August 17, 2000
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Dallas, Texas, USA:
I think I may have diabetes. I don’t know if I’m being paranoid or not and I don’t want to worry my parents if there isn’t a valid reason. I’m a 19 year old female. I’ve had these little dots with fluid in them on my middle finger of my right hand for about a year now. The last time it appeared was during summer and it keeps showing up time and time again. I have it on my finger again and what happens is that soon these bubble looking things (which start out very little about as large as a pinpoint and sometimes grow to a “o”. They are under the skin but can be seen on close examination. After the bubble bursts the skin starts peeling away from the area and the skin in that area is left pink and is a bit sensitive. Now I’m getting the same bubble thing on my left hand index finger. I’m sort of worried and i think it might be related to sugar as I consume a lot of sugar with coffee and eat a lot of sugary stuff. I do have the bit of blurry vision (it also could be because my vision could be getting worse), and I do feel as if I’ve started urinating more than I used to. I lost some weight recently. Do you think I might have diabetes?
Answer:
I appreciate your concerns. However, your symptoms don’t sound much like diabetes to me. The changes in your skin you’ve noticed would best be evaluated by your primary care physician. It sounds like an irritating but harmless skin condition called dyshydrotic eczema–the bumps are called “tapioca blisters”. It can easily be treated with a special cream.
Also, testing for diabetes is extremely easy (a urine test) and cheap! Your physician can help to ease your fears by testing you for diabetes. The rest of the symptoms you describe could easily be due to conditions that are not serious.
MSB
