Some symptoms of diabetes include feeling thirsty, frequent urination, tingling in hands and feet, and frequent infections.  The amount of symptoms you have depends on the severity of your diabetes.  Some people may not realize they have diabetes because they do not have any symptoms. 

Neuropathy (Numbness & Tingling)

Some signs of diabetes like neuropathy which is numbness and tingling in your hands and feet takes times to develop.  Neuropathy is permanent nerve damage caused by uncontrolled high blood sugar.  We can prevent neuropathy by keeping your blood sugar under control.

Polyuria (Frequent Urination)

People who have uncontrolled diabetes often have frequent urination because the body is getting rid of excess sugar in your urine.  Because your body has difficulty storing and using sugar, your body removes the extra sugar in your blood by putting the sugar in your urine.  Many people have to get up several times during the night to urinate if they have uncontrolled diabetes.  The good news is that when your diabetes is under control your frequent urination will go away.

Frequent Infections

Bacteria love sugar and grow faster in a sugary envirionment.  When your blood sugar is not under control you are at a higher risk for infection than someone who does not have diabetes.  Keeping your blood sugar under control decreases your risk for infection.

Wellness Visits

We recommend a diabetes visit at least every 3 months to make sure that your blood sugar is controlled and that you are on the right amount of medication.

Labs

We can draw your blood work for diabetes in our office.  We typically get our results back in 1 to 2 business days.

What if I am not sure if I have diabetes?

We test all of our patients for diabetes as a part of our yearly exam.