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Son thirsty and drinking alot

23 replies

kayjayg · 16/08/2020 12:41

Hi new to this and really concered for my 11 year old son who is drinking so much and then obviously needs to wee more but hes up 4 times a night and starts high school in September so im worried about broken sleep aswell. He had glucoses bloods done on Tuesday and not had results back yet which i presume there fine just wondering if any one else has gone through this and some advise on weather it could be a habit or more medical also not sure if hormones have anything to do with this as he sarted going through puberty at 7 1/2 years old and now is full of hairs and spots xx

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tiredanddangerous · 16/08/2020 12:46

Did they not prick his finger to check his blood sugar? If it's diabetes he could deteriorate very quickly. I would phone the out of hours doctor now and ask for advice. He needs to be seen.

kayjayg · 16/08/2020 12:53

He had a full glucose blood taken and doc said would be in contact if anything was fount which i know its not diabetes as hes healthy and my grandad had it and know how poorly it can make you if not diagnosed think the doc wanted to rule that out. Just dont know what else it could be the thing that concernd me is if were out and not had fluids for 1 - 2 hours hes drained n clamy and begs for a drink n then will down 2-3 bottles in half hour which cant be good xx

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Lindtnotlint · 16/08/2020 13:01

Did they do an immediate urine and finger prick blood test while you were there? Diagnosing diabetes doesn’t require sending anything off to labs. Go back TODAY and ask for a urine glucose test and an immediate spot finger pricked test of blood glucose. If they didn’t do an immediate test right there in the surgery then something was very wrong

CommonCarder · 16/08/2020 13:05

They can deteriorate very rapidly.
Did this happen last night too op?
If so please seek help today.

TravelGem · 16/08/2020 13:06

I agree with PP

Bloods don't need to be sent to the labs, an initial finger prick test and urine will show signs of diabetes.... young kids can cope with the symptoms for a good few weeks before being diagnosed but it's still a medical emergency and they can still end up being really unwell.

Is he losing weight?
More fatigued?

SimplySteveRedux · 16/08/2020 13:11

DP is a Type 1 from the age of two and has asked me to say that he is ticking red flags for diabetes and that he could become very unwell very quickly. You should go to A&E now, hopefully it's not diabetes, but if it is he'll receive extremely important treatment. It's worth the time to go.

FATEdestiny · 16/08/2020 13:29

Excessive drinking can be simple habit forming, which can then become compulsive.

I say this because I have a compulsive water drinking habit and all four of my children drink excessively compared to peers (albeit not compulsively). I assume from living in a home with me, who's always got a drink of water actively on the go, and gaining the habit through association.

My children (aged 5-15) drink around about 2-3 litres a day. Could be up yo 4l, rarely less than 2l. I try not to count mine, because I get triggered that I'll become thirsty. But it's more than them.

Just wanted to point out that this could be psychological and not a physical illness.

I get clammy and feel (genuinly) very very thirsty if I've not drank for 1-2 hours. I know rationally that it's not a biological need for my body, but my brain tells me to drink.

My situation was triggered by an event, which then left an imprint. For me, I was pregnant in a hot car alone and stuck for 4h in a stationary traffic jam and became thirsty, but with no access to water. This lead to me carrying a 2l bottle in the car at all times for emergency. To then carrying a 1l bottle with me at all times, to then where I am now.

I know my issue is compulsive. My children tho, they can take it or leave it. But whereas other children might not think to drink in the day, if mine see their water bottle they will always drain it (and I'll refill it sometime later).

My suggestion would be to not refill his water bottle too much in the late afternoon and evening. But then offer extra in the mornings if needed.

Also don't let him have a glass of water by the bed. I sometimes do get a drink in the night but the fact I have to get up and go downstairs for it mean a I often can't be bothered. If the water was right there on my bedside table I'd drink more in the night, then be up more to wee (and get another drink while up for a wee).

tiredanddangerous · 16/08/2020 13:36

The thing is op you haven't had diabetes ruled out because you haven't had blood results. Please get him looked at today...they deteriorate so rapidly with it and become very ill. If you really can't see a doctor or get to a&e go to a pharmacy and get a blood glucose monitor and testing strips. A pharmacy might even be able to test him for you.

kayjayg · 16/08/2020 13:41

No dodnt do a finger prick and took a water sample in with me but didnt test it there and then so would presume its allok plus hes not got other signs on diabetes only the drinkin and weeing alot. Thankyou all for your advise i do think it could be a habbit drinking as you have said will defokeep an eye on him x also i never google as it alwas scares me but i have and Diabetes Insipidus has come up which is same symptoms but nothing to do with insulin has anyone heard of this xx

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kayjayg · 16/08/2020 13:43

Also how long would a fasting glucose results come back xx

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CommonCarder · 16/08/2020 13:50

To me drinking a lot IS the big sign with kids. Knew two type 1 diabetics in childhood and that was the symptom that got them to the doctor's.

