<p>During a call with my daughter today, she mentioned that she’d been experiencing frequent and excessive thirst and urination. I asked her if she needed to get up at night to pee, and she said that she had, twice a night, for the past week or so. She lives in an unairconditioned dorm, and it has been very hot and humid until today. She also exercises a lot. Her weight is normal. She is on meds for depression and anxiety.</p>
<p>I suggested that she get a blood glucose check at health services. She’s stressed out and doesn’t want to add anything else to her schedule, but agreed to go to health services when she found the time. Is “when she finds the time” soon enough? I know that Type I diabetes can come on suddenly and get ugly fast.</p>
<p>excessive thirst and urination could be a side effect of her medication. Or, perhaps she has been drinking a lot of coffee or tea, or alcohol that can cause dehydration and excessive urination. Excessive urination could also be a urinary tract infection. I don’t mean to scare you more, just wanted to mention these other issues that may play a role. A health screening is probably in order to confirm or rule out any health issues.</p>
<p>Thanks. She doesn’t drink coffee and only has alcohol occasionally. I didn’t ask about the tea, but that’s a possibility because she does drink that, and I know some herbal teas have a diuretic effect.</p>
<p>My son has type 1. Over a period of weeks he had significant weight loss as well as a noticeable increase in thirst, which led to more fluid intake, which meant increased urination.</p>
<p>Since it’s so hot and humid and there is no A/C, it would be logical to increase fluid intake and as a result have increased urination. Or as someone else suggested, perhaps a side effect of the meds she’s on.</p>
<p>My son is a Type 1 diabetic. In addition to being thirsty, he was tired (felt like he was coming down with something) and also lost weight. I have no idea if your daughter is has diabetes or not, but if she does, it is dangerous to leave it untreated. If she has been having these symptoms “for a week or so” I’d say she’s over due to get checked by a dr. </p>
<p>Please tell her to get checked! My type 1 brother had the same symptoms and also put off going to the doctor. When he got there, his blood sugar was above 800 (the equipment didn’t measure higher than that) and the doctor said if he came in even a few hours later, he’d have had permanent brain damage. They can check her blood sugar extremely quickly and easily. </p>
<p>I hope she does what you suggested. I also hope she has some outcome as my son years ago. He was drinking lots of fluids cause it was hot and he was exercising. I took him to his dr (he was still in middle school). Dr ran several labs and took good history–fortunately it was just heat and the juices and sport drinks tasted good. </p>
<p>She needs to get checked ASAP. I don’t know if weight loss always occurs. My aunt was recently Dx’d and she hadn’t lost any weight. Maybe weight-loss is more frequent in JD? </p>
<p>Classically, the symptoms are markedly increased appetite with paradoxical weight loss as well as thirst and urination. These kids usually just feel crummy. If it’s hot and she’s drinking a lot she may just be urinating appropriately, but especially if she doesn’t feel good she should be checked. Most people who are experiencing early ketoacidosis from diabetes onset don’t feel good enough to exercise a lot. But better safe than sorry…</p>
<p>when I was diagnosed with T1 I had the frequent urination, but didn’t think it unusual as it was hot outside and I was drinking a lot of water. I was exercising both at my health club plus the weekend before my H and I spread a truckload of loam in our backyard. It went from this “gee, this weight loss is great, must be the exercise” to “I don’t feel well I need to go see the dr” overnight. Then in the hospital with blood sugar off the charts. Tell her a blood test is something they can do quickly at the health center, she should be able to fit it in.</p>
<p>You are absolutely correct Nrdsb4. Although I liked to feel young and “juvenile” when dx with T1 at the age of 35 :-)</p>
<p>Massmom- hopefully your D’s results will be negative, but if not, you will see this type of response ALL THE TIME. People comparing your D some elderly person they know with “diabetes.” The news media also, and even many doctors. The first dr I saw in the hospital was very old school and once I educated myself I learned how to minimize the suckiness of this. If your username implies MA, feel free to PM me with my experiences at the Joslin.</p>
<p>With the increase in Type 2 DM in kids (and ‘metabolic syndrome’ and ‘pre-diabetes’) this issue is getting even more confusing. Kids and parents of kids with Type 1 DM are fighting the mixups even more. Yes-- weight loss, dehydration, ketoacidosis, feeling really ill, and quick evolution of symptoms are the hallmarks of T1 onset (which is acute) compared with T2. </p>
<p>^^^Agree, and not to imply that type 2 diabetes amongst our youth is not a worrisome problem. On the contrary, it is a very serious trend. It’s just not as acutely dangerous as undiagnosed type 1.</p>
<p>I’m going to echo the other Type 1 D parents here and say that I urge your child to not wait to get this checked…</p>
<p>Waiting one day could mean the difference between handling it with a primary care doctor/ER physician and ending up in ICU for a couple of days with ketoacidosis. </p>
<p>Two signs that your child should go straight to an ER - vomiting and fruity-smelling breath.</p>
<p>Also, I believe I’ve also heard that there can be a correlation between taking antidepressants and developing Type 2. Certainly not something to be overlooked. </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids
Type 2s are usually making insulin, but not using it effectively, and can run high blood sugars all the time but still be walking about, feeling crappy but still business as usual (which puts them at high risk for lots of complications like kidney failure and amputations).</p>
<p>Type 1s end up making no insulin whatsoever, and so their bodies think that they’re starving and try to burn fat for food, which can’t be processed because of the lack of insulin which makes them continue to try to burn fat and on and on goes the endless, dangerous metabolic cycle. The fat burning causes rapid weight loss. Their bodies try to remove excess sugar through the kidneys (and fluid goes along with it) causing rapid dehydration. It’s a very fast and dangerous process.</p>
<p>I bet she can find somebody who has the measuring thing. I measure mine (for now reason at all) sometime. She should just measure hers. She really should not wait at all for such a simple thing. Just tell her to do it RIGHT NOW.</p>
<p>FWIW, my youngest was diagnosed at the age of 2. </p>
<p>@jackief Yes, people mean well, but the saying “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle” raises my blood pressure quite a bit. And yes, he can have a cookie!</p>
<p>It was very sad and hearthreaking to have to explain to my little guy that the news program announcing that you could reverse your diabetes didn’t mean Type 1.</p>