Should I be concerned? 10 year old DD, just not quite right

[MrsKCastle]

Hoping for reassurance really, I don't really trust my sense of when to see the G.P. and when to leave it.

DD has been complaining of tiredness on and off for a while... maybe the last couple of months? Also says she feels sick quite often. She needs the toilet a lot but I don't think she has been overly thirsty. Has had the odd tiny spot of blood when wiping. A couple of times I wondered if she had cystitis, but took her to the GP on one occasion and they said no infection. She doesn't seem particularly unwell, so my instinct has been to put it down to the heat, not quite enough sleep etc. But she keeps complaining and it is noticeable how often she needs the toilet.

Any ideas or advice?

Does she have a temperature?

When you say 'needs the toilet' do you mean for a wee or a poo? If a wee I'd be getting her checked for diabetes.

what Penfold said.
Tiredness also a symptom. Best to rule things out- very simple test.

UTI ?

No temperature. Yes, I think she's needing to wee a lot, but gets embarrassed if I try to talk to her about it. Like I say, she doesn't seem very thirsty or unwell though... Wouldn't something like diabetes be more obvious, especially as this has been going on for a while?

Both my dd's went through a few months of all these symptoms at around 10, it was just a mixture of beginning puberty and a bit of anxiety.
If your worried take her to the GP though.

I would take her if she has been complaining for a while. Better to get her checked over and given reassurance rather than have something serious missed (I speak from experience with my DD where serious illness was diagnosed where, with the benefit of hindsight, there were some very minor symptoms). I certainly don't want to worry you (and I'd be willing to bet it's nothing serious in your DD's case) but I'm sure YOU will feel better if she is checked over.

"Wouldn't something like diabetes be more obvious, especially as this has been going on for a while?"

Not generally. With type one diabetes the symptoms CAN appear over a period of weeks or even a couple of months. But, they can progress very quickly at any point to a serious medical emergency.

If you haven't taken her to the GP yet, you need to. Don't let the GP send her for fasting bloods or rely on a urine sample. These are not the appropriate tests. A random sample can be taken there and then via a finger prick. Try to get her to have some carbohydrates an hour or two in advance of the appointment.

GPs can be very poor at understanding how to diagnose type one diabetes because they see so much type two and don't recognise the difference in diagnosis etc. Some don't even understand that undiagnosed type one is serious threat to life. So you may need to push them to do the finger prick test.