When did they say they'd let you know the results op?

kayjayg · 16/08/2020 13:56

By Friday just gone and im thinking if there was something showing they would of cntacted me by now x also pretty anoyed that they can quickly test with urine and finger prick and he didnt need to have bloods taken as he is a sensitive kid and really upset with the needle and i felt guilty for him habin thay plus tbe bugger bribed me for a game on ipad if he got it done ha ha xx

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CommonCarder · 16/08/2020 14:02

I'd not be happy with that.

Maybe the pharmacy as suggested above?

WitsEnding · 16/08/2020 14:31

My DF had diabetes insipidus, he was quite unwell with it and had to be hospitalised to get a diagnosis (20 years ago). Once they knew what it was and prescribed the very necessary medication he was fine and to the best of my knowledge it didn’t cause any more problems.

Untreated, he just couldn’t retain any water for any length of time and got very thin and weak.

whataballbag · 16/08/2020 14:36

Could well be diabetes, even if he seems otherwise well.

I'd be wanting him finger pricked tested asap. Beggars bloody belief the GP didn't do that in the first place

frustrationcentral · 16/08/2020 14:40

@kayjayg

No dodnt do a finger prick and took a water sample in with me but didnt test it there and then so would presume its allok plus hes not got other signs on diabetes only the drinkin and weeing alot. Thankyou all for your advise i do think it could be a habbit drinking as you have said will defokeep an eye on him x also i never google as it alwas scares me but i have and Diabetes Insipidus has come up which is same symptoms but nothing to do with insulin has anyone heard of this xx
I was about to question Diabetes Insidious esp as I think that can be linked to early puberty?
kayjayg · 16/08/2020 14:47

Iv read that dI and it sounds very simel to him as like you said the early onset of puberty also his urine has no colour what so ever but that could be to do with all the flud he drinks. Will defo get in contact with gp in morning and ask for results and also see if they can test for DI x thankyou all for comments xxx

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raffle · 16/08/2020 14:49

Someone I know had DKA due to undiagnosed t1 diabetes. He was very unwell. First symptoms were guzzling down squash. His ketones were dangerously high by the time he got to A&E. And he actually saw his GP the day before who did his stats and said all was fine Hmm 4 nights in ICU to get his ketones under control

Flamingnorahs · 16/08/2020 14:52

You NEED to take him to A&E. My son was diagnosed a year and a half ago with type 1 diabetes. I did not see the signs for a wee while. Thought him being thirsty was just because it was hot. He wet the bed once and I thought he was just nervous about his upcoming school trip (even though he hadn't done this since he was a toddler) because he showed no other signs of diabetes then. I thought I knew the signs as my granny has T1D. He went on the trip and all was well and when he came back he was a little quiet but I though he was just tired from all the activities. Two days later he had shrunk beyond belief and was throwing up. Took him to A&E and after a few quick tests (fingerprick blood test, smelling his breath, examine of his weightloss) I was told he had diabetes. It can go undetected for a while and the Dr should have tested there and then for this. Hope hes ok.

Prestel · 16/08/2020 15:02

I imagine the GP did a blood test because it's more reliable than a urine dip. Sounds to me like the GP was just taking the symptoms seriously and yes, you're right, if the blood test found anything you would have heard back from the GP straight away, though it's always worth ringing and checking for peace of mind.
As for other causes, excessive drinking and weeing can be caused by anxiety and also by autonomic disorders such as POTs, which sometimes temporarily affect children after a growth spurt.

Emmacb82 · 16/08/2020 15:15

I don’t understand why GPS are still doing fasting bloods. As a paeds nurse it makes me so angry that they are literally playing with kids lives by trying to rule out diabetes this way. They should do a finger prick and a urine dip there and then.
With those symptoms you need to go to a+e now and get him checked. Don’t rely on the fact that you haven’t heard anything back from the bloods that they are ok. Things are processed more slowly at the weekend and the GP won’t be there to chase them. Please don’t wait, if it all turns out to be nothing then brilliant, but if it is diabetes you want it treated ASAP before he becomes really unwell.

SimplySteveRedux · 16/08/2020 15:21

I don't want to scare you, but you're being rather blasé about this. Hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) invokes ketoacidosis and breath smells like pear drops. This leads to irreparable kidney damage and, in extreme cases, death. You absolutely HAVE to go to A&E.

nocoolnamesleft · 16/08/2020 22:06

Habitual drinking is usually toddlers/young child age, not 11. I'm bothered that you don't know for sure that the bloods were normal. I doesn't feel as though you can know for sure that diabetes has been excluded, yet. And children can go from coping by drinking loads to collapsing in a total heap pretty quickly. I agree with the paeds nurse above that this needs checking out today.

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