# Worried about my 5 year old son



## Christina Barrow (Dec 10, 2016)

Hi,

I have a 5 year old little boy, and I am really concerned that something may be wrong as he is getting frequent UTI'S and has also had balenitis. He has just finished a week of antibiotics for a urine infection, he is also complaining of tummy pains and is constantly hungry even after a meal he will be looking for more to eat. His urine sample when dipped at the doctors last week didn't show traces of glucose, but I'm just wondering if this would always necessarily show up in the urine if my son did have diabetes or would a finger prick test be the most accurate way to determine? Has anyone else had any similar experiences?


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## grovesy (Dec 10, 2016)

Welcome.


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## Sally71 (Dec 10, 2016)

Definitely get a finger prick test done, urine tests are a waste of time in my opinion! When I took my daughter to the GP suspecting her of having diabetes, he also did a urine test and said it was normal.  Just 6 days later my daughter was going into DKA with a finger prick test off the scale and urine full of sugar and ketones, and had to be rushed to hospital - if we'd waited one more day she would have been in a coma!

I hope your son's symptoms turn out to be due to something less serious - but if you get a finger prick done then you should know for sure whether you can rule out diabetes or need further investigation at hospital.  Good luck


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## stephknits (Dec 10, 2016)

I believe a urine sample picks up blood sugars over 10 (normal range is between 3.5 and 7 to 8).  You can ask for a fingerpicking test at many chemists, so you could try there.  The most common symptoms are tiredness, extreme thirst, seeing a lot and loosing weight for no apparent reason.


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## Christina Barrow (Dec 11, 2016)

Sally71 said:


> Definitely get a finger prick test done, urine tests are a waste of time in my opinion! When I took my daughter to the GP suspecting her of having diabetes, he also did a urine test and said it was normal.  Just 6 days later my daughter was going into DKA with a finger prick test off the scale and urine full of sugar and ketones, and had to be rushed to hospital - if we'd waited one more day she would have been in a coma!
> 
> I hope your son's symptoms turn out to be due to something less serious - but if you get a finger prick done then you should know for sure whether you can rule out diabetes or need further investigation at hospital.  Good luck



Hi,
Thanks so much for replying.  I contacted 111 last night and they advised me to take him to our GP tomorrow morning (which I was planning to do anyway) where my son will need urgent blood tests and further antibiotics. The doctor has out rightly said on the telephone that it isn't diabetes! I will also be requesting a finger prick test tomorrow too. X


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## Sally71 (Dec 11, 2016)

Hope it's all ok!  If the finger prick test is normal (4-8 mmol/l) then you can pretty much rule out diabetes straight away.  If it comes out anywhere above that though, especially if it's in double figures, then ask to be referred immediately to a paediatric diabetes team at hospital.  All they do all day is deal with diabetic children so they know what they are on about - it's definitely a specialist subject!


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## Christina Barrow (Dec 12, 2016)

Sally71 said:


> Hope it's all ok!  If the finger prick test is normal (4-8 mmol/l) then you can pretty much rule out diabetes straight away.  If it comes out anywhere above that though, especially if it's in double figures, then ask to be referred immediately to a paediatric diabetes team at hospital.  All they do all day is deal with diabetic children so they know what they are on about - it's definitely a specialist subject!



Hi,
My son's finger prick test came back as 6, it was an hour after having his breakfast- does this make a difference? The doctor is going to make a referral either to urology or the paediatric team she's just going to liaise with another doctor as to which one the referral should go to.  X


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## Sally71 (Dec 12, 2016)

Almost certainly not diabetes then, that must be a relief for you!
When my daughter was diagnosed her fasting blood test (having eaten nothing since the evening before) was 18 
And then later finger prick off the scale (+33), laboratory blood test came back at 46
Hope you can quickly find out what is the matter with your lad and get it sorted!


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## Christina Barrow (Dec 13, 2016)

So my son's GP rang this afternoon to advise that his finger prick test was inaccurate and he needs to have immediate blood tests! She said if his results are even borderline then they will go down the diabetes route!


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## Pumper_Sue (Dec 14, 2016)

Christina Barrow said:


> So my son's GP rang this afternoon to advise that his finger prick test was inaccurate and he needs to have immediate blood tests! She said if his results are even borderline then they will go down the diabetes route!


So how did s/he decide the test was inaccurate?


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## Christina Barrow (Dec 14, 2016)

She did not say, she just said they want to do a fasting blood test as the finger prick was inaccurate?


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## Radders (Dec 14, 2016)

Christina Barrow said:


> She did not say, she just said they want to do a fasting blood test as the finger prick was inaccurate?


