Do you think you have Diabetes?

If you think you have diabetes, don’t panic. Unless you feel extremely unwell and need the emergency services it is likely that you will be able to go into speak to your doctor about your symptoms and what they could be. As with all medical problems, there are a whole host of conditions that can give the same symptoms as diabetes, including such trivial things as drinking more water than you usually do, or eating more salty foods.

Book a Doctors Appointment

In the first instance, you should make an appointment with your local doctor as soon as possible. It is important that you tell him exactly what has been happening so that he can come to a conclusion as to what he needs to do to help you. If they suspect that you have diabetes, they will want to do a series of tests to make sure.


Testing for Diabetes

The most commonly used test for diabetes, is a urine dipstick. The doctor will ask you to urinate into a sample jar, following which they will dip a special stick in to check for sugar in your urine. If the stick changes colour, there is a chance that you may have diabetes, so he may ask to do a fasting plasma glucose test. This test is very easy to do. It is likely that the GP will tell you to come in early in the morning, having not eaten anything from the night before. They will then take a blood sample which can be analysed to see if you have too much sugar in your blood or not.

Another test the doctor may wish to do is an oral glucose tolerance test or OGTT. This involves you ingesting a specified solution of glucose and waiting for two hours, after which a sample of your blood will be taken. This sample can then be analysed for glucose, the result of which will determine whether you have diabetes or not.

Diagnosed with Diabetes

Following a diagnosis of diabetes, your doctor will talk to you about what it means and how it can be treated. Depending on the type of diabetes you have, the doctor may wish for you to go and see a doctor who specialises in diabetes care. If you have type 2 diabetes, it is likely you will be referred to a dietician to help you modify your diet and lose weight if you need to. Throughout your care you will be asked to see a doctor regularly to make sure that you are ok and your current medicines are working fine. If you ever have any problems contact your doctor who will be happy to sort them out for you.

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