• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Keep been told hes not diabetic

trisha1922

New Member
Pronouns
She/Her
Hi, I'm really struggling here.

My 13 year old son has started wetting the bed regularly, he suffers severe migraines which result in vomiting, increased thirst and hunger and tiredness (sleeping at school) and recent finger prick tests showed some highs but they did come down.
One was 13 then he started with a migraine, took him to a and e where he was sick and then his sugars came down to 5.4 (sick a further twice) and then he became very tired and fell asleep on the floor in the a and e department.
Doctors say that if he had diabetes his sugars would not come down themselves and them been up and down is not consistent with diabetes.

Also can a sip of lucozade energy spike blood sugars to 13 when eaten or drunk nothing else for 9 hours in a non diabetic?

All advise and thoughts are appreciated.
He is suspected ARFID (restricted diet).
 
Welcome to the forum.
The only way to get a definitive answer as to whether he is diabetic is to have an HbA1C test as the finger prick tests will only show a moment in time and will change depending on what he has eaten, if unwell, dehydrated, how much exercise and a number of other things and will depend on just when you test.
One thing would be to try to improve the situation with the migraines, a preventative medication if they happen very regularly or a medication to take immediately he get symptoms, they generally have an anti-sickness component as well as the pain med.
Seeing your GP to get the blood test and see if there is any other reason. The bed wetting can be because he sleeps soundly or be an indication of a urinary tract infection.
A number of things to get checked out asap.
 
Welcome to the forum.
The only way to get a definitive answer as to whether he is diabetic is to have an HbA1C test as the finger prick tests will only show a moment in time and will change depending on what he has eaten, if unwell, dehydrated, how much exercise and a number of other things and will depend on just when you test.
One thing would be to try to improve the situation with the migraines, a preventative medication if they happen very regularly or a medication to take immediately he get symptoms, they generally have an anti-sickness component as well as the pain med.
Seeing your GP to get the blood test and see if there is any other reason. The bed wetting can be because he sleeps soundly or be an indication of a urinary tract infection.
A number of things to get checked out asap.
He is on meds for migraines which dont seem to be helping, and been tested for uti which has come back clear with no infection.
I will see what blood tests he has had done and if that one hasn't been carried out request it to be done. Thanks
 
He is on meds for migraines which dont seem to be helping, and been tested for uti which has come back clear with no infection.
I will see what blood tests he has had done and if that one hasn't been carried out request it to be done. Thanks
If the migraine meds aren't helping then ask if something else may be better. Has he been tested for food allergies as they can be a trigger for migraine, keeping a food diary to see if there is a common factor.
Raw onion was a trigger for my daughter, and another friend found cheese and dairy a problem.
 
One was 13 then he started with a migraine, took him to a and e where he was sick and then his sugars came down to 5.4 (sick a further twice) and then he became very tired and fell asleep on the floor in the a and e department.
Something else must be going on. A blood sugar of 5.4 is completely normal and doesn’t make you fall asleep on the floor. See a GP for some tests to find out what’s going on.
 
Having a sick kid is a worry. I hope you get some answers soon. As others have said it doesn’t sound like a typical type 1 presentation as his glucose levels would keep going up. Migraines can cause all sorts of issues and if he has abdominal migraines too then that can compound symptoms.

I hope you get some answers and he can get appropriate treatment.
 
Hi @trisha1922 and welcome to the forum!

I cannot advise any extra on what others have said for diabetes, but as a fellow severe migraine-sufferer, I hope you might find something useful in my experience.

Mine developed when I was around 10, so I've lived with them for over 20 years now. Migraines can indeed cause all the symptoms that you've mentioned (at least they did for me). Pain is a very powerful thing unfortunately, it will wear the body down incredibly. The worst attacks I've had have caused me to lose vision for a dozen of seconds (seeing either white or complete darkness), vomiting, severe exhaustion to a point of passing out, vertigo-like symptoms, numbness in limbs, nosebleeds etc. In my particular case I've had many tests done, many speculations offered, but nothing consistent, so my attacks lessened only when I started focusing on what my personal triggers were. I also cannot take any of the usual migraine meds as I instantly puke them out (other than taking Paracetamol as a painkiller, before the attack gets too bad), so I just have to power through it, when it hits.

