I'm Concerned My Four Year Old Daughter May Have Diabetes

A concern like this needs to be addressed to the right person her Dr..
Hope all goes well & it's just her being thirsty..FYI my kids go to bed with a water cup most nites only because they don't like to get up in the middle of the night to get their drink will us br but thats it they don't have diabetes but just scared to get up even with the lights on.I notice some days where they do drink more & us the br more than other days I worry to but I get to thinking they didn't have much to drink today they are busy playing outside etc.And I did bring up with the DR at my son's 4th yr well visit.

H.,
I would definitely get her tested for diabetes.
However, My son is a 4yo (will be 4 in thanksgiving, how neat right?), he drinks a lot and I mean A LOT! of water, and he can be moody for no reason at all, he kinda flips a switch!, this is however, because he has a sensory thing with water and because he is on the spectrum.
My point is, other than this symptoms you mention, and besides diabetes, could there be a concern for her to have some sensory issue? or any form of autism, maybe?
Talk to her doc about it.
Hope she is doing ok, and that you find this helpful
Good Luck!

Go to the doctor and don't worry about it until then.

Type 1, or Juvenile Diabetes is an auto imune disorder, not a disorder caused by lifestyle, like Type II diabetes often is, so there is no "shame" for you at all if it turns out that she has Type I. You could have fed her nothing but pure white sugar and if she was going to get Type 1 (not type II) it would still not be your fault (thought you would be feeding her a completly inappropriate diet.)

Bad things will happen even if you do everything everyone tells you to do and do it right. We don't have as much control over lifes outcome as is popular to beleive right now. Stop worrying about things you cannot control, because even if you tick all the boxes that make you seem like the perfect mother, things are still going to go wrong occaisonally. Watching the right shows and getting them the best learning toys won't protect you from bumps in the road. When you have kids, you have bumps, even if you don't have kids, you have bumps...how you handle bumps is your opportunity to teach your kids that bumps don't define us, they challenge us to be better human beings who handle bumps with grace.

M.

Stop worrying yourself and take her to the doctor!!

Hello H.. You need to get your daughter tested as soon as possible. I don't want to scare you in any way, but those symptoms do raise a red flag.

I love some of your responses. You did not cause this. GD does not cause or raise your chances for Type 1 diabetes.
In response to Lynn M.'s post. A type 1 diabetic does not require a "diabetic diet" and is ALWAYS insulin dependent.

At the doctor's office you need BOTH a blood draw and a urinalysis. They will test for ketones in the urine, and test blood sugar, electrolyte levels and HbA1c levels in the blood test. The main things they will look at are the ketones (if any are present) and the HbA1c, which measures what the blood sugars have been over a period of time.
***She does NOT have to have a fasting blood sugar! She can eat before she has her appointment. They can determine diabetes no matter if she is fasting or has just eaten. And, there is only ONE test. She does not have to have more than one blood draw.

If your daughter has diabetes (and I pray that she does not!) please private message me. My daughter was diagnosed at 19 months and my son was diagnosed at age 6.

Please, please, don't hold yourself responsible if she does have diabetes. And please don't listen to people who just *think* they know about type 1 diabetes. There are a lot of misconceptions out there!

Hang in there mom! Please let us know how your daughter is doing! Oh, and read Martha R.'s post again. I was comforted for myself after reading it!

HUGS!

EDIT* As part of Diabetes Awareness Month, I ask that posters spread the word to use the terms Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 diabetes instead of using Diabetes as a blanket statement. The two diseases are COMPLETELY different and it will clear up much confusion in the future and be less frustrating for those of us who have people who struggle with Type 1.

Talk with your pediatrician. My niece was diagnosed with Type I at age 3.5. She was relatively symptom-free (difficulty with language development, cranky, tired, thirsty) until her mother couldn't wake her up from a nap. When she finally got her to wake up, she fell out of bed b/c her sugar was so low. Seriously- it was that unexpected.

Best case scenario... it's nothing. But if it is, find out now and start learning how to live with the condition. It is manageable!

The only way to know... is to take her to the Doctor.

Next: is she hungry... or thirsty???? Does she know the difference????

Some kids... if hungry and not eating... will get Hypoglycemic.... and grumpy and moody.

Is your daughter eating normally and well and throughout the day????

Does she nap???

Kids at this age and even until 7 years old.... still do get wet at night and wear diapers. Night time dryness... is not something attained until even 7 years old. My daughter was already 5 and she was still wearing a night time diaper....which is normal, still.

You mention that she is drinking all the time.... but is she eating???
AND what is she drinking? Do you give her water? Milk? Juice?

