Is urinating small amounts a symptom?

KennyA

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Hi, I had a blood test at the end of January showing A1C of 48 (equal to 6.5%), which is in the diabetes range. (I was tested in 2018, and the result was an H1AC of 35 then.) Now the doctors want me to do another follow-up blood test at the end of February to confirm the diagnosis.

My main symptom, and why I went to the doctors, is urination. But I've read on the Internet how diabetics urinate a lot, whereas I mean that when I go to bed I feel the need to go to toilet even if I have hardly drunk anything all day. It can be: urinate 1 drop, go to bed, 2 mins later get up again to urinate 1 drop, go to bed, 2 mins later 1 more drop. And it can carry on for hours - when the bladder is basically empty anyway.

I wonder if I need to drink more, and if dehydration (my urine is dark orange) leads to overconcentrated urine that irritates the bladder? Or have I got another condition entirely?

So basically in addition to trouble getting to sleep because of feeling like I need to urinate small amounts, I also wake up many times in the night to urinate properly. And during the day, I didn't use to need to urinate a lot, but this has now become a problem - good job I work from home and can go to the toilet when I want.

The only other problem is constant problems with swollen feet, for no real reason. I have to avoid hot baths for that reason. Do my symptoms sound recognisable?
Interesting . I had exactly the same things for years before formal diagnosis. I retained water and the more I drank the more I retained. I had persistent oedema in my lower legs. Urine often dark brown and very little of it. GP put me on furosemide and then bumetanide and was about to move to a third one when BS finally reached a level where they would agree I had diabetes. It seems the "common" picture is that "diabetics pee a lot, if you don't you're not diabetic". Mine has largely cleared up as BS came back to normal range, although I still get some oedema occasionally, especially if I've been on my feet all day and taking in lots of fluid. Please update on how you get along.
 
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Languagelearner

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Interesting . I had exactly the same things for years before formal diagnosis. I retained water and the more I drank the more I retained. I had persistent oedema in my lower legs. Urine often dark brown and very little of it. GP put me on furosemide and then bumetanide and was about to move to a third one when BS finally reached a level where they would agree I had diabetes. It seems that as the "common" picture is that "diabetics pee a lot, if you don't you're not diabetic". Mine has largely cleared up as BS came back to normal range, although I still get some oedema occasionally, especially if I've been on my feet all day and taking in lots of fluid. Please update on how you get along.

Thank you. I will post as I find out what's happening!
 

Languagelearner

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Type of diabetes
Type 2
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I went to the effort of getting the Kentera patches, to see if I was suffering from overactive bladder. The patches didn't do a thing. I now realise that the frequent urination at night, even one drop at a time, is diabetes-related. I think high blood sugar a night could stop me sleeping and exacerbate it too. The nurse at the surgery told me polyuria was a diabetes symptom, but I thought she didn't know what she was talking about.
 
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KennyA

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I went to the effort of getting the Kentera patches, to see if I was suffering from overactive bladder. The patches didn't do a thing. I now realise that the frequent urination at night, even one drop at a time, is diabetes-related. I think high blood sugar a night could stop me sleeping and exacerbate it too. The nurse at the surgery told me polyuria was a diabetes symptom, but I thought she didn't know what she was talking about.
Probably good news then, as there's every hope it will clear up with your numbers coming down. I have noticed that some (at least some) of my current oedema problem might nt be T2 related - I have been taking naproxen and it seems that can cause oedema too. Anyway, been off the naproxen a week and the oedema has gone, but the inflammation pains are returning. I'm going to have to find a balance.
 

