Diabetes symptom or?

[AddictedToSugar]

Hey everyone, I'm new.

I just joined up because for many years I've been having frequency and urgency with urination whenever I drink anything, and during these times, I pee way more than I should. I'm not entirely sure it's to do with diabetes, but this is what keeps popping up whenever I google it.

Where do I start...?

When I was 11, I went to the doctor for a suspected UTI. Was given antibiotics but they didn't work, so I was sent for a blood test to test for diabetes, which came back fine, no diabetes detected. After that, my doctor just said he didn't know what it was and, being 11 and naive, I was scared it was something seriously wrong with me, so what did I do? I ignored it and hoped it would go away on its own.

It didn't.

Anyway, I'm now 21 and I've been dealing with this ever since. It's so bad that I can't drink anything while out, and won't go out if I've drank something within the last 2 hours to make sure it's out of my system.

I can't remember if it's always been this way because I've been dealing with this for so long now, but about a year ago, I noticed that it happened after I'd drank something.

I first noticed with tea, in which I have 4 sugars (I know, I know! It's terrible, but I picked my username for a reason - I AM addicted to sugar), so I first thought it was either the sugar, or the caffeine because I also noticed the same with Pepsi or Coke and I know that all of these things are diuretics. However, I also drink coffee with 4, sometimes 5 sugars and this doesn't seem to have the same effect.

When I drink tea or coke, it goes through me in around 30-60 minutes and from that point on, I pee clear, large amounts about 3 times in about an hour and I pee way more than I've drank. It's kinda like my kidneys get stuck in over drive for an hour or two.

I had another blood test recently because I've been getting stabbing pains in the heart, and it tested my liver, kidneys, iron levels, glucose levels and thyroid. I got the results back today and everything is fine, except for iron which is slightly low but that's because I dislike meat and rarely eat it. So I'm confused.

Apart from the urination side, I've also been having various mild symptoms such as shakiness/sudden lethargy/hot/cold sweats after a big meal, dizziness and headaches that last days without reason, random stabbing pains in various parts of my body such as arms or head, a lot of muscle spasms and twitches and numbness/tingling in arms/legs/one side of the body during the night which is sometimes helped by turning over, and other times it's not. I've felt like I was having a stoke many times. Sometimes the numbness/tingling is so bad that my entire arm/leg aches and I can't sleep.

My vision has also been deteriorating quite rapidly over the last couple of months,after years of it being perfect, and now I have annoying floaters, blurred and sometimes double/ghost vision, however, I do use a computer a lot, and I've been to two different opticians now, both of whom say my eyes are fine, yet I can't read the writing on my TV screen in bed anymore without squinting/blinking.

At around 14, I also started waking up in the middle of the night dead thirsty and ever since I've needed to take a drink up everynight with me, but during the day, I'm not that thirsty, just during the night.



I'm so sorry this is dead long, but I'm just so confused.

I know no one here can give me a diagnosis, but I'd really appreciate some advice, diabetes related or otherwise.

Could the blood test have been wrong? (it was a fasting one, by the way). Could it just be the sugar/caffeine I drink?

Any advice, similar experiences or even guesses would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Aubergenie]

Hello AddictedtoSugar

why dont you try cutting down the sugar in your drinks and see what happens, and drinking diet coke/zero or diet pepsi/max. (or even drink water!) I found that before I was diagnosed, whenever I drank (which was ALL the time) it was almost like I hadn't had a drink for about three days. Do you ever feel like this?

When you got your eyes tested, did you tell the opthalmologist (I cant spell the other word) about the blurred/double vision? they wouldn't occur for no reason.

Looking at your symptoms, I dont think you're diabetic. However, I'm not your Dr and you shouldn't listen to me. Did the Dr's give you a diagnosis either way about your low iron?

 

[noblehead]

Its difficult to answer this one, as none of us on the forum are medically qualified, and as your results have come back fine (except low iron) it would appear that although some of the symptoms you describe are associated with diabetes, the test results have suggested otherwise.

I would go back to your gp and express your concerns again and ask for a referral to a specialist to have these symptoms investigated, no one should have to endure this on a daily bases.

Nigel

 

[AddictedToSugar]

Hi again, thanks for the replies.

