October 31, 2007
Diagnosis and Symptoms, Type 2 in Youth
Question from Bethlehem, New Hampshire, USA:
My five-year-old stepson weighs 101 pounds. He is only 45 inches tall. He is thirsty and hungry all the time. We feed him healthy foods and he exercises. His pediatrician won’t send him for further testing, other than a nutritionist. His weight and constant hunger and extreme thirst concern us. He is also prone to recent temper tantrums and grumpiness because he feels so hungry and thirsty all the time. We think his pediatrician is missing something and we feel he may have diabetes or something wrong with him to cause of his weight gain and constant thirst. He will drink glasses of water all day long.
Answer:
Depending on your location and your insurance plan, you are probably not dependent upon your pediatrician to get a second opinion. Get one — soon!
Make sure you relay your concerns to your pediatrician. She/he may have an explanation or has done some easy testing to better reassure everyone. But, if you are unhappy, seek help from someone else. From what you describe, this is probably not something for which you would need to take the child to the Emergency Room. Make an appointment with an urgent care center or another pediatrician, if you have to.
DS
