At my daughter's soccer game the coach was telling me that the school nurse sent a note home saying that the discoloring around her daughter's neck could be type 2 diabetes. She asked me if I'd ever had anyone ask me about my daughter's neck. She has the same kind of dark crust around her neck that the coach's daugher does. I just always thought it was because she has dark skin and she's pudgy, and knew she had to lose weight. I never knew it could be diabetes. But, when I looked it up on the internet, I found that it is a sign, along w/frequent urination, blurry vision, extreme thirst and tiredness. Which my daughter does/has/is.

<sigh> So, I took her to the doctor today. I know she is overweight, and we have been working on it. Soccer, walks, diet, etc. But, it's hard because my mother lives across the street and watches her before and after school and feeds her bacon & eggs and toast every morning, despite me asking her not to. Hopefully, after the doctor's orders for my daughter to lose weight, my mother will help. My daughter is 10 years old, 5'2" and weighs 153 lbs. More than what my goad weight is at 5'5"! She has to lose 30 pounds in 6 months (given that kids should lose more than an average of 1 lb a week.) The blood test results will come back on Wednesday. Hopefully her obesity hasn't gotten to the diabetes stage -YET- it's bad enough as it is.

Sorry..I've rambled a bit because I'm upset. I've been fat since I was 10 and I am slapping myself silly over letting the same thing happen to my daughter - something I swore I'd never do. I mean, if someone else hit her or hurt her in any way, I'd be in jail. But, I'm ruining her chance at a healthy life!!! Me! I'm supposed to protect her, and I've hurt her. Wju didn't I see it???? Ugg.

Anyway.....my main point was: Has anyone heard of the ring around the neck thing? I never would have thought that, or made the connection to diabetes.

And, is anyone else's child overweight? with diabetes? And, how do you help them?

Thanks for listening!!!

Thank you! I need a new family doctor, I think. I just looked this up, and it's related to overload of Iron. My daughter had too much iron when she was born, and I had to put her on low-iron formula. Coinkydink? I'm going to see if they can test for that, too, while they're testing the diabets. A lot of the signs are the same.

Thanks again!

Something my sons counciller suggested to me since both me and my daughter are overweight and she refuses to eat healthy is to start excersing (SP?) with her.

My daughters 16 and refuses to do anything with mom. but at 10 you can get her started early and make it a fun/together time kind of thing.

Sounds like its time to have a talk with grandma and inform her exactly what kind of damage she is doing to her granddaughter. I know allot of older folks tend to push food as a substitute or along with affection because one they don't realize its damaging or because thats how their parents did it.

My MIL was the same way. growing up during the depression her way of showing affection was to make sure you ate. And she baked/cooked constantly. It was only when my FIL developed diabetes that she started into more healthier choices but she still pushed baked goods at everyone else.

Might even try to get grandma in on the excersing etc with you and your daughter so she still has a way to dote on her in some manner.