Signs of Diabetes?

I have not been diagnosed with Diabetes.
For about the past year or so, I have been a lot less active than I usually am and as a result I've put on some weight. I wouldn't consider myself very over weight, but I do need to get back into exercising and eating right, which I have started to do recently.
I've been doing a little research on the signs of diabetes, but they don't seem to be very clear.
I've read things like: Being more thirsty and urinating more. Also fatigue.
I'm a somewhat lazy person and I feel tired sometimes, but I am being too hasty to think that this could be Diabetes? I drink a lot of water, not because I'm necessarily more thirsty, but because I like to be well hydrated, but as a result I urinate more, which would be excepted.

Are there any more specific signs that I could look for? And is exercising less for roughly a year so a long enough time to develop Diabetes? Or am I simply being paranoid?
Also, if I am starting to develop it, can I reverse this by starting to eat right and exercise?

Sorry I can't give more description, but it seems like most of the early symptoms of Diabetes are things that most people deal with every once and awhile.

Thanks.

[888mom]

Go to the doctor.  I was just diagnosed.  Have been feeling lousy with my weight gain and it just won't come off.  Was told to do a low carb diet, like South Beach, to get the weight off and manage the blood sugar levels.  Don't know too much about diabetes since I was just diagnosed today, but man, all it took was me going in and them doing a whole bunch of blood work (they want to rule out lots of things).  Not the best diagnosis to get back from the doctor, but heh, well, it's better to know.  I could have started dieting low carb before I was diagnosed, but well, I'm such a carb fiend, I had to get all my carb eating in before the diagnosis came back.  Not the healthiest option I picked.  But, now, I'm serious about the carb stuff.  Granted, I'm saying this less than 24 hours after diagnosed.  LOL!!!

Oh, different types of tests.  There is like a 3 hour fasting glucola test (I did that when I was pregnant and it turned out I had gestational diabetes several years ago) and then there is fasting levels and like a 3 month average and then the blood work can give you some scale of something like above 7.0 you have diabetes or something like that.  I really don't know exactly, but again, totally worth finding out.  If you know anyone who has diabetes you could borrow their little blood sugar meter, but wow are the test strips expensive!!!  I just blew over $100 on diabetic supplies today!!  So, not sure if your friend/relative would want to share a test strip.  The strip thing wouldn't give you a diagnosis, but if you eat a meal, and your blood sugar levels are high 2 hours later, and your fasting levels are high in the morning, then you really ought to go see a doctor.  So, if you don't know anyone who has diabetes at all, then well, you gotta go in to the doctor and skip that other step.  Not that mooching off people is a good thing either because the doc would probably tell you a normal result off that may not mean anything unless they do the tests.  Ha haa haa... doctors....  Um, go see a doctor.  Um....

[Teck]

Here are a few signs of diabetes.  The thirst thing is due to a dry mouth that you can't seem to quinch the thirst for.  The frequent urination is not just because of the amount of water, but it is going excessively.  Do you get dizzy when you stand up?  Does your vision ever get blurry?   Does diabetes run in your family?  These are the most common signs.

My son-in-law was diagnosed yesterday.  He is over weight, eats high starch and fast foods, and doesn't exercise.  I have seen many people regulate their diabetes by eating a diabetic diet and exercising.  It depends on how severe your diabetes is.

Good luck and go see a Dr. if you are that concerned.  

[KJ5854]

You can ask your doctor to do an A1C blood test on you.  This will show the doctor what your average blood sugar has been for the last 3 - 6 months.  If this is above 5.5, it usually means you are diabetic, or at least pre-diabetic.

I suggest at minimum the 2-hour glucose test.  Make sure they are testing your insulin levels.  Mine were checked during this test.   Even though my blood sugar readings were normal, my insulin was through the roof.  Apparently, your cells first become resistant to insulin, which in turn signals your body to create more insulin, and even though eventually your cells absorb the insulin and your blood sugar returns to normal, your body is left with alot of excess insulin floating around.  This causes many symtoms (symptoms) like tiredness, brain fog, lack of concentration, inability to lose weight, dizziness, etc.  I was dianosed as insulin resistant, which is a step towards type-2 diabetes.   Had I just kept testing my fasting blood glucose, or had this test been run just testing blood sugar and not insulin, I would not have been diagnosed.

Low-carb diet with exercise is best for this & type 2 diabetes.  When i was diagnosed I was having all the above symptoms.  After my diagnosis, I went low-carb (no more than 60grams a day) and exercised 4-5 times a week.  In two months, I lost 16 pounds and got my insulin level into normal range and my symptoms were cleared up.  I'm female, so losing 16 pounds in two months was awesome!  I'll never go back to eating high carb like I was before.  I'm still tempted, but I know what eating that does to my body.

Hope that helped!

[BOLD FOR JESUS]

hey,
       My name is Addie i was diagnosed last week  although my doctor told me three years ago to get a gtt done and i didnt listen and i am ashamed of that but press forward my condition is caused from polycysticovarian disease and i dont know if you are male or female but i am on Metformin 500mg twice a day and u would not believe how i feel im forty and i feel nineteen again i felt like a turtle for years and did not understand it my energy level is wonderful im losing weight rapidly please dont be stupid like i was for years, get it done because of the damage it causes untreated. For years i was hypoglycemic i ran low blood sugars but know i am a diabetic and the medicine makes me feel like a million dollars!I immediately changed my diet eating healthy natural foods.Please go soon and let me know how you are im on back and neck profile.

[Applecore]

I am glad you are eating healthy and listening to the doctors and God honors that. love linda

[Laceybug77]

I would say go to the doctor and have them do an A1c or a glucose tolerance test.  Still, a less expensive test would to test your blood sugar 2 hours after you eat and see if it is higher than 100.  If it is you're most likely resisting insulin.  If you do a fasting blood sugar (don't eat for like 8 hours) and it is high then you might need insulin, although I doubt that is your case.  Ask your doctor or call up a diabetic testing supply company...they will usually give the machines away and it'll come with enough strips to test.  Here's one that sent me a machine and test strips:
http://www.abbottdiabetescare.com/adc_dotcom/url/content/en_US/30.10:10/general_content/General_Content_0000120.htm

Just tell them you're newly diagnosed.

P.S. If you're putting on weight it would be in the midsection (type 1 diabetes you would most likely be losing weight).  Otherwise weight gain is common as we get older, especially in our society, so it's probably nothing to worry about.  But, if you are concerned, better be safe than sorry, type 2 diabetes is considered an epidemic.