Greetings, I’m retired and in my early 60′s. Generaly, I know what diabetes is and what it can do to you. I have a history of it on both sides of my family. I have loss several family members in the past and my older blood brother is dying of it as I speak. As yet I do not have it. However, can you tell me what are the top 1 or 2 "very early" signs of diabetes? The reason I’m asking is because for the past 8-12 months I have had a growing awareness of a small dull ache on the left side of my spine (if you were standing behind me looking at my back it would be on your left). On a pain scale level of 1 to 10, my pain level is about a half a point to a one ( 1/2 to 1). It feels like it is taking up space inside me more and more during this time. I sleep well at night but when I first get up in the morning is when it hurts the most. Its get better after a few minutes of moving around. I do not see a doctor except twice a year to get my blood checked, its okay. I am not on medication(s).

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.

Some diabetes symptoms include:

Further Reading . . .
Pinpoint the danger signs of diabetes-related trouble in 60 seconds or less with The Diabetes Problem Solver. Also, get symptoms, risks, course of action, treatment, and prevention information on a wide array of conditions. Check out more books on healthy living here.

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. You can also take our Online Diabetes Risk Test to find out if you are at risk for diabetes.

Thank you

When I became diabetic, I wasn’t just thirsty. But after I drank a large glass of water, my mouth was dry. There just wasn’t any saliva. I think to just say thirsty is a misnomer. My vision got very blurry and I ‘d just bought new glasses. As far as fatigue goes, I could not get out of bed, except to pee every half hour. Because i ended up in the intensive care unit with ketoacidosis, and so dehydrated, most of my hair fell out three months later. 3 months before i became diabetic, I had a fasting blood sugar of 80, but if they had done an A1c they would have had a better picture of what was going on. So demand an A1C when you go to the doctor, and go today!!!
A1C gives you a 6 week average of your glucose levels.

–Frequent urination (causing the kidneys to work harder) due to excessive urine
–Excessive thirst
–Tired and weak-flu like symptoms-causing maybe a slow down in activity levels
–Hunger and increased appetite-causing weight gain
–Weight loss in spite of eating more or weight gain fluctuations

Less common are
–Tiredness-just a general lack of energy from the food not being metabolized
–Dry skin
–Dry mouth-causing thirst
–Head aches and pains
–Blurred vision
–Impotence
–Yeast infections
–Difficulty in healing sores frequent infections
–Nerve damage-numbness in extremities

No early symptoms – many people have Type 2 diabetes without knowing it
Early mild symptoms – from moderate blood sugars (which are still dangerous and lead to serious complications):
Skin rashes
Skin infections
Athlete’s foot
Poor skin healing
Urinary tract infections
Candida
Thrush
Dry itchy skin
Flaky skin
Skin ulcers
Peripheral neuropathy
Paresthesias
Foot tingling
Foot numbness
Hand tingling
Hand numbness
Blurred vision
Sexual problems
Erectile failure
Unusual vaginal dryness
Premature menopause
Absent periods
Poor healing – any type of difficulty healing of minor infections, injury or after surgery.
Weight loss
Weight gain
Drowsiness
Malaise
Later more extreme symptoms when blood sugars get higher:
Excessive thirst
Excessive urination
Dehydration
Bed wetting – in children
Excessive hunger
Tiredness
Weight loss
Severe blurred vision
Muscle cramps
Muscle aches
Headaches
Irritability
Tiredness
Fatigue
Muscle weakness
Acne – often worsens from diabetes and improves once sugars controlled
Sexual problems
Erectile failure
Unusual vaginal dryness
Absent menstrual periods
Persistent fungal skin infections
Athlete’s foot
Tinea
Thrush (Candida)
Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Nonketotic Syndrome (HHNS) – a very severe life-threatening complication of high blood sugars
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) – a very severe life-threatening complication of high blood sugars, requiring emergency treatment, which has very severe symptoms:
Nausea
Vomiting
Sweet-smelling fruity acetone breath
Breathing difficulty
Rapid Pulse
Abdominal pain – usually in children

http://diabetes.org/for-parents-and-kids/what-is-diabetes/symptoms.jsp

Get your blood sugar tested regularly. The sooner you are diagnosed the easier it will be to manage.

Expert: David Hill
Contact: www.capefearpediatrics.com
Bio: Dr. David Hill is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and vice president of Cape Fear Pediatrics in Wilmington, N.C.
Filmmaker: Reel Media LLC

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I’m always thirsy, and constantly have to go to the bathroom. I am also always tired and I’ve lost five pounds in the past few days. My mom thinks it may be anemia, because she has it, too. Could this be possible? Are these early warning signs for diabetes?

These can most definitely be signs of diabetes, especially if blurry vision is thrown into the mix. However, your mom may also be right about anemia, because it presents with some of the same signs and symptoms. The only way to know for sure is to go see your doctor and have him do some blood work. In between times, it might be to your benefit to go get a glucose meter and check your sugars yourself, just to see where you stand. It can help your doctor determine what to do next. Hope this helps!

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