What led you to getting a diagnosis?

I couldn’t stop peeing. It was like 40-50 times a day and drinking 3+ gallons of water to not get dehydrated. I called the doctor and they asked me to come in the next day. It was pretty cut and dry after the A1C test and started meds that day. A1C is now down to 5.6 from 13.1 that day.

12 years ago I got diagnosed at the same time I was diagnosed with cancer. It was kind of…you have cancer…oh, and your blood sugar is 400. Honestly battling the cancer was the biggest issue so I had a comparatively painless transition. Doing well on both fronts right now.

Well mine is a different story. I had just got done eating at a restaurant and on the way home I totaled my car having a seizure. When they found me my blood sugar was 15! Which made no sense because I had just got done eating. So they did some scans and found a tumor on my pancreas that was secreting insulin!

Come to find out that tumor was also malignant so I had a Whipple procedure to remove it but a few months later the cancer spread (stage 3b) to the rest of my pancreas and I had to have my entire pancreas removed (which is what made me a type one diabetic). Total I had my pancreas removed as well as my gallbladder, spleen, my small intestine, some of my stomach, and some of my liver.

Life is so hard now since the surgeries but I’m alive! I’ve been cancer free for almost 7 years!

Kind of long but... About 10 years ago, when I was about 60, the wife came down with an unusual week-long sickness. Luckily she was well enough to go on our vacation after getting better. So off we went, and day by day I was feeling much worse. Made it through the vacation. Went back to work feeling very bad- I never get sick. After 3 days I sat in my service truck and couldn't eat my lunch. On the way home I stopped in a DocInABox. My blood sugar was off the end of their measurement. She couldn't believe I was still walking. Off to the hospital ER for an IV drip of Insulin for like 8 hours. Went back to ER the next day as my glucose was still over 300. Was diagnosed at that time as T2D. Now, 10 years later with incompetent medical professionals, finally figured out for the last 3 years I'

Pretty gross answer but I could never go 2 hours without having to pee. Often less than 2 hours. Noticed it had a sweet smell and attracted flies. Figured that had to mean something.

i never never had any symptoms. i still don’t. i went to the doctor for an antibiotic. i have asthma so my colds settles in my lungs. i was coughing like i smoked three packs a day. he ordered bloodwork instead. to this day, i don’t know why lol. i was 24 and never had bloodwork done before. i left with a diagnosis and no antibiotic. the original issue wasn’t even addressed lol

Started getting really thirsty so I was drinking soooo much water and consequently running to the bathroom all the time. That and my vision got unexplainably near sighted. Went to the doctor to see what was up.

And that’s how I found out at 34 I was diabetic. Doc said I was type 2 and put me on Mounjaro. 3.5 months and 70 lost pounds later I was in the ER for DKA, apparently on the verge of a coma.

So that’s how I found out I was actually type 1! Yippee.

I hadn’t had a physical and lab work done for about 10 years and my mom kept bugging me to get one almost everytime I saw her so I finally ended up scheduling one. I remember getting the call a few days later and then telling me I’m Type 2 while I was about to finish my second nos energy drink for the day 😂 I can’t imagine how high my levels were that day. Moral of the story always listen to your mom no matter how old you are.

Frequent urination. Like it got to a sudden urge 2x an hour sometimes. Then, I was working in my little backyard garden and the urge to pee hit me so fast I didn’t think I’d make it in the house, so I peed in a bare corner of the garden. The next day the ground there was white and covered in flies. It looked like powdered sugar. It basically was sugar from my urine.

Too much bathroom breaks. WAY too much water. T1 &. T2 both run on both sides of my family. Figured I should get retested as it had been 12 years.

The “4 T’s” of type 1. Quite quick onset went from athlete to crawling up a single set of stairs with my arms because my legs wouldn’t work properly in about 8 weeks. Extensive and unintended weight loss (imagine the typical marathon runner type body which was my normal and then imagine an emaciated skeleton with people flat out asking if I had anorexia), urinating hourly day and night, unbelievable thirst and dehydration, so tired I’d nap for 3 hours to try to stay awake for 2 hours just before diagnosis. Then the vomiting and kussmaul breathing. Yeah not fun. Fast onset of symptoms and there you go. Other fun things my skin was incredibly dry and ripping on the hands, started to look yellow and hair loss suddenly. Lots of things went wrong because the first doc ignored my symptoms when I

67 M no symptoms at all. I had my physical and my fasting blood sugar was 150. Lost 20 pounds in three months. BS down to 95.

Rechecked 6 months later and my A1C was 7.1

Now on metformin, but never had and still don't have any obvious signs of diabetes.

Tingling on my fingers and my ex fiance noticing that I pee too much and get too hungry often.

