Signs of Diabetes

Blurred vision.. diabetes. Is it to late? 3

I’ve had blurry vision for a couple of years now, to begin with it was only a problem at night inside the house… I thought it was just bad lighting. I also use the computer frequently, so I thought maybe it was due to that. A year later I was hospitalized with an unrelated stomach condition and they did test to see if I have diabetes.. it was negative. That was in late 2006.

But the last few months I have noticed tingling in my feet and hands. I am very inactive, so I thought the feet were falling asleep because of the fact that I dont move them enough. And then a few weeks ago I was laying on the couch and hadnt moved, and my hand would fall asleep. My hands are always tingling, and I notice that lately everytime I wake up in the morning, it feels like the right one has been slept on when I know it hasnt. Sometimes they tingle more when I am cold.

I am not constantly thirsty though, infact I can go hours and hours without feeling thirsty… but sometimes I feel like I need to pee alot, and most of the time its just a few drops. This isnt a daily thing, that happens on occasion.

I am overweight too. I havent set up an apointment with my doctor, I will do so Monday. I also was curious about loosing weight. When I first started reading that the tingling could be a sign of diabetes, I started exercising and watching carbs. I lost 15lbs, and it seemed like the tingling wasnt as bad… but as soon as the snowstorm came, and I got bored inside.. I ate poorly and didnt loose anything.. now the tingling is strong again, especially in the hand when I wake up.

Oh and to my initial question.. (sorry I ramble). If this is diabetes (Im sure it is.) is it to late for my eyes, will I go blind eventually? I already have a hearing problem and tinnitus so I am scared to death.

If it matters I am 28 and need to loose more than 50lbs.
If you could share some insight on all y questions, Id really appreciate this. Thank you.
Thank you for your info Markie. I will get into my doc ASAP.
Thanks guys for your all of your help. Its going to be incredibly tough to pick just one answer.

You really need to discuss all this with your doctor.

Loosing your night vision and/or needing glasses is not uncommon at your age. Many people get reading or driving glasses as they approach middle age (I know, nobody under 30 wants to think about that – I didn’t want bifocals under 40, either).

But this is what I know from personal experience or what has occurred with friends or family:

Blurry vision from diabetes is not going to lead to blindness very soon. Blurry vision comes from increased pressure in the eyes as your blood sugar rises, causing them to change shape and altering the focal point. However, over many years, that same problem can cause retina tearing and/or bleeding, which does eventually cause blindness. The higher your blood sugar is during those many years (especially uncontrolled diabetes), the more likely it will happen. Other symptoms will occur by that time, such as flashes of light, spots, and sometimes cateracts. See an opthamalogist, not an optomatrist, for general eye appointments, and a retinopathy specialist once a year.

As for the tingling in your hands and tinitus, they can be symptoms of other conditions, not just diabetes (such as a thyroid disorder). If loosing weight improved the problem, then it could be diabetes or just general better blood circulation from the exercise.

Not all diabetics are aware of thirst. Some are just used to being without a drink, others always have a drink nearby, so they don’t necessarily notice thirst. Frequent urination, though, most notice because of the inconvinience of having to go so often The higher your blood sugar is, the more sugar gets processed through the kidneys, and the more your urine will smell like a kid’s breakfast cereal (yeah, not especially appetizing to think about).

There are other symptoms of diabetes that often go overlooked – fatigue, headaches, mood swings, hunger, digestive and bowel issues, infections, dry itchy skin, sweating, bad breath, darkening of the skin (like on the back of the neck or knuckles), thickening of the skin on the knuckles, that annoying feeling that you need to wash your hands again, and nausea. Have any of those? Be aware that they can be symptoms of other problems, too.

The only way to know if you are diabetic is to have your doctor test you for it. Symptoms alone are not enough.