Diabetes Suspected in Soon to Be Two Year Old

I went through this with my daughter just before she turned 3. She had a very high fever of almost 104. We rushed her to the ER. They checked her urine and said the same thing to us. They took her by ambulance to La Rabida Childrens Hospital in Chicago. They told us she had juvenile diabetes and we did NOT cause it by her diet. We were in the hospital for 6 days total. They started training us on how to deal with diabetes. Turns out, she didn't have diabetes and they couldn't figure out what it was. They labeled it, "a severe reaction to a viral infection." I know things will work out for you. If your daughter does have diabetes, know you did NOT cause it by her diet. It is manageable and something that you CAN live with.

Hi J.. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was a child. I would like to clear up a couple of comments:

1) Eating a lot of sugar does NOT cause diabetes! You CANNOT cause your child to get diabetes by feeding her too much sugar.

2) If you eat a lot of sugar at one time (3 pieces of cake at one sitting, etc.), you WILL NOT have sugar spill into your urine!! This only happens to people that already have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

3) There is nothing you can do about your daughter's diet to influence whether or not she will have diabetes. I promise you this.

4) If your daughter passed the glucose test (exactly like the one some women take during pregnancy -- drinking glucose solutions and having blood drawn at intervals), then your daughter does not have diabetes now.

5) Fevers are not a symptom of diabetes. But watch your daughter for signs of extreme thirst, excessive urination or loss of weight.

Did your Doctor specifically tell you that there was trace of glucose in her urine? I wonder if she had ketones in her urine? Either way, it's wise that you Doctor wants to monitor her glucose for a while, since he can't explain why it happened. I'm willing to bet that your daughter will recover from a virus and you won't see glucose in her urine ever again!

If you have any questions about diabetes or what the Doctor told you, feel free to send me a message.

Talk to your doctor about Vitamin D3 and fish oil. A study published in JAMA in September 2007 found that among 1770 infants and toddlers at high risk for developing type 1 diabetes, those toddlers who obtained supplemental omega 3 fatty acids from cod liver oil had significantly decreased risks of the development of type 1 diabetes. Approximately 1 gram of fish oil each day is beneficial for many toddler aged children.

This is one of the supplements with the greatest amount of scientific research supporting its use in toddlers and children is fish oil. Fish oil contains the essential omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Since a large proportion of brain tissue is made of DHA, this is particularly important in the toddler years where brain growth is occurring. Fish oil given in children is also associated with decreased risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

I give Nordic Naturals Children's DHA to my 23 month old daily...at a recent conference I was at, the Harvard dietitician recommended Nordic Naturals as a good quality brand.

Good Luck,
J. W. MPH
Chicago Examiner Family Health Expert
http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...

just wanted to say hi tell kay i said hi and jay

When I was about two, we discovered I was hypoglycemic. I dont' remember anything about it (obviously) but apparently I went to the hospital for a day of having my finger pricked to test glucose levels. Once my parents knew what was up, it was very easy for them to deal with it by adjusting my diet. It's never really affected me all that much - though I'm sure it was a pain for my parents for awhile - other than that I pay attention to what I eat (lots of vegetables, fruit, and protien spaced throughout the day), get enough exercise, limit my sugar intake and make sure I don't let myself get too hungry.

Good luck. I hope it all works out. One plus is that by starting her on a healthy diet now, she'll have established it early and won't miss less healthy foods.

I would get a second opinion since diabetes is not something to mess around with and wait a long time to diagnose. I would do it right away. At the same time I would keep in mind that sugar in the urine can be caused by any number of things including something as simple as taking in a lot of sugar.

Just wanted to clarify after reading the next post which was much better written than mine:

I work with pregnant women and their urine reflects very clearly what they have eaten. Fast all day and ketones are high. Drink a coke and eat a candy bar and glucose is high. Lack of water causes concentrated urine and gives false readings of high protein. Perhaps this is the case only in pregnancy, I am not that knowledgable outside of the pregancy realm, I just know what I see there. Sorry if it was confusing and I did NOT mean to imply that eating a lot of sugar causes Type I diabetes, just that it could be responsible for the glucosuria. Hope you get some clarification.

Be careful to not overdue the carbohydrates (they turn to sugar). Natural fruit sugars, in fruit is more easily absorbed. Make sure she's on a balanced diet. Remember a fever spikes during the day thru night. The med probably was only temperary therefore jumping up during the day. Get her fluids in her and keep her as still as you can (very difficult but not impossible). Good luck mommy.

I would call your Doctor and ask to speak with the doctor or nurse to explain things. If they are suspecting diabetes I would ask for a referral to a Endocronologist. Your doctor needs to tell you if there were Ketones in the urine. You can have traces of glucose in your urine, that doesn't necessarily mean you are diabetic. Your blood sugar levels can be higher also when you have an infection and your body is under stress. It is too bad that most doctors don't take the time to explain things properly. People leave Dr's offices scared and with more question than the entered in with. If your Dr isn't willing to take the time to answer your questions, I would find a new one. Good Luck!

Cut back on juices and other sugars for about a week or two & have her urine retested. Ask if you doctor can send it out to a lab for a formal urinalysis. If it is still high they may want to do bloodwork like a hemoglobin A1C which is the blood glucose over a longer period. If this is still high you may need to see an endocrinologist, I would look for a referral to a pediatric specialist possibly affiliated with a children's hospital like Children's Wisconsin or Children's Memorial. Good Luck, hope she's better soon!