Can You Have Diabetes And Not Know It?
Amputations. INVOKANA® may increase your risk of lower-limb amputations. Amputations mainly involve removal of the toe or part of the foot; however, amputations involving the leg, below and above the knee, have also occurred. Some people had more than one amputation, some on both sides of the body. You may be at a higher risk of lower-limb amputation if you: have a history of amputation, have heart disease or are at risk for heart disease, have had blocked or narrowed blood vessels (usually in leg), have damage to the nerves (neuropathy) in the leg, or have had diabetic foot ulcers or sores. Call your doctor right away if you have new pain or tenderness, any sores, ulcers, or infections in your leg or foot. Your doctor may decide to stop your INVOKANA®. Talk to your doctor about proper foot care Dehydration. INVOKANA® can cause some people to become dehydrated (the loss of too much body water), which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak, especially when you stand up (orthostatic hypotension). You may be at higher risk of dehydration if you have low blood pressure, take medicines to lower your blood pressure (including diuretics [water pills]), are on a low sodium (salt) diet, have kidney problems, or are 65 years of age or older Talk to your doctor about what to do if you get symptoms of a yeast infection of the vagina or penis. Before you take INVOKANA®, tell your doctor if you have a history of amputation; heart disease or are at risk for heart disease; blocked or narrowed blood vessels (usually in leg); damage to the nerves (neuropathy) of your leg; diabetic foot ulcers or sores; kidney problems; liver problems; history of urinary tract infections or problems with urination; are on a low sodium (salt) diet; are going to have surgery; are eatin Continue reading >>
Could You Have Diabetes And Not Know It?
by siteadmin | Mar 27, 2017 | Eating Habits , Family Medicine Diabetes is a life-altering condition affecting millions across the country. It is the bodys inability to convert glucose from the food you eat into energy. Type 1 diabetes is much less common, but more easily diagnosed. It can be managed with insulin shots and various other treatments. Type 2 diabetes is much more common, but not as easily diagnosed. The reason is many of the symptoms are similar to those of other diseases. The lack of glucose in your bodys cells is a serious condition, however, that can lead to other complications and even be fatal. No one is immune, no matter age, sex, ethnicity or even perceived health, so its important to know the warning signs. Consider the following so-called silent symptoms of diabetes: If you think diabetes could only happen to other people, you may be at a higher risk. The earlier you catch it, though, the greater your chances of reversing the effects. While only a doctor can properly diagnose diabetes, its important to know your body. If you have some or all of the following symptoms, you may have diabetes. Schedule an appointment with your doctor for in-house testing . When your blood is flooded with the glucose your body isnt converting to energy, your kidneys kick it up a notch to try to get rid of it. This will cause two things: 1) an increased need to urinate, particularly several times during the night, and 2) excessive thirst to replenish the lost fluids. When blood sugar levels remain high it can cause damage to nerves in your bodys extremities. You may experience tingling or numbness in your hands and feet. They may also swell and you may feel a burning pain. The longer your blood sugar levels remain out of control, the more likely the damage to your nerv Continue reading >>
I Had Type 1 Diabetes And Didn’t Know It
A young adult with diabetes describes how easy-to-recognize symptoms went unrecognized. In the summer of 2009, I was participating in a summer program for high schoolers at Georgetown University, and I could sense something was a little off. I explained away my insatiable thirst because of the summer heat, but I kept waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. My face looked a little thinner in the photos from the end of the program than the photos from the first day. As I started my senior year in high school, my friends noticed that my weight had dropped. I figured it was from all the walking I did during the Georgetown program. About a week into classes, I was so weak that I couldn’t carry my backpack up the stairs. I was constantly leaving lectures to get a drink of water and go to the bathroom. My high school prohibited students from carrying water bottles, but I snuck one in my backpack because I was never not thirsty. Meanwhile, I continued to shed weight. I remember one time putting my mouth directly under my fridge’s water dispenser. I tried complaining to my pediatrician about my thirst, weakness, and constant fatigue. He noticed the weight loss and tested me for mono. When the test came back negative, he said I was just stressed with college applications. Next, I went to my mom’s general practitioner. By now, my tongue had turned white. She diagnosed me with thrush and sent me home with some tablets to chew. I went back to her a few days later, still feeling terrible, but she didn’t offer a new diagnosis. My nails became yellow and fragile. I stayed home from school because I was too weak to walk from class to class. My friends thought I was anorexic. In late August, a close family friend came to visit and I managed to peel myself off th Continue reading >>
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Do I Have Diabetes? Know The Warning Signs
