Symptoms of Diabetes

Symptoms of Diabetes

You have heard of Diabetes and you know it has to do something with blood sugar levels, but you aren't sure what symptoms of diabetes you should look for so that you can know if you have it yourself. Well, the only way to know for sure is to have a glucose test done by your physician, but there are signs and risk factors that you should be know.

• Frequent Trips to the Bathroom - If insulin is nonexistent or ineffective, the kidneys can't filter sugar back to the blood. The kidneys become overwhelmed and try to draw extra water out of the blood to dilute the glucose. This keeps your bladder full and it keeps you running to the bathroom
• Unquenchable Thirst - No matter how much you drink, you still feel thirsty. This is because your kidneys are drawing extra water from your blood to dilute the glucose.
• Losing Weight Without Trying - cells are being starved of glucose due to insulin problems. So your body is looking for energy, and it starts to break down muscle tissue and fat for energy.
• Weakness and Fatigue - Again, this is because your cells are being starved for energy because of your insulin not working properly and not making your cells let in glucose that your cells need.
• Tingling in Hands, Feet and Legs - This occurs gradually over time as consistently high glucose in the blood damages the nervous system, particularly in the extremities.
• Blurred vision
• Dry Skin
• Cuts or Bruises that take a Long Time to Heal
• Family History - be aware of close relatives who have been diagnosed with Diabetes and share this information with your physician.