Do you think I have Diabetes (OMG sorry for the very long question!)?

[Mo]

The thing which made me think I had diabetes is recurring thrush, i've had it almost all the time for the past 6 months or so. I've heard this can be a sign of diabetes. Also when I read the other symptoms of diabetes I realised i've had some of them too although I can't help thinking that im making mysself think I had them just to fit in with the diabetes symptom iv read.. if you know what i mean?!



Here are the syptoms and then my version of what i've had:

-frequent urination - from time to time I find myself thinking jesus have i got a kidney infection or something? also my boyfriend is always joking with me about how often I need to go to the bathroom, seems like were stopping at every mac donalds we pass sometimes! :D



-excessive thirst - this i only think i have sometimes, like if i think about drinking il get really thirsty or somethimes i just crave a pint of water but i think this is just normal for everyone.



-wounds taking longer to heal - I got a small graze on my elbow in mid-december and it got infected and I still have a really noticable red mark where it was. Bought bio-oil about a month ago to try and heal it. Other than that cant think of any other signd of this.



-tingly/numb extremities - again nothin which I would consider abnormal although my hands and feet are always freezing and sometimes go numb even on a hot summers day which is a sign of bad circulation so not sure what that means with regards to diabetes.



-blurry vision - a couple of years ago my mum bought me reading glasses because I kept complaining of blurry vision. i dont really use them that much though as I can read perfectly and the vision thing is only very occasional. Most recently a month or two ago, couldnt see directly in front of me but peripheral vision was alright. Felt really sore, especially in bright light, fixed it my lying down for a while with my eyes closed.



-infections- see above!



-unexplained weight loss - about 5 yrs ago I had unexplained weight gain bringing me from ~8 to ~size 12 now im ~size 10 and people who havent seen me in about a year or so are always like wow you've lost a ton of weight. I never tried to lose weight at all, i do have quite a sweet tooth altough I eat relatively healty too. Oh and as for excercise I dont do it that much... I get puffed out going upstairs!



Other things - I have felt weak/lethergic for what feels like the pst 4 years or so.. Im always tired no matter what I try.. I put it down to getting old but maybe its due to something more serious. I feel sick quite alot, in general I just dont ever feel 100%, about 4 years ago I lost my zest and have been feeling weak and run down since.



Final thing (thank you sooo much if your still reading!) it runs in my family. My dad has it and as far as I know his mum had it.



I plan to get checked asap but I just to make sure im not being a hypochondriac?!! Hopefully i havent left anything out, so sorry for going on a big rant, thanks in advance for all you answers :D



(im 21, ~9.5 stone, med. height, non smoker, light drinker, light excerciser, recently found out i have IBS if that means anything, eat lots of sweets but also good dinners, quite stressed in recent years?!.. blah blah.. im probably just a hypochondriac! :D)

[MediSin214]

it's always best to go to the doctor to rule out hypochondria!

You wouldn't necessarily have all the symptoms, no-one does really. But sounds like you might have some of them, so I think you should go to the doctor. Does your dad have a blood glucose meter? I'd be tempted to do a test. Make sure you put a clean lancet in the fingerprick device and clean the outside first. If your blood sugar is over 7mmol/l it's definitely worth a visit to the doctor.

Obviously, there's a lot of reasons why you could be feeling tired and run down, including IBS. But you should get checked out just for your own peace of mind. However, as you suspect you may be diabetic, don't eat any sweets or sugary drinks until you find out one way or another, as it'll only be causing more damage if you are diabetic.

As for the thrush, that could also be a symptom but again, there's loads of causes, including diet. Don't use any perfumed soap or bubble bath, as it can irritate and cause a change in the acidity levels, which can trigger thrush. Don't wear tights, thongs or dodgy nylon underwear. Wipe from front to back. Wash after sex. And try Canesten Oral, you can get it on prescription or buy it over the counter at the pharmacy.

Hope you feel better soon!

[TedJ844]

check your blood sugar.

[flying_zuccini]

It could be diabetes...but I don't think it is. If you've been having these symptoms for that long, it probably isn't.

As far as I know, frequent thirst and urination are the most common symptoms. I know that before I was diagnosed (with type 1) I would be getting up to go to the bathroom six times a night sometimes. The thirst would be absolutely unquenchable.

As for the weight loss, if it was diabetes you would probably notice that you are losing weight even though you are eating more. Untreated diabetes would usually make you hungry, you would be eating more than you normally are and still losing weight.

If all of these symptoms had come up with the last few months, I would say it was diabetes, but since some of them have been lasting for four or five years, I wouldn't worry too much. After a while, untreated diabetes would cause you to become very ill and possibly go into a coma.

I would still go to the doctor though, there could be something else going on.