Symptoms

[Sveta]

I'm curious to know, what were your symptoms prior to being dx'd with Type 1? and how sudden did they occur? thanks

[ant hill]

I was diagnosed late, I was hungey, Thirsty, And painfuly thin!! and weak and at the toilet too many times in the day. :mad: :bawling:

[UpNorth]

I was constantly thirsty, went to bathroom many many times everyday, hungry more often than usual and also cravings for sweet stuff. I was also very tired and out of energy, my legs felt like heavy logs to move... I also lost some weight and had slightly blurry vision.

I was diagnosed fairly early, just had symtoms for a couple of weeks, mild symtoms at first and the last few days prior to diagnose it was pretty bad so i went to the doctor and had a bloodtest, and well... here i am... Been type 1 since 2004...

[shabbie]

my symptoms were mild and occurred for about 5 years before i was finally diagnosed. (slow onset)

thirsty
hungry with a massive appetite
peeing a lot
up during the night for a pee (several times)
itchy skin patches (including on my privates!)
heart palpitations (heart jumping out of my chest at 3am)
mood swings
dry/blurry eyes
really exhausted

i thought each thing was because of stress, which was why it wasnt picked up sooner.

[Jodie]

I dont remember much because I was only 5 years old but my mum and dad noticed I was going to the toilet alot and drinking loads and straight away my dad knew I had diabetes so he took me to my GP and he said I wasn't diababetic so then I went to the hospital and thats when I was diagnosed

[owlyn]

When I was dxed, the doctor assumed I was T2, and put me on glyburide. A year later, I had lost about 50 pounds and was painfully thin (it hurt to sit on a hard chair!). I did some reading and diagnosed myself as T1. I then went to the doctor and basically told him to put me on insulin. Then I changed doctors.

Unfortunately, I gained all50 of those pounds back :(

[gambi]

Very random symptoms, first I became very thirsty after a strange virus I had. Then I developed an abscess on my labia (sorry to get so graphic). Then I developed a foot drop (possibly mild neuropathy). Then I lost 15 lbs while eating a bunch, because I was so hungry. A week before the diagnosis I was in the hospital because my legs had swelled up. I was very tired all the time but thought it was job/new house stress. Then my finace's grandmother mentionede I had symptoms of diabetes, the next day I asked nurse at work, she had a meter, the reading was HI. Went to m GP, my AIC wasw 17% :(
NO ONE EVER CHECKED MY BLOOD!!! How crazy is that, and to be honest I did not know the symptoms, I never really paid much attention to diabetes.

Somehow I was still able to run 4 mile a day, which have potentially saved my life. This all happened over a period of 4 months.

[Cyborg]

Unexplained weight loss
Having to urinate frequently
Always thirsty
Always hot
Palms of my hands were tender and discolored, like a reddish bruising

[Jan B]

Everything already mentioned. I knew something big was wrong for 2 or 3 weeks. I was living alone & at odds with my parents, or I would have been to the hospital much sooner. Part of the reason I was so bad before being hospitalized was that I was drinking sugar drinks non-stop. A whole drink & I'd try to sleep, then I'd go pee, then go get another drink, etc. Probably 10-15 times every night. I remember water tasting bad to me. Finally out of desperation, I drove myself to my parents house without stopping for lights or at intersections.

[palefacegirl03]

Very random symptoms, first I became very thirsty after a strange virus I had. Then I developed an abscess on my labia (sorry to get so graphic).


High blood sugar was causing me some serious problems like that too. The doctors in the ER were testing me for herpes and they drew blood and everything and went off to get the results. Came back a little while later saying my blood sugar was reading over 600 and that I had diabetes and I was admitted to the hospital. Not herpes(boy , was my husband at the time trying to do some explaining for that one) just type 1 diabetes, no one had tested my blood sugar in all the time I was having syptoms and going back and forth to the doctor.

[DCaplinger]

I think I'm ready to talk about this now. Bear with me, because it's not easy to admit.

I tell people I went to see my doc for a routine physical, and that I had no symptoms prior to diagnosis. That's just a front though, because it's really embarrassing to admit that you have erectile dysfunction, especially at age 34. Thankfully, the ED probably saved my life. If it hadn't been for that, I would never have gone to the doctor.

When I went in mid-December, the doc did a blood draw to check my testosterone levels. Apparantly they also ordered routine tests along with it. When they called me to tell me my BGL was 452, it freaked me out so bad I didn't even ask about the testosterone levels (which were normal).

