There are some very specific diagnosis criteria that you have to fulfill to be a diabetic. Though there are some symptoms that could trigger you to start asking questions:
If you feel thirsty all the time, and are constantly having to drink water.
If you are urinating more frequently.
If you get up numerous times at night to pee.
Feeling fatigue.
Mental fog.
Tingling in your feet.
Feeling nauseated when you eat.
Family history of diabetes
Now obviously there can be other reasons for all of the above, though they may trigger you to talk to your doctor about your concern.
So how is you doctor going to figure out if you are a diabetic? Through your blood sugar and you hemoglobin A1C, which are both blood tests. (Hemoglobin A1C is the amount of sugar in your red blood cells, which is a 2-3 month estimate of your blood sugar levels)
Let's start with your blood sugar, which can either be through a finger stick or a blood draw:
Two fasting blood sugars of greater than 126 on two separate occasions
Non-fasting sugar of over 200
A1C:
A1C greater than 6.5
The American Diabetic Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologist (AACE) do vary slightly on their diagnosis criteria. So talk with your doctor about their strategies for diagnosis as well as goals for management.
...until next time
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