Out of my mind with worry

Hi
I have a 19 month old daughter and an 8 year old son. So far - touch wood - my son seems ok but as I am type 1 and my dad (their grandad) is late indent type 1 I’ve always been aware of the increased risk.

My daughter seemed to be drinking more than usual for her so i checked her fasting sugar which was 5.1. Her post meal sugars (around an hour and a half after) have been between 5.6 and 6.0. However I was concerned that the fasting sugar was high so I consulted my GP who just did urine test which was clear. This was last week.

This morning I decided just to check her urine again as I had a nagging doubt. I do suffer health anxiety so I struggle to know what is a genuine concern. Her urine (after breakfast) showed low level glucose but her blood sugar (an hour and a quarter after breakfast) was 5.6. So either the urine test is wrong or she spiked really high in that hour and then came back down.

She isn’t showing any symptoms now. She actually is drinking less again but when she was drinking more her sugars were still between 5 and 6 so it couldn’t have been that causing the thirst anyway.

I have read that usually children’s sugars sit below 5 most of the time. Could I have picked up very early type 1 diabetes. I really don’t want my children to walk this path - who does - but she’s so little. How do you manage it in a child who doesn’t recognise hypo symptoms? I feel like our family life is over. I’m so worried.

Nothing in here appears alarming. You mention both T1 runs in the family as well as you have health anxiety.

My suggestion would be to approach this from both angles. Double check with the children’s Pediatric Doctor as well as consult a therapist for your Health Anxiety. This way you leave no stone unturned.

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Thanks

Why would glucose show in the urine though? But then I would have thought that if she had been high enough to show glucose in her urine the blood sugar would have higher. If it came down it came down quickly and I think it would have to be above 10 to show on a urine test? So in an hour she went up to 10 or above and then came down to 5.6. Would that be possible?

Speculation is often not a positive road to travel. My advice is to stick with observed facts as well as my consultation advice from earlier.

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So a blood sugar of 6.0 mmol/L corresponds to 106 mg/dl. That is totally within a normal range. All the tests you report are normal.

And anyone would be expected to dump glucose in their urine when their blood sugar reaches 160-180 mg/dl. And some people just “leak” glucose and or protein and it is perfectly normal. So your daughter has dumped a little bit of glucose and that isn’t really out of the ordinary.

We have so much to worry about. You will drive yourself crazy thinking about what “might happen.” Take a deep breath. If your son or daughter does get T1 there isn’t anything you can do to stop it. You can stay on top of things which I am sure you will do. You wouldn’t let either of them go for weeks with dangerously high blood sugars. But you can’t go through your life in a constant state of worry and anxiety about some possible future event that you have not chance of changing.

All we can do is ask God to grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can change and the wisdom to know the difference.

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Thank you for your replies.

I guess so. I checked urine her on Friday (we had a bit so good eating day as had been out for the day) and that afternoon she had had quite a bit to eat and an ice cream and it was free if sugar.

This morning she had only had some milk and some grapes and strawberries.

I have not yet had a reading below 5. I wasn’t going to check her sugar again - it’s only because I had the glusoce in the urine that I did.

I am seeing the dr for my health anxiety this week.

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She had a biscuit (just one my husband gave it to her) and half an hour later her sugar was 7.4.

I cannot shake this nagging feeling.

I don’t think a 7.4 mmol/L (133) 30 minutes after a biscuit (that’s a cookie, right?) is outside the realm of a typical response of a non-diabetic. This is especially true given the margin of error for home blood glucose meters.

If that’s the proper translation, and I trust that it is, I agree w @Terry4!! I have 3 children, one of which has type 1. I have (although it’s been a while) checked my other two children’s bgs. My son once had a bg in the 130s or maybe even 140s shortly after eating. It raised an eyebrow, but not one of concern from me. I also had a scare w my daughter - got a reading in the high 100s or low 200s - washed hands and was back to normal. Whew! I remember still being on edge for a period after that even though it was a false alarm.

