type 1 diabetes

[seren]

I'm so worried and scared. My son will be 7 next week. He has been peeing a ton for weeks. My chiro suggested we get his blood sugar tested. I had gestational diabetes before so I knew the numbers. I had to buy a new monitor, but I tested him over the weekend. They were higher then they should be. I called the peds office yesterday and the dr agreed they were higher than normal and sent him today for a fasting finger stick, a urinalysis, and an A1C. It was utterly horrible. I had very bad rolling veins and apparently so does he. They stuck him 3 times. Not just stuck him, but rolled the butterfly needle around in there for several minutes trying to get some blood. They got a few drops out of two of the sights. They finally gave up and sent us home to hydrate and come back later today to try again. My son is so upset. I am, too, but I know we have to go back. HIs fasting blood sugar was 131. I know this is high. I'm so worried about this road we may be going down. I don't know how long until we get test results, where do we go from there? I feel so lost.

[2boyzmama]

<<hug!>>

If you have to go for more tests, request that the ped put in a prescription for EMLA cream. It's a skin numbing cream that is put on an hour before a needle stick, and works really well. For him you'll want to put it on both arms so they can try both places if needed.

[ALittleBitCrunchy]

Did they do a urinalysis? Is he spilling ketones? What have his other numbers been? You can do another fasting test and also test 2 hours after eating. More numbers will give you a better picture while you wait.

FWIW, my daughter was diagnosed after a finger prick and a pee test. Of course, her number was 496 so a little more obvious

We get yearly blood draws. I recommend having him drink plenty of water and keeping the draw sites warm. We put a warm pack on her elbows then have her wear sleeves over them in the car. When we get to the hospital, her veins are usually in great shape for draws (and she has my bad veins). Also, are you seeing a pediatrics place - they tend to have better luck with kids since they handle them all the time. Also, ask if the endocrinologist has an a1c finger prick test - ours does and it's just a quick pokey in the finger and a 5 minute wait.

We've been doing this for almost 4 years now and it's hard to believe, but you just adjust. Life gets scarier and it's overwhleming in the beginning, but you do it one shot at a time, one meal at a time and figure it out as you go. Our ped endo starts with a 3 day in-hospital stay and by the time you leave, you have tons of training and can start out on your own, plus they are there 24x7 - very supportive staff. I've yet to meet someone in the field that wasn't incredibly caring and supportive and helpful.

Good luck - I hope it's not diabetes, but if it is, let me know if you have any questions!

[seren]

When we went back they didn't do the A1C. The nurse came to talk to us. She said 131 is only slightly elevated for fasting. So they are sending him for a gtt tomorrow morning. They are going to do the A1C then. I asked about his urine and she said it was completely clean, no sugar, no ketones.

[seren]

Sorry I didn't update sooner, things have been crazy here. Sam does not have diabetes. We finally had an actual appointment this past week instead of just phone stuff and labs. His a1c was 5.3, so he's perfectly fine. He is still peeing a lot. After a lot of questions and me going to the bathroom with him it's been decided he has a stricture in his urethra. Unfortunately our insurance doesn't cover any of the pediatric urologists closer than 3 hours away at the Children's hospital. I will find out this week when his app is, but it doesn't look like we will be getting one before August without a fight. If we wait until August he will likely have permanent kidney damage from being unable to fully empty the bladder.