Know the Common and Uncommon Symptoms of Diabetes

Did you know that diabetes is a real threat to foot health? That’s the message we want to drive home during November, Diabetes Awareness Month. This excerpt from a recent White House Proclamation on Diabetes Awareness illuminates the extent of the disease in the U.S.:
              
               Today, more than 34 million American adults are living with diabetes, and an estimated 88      million more may be at risk of developing the disease.

So, for millions of Americans, diabetes is taking its toll on every system in the body. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes involve fluctuations in blood sugar that can eventually threaten your feet. And what about the 88 million mentioned in the proclamation? They have prediabetes - high blood sugar that can quickly progress to full-blown diabetes. Many of those 88 million don’t even know they’re at risk.

It’s important to us that our patients be familiar with prediabetes and diabetes, and to be on the lookout for symptoms. Foot problems include infections, numbness, wounds that don’t heal, and, in the worst cases, weakened bones that break down when you walk or limbs that require amputation.

Here are four common symptoms:

1.     sores that don’t heal

2.     an increased need to urinate

3.     feeling thirsty all the time

4.     extreme hunger

These other, less common, symptoms also point to diabetes:

5.     weight loss

6.     sexual dysfunction in both men (erectile problems) and women (vaginal dryness)

7.     dry, itchy, peeling skin

8.     blurred vision

9.     irritability

10.   fruity breath

11.   fatigue

12.   dark patches of skin on the neck, armpits, or groin

13.   recurrent yeast infections

14.   tingling or burning sensation in your limbs

Bring any symptoms of diabetes to your primary care physician’s attention. If you develop diabetes, it’s very important to perform daily foot checks and see a qualified podiatrist at least once a year. In Monmouth County, New Jersey, make an appointment with board-certified podiatric surgeons Dr. Samantha Boyd, Dr. Hal Ornstein, Dr. Dan Phan, and Dr. Joseph Saka at Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center. Call our Howell or Jackson office at (732) 905-1110 or contact us online.