Do You Have Any Symptoms for Diabetes?

A couple of years ago, I just knew I was in love. There was this special lady I was really attracted to, and I had all the signs of having fallen madly, head over heels in infatuated with her. So I decided to tell her. The next time we were alone, I took her hand, looked deeply into her eyes and said, “Mary, I have fallen hopelessly in love with you. I have lost weight, my mouth is dry and I am weak all the time just thinking of you. I get all sweaty and get a tingling sensation in my legs when you’re around. And sometimes I get so concerned you won’t feel the same that I get headaches and fall dizzy, so badly that I often throw up. Please tell me Mary those 3 magical words that can save my life!” Mary, a nursing student, looked very seriously and said, “You have Diabetes!”

 

Not to put too humorous of a spin on so deadly a disease, but I used the above fictional story to illustrate a point that leads to numerous health problems that can easily be avoided. I know, because I have been a borderline Diabetic myself for some time, and have learned what to look for. Early signs of diabetes are so commonplace when taken separately that they can easily be overlooked. If you frequently get dizzy for no reason, that by itself may not trigger too much a cause for concern. And too many people don’t understand that these individual early signs of diabetes that seem so harmless by themselves are really your body’s way of telling you something is very wrong.

 

 

Check the list below, and if you suffer from more than one of these commonly ignored early signs of diabetes, schedule an appointment with your Family Doctor as soon as possible.

 

• frequent and extreme thirst

• extreme fatigue

• frequent urination

• rapid weight loss

• problems losing weight (common in pre diabetic phase)

• sore eyes, blurry vision

• constant foot pain

• a very dry mouth

• dried out, flaky skin

• clammy, sweaty skin

• physical weakness for no reason

• a temporary loss of hearing, or partial loss

• a constant ringing in your ears

• bladder infections

• a tingling in your legs

• unexplainable gum disease

• vomiting and frequent upset stomach

• extreme hunger

• headaches, loss of coordination, dizziness

 

As a borderline diabetic, my Doctor said I am in a huge group of Americans. Estimates are that 40 % to 65 % of all American adults display multiple early signs of diabetes. And the numbers for our children are shockingly disturbing. Approximately 215,000 children already have Type 1 Diabetes, and every year more than 13,000 more children are clinically diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. And those are the lucky ones whose parents notice unhealthy signs and catch the disease early. How many go undiagnosed every year?

 

 

And Type 2 Diabetes, the real killer, is on the rise in our schools. Because of a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, a full 17 % of our children are obese, and therefore displaying multiple early signs of diabetes. So, what can you do? Luckily, I really do have a friend named Mary who is a nurse, and she really did explain to me that I am the proto-typical pre-diabetic. I have since taken steps to ensure I stay healthy, and you can too. If you are displaying multiple early signs of diabetes, the first thing you need to do is get tested.

 

 

Call your Doctor, tell him your concerns, and he will arrange for a Fasting Plasma Glucose test and Oral Glucose Tolerance Test that will give him a much clearer picture of your situation. And be sure to alert him to family Diabetic history if any exists.

 

 

REFERENCES :

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – “Children and Diabetes – More Information” – http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/projects/cda2.htm

 

National Diabetes and Education Program – “Teens” -  http://www.ndep.nih.gov/teens/

 

Free Diabetes Meter – “20 Early Signs of Diabetes” – http://www.free-diabetes-meter.com/20-early-signs-of-diabetes/