Please Help w/ My Son's Symptoms

[reagansmom22]

My son recently turned 3.  At his 3 yr. well visit w/ our pediatrician she decided that we needed to see a pediatric endocrinologist because my son fell off of the growth chart.  We still have about another month to wait until our appointment with the specialist.  At his two year visit he was 32" & this year he was only 33".  I knew that something didn't seem right, because he has not grown out of his 18 months size clothes in about a year and a half.  He has not even grown out of his shoes.  Since his pediatrician told me that there might be a problem I have started to notice some symptoms with my son that I never really paid attention to before.  After finding out that there might be a problem, I have really become aware of some of these symptoms & wonder if any of them could point to an endocrine problem.  For as long as I can remember my son has drank alot.  It was so bad, that is one year check up I asked our doctor to test him for diabetes because it runs really bad in both my husband & my families.  His blood sugar was fine then.  Also we have had a really hard time with potty training because he urinates so frequently.  He probably has to go at least 3 times an hour.  Since we have started potty training, I have noticed that his urine is alway clear.  It is as clear as water every time he urinates.  Also, in the last year he has grown dark hair on his back.  It is very fine, but there is alot of it.  I have also noticed that when he is trying to focus on something he blinks & squinches his eyes alot.  He also complains of right leg pain whenever he has been very active.  Do any of these symptoms point to a possible endocrine problem?  

[Deanna L Aftab Guy, MD]

Hard to tell if all of the symptoms you mention are due to the problems related to his short stature, you are ok waiting a month till he is seen, let the endocrinologist work him up, a bone age, xray to see how old his bones are will help and labs will more than likely be done. Excessive urination if it is diabetes does not present over months , if diabetes it is severe, he will be ill and get worse in a matter of a few days and within a week or so, weight loss etc. Urine is usually concentrated and breath with an odor.
If he is missing the water retaining hormone called vasopressin from the pituitary or has a low level of it, he will drink excessively and have diluted urine and at times usually excessively drink to keep up, Diabetes insipidus is what this is called, often termed water diabetes, rare and unlikely but he can dip a urine and check the salts in his blood, over time if he ends up getting workup done and imaging is done an mri of the pituitary would also help look at that area of the brain, this is getting ahead of ourselves though, so start with your endo appt, write down your questions before going so you don't forget the concerns you have. Good luck.