Question from Georgia, USA:

I had to go to the hospital recently and was admitted to the ICU. My doctor told me I had the flu. The Emergency Room (ER) doctor that saw me initially is the one that put me in the hospital. He says I have diabetes, not the flu. Here are my symptoms I had: big time muscle cramps in almost my entire body; extreme thirst; really bad heart burn; inability to keep anything in my stomach except water; difficulty walking; I smelled like Juicy Fruit gum, according to my wife; Kussmaul breathing (per my chart); four CO2 “panic” procedures done in the ER; and a blood sugar of 956 mg/dl [53.1 mmol/L]. Am I diabetic? I would much rather just have the flu.