That was 10 years ago, as a matter of fact. I was 19 years old when I was diagnosed with MODY.

I had randomly lost hearing in my right ear. I was walking my dog one night before bed, there was a loud ringing and pain. I chalked it up to the cold air and I went to bed.

When I woke up the next morning I couldn't hear anything. Being me I assumed it was built up ear wax and tried to move on with my life

After a few days of not being able to hear I mentioned it while I was at an allergy appointment, thinking it might be allergy related. It was not allergy related.

They sent me to an audiologist, ran some tests and determined how bad my hearing loss was. We chose an aggressive treatment plan, oral steroids and antibiotics to stave off any possible infection, steroid injections into my ear drum to help stimulate nerve regrowth, and several dives in a hyperbaric chamber to help nerve

Lost 30lbs in 3 months while eating 3000-3500 calories a day.

Polyuria, excessive thirst, neurological symptoms like tingling in feet, brain fog,  confusion, dizziness. I got dizzy and fell down a flight of stairs, got tested and diagnosed while in the hospital.

Panic attacks, felt like I was dying, headache that wouldn't go away.

Generally anxious.

Super weird way to get diagnosed! But that's what did it.

Hospital scare with blurry eyes - diabetic retinopathy

Woke up blind, after an urgent care visit sent me to an eye doctor. Dr told me they didn't believe I woke up blind, so had a row with them. Instead of an immediate bs draw (this was how much they didn't believe me and were just dumb) they had me do a fasting glucose test the next day. Dr office called, put me on immediate meds and I had the next available appointment the next morning with my pcp.

Had boils up and down the side of my left leg and back. Went to the emergency room to get the one on my back lanced. Doctor notice that i was running a high body temp in a hospital where everything is kept cold. He ordered some lab work. An hour later, I was informed that I was going to stay at the hospital on the state of oregon's dime for the first 5 days of 2022. They dumped insulin into me for three days to get my glucose down to what was deemed safe.

I was doing the physical for the military. They told me my blood pressure was high. I had a doctor's appointment for a bp test she told me to do a blood work and that's what led to my diagnosis at 20.

I get bloodwork done every 3 months for hormone monitoring as a part of trans care. My doctor figured it would be a good idea to bundle A1C, CBC, and lipids into that. one month noticed that A1c was above 6.5 and that warranted more tests, and ultimately a diagnosis

Got Covid in October of 2020. Never got my energy that I had before, back. Went to the doctor that following February. Found out I had an a1c of 9.8. The rest is history.

I was at work when the chest pain started. I thought it was acid or heart burn, so I went home took an antacid with some juice and went to sleep. I woke up and the pain was wrapped around my spine, and I was super thirsty. When I drank, I could feel the cold move through the pain, and it felt like I was dieing. I went to urgent care and found out that if you tell them you have chest pains they move you infront of literally everyone. They told me that my glucose was at 367 and my a1c was at 11.5. My chest pain eased up and they sent me home with pills and a new diagnosis. I was there for 5 hours while they pumped me full of saline and insulin.

Except they hadn't done anything about the chest pain, which came back as I was walking out with my medication. Uc was closed by then so I had to go

I was getting bloodwork done after my kidney transplant. Type 2 diabetes can arise due to anti rejection meds. So they check glucose. About 2 1/2 months post tx, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

American health care here. I wound up lost on the Appalachian trail with my private school for 4 days longer than expected. I drank all of my water, then hijacked someone else's filter thing and began drinking water puddles. On the 5th day we found a cabin or ranger or something to lead us out. On the 3 hour ride home I needed to pee every 30 minutes. Finally they were like "just hold it" so I pissed myself in the back of the Pastors van. Still took 2 weeks to see a doctor.

I had no real symptoms. My oncologist caught it the first time on a routine blood test at 9.4.

My GP thought it was just from being in prednisone for the swelling so took me off sitagliptin once my A1c was normal.

Thought everything was normal and went to my oncologist again. My glucose that day was 23.

There were a bunch of other issues but they finally put me in long lasting insulin and now I’m stable.

Never felt an if the symptoms so now I have a cgm to make sure it is monitored because I can’t tell.

I should let you know these are Canadian measurements. I’m not sure how to translate so if someone can help with that I would appreciate it.

I had been getting more and more exhausted, to the point where I could barely function and had to spend about an hour getting myself psyched up just to get out of bed.

I'd been hooking up with this guy and he'd spent the night, the next morning he found me kneeling in the shower, sobbing from exhaustion. He helped me get around, then drove me to the urgent care and ensured they saw me ASAP.

Within roughly 20 minutes, they'd diagnosed me.

And we've been married 20 years.

I was diagnosed just from my annual blood work.  It really has not changed my life, although it makes me watch what I eat, which is good for me.  I have lost over 40 pounds.

