Harriet Vane Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Posting for a friend . . . Friend's dd has been complaining of lethargy recently. She said when she wakes up she's so tired it just hurts to be awake. This is a 15yo who goes to bed at 10ish and is woken at 6:30 most mornings. This may be due to start-up of full school schedule (homeschool). Today friend's dd mentioned being "so thirsty" and drinking a ton but not feeling satisfied. Her dd asked her mom if she might be "coming down with something." My friend had her dd eat some chicken and drink some milk. Friend's dd's feelings today could be a simple reaction to a nasty lunch from earlier in the day. She had really nasty, cheap, grocery-store egg rolls with plain white rice and soy sauce. Three people ate from the same package of egg rolls, and all three felt headachy immediately after. After eating the chicken and milk, friend drove her dd to a class, which lasted about 2 hours. Friend's dd seemed to be in better shape when picked up and chattered brightly about class. Friend's dd ate two chicken tacos (homemade, natural) with mild salsa and ate an apple. Now friend's dd is complaining about excessive thirst again. She assured her mother that she "kept sipping water" through her 2-hr class earlier and has had more water this evening. Friend is concerned because she has heard horror stories about juvenile diabetes. However, friend wants to see how her dd feels in the morning because the thirst and fatigue could be due to any number of factors, and her dd is rarely sick (though she did have pneumonia earlier this year). Also her dd tends to react to stress by thinking she is sick, asking her mother to feel her forehead for fever, etc. It's standard operating procedure with this child to wait a bit before reacting. If it were something big and scary like juvenile diabetes, how would my friend know when to take her dd to the dr? Some websites say it gets serious, fast, but don't define how fast or how symptoms progress. I told my friend I would post here and see if anyone can offer some BTDT experience. Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Man, if it weren't for the soy sauce, I'd say get her in for a blood test, but soy sauce does that to me, too, where I'm thirsty for days. :confused: I wouldn't let it go much longer, though. I'd probably schedule something for Friday, just to see what was up. A close friend's son has it, and he got to a point where he was drinking so much water in one sitting he would throw up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Sometimes water can't rehydrate me either. As much as I hate gatorade, it really helps me at those times. The children I knew who developed diabetes were skin and bones. I'd have my dd drink gatorade right away. I'd take her in fairly soon though, because I have a low copay, and I like my doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I would call the pediatrician and have her checked out. My daughter did develop Type 1 diabetes at age 12. It does happen. The pediatrician can check it out pretty easily, and then you'll know one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 We had a 17 year old cousin that died from juv diabetes. He wouldn't keep it under control. He knew early on in life that he had problems. It can get bad and I would talk to a Doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I would be on the safe side and have her checked out. My son wasn't just thirsty when he was diagnosed, he literally could not stop drinking. He would gulp and gulp and want more and more. One way I had heard of was to fill up a gallon or something with water and only drink from that so you can measure just how much she is drinking per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Is she peeing constantly? If she isn't, I'd wait until tomorrow to see how she feels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Do you know any diabetics with a blood sugar testing machine you could use? That would give you a better idea of if you can take a wait and see approach, schedule an appointment ASAP, or go to the ER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I think it's the soy sauce. That is made of almost pure salt... it makes me really thirsty. That with processed eggrolls... it was probably just a lot, lot, lot of salt. Also, she's not sleeping that much. Going to bed at 10ish and getting up at 6:30 is only an 8 hour night if she is falling asleep right away. Teens need a lot of sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 If it were something big and scary like juvenile diabetes, how would my friend know when to take her dd to the dr? Some websites say it gets serious, fast, but don't define how fast or how symptoms progress. With what you are describing, I'd go ahead and take her in to be checked out. There's no need to wait for a panic moment on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldilocks Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 When my son was diagnosed I could look back over a period of at least 4 weeks of symptoms that gradually got worse: wetting his bed multiple times during the night, lethargy, and weight loss. The illness that "attacked" his pancreas was the first few days of February and he was admitted to the hospital in the middle of April. So, for him it was very gradual, not a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Well, I definitely wouldn't panic. I get very thirsty when I have a cold coming on. Also she likely had a ton of salt and MSG during lunch (both in the eggrolls and in the soy sauce) which her body is going to need some time to clear. However if the mom is really concerned, a blood sugar test may be worthwhile. If she doesn't have access to a tester and the kid is still showing signs of a problem after a couple of days, the ped could do one easily 10-6:30 is not that much sleep for a 16yo. That's just 8.5hrs. My DW is 31 and needs more like 9. Teens need more sleep than adults, and some people take several weeks to transition when the schedule changes. When my 15yo cousin comes to visit she sleeps 10hrs or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah1615 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 My son was diagnosed at 2 years old. We caught it fairly early and he wasn't in DKA at the time diagnosis. He was drinking LOTS of water and blowing out disposable diapers. It took me a little bit to put symptoms of the tiredness, thirst, excessive urination, grumpiness all together. Young kids tend to decline faster than older children and adults. I am always super vigilant when anyone has asked my opinion about whether someone who is showing possible signs of diabetes should be checked. Absolutely! It's such a simple, cheap, easy test and it will ease any worries if there is nothing going on. If it is diabetes, the sooner it is caught the better. DKA can develop very rapidly. If you know someone who has a diabetes, just use their glucose monitor. If you don't know anyone, go to urgent care or the pediatrician first thing in the morning--UNLESS, she starts showing signs of major lethargy, breath that smells like magic markers, or any other increase in other symptoms in which case take her to the ER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Thanks folks. Friend will keep an eye on it, but you have been quite reassuring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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