# What to look out for in wee people...



## rossi_mac (Sep 1, 2013)

Hi,

Okay I will try not to witter on here, we have a wee lad nearly 1, I don't think he has D and want to stop thinking about it every time something happens! Yes I can worry about nothing too! He has been ill for a couple of days but I know it is just a tummy bug he has picked up from nursery, but it still makes me think what are the signs. Okay I know what the signs are I have type 1, but I would guess they are harder to identify with a bairn? And as I got it when I was 30 probably a bit different in some ways?

So I was wondering if any of you have any specific pointers, or is there a thread here somewhere at has a few young diagnosis stories that explains it well. I know every story will be different just wanted to ask someone and hope you don't mind it being you guys!??

Thanks, and take care,

Ross.


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## Northerner (Sep 1, 2013)

Diabetes UK have a campaign 'The 4 Ts' giving the main signs to look out for:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/the4ts

I imagine that, even knowing these, it must be difficult to distinguish them from many other ailments the little ones can suffer from. I suppose you could do a finger prick test which might help put your mind at ease. Hope it is just a tummy bug, as you suspect


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## LeeLee (Sep 1, 2013)

Just a quick comment about the 'tummy bug'... when my daughter was small, I would take her to the doc with bouts of fever and vomiting, only to find out that it was tonsillitis every time.  Now the same thing happens with my granddaughter.


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## rossi_mac (Sep 1, 2013)

Thanks both.

I don't want to but if I do do a finger prick test (silly question alert) would a child of 1 expect to be in the normal range blood glucose wise, I just remember when he was born it was no where near that I think it only had to be over 2.6 for doctors to be happy and that took a few tests as he was a bit early.

Cheers,

Ross.


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## Aoife (Sep 1, 2013)

for littles the normal blood sugar should be between 5-9ish 
If he has no other symptoms (remember the thirst and the urinating thing?!!) then I wouldn't worry (easy for me to say, I have no children!)
Hope he feels better soon


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## Hanmillmum (Sep 1, 2013)

Hi, this is what happened to my daughter.

I remember an extremely rapid deterioration in my toddler after the onset of a virus with a rash. (I think this rash is what threw the GPs off). She had rapid weight loss over a few days, waking for drinks in the night, soaking through nappies in no time (GPs thought it was good she was drinking lots!). There was no vomiting though. Very soon we had a very sick child whose breathing had become laboured from being so toxic. When we presented at the hospital they thought it was pneumonia, then meningitis was mentioned, until her bloods showed the problem. We had a touch and go night and thankfully she pulled through the next day and was sat up eating her tea as normal. We left after about 3 days in.

 If you have any concerns use your kit - GPs just did not seem geared up to even consider diabetes despite her thirst and increase in wet nappies. But for me thirst, peeing lots and rapid weight loss would be cause for concern.


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## XandersMum (Sep 1, 2013)

Hi

My son is a bit older but newly diagnosed so its all fresh !  Prior to diagnosis he was quite poorly with novovirus, and just never got over it.  He continued to be lethargic and lost weight (10 lbs in total) although looking back he did urinate frequently and drank a lot prior to the virus hitting we just didn't think anything of it.  My husband suspected D and we took Xander to the doctors where they diagnosed it straight away and he was admitted to hospital with early DKA where we stayed for 4 days.  I think for you, you just have to go with your gut and I think because you are aware you'll just know when its not your standard "virus" or there's just something which isn't right.  The important thing is no doctor worth his salt will ever say anything to a parent who is concerned for their child's health.


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## Ruthie (Sep 1, 2013)

Oh gosh! This is tricky as the symptoms can easily be put down to other things as was the case with my son.

In retrospect, he got naughtier.  Then he started to drink more.  I can actually pinpoint the first day he started to drink a lot more.  I put up the xmas tree and he spent all day asking me for a drink and each time I went to get it he took a bauble off the tree so I thought it was a diversion tactic.  He started to wake in the night and say there were things in his room and want to sleep with me.  Then he started to sleep a lot and be sick.  Then I went to the doctors and we went into P.I.C.U with DKA. He was 2 1/2.  

All of these things occured after my husband went abroad for 4 months for work so I initially put his behaviour down to seperation anxiety.  Just after diagnosis I was interviewed by a reseacher for University of Cambridge who was studying the diagnosis process.  She told me that she had interviewed medical professionals and Diabetics who had not identified their own children's condition - that made me feel marginally better about not realising what was happening. 

Oh, sorry, this is a bit of an essay!


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## Redkite (Sep 1, 2013)

The onset of type 1 in children tends to be more swift than in adults from what I've read.  My son started being noticeably thirsty and within a few days was going to the toilet several times during the night, at which point I made a doc's appointment for him.  It was no longer than a week between me first noticing the thirstiness, and taking him to the GP, but he went rapidly downhill and was utterly exhausted.  He was not in DKA when diagnosed, which was the only positive thing in the whole catastrophe.  With little ones still in nappies, look out for nappies getting soaked through after short intervals, which is the most noticeable symptom.  The trouble is if he's had a vomiting/diarrhoea type bug, he could be dehydrated and pass less urine.  In your position I would just do a BG test if you are worried.  It's possible to get hypos if you are not diabetic, and also small amounts of (starvation) ketones if you have been vomiting and not eating, but BG levels in double figures would be abnormal.

Easy to say, but try not to worry - although having a type 1 parent gives a child a slightly increased risk of developing type 1 themselves, it's only a tiny fractional increased risk


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## HOBIE (Sep 2, 2013)

Hello to Shedville ! Having kids can be stressful at times. Mine are 16 & 11 now. Right through them growing up like you i worried about them gettig the big "D".  Keep off them sweets/pop etc. Hope your lad does ok with your guidance


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## Redkite (Sep 3, 2013)

HOBIE said:


> Hello to Shedville ! Having kids can be stressful at times. Mine are 16 & 11 now. Right through them growing up like you i worried about them gettig the big "D".  Keep off them sweets/pop etc. Hope your lad does ok with your guidance



Hope you're joking Hobie about the sweets!  Makes me really cross when people ask if my son ate too many sweets or if he was a fat baby - he didn't and he wasn't, but both are irrelevant to getting type 1 diabetes!


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## HOBIE (Sep 3, 2013)

Sweets & Pop arnt good for you are they ? not unless you have some special ones


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## rossi_mac (Sep 3, 2013)

Thanks again good to hear different stories, our lad is all fixed now until the next time but thanks it has helped a lot.

Cheers

Ross.


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