These Symptoms of Diabetes Begin Long Before Diagnosis
I noticed I had the symptoms of diabetes described in the American Diabetes Association (ADA) literature at least two years prior to diagnosis, but a doctor had to see it in a test tube before the diagnosis was made.
These are the diabetes signs and symptoms you most likely will find in books:
| -- Frequent urination | -- Tingling in hands or feet |
| -- Constant thirst | -- Fatigue |
| -- Constant hunger | -- Weakness |
| -- Weight loss | -- Skin hard to heal |
| -- Dry itchy skin | -- Blurred vision |
For more than 2 years before my diagnosis, I had been bothered by more than one of those symptoms. But they are easily missed. In my case, they were mistaken for something else.
Symptoms of diabetes are as elusive as the cause
Check out these topics related to type 2 diabetes:
It is very easy to miss these signs. Look at them again. Frequent urination happens if you drink too much fluids. I did not experience constant thirst, but I noticed my dry skin. I even thought of stop using skin lotion because it never helped.
The frequent hunger increased my appetite for sweets. I ate a lot of candy and snack bars. I remember the trick my blurred vision played on me too...
By the time I got to the optician, the blur had disappeared - I was seeing fine. When asked by my eye doctor if I was diabetic, my answer was no.
Two years prior to my diagnosis, My A1c was 6.4%. I had just turned the corner past 40 years old and since neither parents was diabetic, and every other result of my medical examination was normal, my doctor apparently dismissed the thought.
To me, those early symptoms of diabetes were not diabetic indicators at all, I did not even tell my doctor about any dry skin or periodic blurred vision. I was fine... not!
Diabetes symptoms linger for years
People who have predisposing circumstances, such as parental history, ethnic factors, overweight or obese bodies, etc. need to be proactive in looking for any one of the above signs.
Type 2 diabetes is no longer "adult onset" diabetes. That is a misnomer. Children and youth are developing this condition in record numbers.
At the same time, researchers who do not know the cause of diabetes are developing numerous synthetic formulations to try and mask the symptoms. As the early signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes appear and disappear with fluctuations in blood glucose level, it is easy to neglect the signs and call them something else.
It's no wonder that official estimates say nearly a third of diabetics do not know they have the disease. Isn't that frightening?
Research suggests that...
"Diagnosis of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in the community is typically delayed for 2 years and sometimes as long as 7 years or more."
It is true that the symptoms of diabetes are elusive in the early stages or onset of the disease, but there is enough knowledge and resources available to make earlier diagnoses.
Education, education, education is the solution. We should not be relying on drugs when prevention of the onset is possible for many who will still not hear that a lifestyle change is more powerful than genetic predisposition.
You can find out more about the symptoms of diabetes at the ADA website. And do take a look at some hilarious diabetes symptoms catch-22 style.
References
Samuels T.A., Cohen D., Brancati F.L., Coresh J., Kao W.H. (2006). Delayed diagnosis of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in the ARIC study. American Journal of Managed Care. 2006 Dec;12(12):717-724.
American Diabetes Association, 4th. ed. (2000), Diabetes A to Z