Symptoms of Diabetes
Do You Have Any of These Symptoms?
Do you know whether or not you have diabetes? If you haven’t been
tested recently, you may actually have it and not realize it. Diabetes
is an insidious and serious condition and the symptoms of diabetes are
subtle.
Early
diabetes symptoms can be very mild so that you might not even notice
them. Approximately six million people in the United States actually
have type 2 diabetes and don't know it!
So what are the major symptoms of diabetes?
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You find that you are more thirsty than normal
-
You notice you’ve gained (most common) or lost a fair
amount of weight recently
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You find yourself getting up more often at night to
urinate
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You notice you feel tired more often, especially after
eating
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Your vision seems blurry
-
Your hunger level or food cravings have increased
-
You notice that cuts or sores don’t heal the way they
should
-
Your feet feel numb or achy
If You Ignore Diabetes Symptoms You
Take a Big Risk
If you do have diabetes and it is not
diagnosed and treated, the consequences are scary. You may
develop heart disease, the silent killer. Heart disease is closely associated with diabetes.
Diabetics are much more likely than average to have heart
attacks as well as arteriosclerosis. These
conditions can sneak up on
unsuspecting people with untreated diabetes.
A few of the other debilitating consequences of
undiagnosed diabetes are macular degeneration, an eye condition that
can eventually cause blindness and cataracts (also leading to
blindness).
One more unpleasant and serious complication is diabetic
of unnoticed symptoms of diabetes is neuropathy, where the nerve endings
in the feet are affected. When this condition is present, there
may be no feeling at all in the feet and lower legs. If you have
neuropathy, you could lose a foot or leg to infection. These conditions are often associated with
diabetes, even when blood glucose is controlled.
Often it’s the more serious consequences of undiagnosed
diabetes symptoms, like heart trouble and blurry vision that make
people notice there is a problem. Then they go to their doctor for
tests. The test for diabetes is so simple that everyone should have one
at least once a year.
The really serious diabetes symptoms show up later and
often may require hospitalization. Occasionally a person who has these
symptoms ignores them until he/she has a heart attack or starts to
become blind.
Think You Have Symptoms of Diabetes? Get a Glucose
Tolerance Test!
If you want to live to a healthy old age and
keep both your legs, feet and vision and you think you
have diabetes symptoms, get a glucose tolerance test right
away. It’s simple, inexpensive and can save your body from
the serious complications of this seemingly benign but
very insidious disease.
The doctor can tell you quickly if you have this disease and
the treatment is generally simple. Several oral medications control
symptoms of diabetes.
The good news is that diabetes is a serious disease, which
can also be treated effectively with diet and exercise. If your blood
test shows that you have diabetes, be sure to ask your doctor to give
you information on what to eat. A special diet that includes low
glycemic index foods is best. Then, get out your walking shoes and get
some exercise.
Exercise is a great way to lower your blood sugar and help
to control symptoms of diabetes. One of the best exercises for controlling
diabetes is walking. All you have to do is put on your walking shoes
and go out your front door.
Even if you don’t have symptoms of diabetes, exercise will
keep you young longer, support a healthy heart and even make you feel
good with the natural walker’s high!
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