Could this be T1? 7 year old son…

[Infinity234]

I’m clutching at straws a bit, but my son has been unwell since late December with tummy pains and weight loss. We’ve been to A&E three times, the third time they xrayed him and said he was full of poo. He’s never had an issue pooing before but has always done big ones, regularly! We’ve done a disimpaction regime with laxatives (nearly two weeks ago) but the pains are worse now not better.

He’s had bloods done for coeliac which were negative and calprotectin stool test for IBD was negative. Nobody has ever checked his blood sugars though and it’s making me wonder. At times he is absolutely ravenous and eats loads, other times he’s no appetite. He has gone from very happy and bubbly to being anxious and cross.

My mum is type 2 and has a glucose monitor. I want to test now but she’s saying we can’t until a couple of hours after he’s eaten but surely it will show any time of uncontrolled??

Doesn’t sound like diabetes but it won’t hurt to check. If it is T1 his blood sugar will be very high so no need to wait the two hours - if its just slightly elevated that can be just a regular spike.

Is he weeing a lot and thirsty?

A lot of people including doctors will tell you that diabetes doesn't come on gradually, but actually current research says this is false, and it can. Your mum is right in that case, that waiting until 1-2 hours after a high carb meal is the best time to test. It will show a spike. In pre-diabetes, you can still produce insulin and it's an abnormal reading you need to try and catch.

However, you haven't mentioned thirst, which I would expect. Can you see his last blood test on the NHS app? Did they not test HBA1C? That is average blood sugar levels over a year.

A 7 year old with unexplained weight loss yes they should be doing a fingerprick at the very least! I'd love to say its unusual for GP's not to do it. But it's not. Lot of evidence many GP's miss the signs.

Type 1 can come on more gradually the older the person the more gradual it can be. Test him yourself if you're happy to. 1 hour after eating is enough. Although if it is type 1 any random one will give a rough indication. Make sure hands are clean.

Or contact your GP and insist on a fingerprick. Have they not tested urine sample in this time? Did that show glucose?

Also you'll find people saying it doesnt sound like diabetes. True it isn't a typical presentation. But when you ask parents about symptoms many doesnt register them until after diagnosis.

I have heard many a time "now i think of it he was drinking more/more tired/more hungry but i didnt think it was anything, they were doing more sport/it was summer/whatever reason".

Also the constipation and tummy pain may be totally unrelated. Or related in that they're exacerbated by dehydration.

They dipped his urine for infection the first hospital visit which was Christmas Eve. Just said no infection, would they have tested for glucose too?

No increased thirst or urination but then I have read that that might come on later?

I’m just desperate for some answers as he has felt unwell every day since Christmas and it’s horrible 😥 We have been referred to the Paediatric Hot Clinic but apparently this will take around 2 weeks.

No they didn’t test that just did Full blood count and coeliac

If they dipped his urine then most likely yes they would have checked for glucose and ketones then to rule out t1 diabetes, as those are on the test strip they usually use. Ask the GP if it can be ruled out if you’re concerned though.

Glucose and ketones are on a urine dipstick.