Of course, now I know that the cause of my ED was diabetes and out of control blood sugars. Hopefully I won't have to take ED meds after I get my sugars down to normal levels, however I will attest, the meds do work.

Guys, don't be embarrassed if you suffer from ED. As many as 80% of diabetic males suffer some level of ED. It's not your fault. There is hope. I'm sorry if I sound like a commercial, but my quality of life has really improved since I started on the meds. My relationship with my wife has really improved (the lack of intimacy can kill a marriage).

If any of you have questions or want further information about ED or the meds that are used to treat it, please feel free to shoot me a private message or an email. I am not embarrassed to talk about this to you all, after all, we are part of the same D family.

Regards,

[viranth]

About two months or so before I was DX'ed I was pretty sick for about a week. Vomiting and all that nasty stuff. My 1.5 year old son brought home some virus from daycare, and I got that pretty bad.

Anyway, since I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, I really notice when things aren't as they should be. And for the next weeks it was harder to lift the same amount of weights, and the virus had something to do with that for sure.

But I started peeing a lot, it felt like I didn't completely empty the "tank", so I could sit on the toilet for quite some time peeing non stop. Didn't really think about that because I make sure I get 3-4 liters of water in me every day, but it was odd.

At first I thought I had an infection, but on new years eve I really didn't feel good. Quite dizzy and just weird. Went to the doctor at 9pm and they checked my urin and BG. I had 16-17 BG and sugars in the urin. He said I had type 2 diabetes and that I should stay away from sweets. That was it.

A few days later I got an appointment with the same doctor to take blood tests.

A week or so later I felt much worse, after a big meal that included rice. I had bought a BG checker, so I checked and it said 26.6, that's high so I went to the doctor again.

He then decided I should be admitted to the hospital, that I had type 1. This was on friday night, and the following monday I was admitted and the rest is me getting well =)

[grace girl]

I was:
exhausted constantly
drinking up to 4 GALLONS of liquid a day, yet very thirsty
peeing constantly
losing weight
had a raving yeast infection that wouldn't BUDGE
was totally paranoid if I didn't have a drink with me at ALL times.
Mental confusion.

I experienced vision issues for a few weeks after dx...but it settled down with time.

[Emm]

I was tired to the point of sleeping in every day, having a nap every afternoon, and still feeling like I hadn't slept for weeks.

I couldn't go anywhere without a bottle of water, and I was sipping at it almost constantly all day every day - and even in my sleep.

I had to be by a toilet at all times! I was peeing so much I was surprised I had time to do anything else. Just before diagnosis I was getting up at least 3 times a night for a pee. I couldn't go for a short walk without visiting the toilet first, and then again as soon as I got back.

I was eating sooo much, couldn't stop craving stuff especially bread and chocolate biscuits. Yet I still managed to lose a few kilos even after I stopped getting exercise (toooo tired to move). [later on I lost a HUGE pile of weight because I was misdiagnosed as a T2 and should have been on insulin]

And I was getting kinda moody. And depressed. And just plain BLEH all day every day.

My symptoms came on slowly over months. They snuck up on me so I didn't realise how bad it had become. For a while it came & went so I did have some normal days... but in the end it was contant and horrible. Ugh. It's good to think back on those days, it reminds me how good things really are now!

[dar917]

Yeah, mine came on quite gradually over a couple of months as well. At first I just sort of had an "off" feeling; I don't even know how to describe it, I just felt different somehow. I was already drinking rather a lot of water at work so I didn't notice that part. I had to go to the bathroom a lot, but other than that I didn't think much of it until a week or so before I was diagnosed. I wasn't all that tired, but I actually lost some of my appetite, and I lost probably 15 lbs. I had a fast heart rate, and dry mouth, and I even noticed it in my period--the smell was even different. Sounds gross but it was like a sweet yeasty smell.

I should've known what was up sooner; I remember when I was little, I must have asked my dad about what happened when he got it, I remember him saying you could drink a whole gallon of water and still be thirsty, and have to go to the bathroom all the time. But I didn't have insurance at the time so that was why I waited so long. :( I'm mad at myself for waiting so long; I think I'm lucky to still be here. :eek:

[miss_ok_ish]

I lost 2 stone in 6 months and got told it was my contraceptive pill by my doctor, another 6 months went by and i changed docs and went in for a sore throat and came out with diabetes lol.
Not always obvious signs, but i had a feeling something wasn't right, so listen to your body and if you feel there might be something wrong, get it checked.

