I have 3 children: 6 yr. old girl, 3 yr. old son, and a 5 month old daughter. The two younger ones' father has type 1 juvenile diabetes. He has to take insulin shots several times a day.

I know that my children have only a slightly higher change to develop diabetes than others, but that still is not a high number at all. The pediatrician (whom I have had since I was born) basically says to always keep your eyes open, but not to worry at all.

I also know that diabetes can increase a person's need to urinate and make then thirsty. That brings me to my question: do you think the following behavior in my 3 yr. old son is normal or a sign of diabetes?

First of all, he constantly has to have something to drink. Which I never really thought about much until recently. And second, he started potty training about 2 months ago. He was doing great then all of a sudden, he just doesn't make it to the potty any more. Like he is regressing in that area.

We haven't gone through any major changes since he started the potty training so I know that that is not it. I just don't want to keep asting like he is misbehaving or just not paying attention if he can't help it.

I know a doctor's advice is best, but currently we don't have insurance. I was just looking for an opinion or advice from someone with experience.

Thanks so much for reading all of this! Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hollie

Okay, first of all I have to say that I have Diabetes (type 1) for 19 of my 20 years of existence, and I am studying to be a doctor, so although I am young, I can still give you some advice. There are many reasons a normal person or a Juvenile Diabetic will become thirsty, the reason why a Juvenile Diabetic becomes thirsty more often is because the high amounts of glucose in the blood. Because of this high level of sugar, the body tends to filter it out, and frequent urination will take place, and also sweating. These are signs, but are not complete indicators. Not making it to the potty is not necessarily related to Diabetes, but check your child when they do urinate. If the urine is deep yellow consistently and smells sweet, then the likelihood is that they have Juvenile Diabetes. Other signs are sleeping patterns, chapped lips, swelled thick tongue, mood swings, and flu like symptoms. Sleeping patterns are important because if the blood sugar is out of control and not in some kind of homeostatic balance, then most Diabetics feel sleepy mid day. Chapped lips, is due to dehydration, and the swelled tongue is due to large amounts of sugar in the blood. I do not know why the tongue swells, but my doctor did point that out to me, so I'm just relaying the message. Mood swings are an indicator, because our mood is determined mostly by how we feel, but what we eat, how healthy we are, how healthy we perceive ourselves, and the type of activities we do all affect our mood, so having too much or too little sugar in the blood can definitely affect a Diabetics mood. Lastly flu like symptoms occur, I am not sure why, but I think it has to due with the destruction of beta cells. There are theories that Diabetes is caused by certain viruses, is genetic, and possibly has an environmental aspect, but we definitely know that Type I Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus is an auto immune disease. All that means is that the immune system kills its own cells and in this case it kills the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. I advise you take your child to the hospital as soon as possible because most likely his beta cells (that produce insulin), are not completely gone and his pancreas is producing insulin, but the signs he is showing leads me to believe that he may be developing Diabetes and it is better to know earlier then later.
I developed Diabetes when I was 18 months, and the stories my mother has told me are scary because I should have been taken to the hospital much earlier than I was. I got so sick that I started hallucinating, and I almost went into a coma, which is very hard to do in the high blood glucose spectrum, but is deadly. Living with Diabetes is not a hard thing, its just an annoying thing. I have to admit though, at times I have to be more mature than the average person in terms of diet and I have to be more conscious of my body and how I am feeling. This does not mean that Diabetes has hindered my life at all, I have always played many sports, been on teams, done very well academically, and I hope to continue to do so in the future. I have written this just so that you don't have to feel too apprehensive about this, if he has it, than its okay, and if he does not even better. I hope this has helped you, and if there is anything I can help with, any advice or problem, I would be glad to do so. ;D

Hi

Firstly, I must say that from the signs and symptoms that you descibe about your son, he is posssible at risk from diabetes.

Please do not fool around with this as it could cause his premature death. I know that you say that you do not have insurance but it would be wise to see a doctor as soon as possible.