Aubergenie, when I finally clocked that tea was making me pee all the time, I did try going without it for several days and I was fine, until I drank coke/pepsi and it started again, which was how I learnt pepsi also bothered me, so I know it is the sugar I drink causing this, I just can't figure out why. Could I have developed a sensitivity to sugar or something after years of drinking it? OR maybe become desensitized, which is making my pancreas lazy and not shooting out enough insulin or not quickly enough, causing my body to try an rid my body of the extra sugar in other ways? (ie, peeing constantly)

However, all the other symptoms I described in my previous post didn't go away, but then, they were never affect by the sugar I drink in an immediate way, so it could be that I need to just cut out sugary drinks all together for several months and then see if they go away?

Also, I didn't tell the first guy about my eyes, thinking he'd pick it up himself, but when he didn't and I went for a second opinion, I did tell the second optometrist that I was having blurry vision and having a hard time reading things that I could normally read. He did prescribe me glasses, but he said that it was only because I'd told him I was having difficulties with my eyes. He told me that as far as he could see, my eyes were fine and that normally, he wouldn't have given me any because I shouldn't need them. Yet, I find myself using them quite a bit.

So, hence my confusion. I have all these symtoms indicating something, or several things are wrong, yet my bloods came back fine, and both opticians failed to spot anything wrong with my eyes.

 

[Dal1970]

The other common ingredient is caffeine, which also causes headaches, blurred vision, constantly urination etc in the big doses you have been drinking it.

Maybe cutting out the tea, coffee and fizzy drinks for a month will make a big difference


Dal

 

[mrsmousemat]

I agree with the pervious poster on caffeine.

I didn't drink coffee for around 13 years - but I started again after becoming diabetic - as it finishes off a meal for me (with sweetner) instead of a kit-kat etc...

I got palaptations and became dizzy occasionally. At fist I blamed Metformin but my daughter suggested I stop drinking coffee, because of the symptoms. She was right.

I now drink de-caff and I'm fine.

 

[sharon44]

I don't drink coffee, just tea and flavoured water, i suffering from blurred vision got to wait till next week for new glasses, i think its to do with my sugars being up, but my hbc1 blood test in february says 7.6, right now i am suffing everything in distance and watching the text on the tv is blurred and driving me around the bend, i nearly got run over by a purple bus this morning didn't see it coming and my eight sight worsened since november.

 

[cugila]

I don't drink coffee, just tea and flavoured water, i suffering from blurred vision got to wait till next week for new glasses, i think its to do with my sugars being up, but my hbc1 blood test in february says 7.6, right now i am suffing everything in distance and watching the text on the tv is blurred and driving me around the bend, i nearly got run over by a purple bus this morning didn't see it coming and my eight sight worsened since november.

If you have blurred vision now and it is probably due to high Bg levels you shouldn't be thinking of getting new glasses until the levels have come down. If you do get them now and then get your Bg levels under control you will need another pair of new glasses ......... 7.6% HbA1c is not all that good really, (does depend what it was a while ago) needs to come down. That's no doubt why your eyesight got worse since November......

 

[ANGIE HANCOCK]

Hi I'm a "newby" to this, so please bear with me. I have read some of the topics posted and find a lot of people ask the same questions, including myself.
I was border-line diabetic for about four years before my GP decided that I was a TYpe2 diabetic, diagnosed at age of 52.. I have been controlling the diabetes by diet since and have done so quite successfully. My HBA1C levels have been fairly constant at about 6.4. Unfortunately, I have high cholesterol levels too, taking Atorvastatin for this. Recently my cholesterol level has gone up, despite being even more careful of what I eat and taking daily Pro-Active drinks (proven to reduce cholesterol level!!). At my review last week, my nurse recommended that I start to take Metformin, as a preventative medication, my BG level 6.5, chol' 5.5, BP absolutely "spot-on". I have read up on the Metformin and can understand why it is recommended, I am having trouble getting my weight down below 10st. 4 or so, but at 5 feet tall, I am classed as obese, which really hurts and annoys me, so hopefully I might get my weight down if go onto Metformin. Has anyone else recently started to take Metformin? Have you had any problems? I know side effects can be stomache cramps, diarrohea, and maybe hypoglyceamia. I have told my GP and diabetes nurse that I would read up and consider the medication, but as I start a new job next week, I didn't want the extra stress of running to the loo, or being off work straight away. Any advice, suggestions?
I was interested to see other comments about diet too, especially low carb diets. I wonder if I should try a new type of diet before committing myself to more medications? Also, last two questions I promise, sorry this is a bit long-winded, if I go onto Metformin, do I get prescription exemption for being on diabetic meds. and do I have/need to monitor BG levels, which I haven't done before, GP says I don't need to, but how can I tell if BG levels are up/down?
Thanks for bearing with me, glad that's all off my chest, look froward to hearing from you.