It’s really hard not to worry, but please try not to. It sounds like you are in a better position that many who don’t even know the signs of diabetes.

Yes that right - 133
Sorry we are in the uk.

My daughter is quite overweight - despite not eating unhealthily. I think she had been having too much milk and it’s made her gain weight.

I wonder if there’s a certain element of insulin resistance due to this? Or maybe I’m just kidding myself…my husband thinks I’m being ridiculous but he has pretty much no idea about diabetes.

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9.2 after dinner

Not looking good is it?
There wasn’t that much carb in it. I cannot believe this is happening.

I hear you. I checked my son once and got an alarming 170. I almost had a heart attack and ran to the nearest hospital. Of course they ran all sorts of tests and nothing showed up. Then at home I asked again “did you have anything to eat besides what I gave you?” and then he confessed… :frowning: yes, washing hands is always useful.

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Given the testing, including that of the GP, what would be the next steps? Perhaps you just need to continue to log some data for a specified period and go from there?

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We are on holiday at the moment.
Should we head home?

My son will be so disappointed. I feel so awful about it all. I’m heartbroken for us all.
She’d definitely only had what I’d given her as she’s only 19 months.

I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.

I don’t mean to sound heartless. I know you are fraught with worry. But what would going home do? You go to the emergency room and they will send you home. Go to your doctor and they will likely tell you that it isn’t definitive. And 9.2 mmol/L is still within the variation that would be expected from someone who is non-diabetic.

Please read this topic

I know you are freaked. But you are a good mom and I’m sure you will be checking and logging everything. If things go south I’m sure you will get your daughter to the doctor right away. But until you actually observe really abnormal readings you will likely be dismissed by these doctors. Please consider finishing your vacation. I’m sure you will checking blood sugars. But I would suggest you simply do “watchful waiting.”

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  1. is there cause for concern? maybe.
  2. is this an emergency? no. enjoy your holiday.
  3. should there be further testing / routine monitoring? Certainly.
  4. what to do for now? avoid sugar added foods / sweets. stick to good basic unprocessed foods. not too much fruit.
  5. see a doctor when you get back from holiday.
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I would be careful before diagnosing your daughter with anything. Like other posters have said, you can’t do anything about it if she does unfortunately develop type 1, and these numbers may not be as unusual as you think. I have tested friends who are not diabetic, have no family history of it, and have seen numbers in the 6s and 7s. My dad has had type 1 since he was 15, so it was always a concern for me growing up. Occasionally if I showed any of the classic symptoms he would test me once, and when my number came back normal that was the end of it. When I did develop type 1 at 19, the symptoms came on fast and there was no mistaking it. The glucometer just said “HIGH”, and my blood sugar was in the 30s. I suppose maybe I had been having higher than normal blood sugars for some time before that, but I’m glad I wasn’t constantly worrying about it or changing my life in ways that wouldn’t have made any difference.

I agree with what everyone else is saying. I don’t see anything that would warrant seeking medical attention right now. The only thing I think you can do is continue to be alert and collect data, She has no symptoms and the results you’ve gotten aren’t indicators of imminent danger. Even if you did seek medical attention, I don’t think there is anything to be done. I’m not a medical professional in any way, but I don’t see that any medical treatment is required. Continuing to monitor is all you can do at this point.

Thank you. I feel so alone in this.

She had more milk before bed at about 9.30 - late bedtime as away. However before she had this milk it had dropped to 6.5 (about 45 mins after the 9.2 - I checked before she had milk as was worried if was still 9.2 and then she had milk it might be really high)

Have checked her sugar now and it is 4.8 -the lowest I’ve found it to be.
Is it possible to have immediate spikes of 9.2 and not be diabetic? I wouldn’t have thought so.

I will do a fasting sugar in the morning and then maybe keep looking at the two hourly sugars rather than testing straight after a meal. We will definitely limit the sugary foods etc - so difficult as we will be eating out a lot and no doubt my 8 year old will be wanting an ice cream and fish and chips as we are by the sea.