Signs of Diabetes

I think I have diabetes symptoms….? 8

okay so i have heard a the symptoms for diabetes are blurred vision, hunger, urination, thirst, being tired all the time…
okay well i am like always hungry and thirsty, after each class in school(40 mins) i am REALLY thirsty….and i am hungry most of the time(im not overweight) like 1/2 hour to 45 mins after i eat, im already getting hungry….im tired A LOT too….but i suddenly get bursts of energy, but then i get tired again….so idk. Diabetes really doesnt run in my fam, but my dads 1/2 brothers (uncle…well 1/2 uncle) has it…thats all i know of, please tell me what i should do

or is this just a normal thing…

well i have type 1 diabetes those sound like most of the symptoms. first, now i know this sounds weird, but smell your breath. if it smells.. kinda fruity, then that’s usually bad, assuming u didnt have something that made your breath smell that way. fruity breath is a symptom for something called diabetic ketoacidosis and well… thats bad. but even so i agree u should at least check your blood sugar.

How do diabetes and high blood pressure effect each other? 4

Almost daily, I am dizzy and have blurred vision. It is during the morning hours that it is the worst. I don’t have the other symptoms (thirst and frequent urination) of diabetes, however. Recently, my blood pressure has been higher (160/110), during the morning hours, than usual. Though, it isn’t high every morning I feel dizzy and have blurred vision.

Hi
Diabetes and high blood pressure are definitely connected. Exercise and the elimination of high carbohydrate foods from the diet would be the first important step to take.

The combination of diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, has been called The Metabolic Syndrome.
http://diabetes.webmd.com/tc/Metabolic-Syndrome-Topic-Overview

Some links that might help:

Highly recommended book by Dr. Bernstein on controlling blood sugar:
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316099066

All about high blood pressure at the Life Extension Foundation website. Use the pull-down menu "Select Health Concerns" to look up diabetes and other conditions:
http://www.lef.org/protocols/heart_circulatory/high_blood_pressure_01.htm

Free online nutrition plan that will help both conditions at Dr. Mercola’s site:
http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/index.htm

You might consider finding a doctor that will focus on lifestyle factors rather than drugs since diabetes 2 and high blood pressure are very much connected to obesity, diet and exercise.

http://www.lef.org/doctors/doctors.html

Best of luck to you.

Complications of Diabetes.? 6

My mother had diabetes when I was a teen. Before she died she was left a with multiple amputations and only had her right arm left. Had anyone had servere complications or know of people that have them? I am woried as I just found I have diabetes and I am determined to not be like my mother and keep control of my diabetes.

Hi Nicki, welcome to the club. (I’m guessing you were diagnosed with type 2). While my mother did not suffer multiple amputations, she suffered just about everything else and ended up incapacitated in a nursing home with dementia.

Why not do as I did and use this opportunity to learn as much as you can about controlling the disease? I have turned it around and am actually thriving on it. I’ve lost weight, I’m more energetic, and feel great.There are so many things you can do. In addition to the obvious, like diet and exercise, did you know that a half teaspoon of cinnamon each day can boost the effectiveness of your insulin? Did you know that fresh bitter melon can reduce your blood sugar? I learned all this stuff in my second year with the disease. The first year was total denial. Eating like a pig, drinking, you name it.

Why not visit my profile (click on ole Foghorn), and check out some of my findings? It’s a non commercial, personal website that I’ve posted tons of info on to help people like you and me become less dependent on useless healthcare "professionals".

Is there a diffrence in blood glucose levels from country to country? 8

I seem to have been rated down 4 times in an question that I answered yesterday in relation to diabetes where the blood glucose level was in the high 200’s. Maybe the levels are different for different countries. Is this the case? In Australia a normal blood suger is 4.5, not in the high 80′ to 90’s. Am I right or are other people making me out to be making up my information? The next answer to mine seems to on the same track as me.

Forget the ratings. They’re meaningless. Just point people to the BGL converter here: http://www.brist.plus.com/convert.htm

In the U.S. we use milligrams per deciliter. In the U.K. and Canada, they use millimoles per liter. They differ only by a factor of 18. Elsewhere, I have no idea.