So, what has helped? Finding out my triggers and taking control:
-eyesight: I spent a lot of my time in front of a screen. TV, laptop, phone... My migraine attacks are connected to my sight. When my eyes get tired, an attack can trigger. And every attack has a ripple effect on worsening my eyesight. So I made sure I wear blue light glasses when I'm in front of a screen for a long time, to protect my eyes, and also take regular breaks. Bright lights (especially in schools or offices) were a big trigger for me too.
-diet: sugar, caffeine, highly processed foods: all of these can work against me. That's not to say I have the healthiest diet or avoid coffee, however being conscious about what I eat has helped, especially on days when I already feel like an attack might be coming.
-rest: seems like an obvious one, but I definitely wasn't getting enough sleep as a teenager - I'd either oversleep or barely sleep at all. Wish I could say that has changed much in the 20 years, but alas.
-exercise: cannot stipulate enough how much proper exercise has helped - it might be about general wellbeing or the oxygen levels, but I can definitely say that when I do regular exercising - the frequency of the attacks has reduced.
-weather: the change in air pressure, humidity and sometimes even seasons could trigger an attack in me, so on days when I feel a storm is brewing I make sure to drink more water with some lemon in it, be more conscious of my diet etc.

I'm sure there's more things that I'm not thinking about just now (will add if I remember something more), but that's all to say that it will get easier for your boy. I can understand how difficult it must be for a teenager (hormones will play a big role in this too), but soon enough he'll learn his own triggers too. It's one of the worst pains to suffer (in my humble opinion), but it's also a great motivator, because no one wants to feel that, so I didn't argue that much with my Mom when she'd encourage me to eat healthier or take breaks from my computer, in order to not get a migraine.
I truly wish you and your son the very best, I hope you find some answers with the doctors and that he doesn't suffer these attacks often <3
 
Hi, I'm really struggling here.

My 13 year old son has started wetting the bed regularly, he suffers severe migraines which result in vomiting, increased thirst and hunger and tiredness (sleeping at school) and recent finger prick tests showed some highs but they did come down.
One was 13 then he started with a migraine, took him to a and e where he was sick and then his sugars came down to 5.4 (sick a further twice) and then he became very tired and fell asleep on the floor in the a and e department.
Doctors say that if he had diabetes his sugars would not come down themselves and them been up and down is not consistent with diabetes.

Also can a sip of lucozade energy spike blood sugars to 13 when eaten or drunk nothing else for 9 hours in a non diabetic?

All advise and thoughts are appreciated.
He is suspected ARFID (restricted diet).
I have no idea, but just to tell you our experience. My 22 year old son was very unwell. 8kg of weight loss in two weeks, unable to eat, breathing difficulties, being sick, in and out of consciousness, unable to walk. We were sent away with laxatives. 3 days later he was 2 hours from coma. GP Registrar unable to spot symptoms or do simple tests. It is criminal. Got to hospital and they said this is text book T1D; I'll bet my house on it. Got my sons medical notes and she had said that he as anorexic!!!!
 
I have no idea, but just to tell you our experience. My 22 year old son was very unwell. 8kg of weight loss in two weeks, unable to eat, breathing difficulties, being sick, in and out of consciousness, unable to walk. We were sent away with laxatives. 3 days later he was 2 hours from coma. GP Registrar unable to spot symptoms or do simple tests. It is criminal. Got to hospital and they said this is text book T1D; I'll bet my house on it. Got my sons medical notes and she had said that he as anorexic!!!!
Also he had terrible acid reflux. Please if you are worried don't leave anything to chance. Good luck and I hope he gets better xxxx
 
He is on meds for migraines which dont seem to be helping, and been tested for uti which has come back clear with no infection.
I will see what blood tests he has had done and if that one hasn't been carried out request it to be done. Thanks

Is he seeing someone for the migraines? If his current meds aren’t working well, he needs a review. Different migraine meds suit different people. My migraines have improved now but I used to get dreadful ones. I too literally couldn’t keep my eyes open and would have to go to bed.

Ask for further tests to reassure yourself it’s not Type 1 diabetes. A blood sugar of 13 as a one off doesn’t mean anything. My blood sugar was almost 30 when I was diagnosed. I had an absolutely unquenchable thirst and was going for a wee quite literally every 5 or 10 minutes and producing large volumes of urine - pints. I’d also lost a lot of weight very quickly and quite scarily. As well as a blood sugar of almost 30, my urine was full of ketones.

I hope you can find meds that help your son’s migraines.
 
Back
Top