2 Year old is excessivley thirsty

[Polar_Bear]

Hello everyone.  My 2 year old is constantly begging me for water.  It is a very strange thing.  I can tell that he is not just begging for water just out of HABIT- rather, he seems to actually be CONSUMED with the desire for water.  He will cry as if he has not had anything to drink for days.  He does not beg for milk of juice - he is quite happy with water.  He also drinks a full 10 ounces of water rather quickly.  Needless to say, he soaks through many diapers.  In fact, the first words out of his mouth in the morning when I get him out of his crib are, "WATER please!!!".

Other than that I do not notice any other symptoms.  He is not lethargic, or sick (outwardly).

Should I be worried?  Does this sound like an early warning sign, or is he just a "thirsty kid"???

I did have gestational diabetes with his older brother (I don't know if that matters).  Oh, and he (my thirsty son) was 10 pounds at birth, but has normal blood sugers.

I thank you for your input...

Stacey

[JDRF-Team-BL]

Dear Stacy,
     Excessive thirst is one of the symptoms of diabetes and can be ruled out with a simple blood test to see if his blood sugars are out of the normal range. i was in my mid-twenties when i became diabetic and i can't even explain how thirsty i was, but it also made me a bit lethargic as well. If you know someone else who is diabetic they could do a simple blood test with a drop of blood from the finger to see if he is in or out of range. For your sake i hope no, bret

[galzee]

Hi Stacey,
I am just commenting because when my daughter was 21 months of age she showed the same sign of thirst and unfortunately was diagnosed shortly after that.  I wanted to urge you to seek out bloodwork ASAP to rule out diabetes.  Don't let your doctor waste time testing for a urinary tract infection - make them order the necessary blood work.  In our instance, we wasted about 4 days on unnecessary tests.  If it is diabetes you want to find out as soon as possible so your baby feels better.  I hope everything is OK - please let us know!

[HJade]

Hi Stacey, I have had diabetes for almost 8 years, and when I was about 13, my little brother (who was about 7 at the time) had the same thing. He was extaordinarily thirsty all the time and, naturally, my mommy freaked out thinking he had diabetes too. We very, very carefully watched his blood sugars for a while, and nothing happened. My Mom talked to our doctor a few times, and he said that sometimes kids just go through those stages. Don't get me wrong, I would DEFINETLY suggest getting blood work done ASAP, but don't freak out, It will be okay.
Sincerely,
Hjade

[TonyAlmeida]

When I was first diagnosed - excessive thirst was the first sign.

But - I did not get fatigued.  Instead - my vision blurred after a while.

Diabetes, as anyone can tell you here, can show all these symptoms or none of them.

Only a doctor's blood test and C-Peptide test will tell you for sure.

As I say to anyone worried about diabetes or how much the visit to the doctor's office will cost - the money spent is never wasted if it puts your mind at ease or saves your life all together.

Get your child tested.