Understanding the SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES: part I – could I have diabetes?

UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES: part 1 – could I have diabetes?
HELLO I AM DR. SUGAR, YOUR INTERNET DOCTOR, HERE TO GIVE YOU YOUR DOSE OF MEDICAL INPIRATION FOR THE DAY. OUR TOPIC IS UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES- - SO LETS GET STARTED SHALL WE

Yesterday I diagnosed 2 cases of NEW ONSET DIABETES. The first was in a young child so if you have read the previous diabetes blogs that I posted you will remember that he likely has type 1 diabetes. The second case was in a woman about 5 years younger than me. This was concerning to me because she didn't have a clue what was wrong with her - she just felt tired - so although I have blogged a lot about diabetes, I feel like just to be complete, I must do a couple more about the SYMPTOMS - - my reasons are 2 fold. First diabetes has become an epidemic in this country over the last decade or so - There are 23.6 million people in the United States, or 8% of the population, who have diabetes. The total prevalence of diabetes increased 13.5% from 2005-2007.
Only about 3 out of 4 people who have diabetes know that they have diabetes and have been diagnosed by a physician. So I blog about this a bit more for the millions of women out there who have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed.

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes. So for that very good reason lets take a few minutes now to get familiar with what the signs and symptoms of diabetes are because if we know what we should be looking for, there is a much better chance that if we develop diabetes, we will seek medical attention right away.

The two most common signs of diabetes in my opinion are feeling excessively thirsty and having frequent urination. My mom developed diabetes in her late 60’s and I’ll never forget the summer before she was diagnosed… She wanted cherry limes from Sonic several times a day – and she wanted the route 44 ones – the big ones – and my mom was not a soda drinker at all and prior to this she never ever drank the big ones – she called them “belly washers” - - - but that summer she drank a lot of them until finally she went to the doctor and asked to be screened and sure enough – she had developed diabetes.

Some of the other sign and symptoms of diabetes in addition to excessive thirst and frequent urination, can also include extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability, and blurry vision. While some of these symptoms seem harmless, and the weight loss even looks like something positive, these symptoms are not a laughing matter, so if you have one or more of these diabetes symptoms, see your doctor right away. You can also go to the American Diabetes Association website at www.diabetes.org and take their Online Diabetes Risk Test to find out if you are at risk for diabetes. Diabetes is a serious illness, and the sooner you get treatment the less likely you will develop severe and sometimes life-threatening complications. If you or a loved one has diabetes, there are a whole bunch of medical inspiration blogs on diabetes. Be sure to check them out!

I am Doctor Sugar and I want to invite you to join me for part 2 of my blog series on Understanding the signs and symptoms of Diabetes. In the next section, you will learn a lot more about the two different types of diabetes. Make sure to check it out. I’ll see you there!!

Giving You Your Dose of MEDICAL INSPIRATION,
Dr. Sugar
TO YOUR TOTAL WELLNESS!

References:
American Diabetes Association
www.diabetes.org

The information contained in this blog is not medical advice.
Please consult your medical doctor before making any decisions
or taking any actions on your health or the health of your family.