U.S. norm fasting: 70 to 110 mg/dl
U.K. norm fasting: 3.9 to 6.1 mmol/l

Read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose_tolerance_test
Ignore those who are ignorant. I get that all the time.

are my symptoms normal or signs of diabetes? 6

I’m 23 and as a child I grew up on soda pop, little debies, cool-ade, and sugar puffs. I literally never drank anything other than soda and chocolate mild when I was at school. when I was about 15 I finally stopped the madness and started a healthy diet but now if I’ve been working out hard or just haven’t eaten in a while I get really drained, weak, and light headed if I don’t eat something with sugar in it like an apple. Is this normal, shouldn’t my body be able to create its own sugar or whatever it needs? Is this an early sign of diabetes or normal?

thegoobm… !
No this is not a sign of diabetes
Some diabetes symptoms include:
Frequent urination
Excessive thirst
Extreme hunger
Unusual weight loss
Increased fatigue
Irritability
Blurry vision
If you have one or more of these diabetes symptoms, see your doctor right away.
and visit
http://www.reddiabetes.com

Stopped coffee consumption, experiencing cosntipation and blurred vision? 2

Is this natural?

Should I be worried about diabetes at all? I know that those two symptoms are symptoms of diabetes as well. I am 20 years old, and I exercise at least twice a week (6 foot tall, 166lbs, was 145 before I started working out to gain mass).

I know that diabetes affects people of older age and heavier mass, but I just want to rule it out so I’m not so damn paranoid about it anymore lol..

Other info: sometimes in the morning I wake up and it is difficult to breathe and my heart is pounding. Sometimes the blurred vision is not so bad (like I can read what I’m typing right now with no problem but it is not as clear as it used to be when I used to drink coffee). Sometimes it gets so bad I just give up studying (which sucks cus I have a midterm in one week).

Also, I smoke marijuana about once a day, could that contribute to the blurred vision? I thought not since I smoked every single day in the last summer and I was fine.. this was amidst weight training every other day and no caffeine consumption… another note is that I used to take mass-gaining supplements (filled with maltodextrin a complex carb) heavily during my mass-gaining phase last summer.. could that have caught up with me today and is causing pre-diabetic symptoms?

ANY help or suggestions/comments/stories/experiences/etc is appreciated since I just cannot shake this feeling off of me.. and I am naturally stressed/anxious so it would be very nice to rule out any serious problems (such as pre-diabetes)

THANKS!!

-J

PS: to all those about to reply solely to discourage my weed habits, please do not and just save both of us the time. I’ve done my research on the subject and am quite content with my usage of the herb. If said usage is causing/exacerbating my symptoms, then please englighten me =)

You are also describing chronic high blood pressure (except the constipation) and are in danger of stroking out or having an aneurism as well.

re diabetes what is meant by "frequent " urination, how frequent does that mean? 6

My son is a diabetic, when his blood sugar levels are normal and not running high he urinates just as much as a non-diabetic, when his blood sugars are running high he can urinate as often as every 5, 10 or 15 minutes. High blood sugars cause diabetics to drink more hence the fact they need the toilet more. Hope this helps!

I am 17 weeks pregnant, Gestational Diabetes, Sugar levels dropped?!?!? 1

I am 17 weeks pregnant with my second. My first I had Gestational Diabetes and with this one my glucose levels have already been on the higher end. Doc is pretty sure I will be Insulin dependant again at some point during this pregnancy. Yesterday and this morning, however, my blood sugar levels were all around the normal-low range (and I didn’t change anything about what I would normally eat for the day). My before lunch reading was even borderline too low. My question is if this has happened to anyone else with GD, or if this could possibly be an early sign of a miscarrage? I haven’t felt pregnant in a few weeks (mainly because my morning sickness has finally ended, hurrah!) Any stories, or insight would be much apreciated : ) Thank you in advanced : )

I am 16 weeks pregnant, and have had diabetes-type one for 20 years. Although the docs give you a range to be in sometimes your body, the hormones and your organs decide something different, could be based on what you ate or how active you were or could just be your body doing what it wants. A low bloodsugar or an unusual low or high is not a sign of miscarriage, but it is something you shoudl watch more closely for your safety. When it happens that your bloodsugar is seemingly low for no good reason, test more often and eat more often to assure you are in a comfortable range for you. My advice is just take care of yourself the best that you know how. At this point in your pregnancy the baby is taking care of its own bloodsugars with its own insulin production. Make sure of course that you are keeping it in range, but dont freak over the little highs and lows every once and a while, they are worse for you right now than they are for your baby. Take care of you and your baby will follow.
Good Luck! I’ve been there for 20 years pregnant or not, it is not fun. I hope you don’t have to take insulin injections, but no matter what you are doing fine. Not to worry. Congrats and Good Luck!

