Does anyone have experience with childhood diabetes?

[sistersofmercy]

I beginning to suspect that my son may have blood sugar problems. He is eight years old and is extremely difficult to get out of bed each morning eventhough he has plenty of rest. He has difficulty in school especially before lunch. The worst time at home can be just prior to dinner. An hour or so after dinner he has way too much energy, literally is bouncing off the walls sometimes. He complains of being tired quite frequently and seems to have extreme hunger. Are there any parents out there who have children with diabetes or anyone out there who can share their own experience with diabetes?

[joneschick]

1. you are describing classic symptoms

make an appointment. I would guess this thread will be locked soon. Medical advice generally disallowed.

[sistersofmercy]

4. I'm working on the appointment.

I would just like to read some personal experiences with diabetes especially about children or adults who weren't diagnosed until later in life but may have had the problem for a long time undiagnosed.

[nutsnberries]

5. hello

my daughter is 14 and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 5 years ago at age 9. I knew next to nothing about it before her diagnosis, it was not in our families. You should be able to get a blood and urine test for your son immediately, tomorrow is not too soon.

With type 1 (formerly known as Juvenile Diabetes), you cannot go for a long time undiagnosed. You get sicker and sicker as more beta cells do not produce insulin anymore and you are less and less able to turn blood sugar into energy.

When my daughter was not feeling well prior to her diagnosis, it was flu season and we thought she was coming down with the flu for a few days, but it never developed. She would be kinda weak/sleepy for a while, and then she'd feel ok. She was looking a little thin and slightly pale and then was thirsty all the time. One day I found her looking through cookbooks, looking for the perfect recipe for a drink to quench her thirst because nothing was cutting it. That alarmed me and got me thinking of diabetes. I had some old ketostix (test blood sugar in the urine) in the house and had her pee on one. The stick showed she had ketones in her urine. We called her pediatrician who gave lab orders for blood and urine tests...and sure enough... We were sent straight to Children's Hospital where we received, and still receive, excellent care. Everything I just described developed slowly over a week or ten days' time.

We learned that a very common age for developing type 1 diabetes is age 9.

IF your son is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes- it is difficult& frightening, esp at first- but please remember that it's not the end of the world. It is manageable.
After 18 months of injection insulin therapy we switched to an insulin pump which we love.
Feel free to PM me.
take care. :hug:

[Bunny]

2. I have no experience with this, but I found some info on Type I diabetes:

It sounds like your son has at least some of the symptoms.

http://ymghealthinfo.org/content.asp?page=P00355

What are the symptoms of type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes often appears suddenly. The following are the most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

high levels of sugar in the blood when tested
high levels of sugar in the urine when tested
unusual thirst
frequent urination
extreme hunger but loss of weight
blurred vision
nausea and vomiting
extreme weakness and fatigue
irritability and mood changes
In children, symptoms may be similar to those of having the flu.

The symptoms of type 1 diabetes may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.

[sistersofmercy]

3. Thanks for that list , I've look online for stories

from other parents experiences. Haven't found much just one so far about a four year old. Sounds kind of similar though.

[blondeatlast]

6. Classic symptoms, although his glands may not have completely

shut down yet.

I was diagnosed at age 7--40 years ago--and I'm still on this mortal coil. Treatment has advanced immeasurably since that time.

There's a chronic health conditions forum at DU; loads of support and wisdom there. Here's the link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=317

Let us know how things go. We care.

[sendero]

7. My wife is diabetic..

... since 7 years old and she is now approaching renal failure.

I don't know about the energy/bouncing stuff, personally I think the most common and telling symptoms are constant thirst and frequent urination. When your blood sugar goes high, you will be thirsty.

Whatever it is, it sounds worth a doctor visit. It could be something else.

[LynzM]

8. Hey, PM me if you'd like to chat

I wanted to post this in case your thread gets locked. I was diagnosed with Juvenile onset (Type 1) diabetes at the age of 9. Sounds like your kiddo should get checked for diabetes and/or hypoglycemia. The diagnosis is relatively fast and easy, and there is a TON of info and support available if he does have diabetes.

Other common symptoms:
fatigue
headache
frequent urination
weight loss
dizziness
blurred vision

[WeRQ4U]

9. I have type I diabetes.

When I was diagnosed, which was unusually later in my life (my early 20's), I couldn't get myself energized. I drank EVERYTHING I could. I couldn't get enough sleep. I lost a ridiculous amount of weight. My eyes were blurred. I was peeing every 10 minutes. I was dizzy. I thought it was my law school finals that did it to me, but on advice of a friend I went in to get checked. My blood sugar was approaching 900. Normal fasting blood sugars are about 90-110. When the doctor took my blood, it was black and THICK. It didn't pour into the tube, it ROLLED in.

Of course, the first thing you do when told something like that, is the worst thing you COULD do...you look up what might happen to you in the future. I won't go through it, because you don't need to worry about it and you'll do your homework if you find out that something IS wrong. Just know now that almost all of the complications associated with Type I Diabetes are decrease immensely with proper care. For instance, I get bi-annual eye exams from an opthalmologist. He told me that when he started his practice, people with diabetes went blind on a regular basis. However, since the inception of laser technology and the ease of use on the retinas, he hasn't seen a single patient lose eyesight from diabetes. It doesn't happen anymore.

Also, the treatments for the condition get better with each passing day. I began with a mixture of insulin (which didn't work at ALL). I then moved to two separate insulins that I would take based on time and food consumption. Most recently, however, I was set up with an insulin pump. My blood sugars have never been better. The technology does so much of the math for you and the friendliness of the system is phenomenal. I would highly suggest this option to anyone with the disease.

Just know that with proper care and maintenance of blood sugars. With decent amounts of exercise and a deep understanding of what has happened within the body, everything will be fine. If it's something that you have to deal with, don't let it scare you. Go into knowing that it IS controllable and that the side effects can usually be avoided.

If you have ANY questions about how it is to live with it, or if your child needs anybody to explain anything to him/her in the future you can ask me. I'm not shy. Good luck.