Testing for diabetes

[Loughranx]

Heya so I called the Dr's the other day as my son at 9 has been waking every night the past few weeks running to the toilet and quite a bit through the day so he give me a appointment today to get blood test but my son has special needs and is non vebal so he couldn't do it so needs to do a referral but was able to do a finger prick test and it was sitting at 7.9 and he ask did he have something to eat before coming in I said no he just had lunch at school he said was just above normal and will see what bloods say but am just worrying and was wondering is 7.9 OK for a prick test

The target range for type 1 diabetics is between 4 and 7 before meals and two hours after eating.

Some foods will take longer to digest and so sugars would stay higher for longer after eating them. So its possible your son might have been on the higher end due to his lunch.

A finger prick can only show what's happening at that moment, the blood test measures blood sugar over the previous 3 months, so is a much better guide of what his levels are.

I know how hard it is with children who struggle with these things, but personally I'd be chasing that referral urgently. In the meantime if you are worried go straight to A and E. Undiagnosed diabetes is an emergency and can become very serious very quickly.

https://jdrf.org.uk/ have useful information for parents.

Diabetes isn't always the easiest but with the tech available now its getting easier to manage, even from when I was diagnosed 13 years ago.

If it's within an hour after a meal it's ok. If it's more than an hour after meal then it should be under 7.8 for a non diabetic. So he is over but only just. But it can happen after something very sugary. It's hard but may need to either do a blood test or continue pricking etc

But it sounds like he is but just borderline

The reason people with diabetes go to the toilet a lot is because their blood sugar is high (>10) and the body is trying to get rid of the sugar through the kidneys. If your ds's pancreas isn't producing enough insulin and it's got bad enough that he's running to the loo all the time you'd expect much higher than 7.9 (ds1 was over 30 at diagnosis).
It's good that they're looking into it more and obviously if he starts being really tired/losing weight as well, get him to A&E. But I wouldn't stress too much in the meantime.

The excessive thirst and weeing in T1 diagnosis is due to high levels of ketones in the blood due to excessively high blood sugar, so untreated type 1 combined with that symptom I would expect his BG to be over 20 on a finger prick.

@LunchWithAGruffalo The target range for diabetics of 7-9 is for treated diabetics, e.g. the target you're aiming to get you BG to by managing your insulin injections and carb counting, not what you should expect your blood sugar to be after eating without insulin. OPs DS is not treated as he hasn't been diagnosed with T1D so the target range is irrelevant.

Thank you everyone I just over worry at times as he is non vebal and can't communicate well and the Dr's was saying he will do a referral this week and the place that does the bloods for his needs only do them a Friday at the hospital and I know am going to have to wait a couple weeks and just wanted my mind put a ease a bit but am going to call his peads in the morning and ask can they put a urgent request in for them and see what they say

When DS was diagnosed as diabetic his blood glucose was 27 - shockingly high - and as another poster said, that made his ketones high (and that's what's causes thirst and weeing a lot).

7.9 is normal for a non-diabetic. Plus, if they suspect diabetes you're sent straight to A&E as it can quickly become fatal if not treated immediately - I doubt they suspect it on that reading and on the basis they allowed you home.