How to Know if You Have Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease which usually lasts for someones whole life. Diabetes can affect anybody; young, old, male or female. Diabetes can also affect pregnant women (gestational diabetes).Our body naturally produces a hormone called insulin. Insulin converts the sugar (glucose) that we eat into energy. This allows our body to function properly. People who have diabetes either don't produced enough insulin anymore, or never have. Because there is no insulin being produced, the glucose doesn't get converted into energy, instead it stays in our blood, causing high glucose levels in our blood (hypergylcaemia).There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1; when you are born NOT producing insulin, Type 2; when your body doesn't produce insulin anymore (which is usually due to your lifestyle) and Gestational diabetes; this occurs during pregnancy and usually corrects itself once the baby is born. If left untreated, it may result in blindness, heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and amputations. Only half of the people who have diabetes have been diagnosed, because in the early stages of diabetes there are few symptoms, or the symptoms may be the same as symptoms of other health conditions.

Steps

1. Know these are the symptoms of a diabetic:
   • Extreme thirst
   • Extreme hunger
   • Frequent urination
   • Sores or bruises that heal slowly
   • Dry, itchy skin
   • Unexplained weight loss
   • Blurry vision that changes from day to day
   • Unusual tiredness or drowsiness
   • Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
   • Frequent or recurring skin, gum, bladder or vaginal yeast infections
2. If you experience five or more of these symptoms, go to your doctor right away.
3. Gestational Diabetes: Gestational diabetes usually has no obvious symptoms, if any, they can include:
   • Unusual thirst
   • Excessive urination
   • Tiredness
   • Thrush infections
4. Look to your family history as well. Even if your family history does no reveal Diabetes does not mean you can not or do not have Diabetes.

Tips

• You have a higher chance of getting Type 2 if:
  • You're older than 45 years of age
  • You're overweight
  • You don't exercise regularly
  • Your parent, brother or sister has diabetes
  • You gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds or you had gestational diabetes while you were pregnant
  • You're African American, Hispanic American/Latino, Native American, Asian American or Pacific Islander.
• If you believe you have one or more of the symptoms, go see your Doctor and describe the symptoms to he or she and your Doctor should request a fasting glucose blood test and possibly a urine test. If this test comes back with a high result of glucose in your blood, your Doctor may they request a Glucose Tolerance Test. This test consists of a blood test prior to you drinking a drink with a high content of sugar, then you must wait patiently for two hours without walking around. After that two hours you will have another blood test post the sugary drink. This test shows how well your body deals with the high concentration of sugar.

Warnings

• The early stages of Type 2 Diabetes have very few and subtle symptoms however Type 1 Diabetes has many symptoms, so you may not know you have the disease. But damage may already be happening to your eyes, your kidneys and your cardiovascular system even before you notice symptoms.