When insulin is not working properly a good indicator is that glucose in the blood has risen drastically. When glucose rises higher that 180 mg/dl, glucose begins to flow into the urine. When this occurs this is not a good situation. This strongly indicates that the kidneys are not functioning properly.
The following list displays common onset symptoms of diabetes and how they appear. One or more of the following symptoms may be occurring when diabetes is suspected.
Fatigue: Without adequate insulin, glucose cannot enter fat or muscle cells. This is most important because these cells depend on insulin to act as a key. Without this key, glucose cannot be used as adequate fuel to move muscles or expedite the many other chemical reactions that have to take place to produce energy. An individual dealing with diabetes often complains about fatigue when insulin levels are reduced. The opposite occurs when treatment allows glucose to enter the cells again.
Frequent urination and thirst: More urine in the bladder makes you feel the need to urinate more frequently. Why? More glucose in the urine draws more water out of you blood, so more urine forms. When the water in the blood decreases, you feel thirsty and subsequently drink more water.
Continued Vaginal infection among women: Women dealing with diabetes often complain of itching and burning, including odor and discharge. The reason for this is because as blood glucose elevates, all the fluids in your body contain higher levels of glucose. This includes sweat and body secretions. Bacteria and fungi thrive in this elevated glucose environment.
Weight loss: Insulin is usually lacking when people experience unexplained weight loss. As the body begins to break down, loss of muscle tissue becomes apparent. This happens really quickly because some of the muscle converts into glucose even though the glucose cannot get into the cells. It simply passes out of the body in the urine. Fat tissue breaks down into small fat particles that can provide an alternate energy source. As glucose is lost and the body breaks down, weight loss is almost inevitable. Incredibly however, many people with diabetes are heavy as opposed to thin.
Blurry vision: When glucose levels shift from normal to elevated, the lens of the eye swells because of water intake. Swelling prevents the eye from focusing light at the correct place and blurring is the result.
Extreme Hunger: Even though sufficient glucose may be floating in the blood system of a diabetic, those dealing with this disorder continue to feel hungry because glucose cannot get into the cells of the muscles to provide energy.
Incredibly, an article in Diabetes Care, dated November 2007, showed that in a group of over 15,000 people being treated for diabetes, 44 percent of them reported not one of the symptoms outlined in information above. Essentially, this is why very few people recognize they have diabetes.