Dear Nuala, thank you for your question to the forum.

We are sorry that you are so worried about your son and understand your concerns.

We suggest that you go to your GP and ask for a referral to a specialist paediatrician who looks after children.  He or she should then fully investigate your son’s health problems, to eliminate your fears.

Some of the symptoms you describe are symptoms of type 1 diabetes – namely weight loss and tiredness.  Other symptoms are passing large amounts of urine and thirst and a sweet smell on the breath.  You don’t say how long your son has had these symptoms. Should your son have diabetes it would be likely that it would be more evident and he would be admitted to hospital.  However, all children are different and respond in different ways.

If you are close to a Children’s Hospital or a hospital with an emergency unit it might be an idea to take your son to that emergency unit to be checked out.  It is better to go through your GP, however, this may speed things along a little.

We hope this helps you.