Symptoms are signs. Do you pay attention or ignore them?
Symptom, a physical or mental feature which is regarded as indicating a condition of disease, particularly such a feature that is apparent to the patient. Have you noticed any of the following symptoms?
• Fatigue, frequently tired or have that foggy feeling
• Difficulty maintaining a healthy weight
• Broken sleep having to urinate too often
• Vision changes such as floaters, blurred vision, dark or empty spots
These are common symptoms. Symptoms, we tend to disregard and consider part of the aging process. Did you know that these symptoms can be a sign of diabetes?
Fatigue can be due to aging, a demanding schedule, a lack of proper rest, or a combination of these symptoms. It is also a sign of diabetes which is an energy problem. Glucose is not effectively moved from your bloodstream to your cells so it can be stored for energy. Therefore, constant fatigue is quite common.
Weight gain seems to be an age-old struggle. In essence, it is an imbalance of consuming more calories than what your body needs versus how many calories you burn. Weight gain is the visual sign of current and future ill health. Millions of Americans struggle with weight gain due to insulin resistance leading to diabetes.
A short-term diet may offer short-term weight loss. Addressing the imbalance of glucose and insulin requires lifestyle changes.
Please take note, immediate weight loss, at any age, diabetes should be taken into consideration due to deficient insulin levels. Get tested as soon as possible.
Endless trips to the bathroom during the night can be due to a weakening bladder or prostate issue. With poorly managed diabetes, your kidneys will flush excess glucose from the blood and into your urine, increasing the frequency of your trips to the bathroom. Poorly managed diabetes can increase your risk of urinary tract infections.
Vision issues such as floaters and dark spots can be age related. Blurred vision can be due to pink eye, the development of cataracts or high blood pressure. Dark spots or strings, blurry or wavy vision can also be a symptom of diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is when blood vessels in the retina become damaged from long-term high glucose levels. Sudden vision changes should be addressed immediately.
Other symptoms such as itchy skin and hot flashes can go undiagnosed. Itchy skin and other skin disorders can be caused by digestive issues, food sensitivities and allergies. Did you know that these are symptoms that can be a sign of diabetes?
Before I was diagnosed with diabetes, my skin was very itchy. I believed it was from dry skin due to cold weather while living in the Midwest. Adding more cream to my skin did not alleviate the problem.
Hot flashes can be a tricky symptom. I thought I was in perimenopause. Some days I was absolutely miserable. No one suggested I get tested for diabetes. It seemed plausible, due to my age, that it was perimenopause.
The resolution was balancing my blood glucose levels. The hot flashes went away. The itchy skin went away. No creams, no salves, no medication for hot flashes.
There are many more symptoms of diabetes that can go undiagnosed.
As you notice changes in your physical or mental being, take note. Discuss with your physician if your symptom is the underlying reason for something much bigger. Consider the number of times you purchased over-the-counter treatments to attempt to resolve your symptom.
It may be appropriate to do that. It may be more appropriate to verify the underlying cause sooner rather than later.
It may seem surprising that one disease can be linked to so many symptoms. That is because diabetes is a systemic issue. Diabetes can affect you from head to toe.
Avoid masking your symptoms and identify the underlying source of your issues. If diabetes is the root of your problem, the effects can be reversed naturally. You owe it to yourself to verify.