Diabetes is a serious, yet common medical condition. If you have diabetes, you need to manage your blood sugars and regularly monitor them to be sure they are within their target range. There are a few types of diabetes, though the main two types are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. They differ due to the cause. You may have sudden symptoms of diabetes, or a diagnosis may surprise you because the symptoms have been gradual over many months or years. Diabetes symptoms may occur over time or they may appear quickly. The various types of diabetes may have similar or different warning signs. Some general warning signs of diabetes are: Other warning signs of type 1 Type 1 diabetes is generally diagnosed in children and young adults, though it can occur at any age. A child may experience these additional symptoms: sudden, unintentional weight loss wetting the bed after a history of being dry at night a yeast infection in a prepubescent girl flu-like symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, breath that smells like fruit, problems breathing, and loss of consciousness Flu-like symptoms are caused when undiagnosed diabetes causes ketones to build up in the bloodstream. This condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical treatment. Learn more: Diabetic ketoacidosis » Other warning signs of type 2 You may not notice sudden symptoms of type 2 diabetes, but the warning signs listed above may alert you to an underlying condition. You may be diagnosed with diabetes because you go to the doctor for: persistent infections or a slow-healing wound complications that are associated with prolonged high blood sugar levels, such as numbness or tingling in your feet heart problems You may never experience obvious warning signs at all. Diabete Continue reading >>
10 Silent Diabetes Symptoms You Might Be Missing
Diabetes has plenty of early signs, but they're subtle enough that you might not notice. Syda Productions/shutterstock "It's not like you wake up one day and all of a sudden you're thirsty, hungry, and [going to the bathroom] all the time," says Melissa Joy Dobbins, RD, a certified diabetes educator in Illinois and a spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators. "It picks up gradually." Indeed, "most people are unaware that they have diabetes in its early or even middle phases," says Aaron Cypess, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and staff physician at Joslin Diabetes Center. Just because you're not keyed in doesn't mean you're immune from problems associated with diabetes, he adds. The longer you go without controlling diabetes, the greater your risk for heart disease, kidney disease, amputation, blindness, and other serious complications. "We recommend that people with risk factors for diabetes, such as a family history or being overweight, get evaluated on a regular basis," Dr. Cypess says. If you've been feeling off, talk to your doctor about getting a simple blood test that can diagnose the disease. And pay attention to these subtle diabetes symptoms and signs. Try these simple tricks for living well with diabetes from people who actually have it. Iryna Kolesova/shutterstock When you have diabetes, your body becomes less efficient at breaking food down into sugar, so you have more sugar sitting in your bloodstream, says Dobbins. "Your body gets rid of it by flushing it out in the urine." So going to the bathroom a lot could be one of the diabetes symptoms you're missing. Most patients aren't necessarily aware of how often they use the bathroom, says Dr. Cypess. "When we ask about it, we often hear, 'Oh yeah, I guess I Continue reading >>
Could You Have Diabetes And Not Know It?
Search Tip: Use quotes to find results containing your phrase, exactly, e.g., "HeraldNet.com". You must sign in or register to continue reading content. Each Tuesday, The Savvy Senior presents information for older adults and their families. Its researched and written by Jim Miller, a senior advocate, author and contributor to the Today show. The Savvy Senior replaces Grandparenting. Q: My brother and his wife, who are ages 60 and 56, were recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and prediabetes, and neither one had a clue. Could I have it, too? A: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 115 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes today, but most of them dont even know they have it. The problem with diabetes is that most people dont start thinking about it until theyre diagnosed, and thats too late. Diabetes is a disease that develops over decades. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesnt produce enough insulin to remove sugar from the bloodstream. Excess blood sugar damages blood vessels and affects circulation, putting you at risk for a host of ailments, from heart attack and stroke to blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage. If you answer yes to any of the following questions, your odds of developing diabetes increases. Do you have high blood pressure 140/90 or higher? Do you have a parent or sibling with diabetes? Are you African American, Hispanic/Latino American, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander or Alaska Native? Did you develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy? To help you determine your risk of developing diabetes, take the free online quiz at Diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp . If you find that youre at risk for diabetes, there are three different tests your doctor can give you to diagnosis it. The most comm Continue reading >>
You Can Have Diabetes & Not Know It
