When Diabetes Comes Knocking - What are the Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

I don’t think anyone intentionally waits by the door for the ‘’postman’’ to come knocking with some bad news. That’s unless you're either a fortune teller making a bet, or nuts. Which is what I thought of my mother for a long time. In her opinion, she knows when the world is going to end! And true to her words, as she persistently put it to my carefree brother, “you are better off without all that sugar, you will get diabetes for sure.” My brother was well known for his love affair with sugary things and zero exercise. He would often take copious amounts of soda, stuff his face with. In a nutshell, a cookie monster with the t.v remote as his bosom buddy.

He became a borderline obese for starters. Then he started exhibiting symptoms such as fatigue, constant thirst and urinating and it was off to the doctors. He was told that he was a prediabetes, which means that your sugar levels are high, but not to the diabetes level. It can be managed and often, reversed. He was advised to make some major changes in his lifestyle. And, no, he did not and now he is now a full blown diabetic!

What is Diabetes?

This is a disease that impairs your body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin (which is very important as it basically helps the body convert the sugars in food, into energy) this results in high levels of glucose in the blood and urine and an abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates.

Now, there is currently no known cure for diabetes and trust me, it’s either you lead a healthy lifestyle or unlike my brother, an early diagnosis can save you a lifetime of hassle.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes (Type 1 and 2)

You need to understand that with type 1 diabetes, the symptoms are often sudden and quick to diagnose, unlike the sneaky type 2 diabetes, which often goes unnoticed for years, even much later in old age. You will experience a lot of weight gain with type 2 diabetes as the extra fat, especially around the belly, causes a resistance to insulin.

So if you suspect that you are a diabetic, be on the lookout for the following symptoms:

1.         The most common one is being unusually thirsty.

2.         Extreme fatigue.

3.         Passing more urine.

4.         Feeling hungry and weight gain.

5.         Having skin infections and cuts that won’t heal as quickly as they should.

6.         Mood swings.

7.         Constant headaches and dizziness.

8.         Muscle cramps.

While I insist on a healthy lifestyle, such as:

    •    Daily exercising – walking as much as you can, use the stairs instead of the lift.
    •    Healthy diet – cut down on the sugar, salt, bad fats, and excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks.

Consider too that genes and family history can also increase your risks of developing diabetes in the future. So I reckon, it is about time that you did some research on that basis. Do not panic if you are predisposed. Prevention is always better than cure. Now you know!

About The Author

Jeffrey Dale is a Type 2 Diabetic and asks the questions, "Can you be a Type 2 Diabetic and poke fun at the disease, or will it get mad at you if you do"? He shares everything he's learned - the hard way - as an "expert" on his blog at http://www.reversingtype2diabetes.info