Angie

 

[daisy1]

Hi Angie and welcome to the forum

Here is some information about Metformin:

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=12124

And this is a very long thread on it too - plenty of information to be getting on with :

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=15673

And this is some basic information for new members written by the Forum Monitors. I see you are not newly diagnosed but I think you will find this useful anyway:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088#p155405

Sorry if you have already read some of this. I just wanted to make sure you saw it all.
Happy reading - it will take you a while to get through all this :shock:

 

[Sanober]

HI AddictedtoSugar

Have you ever been referred to a Urologist?

I suffer(ed) from Interstital Cystitis (aka Painful Bladder Syndrome). Started with jokes about having a peanut sized bladder for a couple of years but then over a couple of months, it got worse and worse, I started going 3-6 times a night, and at it's absolute worst every 20mins during the day!!!

GPs kept telling me it was Cystitis, gave me antibiotics sent me away and it just got worse until one day I broke down in tears infront of the GP and I was referred to a Urologist.

He carried out a procedure 'bladder distention' (I think that's what it's called - they expand your bladder to have a look at the bladder walls) He found an ulcer ('Hunners Ulcer' - a small % of Interstital Cystitis suffefs have this, and found 'pin point glomurations' (tiny tears in the bladder wall).

I received Heparin treatments direct into my bladder - seemingly they don't why this helps but it did the trick for me. They also told me to 'train my bladder', if you keep going as soon as you get the urge rather than holding, your bladder is therefore not filling up completely and the walls get tougher and tougher - and I was told I had to increase my liquid intake and cut out coffee/tea/wine etc - to this day these bring back my symptoms but there are some great de-caff options so PM me if you'd like to know as I found any acidic drinks (inc many de-caffs) would cause that horrible burning feeling and 'need to go'!

That was 7 years ago - some of symptoms returned last summer, went to see Urologist in Nov and a routine urine test showed elevated sugar levels....and you can guess what happened next!

Good news - bladder is fine ulcer gone! But of course the frequent urination could be linked to my Diabetes although neither the Urologist or the 'Diabetologist' have suggested this outright. I've just been watching the acidic drink intake and 'training my bladder' to hold it in as long as poss especially so I can sleep! It's not perfect, last night was awful but then I had two bottle of Becks beer and not enough water...I've got a follow up Urologist appointment in a couple of months.

p.s I'm not an expert but the sugar you take goes without saying is quite a lot but you already know that don't you :shock:

 

[JUSTFOCUS]

Hi I think if your that worried for that long taking that much sugar . You may need some form of mental therapy. It's quite offensive to us who are diabetic when some one puts these posts on wishing they had the disease .Get yourself sorted out while you can the NHS are'nt sympathetic to us proper diabetics .Theres enough genuingly ill people needing attention without plastic ones cluttering up the health system. Theres people on this forum who have children who are very ill and coping with that must be awfull ,personally i feel that if i had the choice i would take myself out of treatment to let one child have my place .Be very carefull what you wish for the reality is us diabetics are still to this day frowned upon and treat like leppoars sorry to give you the truth .Go to your gp and tell him or her whats wrong with you .There is no proffesional help on here. I do hope you get help good luck :cry: :cry:

 

[louiseb]

Hi I think if your that worried for that long taking that much sugar . You may need some form of mental therapy. It's quite offensive to us who are diabetic when some one puts these posts on wishing they had the disease .Get yourself sorted out while you can the NHS are'nt sympathetic to us proper diabetics .Theres enough genuingly ill people needing attention without plastic ones cluttering up the health system. Theres people on this forum who have children who are very ill and coping with that must be awfull ,personally i feel that if i had the choice i would take myself out of treatment to let one child have my place .Be very carefull what you wish for the reality is us diabetics are still to this day frowned upon and treat like leppoars sorry to give you the truth .Go to your gp and tell him or her whats wrong with you .There is no proffesional help on here. I do hope you get help good luck :cry: :cry:

do you not think thats a rather harsh and judgemental statement?

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi AddictedtoSugar,

Your iron deficiency may well be associated with your consumption of sugar sweetened sodas. They are a waste of money and do more harm than good. Even the diet ones contain salt and should not be drank to excess so neither variety have much going for them as far as nutrition is concerned.

Have a read through this article about iron deficiency and do not decide to use supplements without consulting your Dr. as you may get the dose wrong and end up with iron overload which is serious.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron/

Give yourself a break from the sugar and caffeine and see how you feel afterwards as caffeine addiction can give all sorts of symptoms including panic attacks. These can be quite severe and the sufferer may think they are having a heart attack/stroke.