symptoms

I had none of the classic symptoms and was diagnosed as part of a routine health check. My A1c was very high but I was and am not carrying any extra weight. Bolt from the blue does not even come close to describing the shock of diagnosis.

I suspect the answer may depend on your type of diabetes.
Type 1 comes on much faster than type 1.
My symptoms: tired, thirsty, peeing, loosing weight, ... started about 3 weeks before diagnosis. They compelled me to go to the dr 2 weeks earlier but she failed to diagnose diabetes.

I was probably pre-diabetic then dramatically pushed myself over the edge. I went on a massive litre plus daily amount of fresh orange juice, bananas, punnet of grapes, then any combination of home made white flour pancakes or massive bowl of milk made porridge, or soda bread or potato waffles with baked beans; although meals were mainly home made they would have the usual potato, pasta or rice sizable potion, and during the day I would eat a packet of extra strong mints. When I would get thirsty (due to the amount of glucose in what on paper looked ok healthy) I had more orange juice (if only I knew). My diet was a perfect "recipe" for diabetes, which within a month showed the following symptoms:

• Frequent weeing, sometimes at very short notice
• Brain fog
• Blurry eyesight
• Sleepiness during the day
• Lack of energy
• Tingling in finger tips

No wonder I felt half dead.

@winglets Have you been diagnosed with Diabetes?

You are asking a lot of questions on the forum, which is good.

However, it might help us if we knew why?

I lost >12% of my body weight, without trying, over Christmas, in less than 3 months. I was peeing like a racehorse, frequently, waking up in the night to pee, sometimes twice a night. I don't think I had noticed increased thirst, but on reflection I had been drinking more than usual. If I had been asked, I wouldn't have said I was especially tired, but, again, on reflection, I had lost energy and I had perfected the art of falling fully asleep on the packed commuter train - ie, standing up - going to and from work. I had definitely noticed an increased hunger, so I was eating more than usual (and proper sweet stuff) but losing weight.

But then, I think I was diagnosed fairly early in type 1 progression. Even though blood sugars were 28 or something ridiculous I didn't have ketones. Even in A&E when I had a saline drip in I was told I looked too well to be in the hospital bed, or fighting to take the drip to the loo with me so I could do some more peeing.

I think that might be because they were comparing me to my mum sat next to me, cos she proper looked like she was about to have a heart attack bless her.

I didn't go to A&E because I was particularly unwell, I went because it was a Saturday afternoon and my well informed hypochondria had resulted in me testing my blood sugar with my nan's (type 2 on insulin) monitor and being told that I couldn't wait till Monday morning to see the GP with blood sugars that high, by nursing staff in the community hospital my mum worked in.

I started wetting the bed (aged 11) for weeks (I kept it secret), was drinking an utterly unbelievable amount of water, was getting crippling muscle cramps and lost 2 stone in 6 weeks. To this day I don't know why or how it took us all so long to realise something was wrong.

It was awful.

winglets said:

I had one reading earlier this week (post breakfast) and although it fell within the normal parameters, I was still surprised and shook me up a bit (although I had eaten alot of carbs).

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If you are not diabetic, how did you take the reading? Father's meter?

I think you are wise to learn ways to avoid T2 Diabetes. The South Asian peoples seem particularly prone to developing metabolic syndrome. My advice would be to cut out all junk food especially sugary carbonated drinks such as fizzy cola. Cut back on table sugar and be aware of the carb content of your diet. One more crucial lesson is to avoid all industrially produced seed oil used in cooking, especially in deep frying..
If you choose to test occasionally, do it right. Test before the first bite of food then two hours after your first bite. The difference in readings should be no more than 2mmol. If it is a lot more than than that then the carb count was too high. As a non Diabetic you should be aware of non Diabetic levels which, if memory serves, you were shown on a table recently.
You may never develope Diabetes, not everyone does so do not over think things, enjoy life, life is for living.

I got more thirsty over time, and having to get out of bed too pee more often, but so slowly I didn't really notice. In hindsight, I started to get regular yeast infections two years before diagnosis and never had them since I started insulin. So I guess I've been over about 11 mmols/l regularly for two years before getting diagnosed last year at age 39.

edited to add depression. About a year before diagnosis I got a pretty nasty depression (had to quit my study, start therapy and take antideprssivants). Shortly after starting insulin I quit the antidepressants. Therapy had ended before that because they didn't know what to do with me and the depression had been going up and down, although never as bad as before starting tablets. No sign of depression since my BG is alright. Could be coincidence, but I guess not. Stupid thing is, my psychologist suggested I ask for a blood test, I think for thyroid problems and vitamins. I never did of course, because, well, depressed. Might have been diagnosed almast a year earlier.

I lost a LOT of weight. I was very active though so just put it down to that until a friend who has recently had a cancer scare told me to get checked out. I'd had blurry vision too but my optician told me it was just me being behind with eye checks. In hindsight I'd been drinking a lot - but it was summer, hot weather etc. I think what pushed my body over the edge was sugary cans of pop in that real hot spell we had in the summer. GP was a bit blase until he tested ketones in my urine sample. Very, very high and should have been sent to A&E then but I looked well and didn't feel sick so he referred me to their in-house nurse who decided I must be type 2. Roll forward 10 days and a rapid admission to a&e with sky high sugars and ketones. I'm 43 and they reckon this has been building up for at least a year.

winglets said:

That was quite extreme MBaker. I guess like me you've always had a sweet tooth.
Those are some of the classic symptoms. Do you have a family history or other risk factors?
Was the tingling in just your fingertips or your whole hands (and feet too)?

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@winglets that'àsas the thing, on the non fruit based items I was not having sugar or substitutes added. No sugar or sweetners in tea or coffee and no fizzy drinks. Again I remember buying dates, every choice I made was accidentally high sugar.

There is diabetes in the extended family in odd cases late onset, mine was definitely brought on early with the wrong and substantive choices.

The tingling was finger and toe tips.

Classic symptoms aged 17 (weight loss, thirst, peeing for Britain and lethargy), mother sent me to the dr, the doc said a virus but took some blood, a week later work ordered me to meet the parents at the hospital ASAP with a blood of 33mmols.

I even got to have my first jab in front of a load of trainee doctors.