November 2, 2001
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from West Covina, California, USA:
My two year old son drinks excessively and urinates within 10 minutes, soaking his diaper. He wakes during the night and drinks four to eight ounces of fluid. If I gave him more, he would probably drink that too. He has maintained his weight of about 33 pounds. He has suddenly started stuttering which really concerns me, because he was speaking clearly before. My mother had diabetes, but it is controlled by oral medication. Is there any way to check for diabetes before going to the doctor?
Answer:
You don’t say whether he’s drinking more than usual over the last few weeks. If not, then he is probably just habit drinking — something very common in toddlers. However, I recommend that you have him checked out professionally rather than rely upon home testing.
KJR
