November 16, 2000
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Tennessee, USA:
My 14 year old daughter has lots 46 pounds in nine months. She is not trying to lose weight. She’s thirsty all time, hungry, weak, has blurred vision, and loss of concentration In addition, she has a vaginal discharge and skips periods. The doctor tested my daughter’s blood sugar which was 130 mg/dl [7.2 mmol/L], so she ruled out diabetes. Should I check into this further?
Answer:
I would recheck the blood sugar and urine sugar after eating a meal high in sugar, and also test her for an overactive thyroid. If these tests are normal, she still needs evaluation to find the cause of her weight loss and symptoms.
TGL
[Editor’s comment: You did not say whether or not the blood sugar level was drawn fasting. A fasting level of 130 mg/dl [7.2 mmol/L] is abnormal and definitely needs to be rechecked.
SS]
