Diabetes has become a well-known illness in America due to the number of sufferers struggling with the disease.
It has become so well-known, most people can recognize the basic symptoms of diabetes. People with diabetes usually suffer from frequent thirst, frequent urination, weight loss, and exhaustion.
You may know these signs, but there are others you might not have heard mentioned. Along with the better known symptoms, if you are suffering from diabetes you might have excessive hunger, wounds and bruises which are slow to heal, and tingling and numbness in the hands and feet.
1. Excessive Hunger
You may be thinking your desire to eat is just a lack of willpower or love of food, but if you are diabetic, the problem goes deeper. Americans tend to enjoy a high-carb diet with lots of highly processed foods. This is a terrible choice if you are an undiagnosed diabetic.
Low energy causes cravings for sweets to get fast energy, but the sweets lead to crashes. This problem is due to the nature of diabetes. When you eat food, it is converted into glucose and sent to the pancreas to be turned into energy. Since your pancreas doesn’t convert the glucose well when you are a diabetic, it spills into the blood system. You have lots of glucose, but your cells are starving because your cells can’t use it, so you eat.
This creates a vicious cycle in your body as it tries to function. Instead of losing weight, you may gain and not realize it is a symptom of diabetes.
2. Neuropathy
We all have funny feelings in our hands and feet sometimes, but persistent tinging and numbness in the hands and feet can be a symptom of diabetes. Neuropathy is damage to the nerves and causes the painful sensations.
Extra glucose in the blood damages the delicate nerve fibers and interferes with the signals sent to the nerves. Glucose also weakness the walls of the small blood vessels which bring oxygen and nutrients to the nerves, causing damage. Diabetes damages all the nerves of the body except in the brain and spine, and 60 percent to 70 percent of diabetics do have neuropathy. Most diabetes suffer from peripheral neuropathy.
You will most often feel a burning and pin and needles sensation, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet as well as extreme sensitivity to touch. However, you can also have complete loss of feeling. Neuropathy can be found in people who have had diabetes for just a short time, so it is a good ideal to check out any strange sensations.
Diabetes is an illness which often goes undiagnosed for years because some symptoms are not well-known. If you think you are suffering from diabetes, look at all the symptoms which are affecting you. You may not suffer from thirst and weight loss, instead you may gain weight and have sores which struggle to heal. It’s only by considering any odd symptoms and consulting with a doctor can you catch diabetes and perhaps save your life.
3. Frequent Urination
If you’re going to the restroom more often than usual, this could be a direct result of having diabetes. Because diabetes makes it difficult for your kidneys to regulate blood sugar levels, the excess sugar tends to get dumped into your urine. Since your kidneys are forced to work overtime, there’s a good chance that you will experience dehydration. Unsurprisingly, diabetics tend to consume more water to quench their thirst.
A loss of bladder control is yet another problem associated with diabetes. The nerves of the bladder gradually start to fail. As the condition worsens, your urge to pee will become extremely strong. In some instances, diabetics may start to urinate more than eight times a day. Rushing to the bathroom during the night becomes a common occurrence.
In order to limit frequent urination, you must get your diabetic condition under control. After seeing a physician, medication is typically the first line of treatment. Of course, changing your diet is a must. You may also be instructed on bladder training methods. In severe cases, self-catheterizing may be required to mend an overactive bladder. This will enable your bladder to be completely emptied opposed to only a little at a time.