June 19, 2002
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Albany, New York, USA:
I am a 19 year old, thin, girl who has had celiac disease for a year, and for the last couple of days, I have felt like I am getting some symptoms of diabetes. However, they come and go, and I am afraid I am just being paranoid because I know a lot about type 1 diabetes. I want to know what you think.
I have lost five pounds in two days, I feel lightheaded, “woozy” and just exhausted at different times, especially after meals. (I don’t do any drugs or smoke or drink either). Yesterday, I noticed that I had to urinate four times in two hours, and then later three times in one hour (each time quite a lot), but I did not drink any more than usual, and I usually only go once every several hours. I am also very hungry and eating more than usual, but some foods nauseate me that I usually like.
Since these things seem to be coming and going, I don’t want to panic. Should I wait and see if they get worse? Can diabetes start with symptoms being sporadic and not a big crisis? I don”t want to tell my mom and get her worried unless I need to because I was just in the hospital last month and had my gallbladder out so she is very stressed out.
Answer:
Well, you are 19 and no longer need your mother’s permission to seek out medical care. I think that you are not being “paranoid” at all. You are wise to recognize that your symptoms do sound similar to what can occur in someone with diabetes. Sure, you may not have diabetes now, but you do know that you are at risk, given your history of celiac disease and its autoimmune nature.
Don’t delay until you find yourself “sicker.” If this is diabetes, you want to start to address it sooner rather than later. Ask your doctor to arrange for you to get a fasting blood sample analyzed for glucose. If it is normal, you might also wish to get another sample two hours after a hearty breakfast. If still normal, I think you can stop worrying about type 1 diabetes for now, and then discuss these symptoms with your doctor to try to discover what might be causing them.
DS
