When the kidneys become full of glucose they lose the ability to flush out the extra glucose and then the body begins to draw extra fluids out of the body. This is the first and most common sign of diabetes.
When the kidneys are constantly working to clear the glucose out you will have a thirsty sensation. If you feel thirsty no matter if you have drank a lot of liquids or not you should get tested.
You have probably heard that there is a strong link between diabetes and obesity, so weight loss as a symptom may seem counterintuitive. However, with Type 1 diabetes this is a warning sign. With type 1, the pancreas stops producing insulin, usually due to a viral attack on the insulin producing cells. The cells become starved for an energy source and will begin to use fat stores and lean muscle leading to unexplained weight loss.
Glucose is again the culprit, when the cells are unable to get glucose from the blood stream for energy the result is a feeling of exhaustion.
This symptom occurs over time. As blood glucose levels increase in the blood stream nervous system damage can occur. Since this is a gradual process, much damage can be done before a diagnosis is made. This leads to tingling and numbness especially in the extremities.
Following the nerve damage and tingling is the propensity to get sores that will not heal particularly on the feet. Due to the numbness, a person may not even know they have a sore until extreme damage has been done. The reason for the sores maybe loss of circulation. Decreased blood flow does not allow oxygen to reach the injury and the white cells cannot kill off harmful bacteria.
There are also signs of diabetes if you have blurry vision, itchy skin, or extra dry skin.