You Can Have Diabetes & NOT Know It By Ted Twietmeter 5-18-12 Can you be a diabetic for years and believe you're healthy without ever knowing you are seriously ill? As someone who cares for a family member who has diabetes, I've learned a few things about the disease along the way and would like to share them with you. I am not a doctor or a health care professional, but encourage everyone I know to have their blood glucose (sugar) level checked at least once if it's never been done. Glucose is most accurately checked in the morning after fasting overnight which is the standard method. The reason for this is to see how low your glucose level gets each day, which is in the morning. One doctor we know said it this way: "Diabetes is basically glucose circulating in your bloodstream, and your body cannot neutralize it to be rid of it." I wrote this as it seems that no one addresses the basics of this silent, deadly but treatable disease. I'll provide a URL at the end to read far more detailed advice written by medical professionals later. First, there are two basic types of diabetic patients: 1. Type 1 diabetics are born with the disease and are usually diagnosed these days within the first few years of life, or even at birth if symptoms appear in routine blood tests. Type 1 patients are usually on insulin injections throughout their life, starting as a child to self-inject as needed. Some of these patients may require an insulin pump or simply have one for convenience. 2. Type 2 diabetics acquire it later in life. The disease can start at most any age and even reach their mid-life years before being diagnosed as a type 2. This type is often characterized by either insufficient insulin production in the pancreas (like a type 1) or a condition known as insulin resistance. We Continue reading >>
Early Symptoms Of Diabetes
How can you tell if you have diabetes? Most early symptoms are from higher-than-normal levels of glucose, a kind of sugar, in your blood. The warning signs can be so mild that you don't notice them. That's especially true of type 2 diabetes. Some people don't find out they have it until they get problems from long-term damage caused by the disease. With type 1 diabetes, the symptoms usually happen quickly, in a matter of days or a few weeks. They're much more severe, too. Both types of diabetes have some of the same telltale warning signs. Hunger and fatigue. Your body converts the food you eat into glucose that your cells use for energy. But your cells need insulin to bring the glucose in. If your body doesn't make enough or any insulin, or if your cells resist the insulin your body makes, the glucose can't get into them and you have no energy. This can make you more hungry and tired than usual. Peeing more often and being thirstier. The average person usually has to pee between four and seven times in 24 hours, but people with diabetes may go a lot more. Why? Normally your body reabsorbs glucose as it passes through your kidneys. But when diabetes pushes your blood sugar up, your kidneys may not be able to bring it all back in. This causes the body to make more urine, and that takes fluids. You'll have to go more often. You might pee out more, too. Because you're peeing so much, you can get very thirsty. When you drink more, you'll also pee more. Dry mouth and itchy skin. Because your body is using fluids to make pee, there's less moisture for other things. You could get dehydrated, and your mouth may feel dry. Dry skin can make you itchy. Blurred vision. Changing fluid levels in your body could make the lenses in your eyes swell up. They change shape and lose their a Continue reading >>
Warning Signs Of Type 2 Diabetes
Almost a third of people who have diabetes do not know it. That number comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, most people with prediabetes — a condition that puts people at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes — don’t know they have it. So my diabetes story, which began in ignorance, was not so unusual. I had prediabetes for a long time before the complications caused by high blood sugar led to a stroke. This is the reason I made a list of warning signs for Type 2 diabetes. Perhaps you or someone you love will see how important it is to get a simple blood sugar test. If this sneaky condition is caught early, you can avoid serious complications. The symptoms of Type 2 are well known but are easy to miss. Two of them are increased thirst and frequent urination. The word “diabetes” comes from the Greek word for “siphon.” If the beta cells in your pancreas are working, insulin is pumping into your blood to help your body digest carbohydrates like sugar and bread and noodles. But in Type 2 diabetes (or prediabetes) your cells are resistant to insulin, which leaves much of that glucose, or simple sugar, in the bloodstream. When blood glucose levels are above 250 mg/dl, the ability of the kidneys to reabsorb fluids is blocked, leading to the release of large amounts of liquid (and sugar) into the bladder. (A urine test would show high sugar content. This is why for thousands of years, diabetes was called the “sweet urine disease.”) This process uses lots of water, leading to increased thirst. Another sign of prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes is fatigue. Since your muscle cells are resisting insulin, they are not getting fed the glucose from your blood supply. It makes you tired. The problem with using fatigue as a warnin Continue reading >>
The Dangers Of Not Knowing You Have Diabetes
