Diabetes..........Do I have it??

Question

I,m 14 and I think that I might have diabetes. I have these symptoms:

Excessive thirst

Often urination

Fatigue

Decrease in memory

Irritability

I have always had the best memory out of all of my friends and family and the other day one of my new friends asked me when my birthday was and I didn't even remember! And when I thought that I did, it was the wrong day! It's really weird that this has just all of a sudden started happening. My friend has had diabetes type 1 since she was 10, and she's now 14, and she used to dance a lot, like take 10-13 classes!, and now I'm in that position where I take a lot of dance classes. After my friend got diabetes, my other friend said that if I started dancing like that then I would get diabetes too. Diabetes definitely runs in my family but I'm not sure if I should spend money to get a blood test if I don't have it. I know that dancing doesn't cause diabetes, I don't think it does at least.

Answer 1

Diabetes can be diagnosed ONLY through a blood test at the doctor office.

The test to take is called A1C. This is a fast, painless, and accurate test.  the doctor can do it in his office in 5-10 minutes IF he has the equipment.  Otherwise, he'll need to take a blood samle to a lab for 2-3 days.

The A1C test measures the AVERAGE of your blood sugar over the last 90 days.  a NORMAL reading is between 5 and 6.  If your A1C reading is NORMAL then you probably do not have diabetes.

if your A1C reading is above 7, the doctor will want to order additional tests to determine if you are diabetic or hyperglycemic.

Be very careful that you get an A1C test.  There is another test that many doctor use called the Finger Stick Fasting Blood Glucose Test.  With this test, the doctor pricks your finger and take ONE DROP of blood into a special hand held meter.  The results come back in 30 seconds.

This is the same test that all diabetecs use to test their own blood sugar 3-4 times a day.  This is a CONTROL test.

Siince the A1C test was invented (3-4 years ago), the Finger Stick test is no longerr a good test for DIAGNOSING diabetes.

If the doctor pricks your finger and  takes one drop of blood into a HANDHELD METER, that is NOT an A1C test!  You need to insist that the doctor do an A1C test, NOT a Finger Stick test, in order to accuratyely get your diagnosis.

BTW: Diabetes is not contagious -- you don't "catch it" from friends, or dance classes, and you don't get it from eating too many sweets.  The biggest thing about diabetes is heredity -- if your parents or grandparents or brothers and sisters or aunts and uncles have it, you might, too.  After that, eat a balanced diet (don't eat too many sweets, and stay away from colas, sports drinks, and energy drinks) get plenty of exercise (dance clases are good exercise) and make sure that your weight is NORMAL (not too much, not too little --

ask your doctor)

Answer 2

Dancing definitly does not cause diabetes...in fact it would actually help prevent it in type 2 diabetes.  Those are some common symptoms however they are also common symptoms of being a teenager as well.  Have you experienced any wieght loss? that's a big symptom.  If you are truely concerned have your parents set up and appt to get a fasting glucose check.

Answer 3

the only way to know is to get your doctor to test your blood.

Answer 4

Dancing doesn't cause diabetes. It's genetics and diet. If you have a poor diet, there is a real possibility you can get it, and if you have it in your family, that makes it even worse.

Go to the doctor and have them test for diabetes. It's a manageable disease once you get it under control. There's no reason why you couldn't continue to dance or live a very long, happy, productive life.

Answer 5

You need to go to a doctor and not wait. If you do have diabetes and your blood sugar drops too low or goes too high you might have a seizure or go into a coma. I'm not trying to scare you, but it is a series condition. It means your body is not making enough insulin and needs to be replaced. Go to your doctor now and don't wait. It's better to know for sure. They will give you a blood test that will determine the problem. Sorry to repeat: Go To The Doctor Now!

This runs in my family too and I've seen it do some bad damage that could have been prevented.