Is she diabetic?

[oman]

Hello and thanks for your valued opinion in advance.

My 7 years old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 on November 2003. Since then, I am worried about her other 2 sisters 5 years old and 3 years old.
My 5 years old daughter is thin , below weight. I did check her sugar many times, fasting was in the range from 71 to 85, non fasting was from 80 to 145, mostly between 95

[Meadow]

Thanks for the reply.  Its agonizing to wonder if you are doing everything you can for your children.  My husband and I were extremely concerned with symptoms and BG readings our younger son posted, and we've reached the conclusion, after several terrible weeks of doubt, that we'll stop the random testing and watch instead for sudden changes in insulin production.  We're also considering placing our entire family in a NIH study that is exploring linkages to the development of type 1 diabetes.  We found that our stress was translating into *his* stress, and it was affecting his life.  I s'pose all families, unfortunately, go through this when one of their kids is diagnosed with diabetes.  

Meadow

[galzee]

Hi Meadow.  I contacted the Diabetes Research Project Manager at Children's Hospital in Buffalo and she stated that the test is called an Islet Cell Antibody Test.  They were performing the test as part of a study that they were doing a few years back.  Unfortunately, the results of the study were not what they had hoped for.  They found that the onset of diabetes was not delayed as they had hoped for the patients who tested positive for the antibody that were placed on either injected insulin or oral insulin tablets.  So, the issue remains, that if there is nothing that can be done for someone who test positive for the antibody, would you want to know?  The only reason why I decided to have my son tested, years after my daughter's diagnosis, was because I had heard the insulin therapy theory, which made a lot of sense to me.  Prior to this knowledge, I did not want to know because there was nothing that I could have done to prevent it anyway.  I suppose I feel the same way now after hearing that the insulin therapy didn't seem to prolong the onset of diabetes.  I encourage you to keep a close eye on your other child(ren) for the telltale signs of increased thirst/urination, fatigue, weight loss and check their urine for ketones/glucose if you have any suspicions.  That is one good thing about having chemstrips in the house and just a little helpful tip...if you're out at a restaurant and you want to check to make sure the soda pop your child is drinking, is truly sugar free, dip a chemstrip that measures glucose into it just to be sure!

[Meadow]

Hi Gale,

I'm another mom of a type 1 child (diagnosed 2 years ago) and a younger son who's exhibited signs of type 1 diabetes.  His symptoms, including BG readings reaching 200's pp, were enough to prod our pediatric endocrinologist to run a 3 hour GTT, but she never suggested that there is another screen available (I assume its an antibody test?)to assess his vulnerability to develop type 1 diabetes.  Can you share more information about this test?

Thanks,
Meadow
Annapolis, MD

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Oman,
I can understand  your concern and it's great that you're being vigilant with your non-diabetic children at this point.

The blood test results you reported sound normal to me (I'm not a physician, but a diabetic for ~35 years) and yet you still have concerns.  I recommend that you bring your children for annual checkups so that their pediatrician can discuss their overall health with you.  For the current symptoms, I'd recommend a call to the pediatrician, too.  

Symptoms often include insatiable thirst, hungry, tiredness, irritability, fruity smelling breath.  Since you didn't mention these issues, my interpretation is that she doesn't have them.  

Children often respond consciously or unconsciously to a sibling's diagnosis of diabetes or other serious illnesses.  They may yearn for some of the attention that the "sick" one gets and may not have the skills/understanding/vocabulary to convey what they are feeling.  They might be scared.  They might feel inappropriately guilty ("if I hadn't fought with my sister, maybe she never would've gotten 'sick' " type of feeling).

While you didn't mention this aspect at all, I'd encourage you to engage your children at the emotional level... both the diabetic child and those who don't have it.  Family dynamics inevitably change when one child suddenly has special needs adn children need plenty of support and encouragement.  

Parents are usually the first to notice that something isn't right with a child.  Perhaps you're tapping into something more subtle than diabetes.  

Good luck with your little ones... Take good care of you, too.

[JDRF-Team-gg]

Hi Oman!  My name is Gale and I am a mom of a 16 year old girl who was diagnosed at the age of 21 months and I am also a volunteer with Medhelp and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  I am not a medical professional, so therefore, I am not permitted or qualified to offer any type of medial advice, but as a parent who has lived with diabetes in my home for almost 14 years, I am sure I can offer some practical advice that you can use.  

When my daughter was diagnosed, there weren't any tests that could indicate if my son was predisposed to having diabetes, and I too, worried about him being diagnosed with diabetes, but thankfully, there is a test now.  You should speak to your daughters' endocrinologist about running a blood test that could give you the information that you are looking for.  There is a marker in the blood that they look for and if it shows up, there are different approaches or treatments that may be taken to prolong the onset and possibly preserve the pancreas so that it continues to produce insulin.  It depends on your doctor, as to what would be done if the marker shows up.  Please call and make an appointment so that you can put your fears to rest.    Knowing, regardless of the outcome, is better than living frozen in fear.

I sincerely hope that you are doing well with your daughter's recent diagnosis, and I invite you to come back to Medhelp or visit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) at www.jdrf.org if you have any questions, or just want to talk.  If you are not currently aware of what JDRF can do for you, I encourage you to find out and become a part of the JDRF family.  I have been involved with JDRF since my daughter's diagnosis and have met some pretty terrific people who support my whole family in living with diabetes.  There is probably someone right in your own community who can relate to what you are experiencing right now, so I encourage you to get some information and let us continue to help you.

Have a great week-end!

Working for a Cure,

Gale