Could you or a loved one have diabetes and not know it? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that diabetes affects 26 million Americans, with 19 million people diagnosed and 7 million undiagnosed. And an estimated 79 million Americans over the age of 20 have prediabetes, and are at risk of developing the disease. How could someone have a chronic condition and not be aware of it? Diabetes is a progressive disease and the symptoms may not seem serious at first. Recognizing the symptoms may help you catch the disease before it becomes too serious, and will help you gain better control over your health. The American Diabetes Association website lists the symptoms of diabetes for early detection. Symptoms of diabetes: Frequent urination Extreme thirst Feeling hungry even after eating Extreme fatigue Blurry vision Tingling, pain or numbness in the hand/feet Cuts and scratches that are not healing If diabetes is left untreated it can lead to severe complications that may diminish the quality of life and sometimes even cause death. Complications from undiagnosed or untreated diabetes: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can lead to a diabetic coma and in some cases death. “When your cells don’t get the glucose they need for energy, your body begins to burn fat for energy, which produces ketones. Ketones are acids that build up in the blood and appear in the urine when your body doesn’t have enough insulin,” says the ADA. DKA may happen to anyone with diabetes, but is rarer in type 2 diabetics. Nerve damage to the hands and feet reduces sensation, which means unnoticed minor injuries may progress to the point of gangrene and amputation. Heart and kidney damage may cause a heart attack, stroke and even kidney failure. It’s common for younger people with diabet Continue reading >>
Nearly A Quarter Of People With Diabetes Don't Know They Have It
Nearly a Quarter of People with Diabetes Don't Know They Have It Diabetes symptoms are easy to miss, but it's becoming more vital than ever to recognize the signs. According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30.3 million people in the U.S. have diabetes as of 2015, but nearly a quarter of those people (7.2 million) are undiagnosed. In addition to that, about a third of U.S. adults (84.1 million) have prediabetes, a precursor to type 2 diabetes, yet only 11.6 percent of them reported being told by a doctor that they have it. It's important to note that most estimates of diabetes in this report included both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. However, we know that the overwhelming majority of diabetes cases is type 2, a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar. According to the report, only about 5 percent of U.S. adults are thought to have type 1 diabetes , a chronic condition that typically develops in childhood in which a persons pancreas produces little or no insulin. Rates of diabetes tend to increase with age. According to the report, 4 percent of adults aged 1844 had diabetes; 17 percent of 45- to 64-year-olds had the condition; and 25 percent of people 65 and up had diabetes. The rates of diagnoses were also higher among American Indians/Alaska Natives, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics when compared to Asians and non-Hispanic whites. New diabetes diagnoses were steady, but the researchers point out that diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2015, which isnt something to take lightly. Complications from diabetes include heart and blood vessel disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye problems (including blindness), and foot damage (even leading to amputation), among other Continue reading >>
Why You Could Have Diabetes And Not Know It: Doctors Warn Five Million Britons Are At Risk - And It's Not Just The Overweight Who Should Worry
When Jo Jones was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 33, she admits she didn't take it that seriously. 'It wasn't something like cancer. I thought I'd just have to cut back on sugar,' she says. Today, she realises how wrong she was - the disease has cost her her job and her independence. Two years ago, she had to have her left leg amputated below the knee due to complications of the condition. Her eyesight is deteriorating and she risks blindness in the future. Scroll down for video For anyone who thinks, as she did, that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease - a less dangerous form of diabetes than type 1, which requires daily doses of insulin - Jo's story is a salutary lesson. Now, rather than slipping on her high heels and dashing off to work, the first thing Jo does on waking is put on her prosthetic leg. It's not a simple process and can take her five minutes or more - and even then it causes discomfort. 'I still can't walk more than a few steps without it becoming painful,' she says. 'Every morning I wake up hoping that my leg has grown back.' Unable to get upstairs, she has to sleep on a sofa-bed in the sitting room. Her husband, Keith, a finance arranger, puts it away and dresses her before he leaves for work. Once he's gone, Jo, a former accountant, has little to look forward to for the rest of the day. 'I'll often sit for hours because it's too painful to move,' she says. 'I miss working. I used to manage a team of six and loved the responsibility.' Yet when Jo, 50, who lives with Keith, 48, in Stockport, Cheshire, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1998, she didn't have any of the common symptoms, such as increased thirst or fatigue, and was, in her own words, 'quite active'. 'I was at the doctor's for something else and, as my mum had just been Continue reading >>