I’m scared I’m developing diabetes complications. Type 1 for 14 years? 9

I’m sixteen years old, I haven’t been taking care of my diabetes. I’m scared that it’s all caught up with me and I’m developing complications. I’ve had a lot of stress in my life and I know that’s no excuse for harming my own health, but I have. Now I’m scared I can’t turn it around and that it’s too late! (Oh and for the assholes that come on diabetes questions and don’t realize that type 1 and type 2 are different from each other, don’t answer this. I’m not overweight and I didn’t get diabetes from being issues such as that. I’m type 1, it’s genetic.) Anyways, my first toe on my right foot feels not completely numb, but a little. Like there’s not enough circulation in my feet. When I press on my legs there’s an indent in it from water retention, but it’s not from retaining water like periods or pregnancy! It’s been there for a few months. My heels are hard, like the skin is really tough and it wasn’t always like that. You can’t tell looking at it but feels it is really awful. Sometimes my back right where my kidneys are have this sharp pain, and I can see but I see so many little spots in like the light if I’m looking up at the sky when it’s bright out and stuff. (not the spots you see from looking at a light too long, like floating stuff. but I can still see.) I’m going to my doctor, but I’m scared. Of knowing that I have complications and stuff. And of laser surgery and all of that! I wish now I had taken better care of myself. Can I turn this around though? Or at least stop it from getting worse?
Sorry about all the typos in there, I didn’t realize I had so many. I was typing kind of fast.
You’re welcome Zack, but I’d see a doctor. I’m sure you’d be in a much worse condition (dead) if you were a diabetic for 2 long years without insulin.
Sonj, I appreciate your concern my having diabetes hasn’t made my life as difficult as you’re making it sound. I wasn’t referring to my life sucking (which it really hasn’t in a lot of ways.) because of diabetes. But what HAS happened in my life made me attempt suicide twice, things I have no business mentioniong. I’ve been to theropy for it though. I went to the gym last night, and have been eating healthier. I’m going to keep it up and hopefully restore my health.
wmponygirl and dingding, your answers were the best. There were so many great answers though. I’m glad to know that I’m not alone in all of this. You both made me realize that the most and have more hope in most of this being reversable. So thank you so so much for your answers!

It’s no use telling you to stop worrying. Once we realize what a royal mess we have made of our health and make the decision to do something about it, we start to worry over everything. You are always going to worry about your diabetes and every little cold/illness. I am and will always be the same way. I as diagnosed at 13 and in the middle of the rebellious teenage years. I sometimes wish I had been diagnosed at a very young age so that I could have grown up with the lifestyle.

I am now running into complications as well. I started getting laser treatments for retinopathy late last year. Not fun. I have the water retention also. My doc called it "pitting" and sent me to a nephrologist. I was very lucky in that aspect because he said that after looking at my blood work my kidneys were still functioning pretty well. He put me on a bp medicine that also has a diuretic in it.

I can give you some advice about what works for me but nothing beats going to a doctor. The lower back pain may be from kidney infections/UTI’s. That is some thing that we diabetics are prone to. As for your feet, this might sound like a pretty standard answer but regular exercise helps. It keeps the blood flowing. Also be sure to check your feet FREQUENTLY for blisters/injuries. I have problems with dry skin on my feet and I am always rubbing lotion into them.

It’s never too late to start living a healthier lifestyle. Some of these conditions can’t be reversed, but they can be treated and the progression delayed. Don’t focus on the past. That’s not going to change anything. You have to focus on what’s ahead of you so that you can get back on track.

I am also available for email so don’t hesitate to fire off a message if you need anything.

Good luck!

I am 51 yrs suffered from diabetes one weak ago. Blood glucose at fasting 169 after 2 hrs breakfast 302 mg/l? 7

Just before lunch it was 165 mg/l. I take one tea spoon of herbal drug twice a day. Any one help me.

Its nothing to worry about your sugar level even its high. Diabetic cannot be from one week ago. You may just come to know one week ago. So the best treatment is to start exercising and having some diet program.
So please try to eat low cholesterol, low fat food for few weeks.

I also just diagnose my diabetes 1 month ago. And my fasting sugar was 208, and after 2.30 hrs of lunch, it was 249. But now my sugar level is in normal level in this one month without any medication. I just exercise 1hr, 6 days a week and I control my diet. Even my A1c test comes 10.4. So doctor was really surprise. But now I am in under control by my daily exercise and diet.

So my suggestion is just start exercising without any second thinking. Just walking is also good. And if your BMI is more then 25, please try to reduce below 25. You can control your sugar level before its too late. So first consult your doctor, test A1c, and also consult Nutritian.