Question from Exmouth, Western Australia:

I haven’t been to a doctor in approximately five years and I don’t want to go if I am just being a hypochondriac. For the last eight months, I have had insatiable thirst where I am thirsty all the time. I just don’t drink as much because I would drink constantly; I would drink about six liters (1.3 gallons) easily, if not more, in one day, I have also gained an insatiable craving for cool drinks where I drink two liters (about half a gallon) a day, yet gain no weight despite so much sugar. I urinate to what I believe is just related to my insatiable thirst. For the past month, I am always hungry even half an hour after I have eaten. I have, on occasion, experienced blurry vision, but I just put that down to studying too much.

I am 174 cm (5 feet, 7 inches) tall, 20 years old and approximately 65 kilograms (143 pounds). Over the last few months, my training has become more intense. I haven’t lost any weight, but I also haven’t gained any, even though I have gained muscle. I have no family history of type 1 diabetes. The only history of diabetes is my grandad who has type 2 and was diagnosed at 70 years of age. I used my grandad’s blood sugar monitor about a month ago and got a reading of 6.9 mmol/L [124 mg/dl] three hours after eating a roast meal. I do have an aunty with thyroid problems, though.

I was just wondering if my symptoms seem to indicate type 1 diabetes as I have researched diabetes on the net for a school project and I seem to have a lot of the symptoms. Also, is it possible that someone with these symptoms could display them for so long, approximately eight months, without going into a coma or collapsing from a high blood sugar, if they indeed have diabetes? If so, should I see a doctor?