help terrified dd has diabetes

[LilQueenie]

so for about 2 years dd has had a little brown patch of skin which kind of looks like ingrained dirt tbh. its on the little indent in the throat and also on her belly button. nowhere else. I have just discovered this could be diabetes. She has however been tested for diabetes last year and it was negative and also as a baby again negative for other reasons. she had bad eczema for a year as a baby and still has bad cradle cap to this day. she will be 7 in two months. I just thought it was to do with her skin as she used to have the eczema quite bad. It doesnt bother her however. I feel terrible

Two types of diabetes are present in my older relatives on both sides. a grandparent and great grandparent and 3 uncles on my dads side.

The good news is I have read it can be reversed. Please tell me some good stories here. Looking at an appt with doc this week hopefully.

Hey, sorry to hear you're so worried. I'm diabetic (adult onset Type 2) but haven't heard of any related skin conditions like you describe. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will respond, but as far as I understand diabetes in children is typically (though not always) Type 1, which is a life-long condition.

However... is your DD showing any other symptoms other than the skin patches? My friend's son developed Type 1 diabetes last year, and before he was diagnosed he lost a lot of weight and was constantly thirsty and going to the loo. These would be the big red flags to look out for.

She has had the sling problem for 2 years. She was tested a year ago for diabetes and it was negative. She has no symptoms of diabetes.

Why are you terrified she has diabetes?

*skin problem

LilQueenie
The four signs of Type 1 diabetes in children are the four TS. Toilet (increasingly needing to urinate), Thirsty (needing to drink more), Tired and Thinner (weight loss).
If your daughter isn't showing signs of those then I think a dermatology referral is what you would be looking for.

Children diagnosed with diabetes are overwhelmingly Type 1 which is an autoimmune chronic condition. It has no known cause or cure and individuals are insulin dependent. It's a lifelong condition and not reversible.

Hope your GP can reassure you.

sorry for the typo.

Its hard to say but we do have a lot of sugar in our diet which is being changed as of now. I don't think she is overly thirsty or passing water too often. It was the skin thing. having looked it up it looks/sounds like Acanthosis nigricans which is a sign of diabetes. I'm terrified because it seems rife in my family and it can difficult to control. I don't want to fail her. I feel sick that I have possibly harmed her with too much sugar so far. I'm in fear/panic mode.

With all due respect OP you're talking nonsense.

Type 1 diabetes has absolutely nothing to do with too much sugar in the diet and to suggest it is is massively offensive to all the parents of Type 1 children.

It's an autoimmune response where an individual's immune system attacks the insulin producing cells in the Pancreas. There is no known cause.

It is VERY different to Type 2 as has already been explained up thread.

May I suggest that you go educate yourself before putting goady posts on here.

mintchocaddict yep I know its not type 1 to do with sugar intake thanks. As I said both types of diabetes are present within my family. however type 2 is sugar related. Im not attempting to offend. Im worried sick about my child. She is showing signs of Acanthosis nigricans which is a sign of hard to control diabetes. My own great grandmother died from a diabetic coma. Its hard not to fear diabetes in any form when you feel your child is in danger.

You've posted about this before haven't you? You need help for your anxiety. Your child does not have any form of diabetes but you will potentially cause her distress and harm if you allow your anxiety to dominate you like this.

Ok OP.
Get the GP to test her urine and then refer you to dermatology if it comes back in normal range. Maybe also seek some support for health anxiety.

Both types of diabetes may be present in your family OP but it would be hugely unlikely that a 6 year old would be diagnosed with type 2, therefore the comments about sugar in your posts are fairly ridiculous.

The tone of your posts are suggesting that parents are to blame for children developing Diabetes when actually it's a combination of bad luck and a dodgy immune system.

Here's hoping you don't need to join us any time soon. It's a shit condition for children to live with, made far worse by innacurate media reporting and the ignorance of others.

I dont recall posting about this before tbh but yes I do get anxious when it comes to DDs health. she had a few red flag health issues in the past and we were treated badly once and with a 'wait and see' attitude to another. I openly admit anxiety over her health but have NOT let her see it. Im well aware how that would affect her.

mintchocaddict. Thank you. I'm not suggesting parents are to blame just that too much sugar can lead to problems with type 2 diabetes. I read that on an official diabetic webpage btw. I wasnt aware how unlikely it would be for dd to have diabetes at her age. I apologise for that.

It looks like dermatology department is likely to see us though I hope its better than last time. the lotions they gave us for eczema burnt her skin and did nothing for her. hers hoping its not Acanthosis nigricans

I think you're putting two and two together and making five. Do her symptoms REALLY fit this definition:
Acanthosis nigricans may present with thickened, velvety, relatively darker areas of skin on the neck, armpit and in skin folds.

I don’t think this op is the same as the other poster others are referring to. There are literally no children with type 2 aged 6 in this country and only a handful aged 10-15. If it was type 1, she’d probably show signs like weight loss, thirst, tiredness, excess hunger, skin infections. My DS did have the symptoms you describe years before diagnosis but only the other hand it could just have been a permanently dirty neck.

Unless your daughter is hugely overweight it's very unlikely to be t2 diabetes. Even then it is very unlikely at her age to be t2 diabetes. I believe the youngest person ever to be diagnosed with t2 was aged 5 - and that's the youngest ever documented person.
If she's been checked for diabetes previously and everything has been fine I think that rules it out 100%.

Could it not be a birth mark? My brother and husband both have brown birthmarks. My DH's could be mistaken for a skin blemish, but is definitely not.

Right, so I know lots of people with similar skin pigmentation, none of them are diabetic. I have also never heard of a child getting type 2 diabetes. If she exibited other Stalybridge of diabetes like thirst, fainting, or eyesight or hearing that would be I've thing but nothing that you have written suggests diabetes. You really shouldn't worry.

I've just Googled the condition your worried about, and it the NHS clearly state that it can also appear with no underlying cause. I've seen it on many people, now I know what it is. There are also a raft of other potential conditions, but they all carry specific symptoms which you don't appear to have here.

I am the poster people are referring to with the t1 anxiety and my daughter's blood sugars have deteriorated further and she is indeed in the early stages of t1. I got told I was hysterical and overnight anxious by pretty much every single poster on mumsnet though.

But I appreciate that is not relevant to your situation. It just annoyed me when someone said upthread about my dd not having diabetes and me just being anxious.

I'm pretty certain your dd is absolutely fine.