Languagelearner

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Probably good news then, as there's every hope it will clear up with your numbers coming down. I have noticed that some (at least some) of my current oedema problem might nt be T2 related - I have been taking naproxen and it seems that can cause oedema too. Anyway, been off the naproxen a week and the oedema has gone, but the inflammation pains are returning. I'm going to have to find a balance.
Taking metformin and tamsulosin (a prostate medicine that can be used for similar conditions too, as it enables you to urinate better), I'm definitely sleeping better and going to the loo less at night. Before I might have needed to urinate 50 or 60 times a night, and now it can be 3 or 4. So I think bringing BG down may seriously help this problem.
 

jjne

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Interesting . I had exactly the same things for years before formal diagnosis. I retained water and the more I drank the more I retained. I had persistent oedema in my lower legs. Urine often dark brown and very little of it. GP put me on furosemide and then bumetanide and was about to move to a third one when BS finally reached a level where they would agree I had diabetes. It seems that as the "common" picture is that "diabetics pee a lot, if you don't you're not diabetic". Mine has largely cleared up as BS came back to normal range, although I still get some oedema occasionally, especially if I've been on my feet all day and taking in lots of fluid. Please update on how you get along.

The bit about not peeing all the time meaning not diabetic is certainly not true. My urination patterns were, and are completely normal yet I blew the meter up with an a1c of 114... I'd say that qualifies as diabetic!
 
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Languagelearner

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The bit about not peeing all the time meaning not diabetic is certainly not true. My urination patterns were, and are completely normal yet I blew the meter up with an a1c of 114... I'd say that qualifies as diabetic!
It seems there is more accurate information on diabetes on this forum than anything the GP will tell you. They literally don't understand diabetes. They're not diabetes specialists.
 

Languagelearner

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I'm keeping my comments on this in one thread, so it is a resource for others. My main problem before diagnosis as diabetic was urinating dozens of times at night, often one drop a time, and being unable to get to sleep. This was the case even when I was Hb1Ac of 37. I'm having tamsulosin, which helps with flow, but is really for enlarged prostate or overactive bladder. I don't think I have either of those - ultrascans show no enlarged prostate, and I do regular Kegel exercises and know overactive bladder isn't what this is.

The nurse suggested it was a diabetes symptom, owing to glucose in urine. I had expected copious urination volume in that case, but she said it may not be: if I'd gone to the toilet many times in the day, I could have hardly any fluid to pass, and my body could still strain to get rid of glucose.

Since taking metformin, the problem hasn't gone away, but is much less. I feel that getting blood sugar down to the low 30s might help. The hospital via a phone consultation has now prescribed me vesicare too. This was only prescribed today, but when I get it I will be on: metformin twice a day (2 tablets a time), tamsulosin, vesicare, and due to vitamin D deficiency I have to take a Vitamin D tablet every day for life. I'll update the forum when I know how it works.
 

coby

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Interesting . I had exactly the same things for years before formal diagnosis. I retained water and the more I drank the more I retained. I had persistent oedema in my lower legs. Urine often dark brown and very little of it. GP put me on furosemide and then bumetanide and was about to move to a third one when BS finally reached a level where they would agree I had diabetes. It seems the "common" picture is that "diabetics pee a lot, if you don't you're not diabetic". Mine has largely cleared up as BS came back to normal range, although I still get some oedema occasionally, especially if I've been on my feet all day and taking in lots of fluid. Please update on how you get along.
This is interesting as before low carbing I would lose a lot of fluid, although never overnight. Over the almost two months of cutting carbs I seem to pass very little! So the opposite to you almost, but still strange!
 
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KennyA

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This is interesting as before low carbing I would lose a lot of fluid, although never overnight. Over the almost two months of cutting carbs I seem to pass very little! So the opposite to you almost, but still strange!
What I take from all this is that the image of the stereotypical diabetic is often rather far from reality.
 
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coby

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What I take from all this is that the image of the stereotypical diabetic is often rather far from reality.
I think you are bang on there KennyA :D
 
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SlimLizzy

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My main symptom was frequency of urination along with urgency. Always small amounts.
Now diagnosed prediabetic, have found on a low carb diet this has mostly disappeared.
 
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Languagelearner

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My main symptom was frequency of urination along with urgency. Always small amounts.
Now diagnosed prediabetic, have found on a low carb diet this has mostly disappeared.
Thank you, Slim Lizzy, this gives me some hope.