[dgrilli]

Uncontrolled Thirst

Peeing

Feeling very sick flue like

Blacking out Falling in and out Consciousness everywhere

open wounds on my forehead and face never healing

couldn't get enough to eat

felt like a zombie always so tired but really couldn't sleep

Felt like my brain was disconnected couldn't think properly

My digestive system wasn't working right felt sick on everything I ate. I learned to not eat for long periods of time fighting uncontrolled hunger.

Thirst that was so powerfull that I literally guarded the reverse osmosis tap so no one could get any but me ( It would make 5 gallons day)

The sweats were so soaking the covers and clothes.

My muscles started twitching and activating on and off with painfull cramps charlie horses in legs and arms.

I was a gonner if it wasn't for a nice lady that I worked with in the office that made me promise to go to the emergency room.


Went to the emergency room and thier meter only showed high.

First shot was 90 units then the second of 90 units 4 hours later.

I then went blind only could see light and colors for about 45 days.

I don't think I would have lasted another day.

[Elina]

It came over a 1.5-2 month period for me. Starting with being more tired than normal and not having energy to do things, then a couple of weeks ago I started to go to :toilet: a lot more than usual, and I was always thirsty. I felt more and more tired, but could not sleep well. My days were spent drinking water, sitting on toilet or just laying on my bed. I was hungry all the time and was eating a lot, and still lost 5kg in a 2 week period. Then the other day I was with my friend, UpNorth, and she could see something was wrong with me, said I was acting like my blood sugar was high so she wanted me to test, and when I finally dare to have it done it came back 30mmol/l:eek:

[Lillie]

I had been feeling bad for some time but I chalked it up to stress. My mom recently died after a courageous battle with colo-rectal cancer. I was her primary caregiver. I had been feeling unwell over the past year but ignored it. I did not have the luxury of being ill I told myself. All of my time and efforts were focused externally. On Jan. 6th of this year I went to the ED with flu symptons. I had not eaten in days...was throwing up, had been thirsty for ages....but my mouth was ALWAYS dry. Very up
and down moods. A yeast infection that I could not get rid of....dry skin. They drew blood and found out I had a staph infection as well as BG of 400. They admitted me and I was in for 2 weeks... started right away on IV antibiotics and insulin. I can not believe the difference in how I feel now as opposed to then. Looking back I can't seem to remember feeling this good in years. Mind you I am still tired but that is the legacy of the infection. I just thank God I was diagnosed and that I think my darling mom had alot to do with. I took care of her and she was with me that day. It does run in my family. My grandmother had it, her son (my dad) had it and my brother has it. He controls his with diet and exercise. I am on insulin.

[dar917]

I was a gonner if it wasn't for a nice lady that I worked with in the office that made me promise to go to the emergency room.

....

I don't think I would have lasted another day.

Yikes! I just want to say, I think it's scary that some of us waited so long to go in. And it's sad; I think if we had a better health care system in this country more people would be more likely to go in and get checked out sooner. :(

[Olidus]

I also had all the classic signs.
One main thing I remember was ZONED OUT - Checked out.
I felt like a Zombie near the end, I was not as sharp as I was and now am. I would catch myself staring off to nothing alot, at work on conf calls even driving in the car.
Scarry stuff.

As soon as I was put on insulin, I put my weight back on, was no longer as moody, got my brain power again, stopped running to the bathroom every 5 minutes and did not need to drink water every 3 minutes.

[kgm0612]

It will be 5 years this April that I was dx'd, but I now know I had it years prior. Having a brother who was dx'd when he was 22, you would have thought I would have been aware of the symptoms..........WRONG!

I actually started out with nasty yeast infections that came and went every couple of months. My ob/gyn blamed them on everything from pads, tampons, the soap I was using...... and NEVER did any type of testing. Told me to eat yogurt because I probably had some sort of "imbalance".

My mood swings were horrible. I hated being around myself and snapped at the drop of a hat. My vision became blurry but I blamed it on being on a computer most of the day. I developed very itchy skin on my legs, from my knees down to my ankles.

Finally, I started losing weight and was extremely exhausted. Then drinking alot and getting up during the middle of the night to urinate set in and I realized something was wrong.

Karen