Juvenile Diabetes

My understanding is that Type 1 diabetes does have a genetic component in terms of being predisposed to the disease. I would like to add one symptom that has not been mentioned -- a cut or scratch that does not heal can also be an indicator of Type 1 diabetes. That was the first symptom that led to my brother's diagnosis at age 9.

I think what you are describing sounds more like a kid who doesn't react well to sugar. My daughter is the same way. If you're worried, as others have pointed out, it's very easy to test blood sugar. But if there are no symptoms of diabetes present, you may just want to avoid situations where he has a sugary treat without other food.

I would suggest you get him checked rather than waiting and ignoring it. Weight has nothing to do with Juvenile Diabetes. It is an immune system disorder which causes a person to stop producing insulin which is a hormone necessary to process sugars. It is always treated with insulin delivered by injection or pump. It is not just sugar but ALL carbohydrates (sugar, flour, rice, potatoes etc) that have influence blood sugars.
Common symptoms are kids being VERY thirsty and needing to pee a lot. Some kids will even wet the bed again. Also being very tired. Many kids end up losing weight as their body is not getting the proper fuel that it needs.
Both of my kids have Juvenile diabetes. When my son was diagnosed at age 7 he was in the hospital for 4 days, when my daughter was diagnosed she did it herself using her brothers equipment and only required a short doctor visit to do blood tests and get supplies.
It really sucks but it is a very manageable disease and our kids can live normal, active, healthy lives when treated properly
If you need support, just ask.

It is easy to check for it with a simple finger stick blood test (fasting)

Lots of people, not just kids, have issues with sugar that isn't diabetes related.
Some kids are very sensitive to sugar and get amped up...then comes the crash.
My friend's family went to Disneyland and I called to ask if they had a great time and she told me her son got so sick when they were there, they had to fly home early. She said that he was just dying of thirst...he just couldn't drink enough and he was drinking so much that he was vomitting it all back up. As she was explaining it, I said, "Oh, God...diabetes."
She said yes.....he was diagnosed at the emergency room as soon as they got him home. He was a little overweight, not obese, but not one other person in their family history has had diabetes.
He's 24 now and does really great. He will be insulin dependent for the rest of his life, but he is so careful about his diet so he's extremely healthy in that regard. He also uses an insulin pump so he doesn't have to give himself injections every day.
I would have your son tested or at the least discuss it with the doctor to be on the safe side, but it doesn't sound like your son has diabetes.
You might also talk to a nutritionist to see how you can manage your son's diet, the times of day he eats, etc.

Best wishes!

R., with several Diabetics in the family I want to tell you that being over weight does not mean that you are likely to have it. We have one girl that is 100 lbs dripping wet and she has it very bad and as a teen was teaching classes at the HighSchool for Science Class for xtra credit.
Generally from our experiance te fact that he is going strong and then suddenly poops out might mean that his blood sugar is low and needs raised which is a different thing altogether this is easy by drinking orange juice. We found that becasue we all drink so much water that following the thought of urinating alot did not mean anything.
We have 4 generations that are all diabetics yet we have only 5 family members that are either pre-diabetic or diabetic. That is not bad!
It is also a false claim that sugar is what causes this as we are all careful with sugar and the doctors have told us that it is a wives tale.. eatting to many oranges and apples can do the same thing, or potatoes all of which turn to sugar. Talk to a doctor or a specialist that is into nutrition.

Updated

R., with several Diabetics in the family I want to tell you that being over weight does not mean that you are likely to have it. We have one girl that is 100 lbs dripping wet and she has it very bad and as a teen was teaching classes at the HighSchool for Science Class for xtra credit.
Generally from our experiance te fact that he is going strong and then suddenly poops out might mean that his blood sugar is low and needs raised which is a different thing altogether this is easy by drinking orange juice. We found that becasue we all drink so much water that following the thought of urinating alot did not mean anything.
We have 4 generations that are all diabetics yet we have only 5 family members that are either pre-diabetic or diabetic. That is not bad!
It is also a false claim that sugar is what causes this as we are all careful with sugar and the doctors have told us that it is a wives tale.. eatting to many oranges and apples can do the same thing, or potatoes all of which turn to sugar. Talk to a doctor or a specialist that is into nutrition.

