Thread: How did you find out you were Diabetic?

I thought it might be useful to those who suspect they may be Diabetic to understand what some of the intial symptoms were for those of us that are now diagnosed.

I first found out about 7 years ago, after a very stressful week on a training course which left me exhausted, I left the house the following Monday to go to work and I realised I couldnt read the Motorway signs properly. Everything was very blurry, almost like I had an eye infection which was my first thought. I couldnt get an appointment to see my doctor that day so I went to Tesco opticians which was near me. The guy there had a look at my eyes and couldnt find anything particualry wrong, so then he asked me if I was diabetic. I said no, he said 'well I think you are now'. I went to my doctor who did a test and my BG was something stupid like 27.

I didnt think I had any particular raging thirst then, which I thought was the common symptom, but when I left the doctors the first thing I noticed was that my car was full of empty water bottles. Then it really hit me that the thirst thing had come on gradually over a period of time and I hadnt really noticed I was thirsty all the time, it had just seemed normal.

So for me it was the gradual increase in being thirsty all the time and the sudden onset of blurry vision that led to my diagnosis.

Can't remember any particular event that got my Dr to send me for a blood test except that I was having regular tests for my underactive Thyroid and it was then discovered about 4yrs back now. Didn't even have the thirsts that most people seem to get.
Being as I am 76 it is often accompanied with obesity and am T2 diet controlled, which to be perfectly honest, I am inclined to forget quite often... not good I know!! ..

Being unable to shake the extreme tiredness & sweating all the time! My bloods were also high 20's at diagnosis.x

Well for me it started 2 years ago. I had a couple of panic attacks and had health anxiety - came out of the blue but looking back I can see I was struggling for ages before with stress. Anyway during this time I was having awful palpitations so they did lots of heart tests etc and did a full blood test which showed I had Impaired Glucose Tolerance.
Unfortunately during this time I was still coming to terms with stuff in my past and turned to food and binges. I lost 30lbs on Cambridge then put it all back plus more. Tried SW and WW but couldn't do it. I'm now over my binges and past problems *touches wood*
About a month or so ago I noticed I was really tired. I mean I was having to sleep everyday at some point - not good when you have 3 young children! Getting up to pee at night and my vision being a bit blurry. So I had a GTT and here I am. Found out 16th June.

Hi all
for me it was about eight years ago , for the previous year and a half I was chronically tired and extremely thirsty though the tiredness and feeling down and unwell were awful. As I had started a new job involving shift work 2 years previously I put it down to that but while on holiday I looked down on the floor of the car and it was full of lucozade bottles water anything liquid in fact! My husband suggested I get my brother who is also type 2 to check my blood sugar and it was 29 my Gp checked the following week and was 27 so that was it strangely though my Dad and my brother were both type 2 it just never occurred to me that I might have it also!

I don't remember as I was quite young. I've just grown with type 1 and it has always been there.
My father was type 1 and my mother was type 2 so I guess there was no escaping it really.

My Mum was diagnosed type 1 at the age of 23 and I grew up with warnings about eating sweet foods but of course I paid no heed.

In 2003 I noticed my vision was a bit blurred and the gp I saw said I was "tired" then a few months later I noticed I needed to pee more and more often but I didn't connect the two and the same gp put me on a tablet for overactive bladder which seemed to work for a while, think I was taking it nearly 2 years.

August 2005 the amount of times I was peeing a day got ridiculous, was staying at my mum's one weekend and got up about 8-10 times in one night (for past 2 years I couldnt sleep til I'd done what I referred to as my "quota"- 3 pees before I slept lol) so i decided to keep a diary for a week or two, and showed it to a different dr at same practice who said it was quite a lot of trips to the toilet (no kiddin, 30 times a day!) he asked was I thirstier than usual but as I'd been trying to drink more water anyhow I said no.

he sent me to the nurse who said I could be diabetic. I was shocked even though I always knew there was a chance I could develop it but we never think it'll happen to us. I was asked to come in for a fasting sugar reading which was 7.8/9 and was diagnosed.

I have buried my head in the sand ever since, like a fool. Another gp I spoke to in dec 09 said I'll be lucky if I see 40 unless I get the weight down. He just confirmed what I already knew. I know all the risks and consequences but I just can't stop eating sugar.I know LC is the way to go but I can't stick to any diet for more than a couple of days. i'll keep on trying though!

I was diagnosed in 2006, i kept getting ear infections, water infections, i had been on 17 lots of anti-biotics in a year.
My gp never even done a blood test just kept dolling out the meds to me.
Then one day i had to see a locum gp as my doc was away, i had an awful bout of cystitis, the locum done a dip of my urine and was shocked at the sugar in it.
He done a glucose check on a machine and it was 22.
i was then sent for many tests and it came about that i had probably had diabetes type 2 for at least a year, being undiagnosed for that amount of time i had kidney damage also.
Now 5 years on my diabetes is controlled with tablets, and diet in that time i have lost a staggering 9 1/2 stone.
Recently my bloods have been at 7 over the year which is excellent according to my diabetic nurse.
I aim to lose another 3 stone 8lbs, and i will be normal weight and bmi.
Hopefully then my diabetes will be stable for the rest of my life. :0)

Wow that's a fabulous weight loss!

Wow Bevsy, you are a fantastic example of what can be achieved if you are determined enough. Hats off to you, what a star.

Bevsy what a success story! Being diabetic is so much more challenging to deal with weight issues and succeeding as you have is wonderful and a fantastic example of what can be achieved if you are determined enough. Well done you!

I meant to add that it's shocking that doctors don't test for diabetes as a first resort, it's such a simple test to do. When I look back the signs were there long before I was diagnosed and I was pretty angry at the time that it hadntbeen picked up sooner. I had been on several years of antibiotics for various ailments before my optician picked up on it before my doctor did. As you say untold damage that is totally avoidable can be done before the right and simple diagnosis is made.

Ooo, never saw this .... im a type1 .. unfortunately as a youngster i needed constant surgeries on my throat ..... so at 7years old i went in for my routine op and came out a diabetic .... i think they made me stay in hospital for months as my parents needed lots of education ... since then, i went off the rails as a teen - aquired anorexia at 13 .. and almost died as a result of this at 17 ..... following this damage to my body - i was diagnosed as going blind at 24 with loss of kidney function and hypertension. so now at 25 i just about manage with my diabetes, im also a critical care nurse coz i love to care for others and in May ran a 6mile charity run for diabetes uk and raised over £500 .... for me, life is what you make it ..... and i intend to beat this illness before it beats me

Ah, Claire, it is so inspiring to read what you have been through and yet what you continue to do for other people.

When I was first diagnosed you were the first one to 'speak' to me and you helped me so much.

Nowadays I am in the swing of weight loss, slowed down but getting there and although my BG's don't behave all the time I never see double figures, nit even after a sandwich! so i guess I am doing quite well.

I went to the doctor and told him that I thought I was diabetic, he sent me to hospital for tests that last 4 hrs, all of the tests didn't indicate that I was a diabetic except for the last one. I was T2, since then I have lost almost 4st and am going for tests next week to see if I can come off some of my tablets (12 in the morning and 3 at night)