Feelings of weakness, and increased appetite

[canadiansweetheart17]

Hi, i might be paranoid, but one night I was with my boyfriend, and i had to use his bathroom a lot and he asked me if i usually go that much. It occured to me that i had been urinating a lot lately. I think that is a symptom of diabetes. I have also had periods of weakness, feeling nauseous and dizzy. I have also greatly increased in my appetite. I almost hungry all the time, and i ranging in losing a few pounds to gaining them back again.

I was told by my doctor 2 years ago that i was at risk for developing diabetes, 2 of my aunts (blood related) have diabetes. Would i have an increased risk?

Can these feelings be related to any other health problems?

[JDRF-VOL-LS]

Hello CanadianSweetheart17,
First we are volunteers here and not medical professionals, so it's important that you explain your symptoms to your doctor and have tests done if s/he finds enough reason to follow up.

Only a qualified medical professional can accurately diagnose you -- whether it's diabetes or 'something else.'  Some of your symptoms can be associated with diabetes, but there could well be other explanations ranging from stress reactions, to allergies, to physical ailments.  I do recommend that you follow up on Monday with a call to your doctor, and that you begin to keep a good record of your symptoms, timing, and related factors (foods, beverages, exercise, health, stress, etc.) to review with him/her.

Here is a risk-assessment test from the American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp    There is a related organization in Canada.

[Teaandherb]

Hi, for treating and preventing diabetes, you might have heard of Stevia, a calorie-free sweetener. My uncle tried stevia extract and stevia leaves for years, and actually, his diabetes is well under control. Stevia is originated from South America, but it is mainly grown in China now. If you search “chineseteaandherbs” by Google, I am sure you will find more information about stevia and diabetes.

[JDRF-VOL-SG]

Some of your symptoms (periods of weakness, feeling nauseous and dizzy) sound more like hypoglycemia than high blood sugar.  You might want to ask your doctor to do a glucose tolerance test instead of a simple fasting blood sugar test. That would show both diabetes AND hypoglycemia if either one is a problem. I find that when blood sugar levels are low, I don't so much get thirsty as I do have a "dry mouth" and drink more water because of it. The end result may be the same: having to urinate more often. Craving food (constant hunger) could also be a symptom of either hypoglycemia OR diabetes. Either way, it is wise to have some tests run just to know what your body is doing.