Call the doctor, they can run test to check for Diabetes.

I will disagree with the person that said you would have to have other symptoms as well, you don'h HAVE to HAVE more than one symptom. However, she may not be diabetic at all even with multiple symptoms.

For peace of mind, have it checked out.

I would definitely have her tested. If she does have it, then you will be able to help her by diet and possible medication. Is she vaccinated? One adverse reaction to vaccines is diabetes. Research that if it applies to you. If both things are positive (you vax'd and she has diabetes), you need to enter that into the VAERS system. It is just one more link that needs to be made. Sorry your sweetie is having troubles. I do hope she doesn't have it. However, it is much more common today than it used to be (again, I believe it is because of the vax link, which most people don't know about).

Hi, H.
Take her to your ped and they can test her urine with a dip stick.
You didn't do anything to cause this problem
Good luck.
D.

I had GD w/ my daughter too. After delivery, we were both fine although I did hear that we are both at a higher risk for developing it later...don't know if that is true or not.

My daughter was the same as you described but less so recently. She does not have diabetes.

I would suggest checking w/ your doctor at her next visit because if she has it, the sooner you start her on a diabetic menu the easier it will be to keep her on it (and hopeful not insulin dependant).

Just because she drinks a lot does not mean she has diabetes. She would have to have some of the other symtpoms which include:
extreme hunger
weight loss despite the extreme hunger
extreme fatigue
vision problems
lots of yeast infections

If you are concerned ask your pediatrician but a moody 4 year old that drinks a lot would not equal diabetes to me. It is not uncommon for little kids to drink a lot. I'm not saying its impossible but unless she has other symptoms diabetes would not be my first thought.

I hate imagining how difficult this might be
but blood sugars can be determined by drawing some blood
at the doctor's office.

There might be a little draw, poke a finger or ear lobe or the heel,
for just a little drop.

Or there can be a series of tests over a few hours.
She comes in first thing in the morning after NO BREAKFAST,
and has some blood drawn, then is given a carefully calibrated meal.
Two hours later and four hours later, blood is drawn again.

It's difficult for an adult to deal with this.
More difficult for a child . . . . especially if it isn't explained well.
She CAN drink water during these tests.

I congratulate you on how carefully you are doing everything you can
to ensure your children are having the best of everything,
nutrition, learning, etc.

Now, even though it's scary, it's time to talk to your pediatrician
about having your child tested for diabetes.

And no. She didn't get this from your gestational diabetes.
Many of us have had gestational diabetes
and our kids didn't have any of these symptoms.

Please discuss this with your pediatrician, or the advice nurse.
It's better to know than to wonder.

I just wanted to say that there is NOTHING wrong with giving your kid a cup of water at bed. Both my kids go to bed with sippy cups of water every night. And my husband and I go to bed with water bottles on our night stands.

Don't beat yourself up over the night time drinking. I think its great you are taking her to the peds. Hopefully, it goes well. And if not, that's ok too. Lots of kids have diabetes and they adjust to it just fine. With the habits you describe and her age, if she is diagnosed w/diabetes it will most likely be Type I. Which is genetic and has nothing to do with what you fed her. So, no need to beat yourself up over that either. My best friend in elementary school was diagnosed with Type I and she dealt with it just fine (even the shots). It wasn't a big deal. Now she is a happy & healthy adult.
Good luck.

Hi - My daughter is the SAME WAY!!! Would you mind letting me know - you can mssg/inbox me. I've been concerned as well, and I think I will call tomorrow to make an appointment. I hope your appt goes well!!!!!

Look around her armpits and at the back of her neck. If you see a spot that looks like dirt but won't wash away, it is an indicator. I was told by a diabetes researcher that it would always be there in a child under ten. Diabetes is very rare in children under ten. They will lose weight and be very obviously sick. According to what I have been told (I currently have gest. Diabetes) mom and baby are both at risk for developing it, usually later in life, even 30 yrs later. Good diet and excercise will help prevent it. However, nothing mom does or does not do had any factor in getting gestational diabetes. So no guilt, ok? Yes, def. Get her tested. You know ladies, there is so much guilt involved with being a mother, we all need to give ourselves a break. Medical problems will happen. And I'm sorry the vccination hoopla is bogus in my opinion. There's a lot of hype out there to scare us, but the truth is that things like polio KILLED thousands of children over history and vac. Have virtually eliminated them. But with enough objectors they WILL return to society. Sorry to get off on a rant. My area is currently having a whooping cough outbreak. I'm waiting on test results for my son. He was immunized. The kids getting it were. I don't