Type 1 diabetes is a rare but serious medical condition. For education and courses on diabetes and blood sugar management, visit the BootCamp for Betics Online School.
Sometimes, doctors misdiagnose diabetes as something else, such as the stomach flu, or dehydration. Undiagnosed type 1 diabetes can add serious risk to your child's life. The longer the diabetes does undiagnosed, the sicker your kid gets. And yes, you can die from undiagnosed diabetes. It's rare, but a few cases happen every year.
But all is not lost, my friends. You don't have to spend every hour of every day fretting that your kid might become diabetic on the sly.
Let me tell you a little known secret:
You can test your kid for diabetes. It's really easy. And pretty darn cheap.
Here's how:
First, buy these Keto-Diastix urine test strips:
(Disclosure: I make a commission if you use the Amazon affiliate link below)
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Next, have your kid pee on one of these strips whenever he or she shows symptoms of type 1 diabetes, OR whenever he or she seems sick (especially with vomiting or diarrhea), or, if you're a super-paranoid type 1 mom (like me), just test your kid every week.
Is it difficult for your kid to pee on a stick? No problem. Catch some of their urine in a paper cup.
Is your kid in diapers? No problem. Do this:
Once you're waited the required amount of time for the test strip to develop, compare the two squares on the strip to the colors on the Keto-Diastix bottle.
NOTE: KETONES ARE NOT NECESSARILY BAD. PLEASE READ THE CHART AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE BEFORE DECIDING HOW TO REACT TO THE URINE TEST!
Let's practice this by looking at the example below:
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This test strip shows NEGATIVE glucose and SMALL TO MODERATE ketones.
Once you have seen the results of the urine test for ketones and glucose, you can start to interpret what they mean. Read on for these important interpretations! |
This is the glucose chart, which corresponds to the top blue square on the strip.
This is the ketone chart, which corresponds to the bottom square (pink) on the strip. 
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WARNING: IF YOUR CHILD HAS ALREADY BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES, DO NOT USE THIS CHART TO TREAT YOUR CHILD. USE YOUR CLINIC’S PROTOCOL FOR THE TREATMENT OF HIGH GLUCOSE AND KETONES.
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Glucose Result |
Ketone Result |
Child’s Mood/Behavior |
Do this |
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Negative |
Negative |
N/A |
Do nothing. Things look just fine right now. |
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Negative |
Positive |
Sick, lethargic, tired OR Vomiting OR Diarrhea OR Has just engaged in strenuous exercise |
The child is probably dehydrated and a bit starved, but probably not diabetic. Give fruit juice or full-sugar gatorade to flush out the ketones. If the child can eat, feed them something that’s easy on the stomach. Continue to test urine every 6-8 hours until ketones are gone. If ketones remain at the same level for 24 hours, or if the glucose reading goes up to one of the brown colors, call the doctor or go to the hospital. |
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Positive (green color) |
Positive |
Slightly thirsty, potentially irritable |
Call the doctor. This could be the onset of diabetes. |
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Positive (green color) |
Negative |
N/A |
Give sugar-free fluids (Powerade Zero, diet soda, water) and eat a normal diet. Continue to test 1-2 times per week. If glucose remains positive for 3 subsequent tests, call the doctor, as this could be the onset of diabetes. |
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Positive (brown color) |
Negative |
N/A |
Call the doctor. Your child has high blood sugar and might be diabetic. |
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Positive (brown color) |
Positive |
Probably thirsty, tired, irritable, fruity/acetone breath. |
Call the doctor. If after hours, go to the E.R. |
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Positive (brown color) |
Positive |
Vomiting and/or cannot keep fluids down, breathing problems. |
Go directly to the E.R. and tell them that you’re afraid your child might have diabetes and that your child might have diabetic ketoacidosis. |
If you've got a t1d kiddo or you've tried to use these test strips, please use the comments section below to tell us your story!
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