Many children with type 1diabetes were misdiagnosed by doctors on first presentation ( UTI,GE,Bronchiolitis…) before diagnosing them as diabetics.Wide public campaign alerted the public about diabetes symptoms so they demand looking for diabetes as cause of their children symptoms.
Have you experienced the same?
I was first diagnosed as a type 2 by a PCP who eventually realized he didn’t have enough information to properly treat me, so he ended up referring me to an endo who tested me and found me to be a LADA (with the same antibodies and low C-Peptide levels as a type 1).
We should focus some of our upcoming diabetes awareness programs on diabetes symptoms.
Funny you ask because I was misdiagnosed and almost sent home. The diagnosis you ask? Anorexia or bullemia I couldn’t believe. I had never heard of either one before my mom and the dr’s explained it and “it’s pretty common for kids my age”. Yeah right I was 16 and the idiots didn’t even ask my family history until a student doc came in and when we said diabetes “TaDa!” There was the light bulb. My BG was over 600 and according to the geniuses I would’ve went home and fell into a diabetic coma. Just glad my mom was protesting and she later told me that once we left the docs office she would have taken me somewhere else for a second opnion becasue she knew I wasn’t bullemic or aneroxic. And I wasn’t I was diabetic, LOL!
I agree Manny we should focus some upcoming diabetes awareness programs on diabetes symptoms. Let me know if I can help.
Andrea
At age 27 I was diagnosed at as Type 2 even though I didn’t fit the profile at all. They sent me home with Glucophage and a meter. After I couldn’t get a reading on my meter (because my bg was off the chart) they clinic had me admitted to the Boulder Community.
I was given the wrong blood test results first time around and my parents were told there was nothing wrong with me. A week later my mum rushed me to the doctor because I was losing weight by the day. My doctor was going to send me for tests for cancer…except he decided to double check my sugars, and they were off the chart. Very reassuring, I must say! 
I was diagnosed at 8 years old and I think I was diabetic long before that. Many issues were dismissed or thought of as just being a child. I think I was diabetic or had issues as young as 4 or 5.
I was diagnosed comatose in DKA, so there wasn’t much question. The ER doc diagnosed me at first sight.
I was sent for blood work by my doc because we were trying to find out why I wasnt getting pregnant after 6 years of trying. Well my bg was 333. There was no question. My doc called me the same day she saw the test results and told me to go that same day and get my new meter and meds. She referred me to an endo and I went to see that doc about 1 1/2 months after I was diagnosed. I guess I was pretty lucky that my doctor was on top of things. She said I probably had diabetes for at least 2 years before I was diagnosed. Once I learned what the symptoms are I am pretty sure that I have had it for more like 3 to 4 years before I was diagnosed. We would have caught it a lot earlier if I wasnt so stubborn. I didnt want to go the doctor. I knew something wasnt right but I was not ready to admit it.
My NP knew I was a diabetic but she couldn’t figure out what type because I didn’t fit the profile as a type 2. She was smart and TG she was because my Endo Dx me at first sight…Type 1.5/LADA. I agree with Manny and Andrea we should discuss symptoms and signs. I think the more people who are aware the better
We go around teaching medical students,residents and the public in every occasion pressing on symptoms of diabetes.For little kids,they used to come severly dehydrated with vomiting and many were diagnosed as GE.There is one question : urine output, if the parents cannot tell,we fix urine bag,the diabetic will pass a lot,the one with GE will pass very little
Abdominal pain: think DKA as well: this was my oral question in MRCP exam in Edinburgh long time ago.
There was a delay in them diagnosing me with Type 1.5. I was originally diagnosed as type 2 and then this past year about 5 years after that diagnosis I was diagnosed as type 1.5 even though I was put on insulin about a year after the type 2 diagnosis. Kind of funny that it wasn’t even an endo who changed my diagnosis to type 1.5. It was my GP I am currently seeing that discovered I was type 1.5 only because we were fighting my insurance to get me on a pump. That is when he did a C-Peptide and found I make next to no insulin anymore. I had been to 3 different Endos before my GP discovered it.
I guess I was one of the fortunate ones who was diagnosed very early, mostly because of my parents. My father was type 1 (sorry if this is repetitive) so they recognized my symptoms of constant drinking and urinating right away. They tested my bg with my father’s meter and it was high 300’s if I remember correctly so they brought me to the ER. The dr. there told my parents I probably only had it for a few months before then, not long at all.
I agree that there is no awareness at all of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes … even in the non-endo medical field!
two days ago I had a 5 y old,newly diagnosed with his Dad also type1 who checked BG for his son when showed polyuria,BG was 300 mg,went to a clinic who asked him to come next day for fasting BG.But the clever father brought him to our ER. Sad that professionals still cannot diagnose diabetes!!
I was told I had “depression” for a couple years before we figured out ourselves what the deal was and asked the doctor “Am I diabetic?” So much for differential diagnosis. . . . . Switching to a new GP helped greatly.
Do you know Bronagh,the problems with some doctors and pateint is they cocentrate at tests,not on taking good history,family history and full examination,that is why there is lots of misdiagnosis of many diseases and delay to reach the right diagnosis
It is the season for new cases of childhood type1 diabetes.We started alert campaign in our hospital for doctors & nurses giving lectures so not to misdiagnose a new case and delay diagnosis, with the DKA will be the sequelae.
i was always really really sick…for years! They told me i had a bladder infection and then sent me home. I got A LOT sicker and they finally diagnosed me with type 1 diabetes at the age of 14.I feel i had it years before that.
I now realize that my 10 year old daughter had been showing obvious signs for about two weeks - she was going to the bathroom at night, once even soaking the bathroom floor, to her sleepy horror, and she had just developed DKA breath. Of course, I couldn’t figure out what the heck the breath was about. Her teacher and I several times reviewed what we knew - no extra thirst, no extra bathroom breaks during the day, no other strong signs except that she had lost a noticeable of weight. She’d been a bit pudgy and had been growing, so we didn’t realize the extent of her weight loss - just thought she was slimming and growing like all healthy girls her age.
She was dx at her 10 year check up when her pedi immediately saw that she’d lost 13 pounds in the previous 4 months. After about 2 questions to explore whether she might be anorexic, she was given a BG test and diagnosed. I’d say a successful dx took about 10 minutes. Her BG was only at 300, although her A1c was 14. We were lucky she had that appointment and that her disease was caught relatively early.
When I got sick when I was 11 (30 years ago), the doctor spent 6 months on psychological counseling. He was absolutely positive I was being abused by my parents, and my symptoms were psychosomatic. I could not convince him that wasn’t case. I did have bruises often because I was a tomboy and loved to play sports with the boys, I was on boy’s teams, not girl’s teams, and I was often the toughest kid on the team. But, I rapidly got to lethargic to participate anymore.
My mom finally brought me in to him and said "her father is T1, you WILL check her for diabetes and do it now!"
He was so worried about the result, he called me an ambulance and had me taken to the hospital. I don’t remember what my BG was, though.
No, type 1 can not go undiagnosed for years,for months may be,as insulin defeciency will increase till it will present in DKA.