Awful thirst and hair falling out...Kidney/Diabetes?

Steve110

New member
Okay, so I am an overweight teen (19) I am 230 pounds and 5'7". I have been diagnosed with Insulin Resistance and PCOS. However, about 6-8 months ago I got several blood tests done and it did not say I had Diabetes. Last night I rushed to the emergency room with my mom because I had this EXTREME thirst...I've been really thirsty lately for a month or so, but I didn't pay a lot of attention to it. Then it just got reeeeally bad yesterday. Also my hair started falling out! The ER had me give a urine sample and blood test. They said everything looked normal. They tested my blood sugar and it was 127 which they said wasn't too bad since I had just had a Gatorade. I am sort of worried about Kidney Failure because I heard if you have an Electrolyte imbalance that water makes your thirst worse (Which it does) and sports drinks are the only things that help (Which is true for me as well). However, the ER doctors said they didn't think it was my kidneys because I would show swelling and I'd be extremely sick in a lot of other areas. I'm just so confused...Why am I so thirsty if they say it's probably not Diabetes? Are they just not detecting it? And don't you think that would be the most reasonable solution since I'm insulin resistant and diagnosed w/ PCOS? I'm so confused and scared. My father is very thin but has Hypoglycemia and my grandfather and aunt have type 2 diabetes but it was not developed until they were much older. Could it be hypoglycemia instead or would they have seen it in the tests??? I also have panic attacks frequently and awful migraines if that makes a difference . Also I am in the process of being tested for Cushings. Thank you to anyone who helps
 
Thank you very much for your reply! :wave:

I am not on any medications, only birth control which I havent taken this month. (I take it to treat PCOS so maybe that does have something to do w/ the symptoms. I never thought of that)

One more thing is I had an awful headache an hour ago so I checked my sugar and it was 86..Which I wouldn't worry about normally but I had eaten just an hour before. Isn't that a bit low? I'm leaning towards Hypoglycemia may be what it is...Still not sure!
 
just had a couple questions for you here. did they ever actually check out your kidney functions or do you know for CERTAIN that when they did that UA on you that they also checked it for even trace amounts of any protien in it too(they usually do, but just make certian by obtaining ALL the records from that hosp so you just KNOW what was indeed tested and was was not)? that trace protien in the UA is just one of the most early indicators of an underlying kidney disease, that is whay i am asking that at all.

since you DO have PCOS at all, have they EVER also done the ultrasound actually ON your kidneys and your liver just to rule out having possible polycystic kidney disease as well? i have this and i have little globs of cysts showing up thru out my abdominal too with MY heaviest damage/cystic crap showing most heavily in my kidneys and liver(and those ones are VERY large in size compared to the other areas involved). but i DO also have recent activity a growin on an ovary right now. the US would just truely help in seeing the 'whole" abdominal with what you aready just KNOW you have that CAN also simply even create other areas of cysts too? a full abdominal ultrasound would just really help in either incvluding certain things or excluding them as well? this can also0 get a really good look at the pancreas too which could possibly also be cystic with just having that PCOS at all too? some 'types' of the polycystic crap really can impact alot of areas too.

do you know if they actually checked out your thyroid with that TSH test? losing hair and usually gaining weight too are part of the symptoms of possible thyroid(hypothyroid i do seem to recall?) involvment. just something that could explain the hair loss too?

just wanted to mention all this to you in case you were not aware of some of this. you very well could have hypoglycemia too, i know i do have a very sensitive reaction to sugar in that way esp if i eat it(like a doghnut) and nothing else in the moring and i do not follow up whatever i ate that did contain that sugar even just like 2-3 hours later hours later with something more sustantial? i DO get a big crash in my blood sugars from just that? just continue to push for specific types of testing per your symptoms and see what does or does not actually show up here. but DO see about obtaining that full US on your abdominal too and DO start gathering up all medical records from ALL docs that ahve seen you with all testing results asked for and that one ER visits records from that hosp too. you just DO really need to be keeping your own copies of EVERY single test and doc clinic note written up about this situation. keep it all in one expanding type of folder,it just does help alot to best stay on top of things when IN dxing mode esp. good luck with getting this all Dxed properly and treated hon, FB
 
I agree with Feelbad and would suggest getting your thyroid checked as losing hair is a major symptom of hypothyroidism, as is weight gain, I am hypothyroid. About your thirst, the only thing I can think of to add is, if it is hot, humid, and summer where you live right now, I went through a solid month of being horribly thirsty and tired, when this weather arrived, and was told by the doc I was dehydrated, after my blood and urine tests came out ok. They sent me home and I had to treat myself with gatorade. I also urinated alot though too. Just one more thing to consider.
 
just an FYI here regarding dehydration and thirst? by the time someone is actually really 'feeling thirsty" they are ALREADY somewhat dehydrated. its just kind of our bodys way of giveing what becomes more of an actual 'warning sign' that they NEED to drink NOW to help bring it back up(that IS basic real "thirst"? if your daily(not always with the morning since this IS almost always this way normally?) output when we pee is staying VERY deep yellow or even darker or golden, you most certainly DO need to be taking in much more water during any given day too? its too concentrated when it shows that way and simply needs to be a bit more diluted with more water intake. if you are also not peeing that often either, that too is a real indicator of the overall NEED for more water intake. FB
 
I agree with the idea of getting your thyroid checked, it can cause all sorts of odd symptoms and thirst is a possible symptom of hyperthyroidism and maybe even hypothyroidism. I lost the end of my eyebrow before I got diagnosed with hyper. It grew back ;) My hair still falls out a bit more than usual though. It's good they are testing your adreanal glands for crushings, the opposite disease is Addisons. It also secretes horomones such as dopamine and seritonin and can cause similar symptoms as the thyroid disfunctions.
If they test your thyroid make sure you get the levels of the TSH, T3, and T4 yourself. There is controversy about whether the range for "normal" is actually acurate enough because many people will be on the hypo or hyper side and the doctors will still say your levels are normal so they aren't going to treat it. Therefore alot of people go on for a long time without getting treated when they should have. It's called Low grade hyper/hypothyroidism, depending on if your levels are higher or lower.
 
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