type 2 diabetes and coronary assessment care plan

Your doctor has recommended that you take this test to help with the diagnosis and the management of your condition. Please would you read this carefully and ask us about anything that is not clear or if you would like more information.

The purpose of this test is to work out why you are feeling thirsty and / or passing a lot of urine. We use this test to see whether you might have a condition called ‘Diabetes Insipidus’. This is a disorder in which your kidneys are unable to retain water, so you produce large volumes of urine which makes you feel very thirsty. This may be caused by a problem with the pituitary gland (a small gland beneath the brain) or the kidneys.

The test can last eight hours. The length of time will depend on the results of the tests we shall take on your blood and urine during the day. If we discover early on that you do not have diabetes insipidus, then the test will not take too long.

The test will be carried out by a specialist nurse or by a phlebotomist (someone trained to take blood). He/she will discuss the results with a doctor.

Your Endocrinologist will usually have advised you about preparations for the test in advance. This should include advice about whether or not you should take your regular tablets and medicines on the morning of the test. You may be asked to have nothing to eat or drink from midnight the night before the test (so the test will not last so long), or you may be allowed a light breakfast. If you have not been given this information or have forgotten, please contact the endocrine specialist nurse.

Depending on the results of your blood and urine tests during the day, you may be given an injection of DDAVP. This is a natural hormone (chemical signal) produced by the pituitary gland which makes the kidneys produce more concentrated urine.

We will weigh you and ask you to give a urine sample. The nurse or phlebotomist will use a needle to insert a small plastic tube into a vein in your arm. This will be used to take regular blood samples without the need for more needles. You will not be allowed to eat or drink during the test. Every few hours, when you pass urine, we will check your weight again and take another blood sample. We will measure the amount of urine that you pass. It is very important that you do not drink anything during the test, even if you feel very thirsty, as this makes it very hard for us to interpret the results.