm not wasting drs time by getting this checked out!

Don?t worry, of course there are loads of other possible explanations ? UTI, some sort of virus or even just the heat/humidity ? but no doctor is going to think you are wasting their time with this. Just tell them exactly what you?ve told us here regarding your DS?s symptoms.

Hope all goes well, please come back and update us after you?ve seen the doctor. x

Apologies for bumping, but how was the doctor?s appointment, mummy? Any news?

Sorry didn't get back on here Mattellie but appt was cancelled! Dr had to take son to have tonsils out. Bit annoyed as surely he should have known before that morning that he was taking him?! No other appts til tomorrow/today (Thursday). Will come back on and let you know what's said. I'm a bit cross with dr as I wouldn't have thought it warranted a last minute cancellation and should have known in advance! Just want to know either way as ds is eating less each day! Still sure it's nothing to worry about though (wishful thinking??).

I've finally got an update for you!

Went to drs and he said as he didn't 'look poorly' it was probably nothing as he would look ill or underweight if diabetes. He didn't do a finger prick test as he thought it may distress him (at this point DS was happily trying to pull the paper sheet roll off the exam couch and ripping it up whilst I was trying to stop him and talk to dr!! Def is his usual little monkey like self! lol).

Dr thinks it's just the warm weather to account for excessive drinking and sodden nappies. Also reassured me that DS cannot physically drink too much as his brain would tell him to stop way before he overloaded. He said it doesn't matter that he's not eating much now as he doesn't look underweight and as for the extra sleeping he thinks DS is simply more tired.

End result is if he's not better in a couple of weeks bring him back for finger prick test because of family history of diabetes (which is actually more than I originally thought). Think I would've prefered him to have done the finger prick test there and then. I know DS would've been distressed at time but also know he would've forgotten about it within seconds of going back to toys. Obviously dr knows better than me though and maybe I am 'over-reacting'?

PS
Dr didn't weigh or examine (or even touch DS) he just looked at him and said he hasn't lost weight even though he wouldn't have been able to tell with the clothes he had on and this dr hadn't seen DS since he was about 6-8 months old. I must say, even though dr didn't ask my opinion, I don't think DS has lost weight or certainly not that you'd notice.

Good that the doctor wasn't too worried. However, I guess if you were particularly worried one of your family would probably have a blood glucose monitor, and so you could do a finger prick test yourself.

Unfortunately we no longer have the tests at home since my dad passed away and other family members that live near us, otherwise I'd definitely done it myself to 100% put my mind at ease.

my daugter started drinking more at 3years old, sometimes 3litres plus per day. She is just a fast and big drinker.

After 4 years and several finger prick tests later she is still drinking loads.

Sorry been offline all weekend. Mummy, so glad GP didn?t think it was anything to worry about, I think I did say it might be just the heat and humidity we?ve been experiencing.

I have to say, though, that this ? Went to drs and he said as he didn't 'look poorly' it was probably nothing as he would look ill or underweight if diabetes ? is not necessarily true. If it was the very early stages of the condition, there would not automatically any outward sign of this nature.

FWIW, and I don?t meant to cause you any distress, but I wouldn?t have complete confidence in a GP who dismissed your concerns without carrying out the most rudimentary of tests, particularly given your family history. Sorry.