Perhaps the test strip was out of date. That happened to someone I knew.


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## Sally71 (Dec 14, 2016)

That seems a bit odd, finger pricks aren't deadly accurate but close enough and a darn sight more accurate than urine tests!  However at least they are being thorough, so that's good.  Hope it's good news!


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## Ljc (Dec 14, 2016)

It could be they found the meter is faulty.  It's good they are being thorough.


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## SB2015 (Dec 15, 2016)

Good that they are checking.  Let us know how it goes.


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## Christina Barrow (Dec 19, 2016)

My son's blood test has come back as borderline. We are awaiting a telephone appointment from our GP.  Does anyone have any experience of borderline blood results?


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## HOBIE (Dec 19, 2016)

Don't give him a Mars bar before you see the Dr.  Fasting bg if possible


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## Jode (Jun 14, 2017)

I thought my daughter had a UTI- put in urine sample 4pm, doctor called, blood sugars found to be 6, asked me to go to surgery straight away. Said the only reason it would be six was diabetes and she was fairly certain. Put to local hospital finger prick and blood test told me def diabetes. flown to Main hospital by 2am stayed a week, flew home and started new life as a diabetes family! I feel like we were lucky my doc was so on the ball!


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## Ljc (Jun 14, 2017)

Jode said:


> I thought my daughter had a UTI- put in urine sample 4pm, doctor called, blood sugars found to be 6, asked me to go to surgery straight away. Said the only reason it would be six was diabetes and she was fairly certain. Put to local hospital finger prick and blood test told me def diabetes. flown to Main hospital by 2am stayed a week, flew home and started new life as a diabetes family! I feel like we were lucky my doc was so on the ball!


Hi Jose welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about your daughter diagnosis, what a rollercoaster for you. It's good to hear your doc was on the ball. 
Just to prevent any confusion, in the uk we use a different system of BG (blood glucose) measurements , fingerpricks are mmol/l I think the Hb1ac is different too but I'm not totally sure. 
Feel free to ask any questions , we have so e very knowledgeable people on here.


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## Jode (Jun 14, 2017)

Ljc said:


> Hi Jose welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about your daughter diagnosis, what a rollercoaster for you. It's good to hear your doc was on the ball.
> Just to prevent any confusion, in the uk we use a different system of BG (blood glucose) measurements , fingerpricks are mmol/l I think the Hb1ac is different too but I'm not totally sure.
> Feel free to ask any questions , we have so e very knowledgeable people on here.



Hi ya, 
Thanks for your reply, I am also in the UK, just on one of the islands- hence the flights to main hospital. I see the lady said her son's reading was 6- well that's what I was told about my girls when doc first called us in, she said her urine was reading 6 and that almost 100% meant she is diabetic. I didn't know they could be any other conclusion. Sorry, very new to it all so probably spoke without properly understanding what the person was saying.


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## Ljc (Jun 14, 2017)

Jode said:


> Hi ya,
> Thanks for your reply, I am also in the UK, just on one of the islands- hence the flights to main hospital. I see the lady said her son's reading was 6- well that's what I was told about my girls when doc first called us in, she said her urine was reading 6 and that almost 100% meant she is diabetic. I didn't know they could be any other conclusion. Sorry, very new to it all so probably spoke without properly understanding what the person was saying.


Oops sorry , I just assumed you were over the pond where BG measurements are different.  
Not to self to put my reading glasses on


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## trophywench (Jun 14, 2017)

Channel Isles, perhaps, Jody? - know the main D expertise there is on Jersey.


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## Robin (Jun 14, 2017)

Jode said:


> I see the lady said her son's reading was 6- well that's what I was told about my girls when doc first called us in, she said her urine was reading 6 and that almost 100% meant she is diabetic.


I think the confusion is because the original poster was talking about a blood glucose test, and If I understand correctly, the test that showed 6 for your daughter was a urine test. There shouldn't really be any glucose in urine at all, so 6 in that case is very high.


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## Jode (Jun 14, 2017)

Oh Robin thank you! think that will be where the confusion is indeed. Thanks for taking time to let me know! Scottish Isles Jenny!


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## Jode (Jun 14, 2017)

Also, I hope all is well with Christina's son


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## trophywench (Jun 15, 2017)

Ah, right!

Now then - supposing a person has a normal renal threshhold - glucose does not even start spilling into your urine, until the equivalent blood test reading is 11 !   So where the heck does '6'  come from?  Was it 6 - or 17?

Anyway - nobody needs to concern themselves over that now, do we - cos all the readings will be blood test ones now !


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