January 23, 2002
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Laurel, Mississippi, USA:
My eight year old daughter has had two episodes of passing out about 10 minutes after awakening in the morning, after which I gave her Kool-aid to drink. She was shaking and had eaten sugar items night before. She has always had frequent urination and thirst, and her weight has been stable. A standard blood test after first episode was normal. I have started giving orange juice when she first gets up. Does this sound like diabetes or hypoglycemia?
Answer:
These episodes do not clearly sound like diabetes or hypoglycemia. I would make sure to follow-up with your child’s physician to determine if these episodes require any further testing or treatment.
MSB
[Editor’s comment: It’s unclear if the “standard blood test” was a blood glucose level, or something else. And if it were a blood glucose level, if it were done a long time after the episode, it’d be non-helpful. Talk to your daughter’s physician about getting a blood glucose meter and to check some blood sugars first thing in the morning and at times when your daughter appears to have having symptoms.
WWQ]
