Diabetes in a 4 Year Old?

Updated on August 26, 2007
C.F. asks from Burleson, TX
5 answers

My 4 year old niece is visiting and I noticed she drinks ALOT of water constantly. She's not overly active and my daughter (6 3/4) has always been a water drinker but not nearly as excessively as my niece. The first thing she asks for in the am is water and gulps it down all day. She goes to the restroom several times each day (3 or 4), but not nearly as much as I would expect after drinking all day. Does anyone have any feedback on what other things to look for in terms of the need to get her tested for diabetes? Her paternal grandfather is a diabetic (discovered late in life) and paternal grandfather was borderline (food controlled) as well. I don't know much about her mother's side of the family but mom is very overweight (averages 75-125lbs at any given time).....my niece is small in size, eats healthy foods and sleeps about 8-10 hours a night. Any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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So What Happened?

A HUGE "Thank You" to everyone that responded. My mom and niece head home today and unfortunately when we mentioned the possibility to her parents they commented with "oh, so she visits for 5 days and now you think she has a medical problem? She's fine." My mom (grandma) lives nearby and sees her almost daily, so she is going to keep watch on my niece to see how she does. Again, thank you for the great (and quick) feedback.

More Answers

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K.T.

answers from Dallas on

My mother in law has type 2 and she was very concerned about my daughter because she was drinking a lot and constantly eating. My mother in law (not having the best eating habits and being very much overweight) was constantly sneeking my daughter snacky foods all day long. Even though she had eaten lunch they would fix her a PBJ sandwich for example. Anyways, so I was very scared of the possibility because my side has diabetes as well so I just mentioned it to our doctor and she went ahead and ran the tests for it. I know it's hard because it's your neice but I would tell her mom how concerned you are and just advise her on the next visit to be sure and have it checked.

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S.C.

answers from Dallas on

A friend who is a doctor told me that diabetics do three things: Eat a lot, Drink a lot and Pee a lot. Don't know how it works for kids but wanted to share that with you.

There are some FAQs:
http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=103442

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B.W.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter, now 14, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just after her fourth birthday, ten years ago. Her only symptom was excessive thirst. I knew what she had as my brother was diagnosed when he was 6. Having relatives with type 2 is no indicator of type 1 as they are not related in etiology. Has she lost weight recently? The simplist thing to do is to check her blood glucose level with a home meter if you cannot get her to the doctor, which is the best course. I am in east Dallas, let me know if I can help further.

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L.B.

answers from Dallas on

A real quick answer would be - does her breath smell fruity or have a funny sweet odor to it? If she does have the smell take her to the DR and have her checked. If she does I know it would be completely overwhelming but there are so many of us parents that have had to step up to the plate and do what ever is required to make her life as normal as possible. Also check the JDRF website. I'm not for sure what it is but it is for Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundate and they have been a great support and life line. My daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year and it was completely horrifying. We didn't have a clue until it was really late and she was in severe ketoacedosis almost a coma. So from someone who was completely shocked and didn't catch it until she was really sick I would suggest having her sugar tested as soon as possible.

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T.R.

answers from Dallas on

Hi C.
Well 1st off it might be a good idea just to take the child to the doctor before it is too late. My son was dxd April of this year .He lost weight , he would drink alot of water and wet the bed and he is only 19 months he was wetting through the diaper so from that being said type 1 diabetics do use the potty alot and especially if they are not dxd and have the insulin in their body. The fruity breath is hard to pick up not everyone can smell it if you want you can ask a pharmacy for a urine test to test your niece ketones at home which is what causes the fruity breath.I would just take her to the DR and that would stop all the guessing and you will know it yes or no for a fact.I will tell you this it is better to know ahead a time I almost lost my son because he was so little and I could not really pick up on his symptoms. He entered the ER with a blood sugar of 1000 he was placed in the ICU for two days then remained in a room at Cooks Children of Fort Texas for two days. Don't be fouled Type 1 and type2 are two major different things, with type 1 you still have some insulin in your body that is why it is so hard to pick up on and find in children because they still have some. Type 2 you can say is years of unhealthy eating habits and sometimes obesity. Please if you need anything let me know I would be more then happy to help where it is names of Dr's or just a simple question.
T.

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