June 29, 2001
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from the Netherlands:
I am 24 years old, and lately I haven’t been feeling well. On and off, every day i feel dizzy, and have headaches when haven’t eaten for a while. My mouth gets really dry and I drink a lot (which I’ve always done — at least three liters a day at but never with a dry mouth). I feel really tired and exhausted and I sleep about 10 hours a day when I used to only sleep seven. I urinate a lot and sometimes when I don’t feel well, and even have trouble speaking, like my tongue is in the way or something. My doctor did a blood test for diabetes, which was negative, and it is probably some kind of virus and that I’ll have to wait until it’s over. I am overweight and my grandma had diabetes. I don’t think this is normal. Should I have another test?
Answer:
I think you should ask your doctor to perform an oral glucose tolerance test to be check once more for glucose intolerance. I don’t think you have clinical diabetes if your previous blood test was negative. Did you check also for glucose in the urine? If not, you may also want to check it now.
MS
[Editor’s comment: Occasionally, a single blood sugar test might be normal in an early case of diabetes, and repeat blood sugar testing at the same or a different time, or performing a glucose tolerance test, would be appropriate if there is a high suspicion of diabetes as there seems to be in your case.
WWQ]