Could You Have Type 2? 10 Diabetes Symptoms
Diabetes symptoms Diabetes affects 24 million people in the U.S., but only 18 million know they have it. About 90% of those people have type 2 diabetes. In diabetes, rising blood sugar acts like a poison. Diabetes is often called the silent killer because of its easy-to-miss symptoms. "Almost every day people come into my office with diabetes who don't know it," says Maria Collazo-Clavell, MD, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The best way to pick up on it is to have a blood sugar test. But if you have these symptoms, see your doctor. Watch the video: 5 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Increased urination, excessive thirst If you need to urinate frequently—particularly if you often have to get up at night to use the bathroom—it could be a symptom of diabetes. The kidneys kick into high gear to get rid of all that extra glucose in the blood, hence the urge to relieve yourself, sometimes several times during the night. The excessive thirst means your body is trying to replenish those lost fluids. These two symptoms go hand in hand and are some of "your body's ways of trying to manage high blood sugar," explains Dr. Collazo-Clavell. Weight loss Overly high blood sugar levels can also cause rapid weight loss, say 10 to 20 pounds over two or three months—but this is not a healthy weight loss. Because the insulin hormone isn't getting glucose into the cells, where it can be used as energy, the body thinks it's starving and starts breaking down protein from the muscles as an alternate source of fuel. The kidneys are also working overtime to eliminate the excess sugar, and this leads to a loss of calories (and can harm the kidneys). "These are processes that require a lot of energy," Dr. Collazo-Clavell notes. "You create a calorie deficit." Hunger Continue reading >>
Could You Have Diabetes And Not Even Know It?
Canadian Pharmacy Health Blog > Posts > Health > Could You Have Diabetes and Not Even Know It? Could You Have Diabetes and Not Even Know It? According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control , one in four Americans with diabetes doesnt even know he or she has the disease.Many people without health insurance dont seek medical care for diabetes symptoms until serious complications occur. But even with insurance, the first symptoms of Type 2 diabetes can be so subtle that many people write them off as stress-related. Rates of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are on the rise. Diabetes complications can be severe and even life-threatening, but when the disease is diagnosed early and treated, complications can be avoided. Learn the early warning signs, make preventive care a priority and find room for medication in your budget by ordering them from an affordable, trusted online pharmacy . According to data from the CDC , approximately 86 million American adults over one-third suffer from pre-diabetes, a symptom-free condition in which blood sugar levels are too high but not quite high enough to be considered Type 2 diabetes. Fifteen to 30 percent of people who have prediabetes develop the full-blown condition within five years if they dont take steps to improve their health through moderate exercise and weight loss. Diabetes rates are climbing among both adults and children. People of Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native and non-Hispanic black descent are twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with the disease. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that usually occurs in childhood, although it has been recently discovered that Type 1 diabetes can also occur in adulthood. Doctors dont yet understand what causes Type 1 diabetes. Most cases of Ty Continue reading >>
Diabetes Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Testing
Thanks to the way diabetes is dramatized on television and in movies, many associate it with its more dramatic symptoms. Many think of the weakness and confusion that comes with a hypoglycemic episode, or the disabilities, like vision and circulation problems, associated with uncontrolled blood sugar. Some may even associate obesity with Type II diabetes. Not everyone with diabetes knows they have it, however. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than a quarter of people with diabetes are undiagnosed. If you suspect you have diabetes, or are worried that someone in your life may have the illness, you should certainly watch out for symptoms, and if you see persistent signs of diabetes, you should seek a definitive diagnosis. The greatest threat diabetes poses is the damage that high blood sugar does to a person’s health over time, and the best treatment seeks to keep blood sugar at a healthy level. Left undiagnosed, high blood sugar will gradually degrade a person’s health. But once it’s diagnosed, a diabetic can begin to safeguard their lives against the disease. Symptoms of Diabetes How do people know if they have diabetes? Many of them don’t know, and they’re walking around with an undetected and untreated health problem. Even if you don’t have any diabetes symptoms, it’s important for you to have your blood sugar tested with your yearly checkup, just to be sure your blood sugar numbers are still in a good range. If you do see the following symptoms—in yourself, or in one of your loved ones—you should see a doctor as soon as possible. All of these symptoms can have causes besides diabetes, but no matter what, it’s important to find out what the cause is so it can be treated appropriately. Because everyone is different, Continue reading >>
