What does Diabetes Feel like?

There may be no symptoms. Or, the symptoms of type 2 diabetes due to high blood sugar may include:

• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger (especially after eating)
• Dry mouth
• Frequent urination
• Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry)
• Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Loss of consciousness (rare)

As well as: re-occurring boils, numbness/pain in feet and/or hands.

What tests did they run? Can you provide the results here?

Hi. Typical symptoms include frequent urination and thirst with sugar in the urine resulting in candida. Very high sugar levels result in irritability, blurred vision and being a bit 'spaced-out'. If long-term then you may feel tingling as the nerves start to be affected.

rivethead said:

It was a few years ago, they gave me a glucose test, and I was basically told I had IBS or could have a gluten sensitivity, even though none appeared on testing. You reference no carbs and wheat is murder in your tag, Could I ask what would be the physical reaction you'd experience if you had a heavy carb meal or consumed products containing wheat?

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It just raises my blood sugar for a short time - no physical reactions.

Perhaps you should get tested for diabetes again if you are concerned you might have it. You should get an HbA1c test and a fasting blood glucose test at a minimum.

If you feel like you are having unexplained symptoms, then you need them checked out by a doc.
And if the last checkup you had was a few years ago, and your health is worrying you, then you are due for another checkup.


The problem with diabetes is that the symptoms are shared amongst quite a few other conditions, and sometimes checking them out, reading up on them, and wondering if that could be me...? is just like falling down the rabbit hole and causes unnecessary anxiety.

Fortunately, there are a few simple and quite definitive tests your doc can run which will either confirm your suspicions, lay them to rest, or send your doc looking for other explanations. All of which would be a good thing, in the circumstances.

So get thee to a doc!

A couple of years ago my grown up son told of some symptoms he was having, it sounded very much like diabetes, but I said go and see your gp to get checked out, he had a blood test and he had very high cholesterol, not diabetes.

You can have full blown diabetes and not be experiencing many symptoms, or they might have crept up so slowly that you have not noticed them.
Since diagnosis I have noticed symptoms reversing, but was just feeling a bit old before. Ever the optimist.

As your test and non diagnosis was a few years ago it is pretty much irrelevant. All it shows is that you didn't have Diabetes then, not now.

If you feel you are exhibiting the symptoms then get another test.

Doctors were finding glucose in my urine for quite a few years, but every time they did an A1c test or OGTT it came back negative. Then suddenly one day it didn't and I was diagnosed.

Things can change rapidly, so if in doubt get tested.

rivethead said:

Hi all

Im struggling with some ongoing medical issues, I've been tested for diabetes but my results came back fine. However the more I read the more it seems like my symptoms fit Diabetes to a Tee. Can someone tell me what the physical symptoms are of dealing with untreated diabetes? For example. If you had the disease and didn't know, had no meds, didn't check your blood and ate foods without thinking, what sort of reaction would you feel physically?

Im just trying to see if what Im experiencing is relates at all.

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I see others have posted the typical diabetes symptoms already. What I will add is though that many of those symptoms also occur in other conditions, and not everyone has all the symptoms. When I was diagnosed myself I had no symptoms whatsoever, so it's all very personal.

You mention "other ongoing medical issues", maybe they're having an impact you weren't expecting.

Maybe a further chat with your doc if you continue to feel concerned.