• Diabetes Mellitus vs. Diabetes Insipidus
• Diabetic child starting school
• see also: Primary Care MD for Diabetic
• see also: Endocrinologist for Diabetes

Diabetes Mellitus vs. Diabetes Insipidus

Re: Not sleeping soundly - frequent bathroom trips
I didn't see the original post seeking advice for this problem but I would like to respond to the posting that gives advice about testing for Diabetes Mellitus or Diabetes Insipidus. ''These are the two forms of Diabetes''. This is an inaccurrate statement and infers that each has the weight and health risks and/or concerns of the other which in fact they do not. Furthermore, Diabetes Insipidus is fairly rare and 16 million people are walking around with Diabetes Mellitus, half unkowingly. The true two forms of Diabetes are Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, the former being an auto-immune disease, and the latter a metabolic disorder. Both are treatable, but even so can be life threatening. If treated, diabetes insipidus does not cause severe problems or reduce life expectancy. This cannot be said for either of the two types of Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Insipidus is a disorder that is characterized by intense thirst and a greatly increased output of diluted urine. In diabetes insipidus you are either producing too little of the antidiuretic hormone (ADH) or it is that your kidneys are not responding normally to the output of ADH. Most people develop diabetes insipidus in early childhood or early adulthood. It is found in more males than females. It has a tendency to develop after surgery, illness or a major head injury. Diabetes insipidusis not related to Diabetes Mellitus (which is the bodies inability to regulate insulin). This newsletter is a wonderful forum that provides our community with very useful and often invaluable information, so I strongly urge anyone posting ''advice'' about health issues get their facts straight before doing so. There are enough misconceptions out there about what it means to be ''diabetic.'' one of the Types of Diabetics

Diabetic child starting school

My 4.5 year old was recently diagnosed with diabetes. We are doing fairly well with our current preschool situation with respect to monitoring her blood sugar levels (at lunchtime) and making sure she eats the right foods at the right time in the right amounts. Our big concern is what to expect/request when she starts kindergarten in the fall. If anyone is a parent of a young diabetic child, I'd love to hear from you. Any advice or suggestions regarding school, afterschool programs, sports, principals, teachers, etc., would be greatly appreciated. I currently work fulltime and don't know whether I should prepare to cut back my hours in order to make sure I'm more available in case the need arises. Thanks.