Diabetes

[MegGriffin]

Hello I am really worried about my DD 9 and wondered if anyone could answer this question. If a urine sample was dipped and the child has diabetes, would it show up? Is this a reliable way of confirming diabetes (or not having it?). If anyone could answer I would be really grateful, thanks.

I've had type 1 diabetes since i was a kid. What symptoms has she got?

If you tested her sample and there was glucose present it could well be diabetes but not a dead cert cos it's possible to get a false positive there.

A blood test would be much more reliable

Generally diabetes is confirmed with blood tests. With Type 1 diabetes there is often evidence of auto-immune activity. A urine sample might show sugar in the urine but that is not regarded as confirmation of diabetes. Generally there would be other symptoms such as thirst.

If you have reason to think your dd is developing diabetes, and is getting worse, please take her to a&e. People developing type 1 diabetes can deteoriate very quickly.

No that is not a fool-proof way of testing for diabetes.
Diabetes requires blood testing in most cases. If however this was the first presentation of diabetes with extreme unwellness and very high blood sugars you would get glucose in the urine.
Is your DD unwell?

Thanks paddyclamp. It's a vague collection of symptoms but is complicated by a possible psychological symptoms (vomiting phobia). She has been suffering with tummy pains, lethargy, and nausea. She does not have any of the classic symptoms of excessive thirst etc but she is not eating a whole lot at the moment and gets tearful (at school and home). If she eats or drinks she does improve very quickly. I am not saying she has got diabetes but am just at the end of my tether. I took her to the doctors and he gave her a brief once over and and dipped her urine (I guess because she had been having tummy pains)and he said all was ok with that. This was two weeks ago and her symptoms are getting worse and she is becoming more distressed. I am going to take her back next week and talk to the school nurse as I am so worried about her. Basically I am not sure if she is ill physically or psychologically .

When i was diagnosed i was very thirsty, kept wetting the bed, and was so tired i couldn't get off the couch.

I would honestly say if she's not thirsty then it's unikely to be diabetes but keep an eye on it obviously. I did have tummy pains in the end but that was after about a week of having all the classic symptoms.

If you're still not happy take her back and ask for a blood test as that is far more accurate.

On a different note i'm a ex vomiting phobia sufferer and it is a horrible thing

I felt that the doctors attitide was she will grow out of it. I will take her back as her life is ruled by her symptoms and worries at the moment which is heart breaking for a 9 year old and for me. She needs help of some kind but i'm not sure what sort of help. The physical symptoms are very real and they frighten me but at the same time she is saying over and over again 'Im scared I will be ill' all day. She also wakes in the night telling me she is scared she will be sick. I would never forgive myself if there was something wrong with her physically and she was fobbed off becaouse of her fears. Equally this bloddy phobia could be what is making her ill.

bloody phobia

Meg,

My ds1 has type 1 diabetes. He had all the classic symptoms (raging thirst, bedwetting), but the first time I took him to the doctors there was no glucose in his urine as it was very dilute (which I was later told was another classic symptom). He was finally blood tested 10 days later and we were straight to A&E. So if you are worried you must ask for a blood test - it's only a fingertip test and takes seconds.

Not sure if this will help put your mind at rest, but if your dd has diabetes she will not be producing insulin and her blood sugars will go very high (insulin is needed to transport sugar from the blood to the brain/muscles where it is needed - sorry if you know all this already). Eating will make her feel worse, not better, as the sugars will just go higher. You say in one of your posts that she perks up when she has something to eat. She's more likely to be sick if her system is getting overloaded with sugar.

People with diabetes who are on insulin can get low blood sugars for several reasons, but that's a result of either too much insulin or too little food (putting this very simply, but that's the gist). Ds has to snack regularly to keep his blood sugars up, but that's because he takes insulin injections which are a far cruder way of regulating blood sugars than a working pancreas.

(waves to paddyclamp - long time no see!)

Thanks tangarine and everone else for your replies. Tangerine thats reassuring about the diabetes. Think I will have to take her back one way or another as we can't go on as we are. It's so hard when it's someone else having the symptoms and I know to her they are very real. I will post again when I have been to the doctors. Any more replies would be very helpful if anyone has been through these symptoms or have any experience with this. Thanks

Meg,

Glad to have been of help .

Just one thought - is there anything going on in her life more generally? My dh has been working overseas since last July, so dcs and I only see him every 6-8 weeks for a week or two at a time. While not as extreme as your dd, ds2 has developed an interesting range of ailments (headache, tummy ache, sore throat, feeling sick etc) which all appear either at bedtime (the time he most misses dh) or schooltime when he's tired and miserable from not sleeping well the night before. He sometimes says he misses dh so much it hurts. I think he genuinely does feel unwell, as the upset he has been/is ging through is manifesting itself in a physical way - he's only 7 and hasn't yet developed ways to deal with the stress so it's coming out in other ways. Does that make sense?

Meg - did the dr specifically test her urine for glucose? He could've just tested to check for a uti?

I work in the lab and wouldn't usually advise this as its open to too many misinterpretations but you can but kits in pharmacies (superdrug, asda etc) to check your blood glucose. Have you thought of doing that?

Meg - did the dr specifically test her urine for glucose? He could've just tested to check for a uti?

I work in the lab and wouldn't usually advise this as its open to too many misinterpretations but you can but kits in pharmacies (superdrug, asda etc) to check your blood glucose. Have you thought of doing that?

Hello again. Thanks for your replies. tangerine, nothing at all is going on at home and we are very fortunate that we are all happy and together etc. I have asked her if there is anything bothering her at school or anywhere else and she assures me it's fine and she likes school etc. I have tried to get her to explain to me exactly how she feels re symptoms and feelings and she just says her tummy hurts on amd off and she feels sick on and off and she is terrified of being sick. Her appetite is also suffering although she is eating. She can't tell me whether her fear is making her feel ill or she is ill and this is making her fearful. Alkar, I don't know what the doctor was tsting for. I just assumed when you dipped urine they checked for everything? It was one of those strips they did in that he used. I did not know that you could test this at home. I may well look in to this. Tommorrow I am going to phone the school nurse for advice as I just don't know how to help her of what to do next.

I think it def sounds like anxiety to me.

As Tangerine said (Hi Tangerine ) eating would make her feel worse not better if she had undiagnosed diabetes. In the weeks before bein diagnosed eating sweets made me fall asleep.

Do u know anyone who's diabetic who could do a finger prick for you if the doctor keeps poo pooing the idea??

Hello paddyclamp. I'm not thinking she has diabetes necessarily and I am thinking it is going to be anxiety. I was just worried in case there is something physically wrong with her that is over looked as she has anxiety. Does that make sense? I'm just a really worried Mum. I was concerned in case she had something like anaemia or diabetes that would cause these physical symptoms but be overlooked because of her worries. Argh it's so difficult.

Yeh it makes sense...actually u could have a point with anaemia..my friend had it in her teens, she was always pale and diet and was permanently off her food!

hmmm, anaemia can cause stomach pain too... I would imagine she needs a blood test to check this. I'm with everyone else - don't think it does sound like diabetes.