Would you seek a second opinion about possible type 1 diabetes?

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Took my child to a&e today due to him displaying 3 of the 4 symptoms they tell you to look out for in the 1 diabetes. Over the last week hes began wetting the bed, drinking loads and hes definitely lost weight (compared photos from a couple of weeks ago). I have checked his glucose on my husbands meter, and over the last 24 hours there has been various results between 5 an 11.5. At a&e the did a finger prick it came up at 7.2 and they have now blamed his bedwetting on constipation and sent us home with a prescription for laxido. Tonight hes had dinner and after an hour his blood glucose is 12, 2 hours and he's 8.9.

Would you be seeking a second opinion? I'm feeling a bit dismissed as they said they have no idea why his levels would spike so high and other than the finger prick, a feel of his tummy and a urine dip to check for uti they just said he was fine.

I would phone your GP tomorrow, and ask for bloods to be taken assuming they didn't do them in A & E? I would def get a second opinion, given the symptoms you're explaining.

I'm type 2 and those readings would be OK for me, however, especially if it was a carb dense meal.

I would make a gp appointment if you are concerned.

@Victorius19 no, they literally did nothing else. I shall phone the gp in the morning.

Well his blood sugars are normal, and with a clear urine dip (no ketones) he’s very unlikely to have diabetes.

If you’re worried then do follow up with your GP.

I thought normal was between 4-7. He's been getting between 9-12 several times over 24 hours, is that more typical?

Is it type 1 your husband has? You could put son in the study to check for antibodies if his dad has t1. If they’ve done a urine test that would have shown if any glucose or ketones in urine though

Make sure you clean his fingers before testing as any contaminants can affect the results. Avoid alcogel as this will falsely reduce the reading.

blood levels above 7mmol in a well child are not normal. Make an appointment with your GP to look at further testing.

4-7 is normal before meals but non diabetics spike after eating too

Readings of 11 and 12 are too high OP particularly two hours after eating and the fact he also has 3 out of the 4Ts would have alarm bells ringing. Trust your instincts and push back.
He may be at an early stage but undiagnosed T1D can move incredibly quickly and rapidly become very serious.

I shall definitely be phoning the gp tomorrow.

My husband is type 2, so that doesn't have an impact.

I know non diabetics can spike after eating but from what i previously thought and have read it generally isn't as high as his has been. I just want to be 100% certain its not.

DKA has been ruled out by his finger prick tests and urine dip, which is reassuring for tonight.

You could follow up with GP and request an HBa1C which looks at his blood sugars over a longer period of time.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-sugar-hyperglycaemia/

Do you think he is constipated?

Is he drinking more or feeling unwell/fatigued?

If he has a parent with type 1 then suspicion should be raised.

@SecretSquirrelSect i didn't think he was, he goes regularly, at least once a day, but the doctor said she could feel it. There is an increased thirst and the bedwetting is new, he is 8 and has been dry at night for years. I shall follow up with a call to the gp tomorrow and see what they say. I'll also keep an eye on him regardless.

I’d seek a 2nd opinion op, hopefully a&e are correct but it won’t do any harm to check again. When my DD was diagnosed her bloods were 29.9 and that’s only because the doctors monitor only went up to 29.9 so she was likely a lot higher.
They normally can diagnose very quickly.
My DD had her first dose of insulin 20 mins after diagnosis which took only one finger prick

So normally a new type 1 diabetic would have sugar levels into the 20s or unreadable as too high for the glucometer. I would still follow up with gp but I think safe to say a&e have ruled out diabetes/dka

Normal is about 5-7 pre-prandial and up to maybe 9 or 10 after eating, so his was higher but came down quickly so unlikely to be diabetes. Also would depend on what he had eaten eg a carby meal such as pasta or pizza, as opposed to a higher protein meal.

Bur of course review with the GP.

@Sidge thank you, that is helpful. Yes it was a carby dinner, audhd child with an extremely beige diet with very few vegetables. My sister is type 1 and said she'd be concerned because of the recent changes in him, i have OCD based around my kids so im probably being overly anxious too 🤦🏻‍♀️

If your sister has t1, worth taking part in this for those related by blood to her

kids: https://www.elsadiabetes.nhs.uk/

adults: https://t1dra.bristol.ac.uk/

If your sister is type one then it’s very possible. There is often a genetic link.

Constipation is common with AuDHD, thirst and wetting are common with constipation. So it’s definitely worth pursuing that side of things in parallel with considering T1 diabetes.

Blood glucose coming down after a meal
spike is a reflection of insulin in the body doing its thing.

If going back to the GP (which seems reasonable) if you ask for an appointment at the start of the day you can skip breakfast and bring him fasted, which will make a recheck of his blood sugar more reliable.