3 1/2 Year Old Constantly Thirsty, Urine Is Fine....

I would try giving her something with electrolytes in it once in a while so that her body holds on to some of the hydration. Pedialyte or Propel or something like that.

I don't let my son have sugary drinks, as a rule, but when he seems to be dehydrated or having trouble hydrating, he gets a water bottle of Propel (I buy the little single use packets because they are cheaper than the ready made bottles).

Hi S.. I agree with Dana W. Go back to the doctor and ask for a blood test to rule out diabetes. Just testing urine is not going to cut it.
Both my 3 year old and my 7 year old have type 1 diabetes. They both had extreme thirst, were very tired and wanted to snack constantly. When my kids have extreme high blood sugars they complain of a tummy ache.
I don't want to scare you, but I think you need a second opinion.

I'd question why your pediatrician is checking urine for diabetes. Spilling glucose into urine is a severe sign of diabetes. A blood test is a standard measurement for assessing glucose levels. The thirst, hunger and fatigue are all hallmark signs of diabetes.

Diabetes.org is the site for the American Diabetes Association. In Lansing, I'd get on the website for the local hospital and find out who does Diabetes Education. They're almost always nurses, Dieticians, or pharmacists who have been extensively trained and certified. I'm sure you could call, ask their opinion and get some advice. They may agree with your pediatrician.

Regardless, something isn't right, and you need to trust your Mom instincts to press on until you find out why she's experiencing these symptoms.

Doctors can be wrong. My OB dismissed a swollen lymph node postpartum as not "concerning". I had cancer. It was my own instincts that led me to my Family Practitioner who set the ball in motion. I don't blame my OB. My instincts were correct, and he's good at his specialty (which happens not to be cancer).

Here's another site that may be helpful (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation):
http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=113967

Hi S.---First, 100% juice IS a sugary beverage, by definition. It just is natural sugars. Milk has a lot of sugar in it also. I would definitely cut back on those two, especially cows milk. Go to www.strongbones.org to learn why milk is not the healthy food that we are all led to believe.

Has your daughter been losing weight? This is what happened to my neice when she was 8 yrs old. She and her sister had gotten some sort of virus and within 2 months she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes with no family history. My sister was annoyed with all of the thirst and trips to the bathroom until friends, who hadn't seen Meggie in a while, said she looked like she had lost weight. I hate to say it, but I would definitely have another doc check on the possibility of type 1 diabetes. The symptoms are classic. As others have alluded, docs know a lot but they don't know or recognize everything. AND, tests are not always 100% accurate.

Another curious thing for me is the comment that her urine had good concentration for all of the liquids she is consuming. If she is drinking that much, I would think that her urine should be dilute. That doesn't make sense to me. Have her checked again, or get another opinion.

The body is a very amazing machine. Until you get this figured out, please support her body with an optimal diet (which is good for the entire family). Be sure you are consuming mostly plants, fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds (but not too much of those...contain lots of fat). Minimize animal protein, as too much, more than 10% of daily calories, promotes diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Please read The China Study by T Colin Campbell to find out why too much animal protein is not good for humans. I know it sounds crazy, but the research is clear.

If she is having immune system issues, this diet will help to balance and strengthen it. I would also recommend a high quality food based supplement. I can share what my family does, if you are interested. This food supplement comes in a gummie form and contains 17 different concentrated fruit and veggie powders and is backed by 12 independent studies, several of which show immune system support. There is nothing like it on the market.

Good luck. Saying my prayers. In health, D.

Something is wrong.
Has Diabetes insipidus been ruled out?
The urine dip would be normal with this.
http://www.diabetesinsipidus.org/whatisdi.htm

Demand a blood test to rule out diabetes. If your doctor won't do it, go see another one.
I worked with a man that lost his 13yr old son to undiagnosed diabetes...Sorry don't want to scare you, but the doctors need to do more tests! He also was complaining of belly aches, which apparantly is signs of really high sugar levels.

I'd continue to steer her to water wen you can. I wouldn't be satisfied that you really have an explanation or remedy for this. Diabetes is the most likely problem and you could take her to an endocrinologist. Children's Hospital is a great place to take kids with weird symptoms. They see everything and have great staff! You are right not to dismiss this. You know your own child and you shouldn't give up until you get the help you believe she needs or are totally reassured that nothing is wrong. Blaming you is just crazy!

My friend for almost a yea went through this with her daughter it was a nightmare. Her pedi kept saying just let her drink but she new something was wrong! So a few dr's later she found out her daughter has diabetes insipitus its the diuretic hormone. I'm sorry its not normal to always be thirsty. Her daughter would chug water and every 5 mins again. So I hope maybe I helped you out. Research it. Its not common and is hard to diagnose.

I'd limit the juice and milk, only give what pedi recommends there. The rest should be water. Even 100% juice is full of calories, as is milk.

Then I'd find out from the Pedi if there is an amount of liquids that is too much for her to drink in a day. Kids should get a 1/2 oz. of liquid (preferably water) per pound they weigh. Use a naglene water bottle of something like that to track the oz. that she's drinking to be sure she doesn't over do it. Its odd to drink a lot, but as long as they don't drink into a dangerous zone, then it should be fine.

If it interrupts the day's activities then she needs to learn to wait. Maybe give her a limit on access to water, but not the amount. Maybe every 30 min or hour she can have a glass of water? Throwing a fit is no reason to give in. You're the parent and she's the child. You treat this like any other misbehavior since you know its not a medical problem.

Best wishes!

One of my kids went thru a thirsty period. He also was fine. It eventually passed.

She might have an electrolyte imbalance. If she doesn't have the proper balance of minerals in her system, she will feel more thirsty. Since you have had her checked for the usual culprits, you might try giving her some pediolyte which replaces electrolytes. I think there are even some flavored versions. Gatorade does the same thing, but might have some undesirable additives.

My son was drinking a lot and constantly urinating. They did a urine test first but then also did a blood test. The urine test cannot tell all and your doctor should be running more tests.................good luck

Doctors are not always right, not that they do not know anything but if your instincts are throwing red flags, take her in again and ask for a blood work up.

The reason I say this is because at 1 yr old my son got VERY sick and I took him in the MD said it is just a cold let it take its course, 1 week later he was worse I took him in and same thing now at this point I swore his lips would periodically turn blue but no one else saw it, so I must be crazy so 1 more week later I saw his nail beds turning blue periodically, Now I am freaking out and made inquiries about different doctors and made an appointment. I took him into his doctor 1 more time the day before the new doctor's appointment and he said it again I am wasting my time it is just a cold, yada yada yada, when I went to the new Dr. he ran cultures blood test and x-rays to find out my son has an allergic reaction to Eggs and was in resp. distress and If I kept feeding him as I was it would have killed him.

We as Mom have great intuition and instincts LISTEN TO THEM.

I dont have a answer for you, but i thought i would respond because my daughter who will be 4 saturday, is the EXACT same way! She would drink all day long if we would let her, her teachers at her school even say she drinks non stop, she doesnt sleep like you say yours does, but wants to snack all day and drink. We havent had her tested for diabetes only because we have talked to her peditrician about her symptoms and she said it didnt appear to be, but it does run in both of our families. My daughter also has seemed to get a few UTI and i was wondering if the two were connected or just a coincedence(SP?) Anyways, if yours improves or you find anythign out please keep me posted. Best of luck