Hi,

My kids don't have diabetes, but they're VERY sugar sensitive. There's actually a great book about this subject called "Little Sugar Addicts" by Kathleen DesMaisons. In it she describes some fairly simple dietary guidelines that made an enormous difference in our family. You can go to the companion website, www.radiantrecovery.com, to see if your son's symptoms fit the sugar-sensitive profile.

Good luck!

There are some natural ways you can balance your son's body and help him to stay healthier and less stressed.

Let me know if you want to learn more.

Have a great weekend.

N. Marie

increase in thirst and increase in urination, constantly hungry but not gaining weight or weight loss, cranky/mood swings, vision changes, sweet smelling breath, decrease in energy/lethargic are the classic symptoms. I was concerned about my oldest and my pediatrician humored me and tested him anyways but assured me that he would have weight loss.

My son was diagnosed with type 1 when he was 10. (he's now 15.) All of the symptoms listed on another post are accurate and the other thing is that once you do have diabetes, you'll know rather quickly as what typically happens is the child will 'hit a wall' and their bodies will completely shut down to where you take them in to the ER and low and behold, they tell you your child has diabetes and your child will have to typically spend a week or so in the hospital and start taking insulin every day to manage your blood sugars. This didn't happen to us. Luckily we discovered it early, while on vacation in Hawaii, when my son started having extreme thirst, lethargy (when eating carbs/sugars) and even wet the bed for two nights in a row (never did that before). Even though we have no history and diabetes in the family and he is a skinny little active kid, my gut told me it was diabetes. (it's crazy how our 'mom insticncts' work!) it's an easy test to determine. All they need to do is test your blood sugar with a slight prick to the finger (which my son now does 4-5 times a day). If the blood sugar is anything over 120, you look in to it further with a doctor. For a normal person, our bodies are constantly regulating our blood sugars to manage between 80-120. For a type 1 diabetic, their bodies are, in essence, turning on themselves (diabetes is an autoimmune disease) and destroying the beta cells in the pancreas so their bodies can't correctly regulate their carb intakes. Based on your short post, it sounds more like your son could have 'low blood sugar' issues or something like that. Not diabetes. But obviously it's best to just take the quick blood sugar test if there's any questions. I've also known of doctors denying the test to parents because they don't think the symptoms they are hearing are diabetes so they think the parent is over reacting. (I know two personal friends who had this experience and even when I first thought my son was showing signs of diabetes, the doctor in Hawaii didn't but tested my son anyways. He was 'surprised' to see his blood sugar numbers were 500+ and instantly sent us to the hospital.) so anyways, if your 'gut' is telling you something, go with it and demand testing. Good luck!

I have a great friend who is becoming an insulin expert and also has a friend who is doing an amazing job with her daughter and others as well.
Her name is Susan Weckter ###-###-####
These ladies are helping kids who were supposed to be on medication their entire lives and they are super fine now. I think mostly diet. They are brilliant ladies. I keep hearing all the success stories.
Good luck!
C.

Juvenile Diabetes runs in my family. My maternal grandfather had it, as well as one of my 1st cousins. I was a lot younger than my cousin but I do remember my Aunt talking about how they found out my cousin had it...she drank a TON of water, always had to pee and like your son was incredibly effected by sugar, she also had the sudden being "pooped out" thing too. I do remember that they got her diagnosed very early on in her life though and were able to get it under control rather quickly.

I suggest taking him into his Dr. and explaining your concerns and telling him of your family history!

I wish you and your son all the best!

Hi R.! Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile diabetes is no longer used as a term as the onset can occur at any age) is not hereditary, by and large. So, it's unlikely that your son is at risk because of a great grandfather's diagnoses.

Weight is not a factor for diabetes, nor is poor eating. My daughter was diagnosed at 19 months and had never had candy and was underweight.

You would have noticed EXCESSIVE thirst and he would be needing to pee several times per hour. Rachel K. gave a great list of symptoms.
Absolutely follow up with a doctor! But, please know that your son is not prone to Type 1 just because another family member had it.
Rest easy! I hope the appointment goes well!