10 Signs and Symptoms that you have Diabetes

A friend of mine asked me, how can you tell if you already have diabetes?

A lot of us are in the dark when it comes to diabetes. I for one did not notice that I already have tell tales signs of diabetes. Here is a list of 10 signs and symptoms that you may have diabetes, and its time to see your doctor to verify. I am not a doctor, however these were discussed to me after I was diagnosed, you may still have time to prevent it so I am sharing this with you.

• Being very thirsty. - Initially I thought it was just the hot and humid climate that makes me very thirsty. I kept on drinking a lot of water. This was the first realization.

• Urinating a lot—often at night. - Originally, I believed that it was due to my thirst that I keep urinating at night. It was one of the symptoms that made me suspect that I might have diabetes, moreso when it became a discomfort specially when I would often wake up at night.

• Having blurry vision from time to time. - This symptom was not as noticeable, though there are times when I find it hard to focus on small prints. My job requires me to peer into microscope for material inspection almost 8 hours a day so I thought my eyes were just tired, also since I work with computers, I figured it was just regular eye fatigue. It was not that often that I got it.

• Feeling very tired much of the time. - Now this symptom was the hardest to spot, particularly because I had a long 2 hour drive from my office to my home so I just thought it was due to the long traffic jams I had to endure going home. I just thought to myself that it was regular fatigue.

• Losing weight without trying. - This is another symptom which was not apparent since I am on the obese side. I just noticed that I was shedding a few pounds which I thought was due to the lack of sleep that I was getting. It was not a significant decrease so I did not pay much attention to it, but I did lose weight.

• Having very dry skin. - I'm a guy so I don't pay much attention to this symptom so much. Though at that time, I would often have itchy skin.

• Having sores that are slow to heal. - Luckily, I haven't experienced this symptom yet, nor would I want to. Good thing my doctor asked me to monitor my healing progress from now on.

• Getting more infections than usual. - I don't have this symptom. I don't know why but I rarely get infections. (running a high fever is a good sign or indication that you have an infection - so my doctor says)

• Losing feeling or getting a tingling feeling in the feet. - There were times that I would get cramps, so my doctor says that is also an early indication of possible nerve damage later on. So I take precausions by wearing socks regularly as well as cleaning my footware religiously before and after wearing them to avoid problems.

• Vomiting. - I experienced this when I had hyperglycemia. I already knew that I had diabetes when I got to this symptom.

The symptoms I mentioned may not be the same for everyone, nor should it be taken as it is. It is based on my experience, as it was told by my doctor.

There are other risk factors that may cause diabetes. I got this from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website which discusses the factors and could explain why and how we got the disease.

" Certain risk factors make people more likely to get type 2 diabetes. Some of these are


 • A family history of diabetes.


 • Lack of exercise.


 • Weighing too much.


 • Being of African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian/ Pacific Islander heritage.


You can help manage your diabetes by controlling your weight, making healthy food choices, and getting regular physical activity. Ask for help from your health care team. Some people with type 2 diabetes may also need to take diabetes pills or insulin shots to help control their diabetes.

Some people with diabetes are concerned about their family members getting diabetes. A national study show’s that people may be able to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. To find out more, talk to your health care provider, visit the CDC Diabetes Web site at www.cdc.gov/diabetes, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO."

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/tcyd/intro.htm

If you suspect that you have diabetes, please consult your doctor or health care provider as soon as possible. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and controlled when detected early. If ever you experience any or most of the symptoms,have the due diligence to consult your doctor as soon as possible.

See you next post!