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Avatar universal

Should we be worried for our 6yr old son

hi, my son has been out of sorts recently to the point that school have commented that he is easily upset.  approx 5 weeks ago, my son came home from school stating he felt unwell and had stomach pains and felt dizzy.  He was also very clammy.  As my husband is type 1 insulin dependent, we tested his blood sugars and got a reading of 215, this raised to 225 later in the evening before dropping to 175 at bedtime.  We checked his sugars in the morning before breakfast and registered a reading of 140.  We checked the sugars over the weekend and they varied between 160 and 215.

My husband took my son to see the nurse practitioner and was told these reading were normal and virtually told him off for testing my son's blood sugars and advised us not to test him anymore, which we did despite him still exhibiting the symptons on and off.  He always complains of being hungry even after just having had a meal.  He has lost 5lbs in weight recently and last night actually asked my husband to test his sugars has didn't feel right.  He registered a level of 320 but this dropped to 140 at bed time.

should we be worried???

Best Answer
Avatar universal
Maybe the nurse practitioner's blood sugar is out of whack.  Just kidding!   Most people would consider these readings high.  I hope you can see a different health care professional and get a second opinion.  

As an aside:  I've read about gluten and dairy being associated with a certain percentage of type 1 diabetics - not all, but some.  Maybe check with the doctor and see if trying the diet is worth a try before things progress (if this is his problem).  

Definitely get him back to a doctor!
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231441 tn?1333892766
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi,

The NP was very wrong that the numbers are normal.  By telling you not to test she is denying that you as parents know that something is definitely wrong.  If you follow her advice your son would be in very serious trouble.

I think it is more likely that your son is in the relatively early stages of developing type 1 diabetes.

His numbers are very abnormal.  Children's numbers should actually be a little lower than adults.  In any case normal fasting numbers should be less than about 90 to be normal and 2 hours after eating they should be < 120.

Your son should see a pediatrician urgently.  If your GP blows him off insist to get referred.  There is something very wrong and without treatment it could become life-threatening.  You could also take him to the ER if he is having symptoms.

Please let us know how you and your son go.
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Avatar universal
thanks for the information - not sure if he fits category for type 2, isn't that normally associated with children who are overweight.  My son is really skinny and tall for his age.

Will look to make an appt with our GP
Helpful - 0
141598 tn?1355671763
"My husband took my son to see the nurse practitioner and was told these reading were normal and virtually told him off for testing my son's blood sugars and advised us not to test him anymore,..."

Like a lot of PCP's, this practitioner appears to be uneducated with diabetes prevention and care. Your son needs to be evaluated by an Endocrinologist, a doctor that specializes in diabetes.

"should we be worried??? "
Yes, those morning fasting readings are high and indicate type 2 diabetes. But only a thorough evaluation and testing by an Endo will tell what he has. Times to test at home are before meals [prandial] and 2-3 hours after a meal [postprandial] when sugars from foods are at the highest. By keeping a log of his postprandial test results you'll know what he can and cannot eat, and/or the amount that is acceptable to his body. Limit intake of bad carbs, white foods - potatoes, white bread, white rice, foods made with white flour - as these turn into sugar after eating.
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