Diabetes is a very sneaky disease that can be active in the body for many years before it is diagnosed. There are some tell tale signs of diabetes that most people can ignore or explain away so they don’t seek treatment. By the time a diagnosis is finally made, diabetes may have already caused damage to fragile blood vessels in the eyes, heart, kidneys and feet. If you have a family history of diabetes, you need to be aware of those mild symptoms that might indicate abnormal blood sugars.
    When most of us hit forty, it seems that overnight we need a pair of reading glasses to see the newspaper or the phone book. Blurry vision can occur when blood sugars are too high. Unfortunately, people just buy stronger reading glasses as their vision gets worse.
As blood sugars fluctuate up and down, the blurry vision comes and goes. Those who already wore glasses for driving will sometimes report they don’t need their glasses to see long distances anymore. Many dollars have been spent on prescription glasses only to find out they are useless once diabetes is diagnosed and blood sugars normalize.
     Fatigue is another common complaint from those who don’t know they have diabetes yet. They don’t just complain of being tired, but say they have no energy to do anything. You might consider this par for the course if you have toddlers or teenagers, one or two jobs, and aging parents to care for. Many ignore this symptom until they can’t get out of bed and go one day. Once the diabetes is found and treated, energy levels return to normal and folks realize how bad they had been feeling for the last year or two.
     Frequent urination and thirst occur because the body is trying desperately to lower the blood sugar levels. The mouth gets extremely dry and no amount of fluid consumed can quench this thirst. The kidneys are using all this liquid to flush out the excess sugar and get rid of it in the urine. Most people have to get up several times during the night to urinate.
    Anyone who already has high blood pressure and takes a diuretic or fluid-reducing pill may blame the diuretic for the thirst and frequent urination. Men with an enlarged prostate experience the frequent urination so they don’t consider that diabetes might be the culprit.  After all, we live where it is hot and humid most of the year, so we drink fluids all day to stay cool.
     Infections that won’t clear up, even with proper treatment, may be another sign of diabetes. Sinus infections that require several rounds of antibiotics or recurrent yeast infections for women may indicate high blood sugars. When the blood sugar is too high, it keeps the body from fighting infections effectively.
     Tingling of the hands or feet and cuts or wounds that don’t heal quickly may also be signs of diabetes. If you have any of these signs, check it out with your doctor.