Five Symptoms of Diabetes

If you think that you, or someone you know, may  have diabetes there are certain symptoms and signs that you can look for to help you identify this possible condition. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes share similar signs and symptoms.

If you always feel thirsty and seem to have an unquenchable thirst, it could be a sign that you may be diabetic.  Many  people with diabetes feel that they cannot get enough water to drink, and yet they are drinking much more than they usually do.

Many diabetics  feel that they spend most of their day constantly using the bathroom. This is because there is an excess of glucose in their blood. The kidneys are not able to filter  the glucose back into the bloodstream because the body’s insulin is either ineffective or nonexistent. When this happens, the kidneys keep trying to extract the water from the blood in order to dilute the glucose. This results in your bladder being kept full and the need for you to constantly have to use the bathroom.

If you are experiencing a constant feeling of fatigue and weakness, it may be a sign of diabetes. This happens because the food we eat produces glucose which travels into our bloodstream.  Once in the blood stream,  the glucose should join with insulin in order to nourish the body’s cells, to produce the energy we need for everyday life. When the needed insulin is not there, or it is ineffective, the cells are not able to produce the energy that the body needs, and the glucose is unable to enter the cells. The glucose remains in the bloodstream, and we feel weak and tired because the cells are starving.

Experiencing a numbness or tingling feeling in your hands, feet, or legs can be a symptom of diabetes that is called neuropathy. Neuropathy develops slowly over a period of time due to constant high blood sugar levels which damage the nervous system. Type 2 diabetes usually develops slowly over a long period of time, and in many cases a person does not even know that they have it until it has done damage to the body.

If you find that you are losing weight and are not even trying to, you may be suffering from diabetes.  Usually, this symptom is more noticeable in people with 1 diabetes. It occurs because there was not insulin enough to help the glucose feed the cells of the body. Because the body is starving it breaks down its own  fat and muscles trying to get enough food for the starving cells, causing weight loss to occur.

Although everyone that experiences one or more of these signs and symptoms  may not have  the disease, it is best to have a medical exam to find out if you have diabetes.  Monitoring your blood sugar levels combined with tests,  such as a fasting plasma glucose test, or an oral glucose tolerance test,  will help your medical doctor to make the correct diagnosis. Diabetes is a serious life threatening  illness that can be treated, stabilized, and sometimes corrected with the proper medical care.