I felt like I couldn't quite catch my breath, like something was wrong with my lungs?? My doctor, to his credit, did believe me and sent me for a chest x-ray, but also sent for blood work just in case. The X-ray was clear, but my A1C was 6.7, just a bit over prediabetic/into diabetic territory. I still notice that feeling when I'm spiking higher than usual. I don't know anyone else who has mentioned feeling this way in relation to diabetes, so I figured I'd share!

My ex MIL was diagnosed after a really bad day sent her to the hospital. I had similar symptoms to what she went to the hospital for. Then I got a very bad infection, that sent me to the hospital, and landed me my type 2 diagnosis. That was in 2008 I believe.

I have gout and it keep flaring up and the doctor at that i just started seeing did a full blood work and put me on metformin..

I got a new doctor and he wanted to do basic tests for us becoming his patient to get a baseline on us and he was like yo dude you have diabetes basically that's how it went and I was like what the hell I've never been told I had diabetes before then it all clicked into place some of the symptoms I've been having that I put down to old age considering I was nearing 40 and yada yada yada.

Was at the dentist and blood pressure was extremely high and it snowballed from there,. I was sure to tell the hygienist that she started a bunch of shit.

Got denied a life insurance policy due to high A1C..went to doc to get official diagnosis.

Looking bad I used to pee like crazy

I did appt every year just to get birth control. Apparently Didnt study enough for the blood tests….

Yeast infection that would NOT QUIT.

I couldn’t gain weight.

Spouse has it, found out while trying to get life insurance. It was so high they called him ASAP and told him to see doctor asap

Great question Op,tingling sensations and peeing many times than usual,increasing eye sight,high bp.

I was like 11 and my mom (she’s a diabetic aswell) noticed that I was drinking and peeing all day long. That continued for like 2/3 weeks until she finally decided to do a finger poke, we got the results and saw it was 30.3 mmol (like 545 mg/dl I believe) the next day we booked an appointment at a GP, and they called back 30 minutes after we got home and told we needed to go to the hospital ASAP.🫠

I had no symptoms whatsoever. I was diagnosed at age 47 when I had a general bloodwork test because they were testing for something else.

The next morning at 9 am, I got a frantic phone call from my doctor's office. My blood level was 16.5 mmol.

I had a large eyeball sized cyst cut out of my back. It was huge and couldn’t be sewn up and had to be packed. After two weeks i went for a check with the nurse at the GP. She was like ok, I’ll just get the doc for a quick look.

He said “yep not too bad considering it’s only a few days old”. I said “2 weeks” and he got a 👀 on his face and said “hmm I’d like to check your blood sugars”

14.5mmol (Australia), booked for a blood test next day and HBA1C was 9.5 and here’s your life membership to Diabeetus Club.

An infection that did not respond to OTC treatments. Went to the doctor for that, and left with an A1C of 14.1, plus an antibiotic for the infection which cleared it right up.

I was in the hospital after being misdiagnosed with a blood disease when it was discovered I was diabetic....I had no idea. I was always thirsty but didn't know that was a symptom of diabetes.

T2 runs rampant moons adults on father’s size of the family. And when an aunt from father’s side called my mother and told her to tell us kids to get tested, i did.

Honestly I was blindsided because I was very active and a healthy eating. It was during my annual 2 years ago my A1c came back prediabetic. Came to find out most of my paternal family had struggled but all failed to mention it until i started complaining

Seeing an endo for another problem. Sugar checks routine each visit. Over 10 yrs watched it progress from fine to prediabetic to full blown diabetic.

38 yo male, T1. Had a lingering hunch that I might have been slightly diabetic for a few months Typical always thirsty, etc. I came down with what I thought was stomach bug that my house had the day before. Puked all day and got to where it was every 30 min. Thought I just needed an iv and anti nausea meds. Found out I was 600 and on the verge of full dka. Blood tests confirmed antibodies of T1. Looking back my pancreas probably started its store closing sale a year before that.

got covid, heart rate was fast, unquenchable thirst. doctor sent me to a cardiologist and the cardiologist ordered testing. boom blood sugar of 270

My case was due to my hypertension that was suffering my body for a whole week that lead me to urgent doctor visit. Then proceeding to tell them I had not done a blood test in 10 years at the time.

After that they asked me to come in and tell me I suffer high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. So if it wasn’t for my high blood pressure I would’ve never known about my diabetes that was getting out of control and causing me vision problems when I would wake up. Turns out a lot of the stuff I had was due to my diabetes.

It’s been a year since then and been trying my best to get into remission.

I had no idea. Hindsight I should have recognized a few symptoms, but mine were totally mild. I just went for a regular checkup after not having one since before covid. I was pre-diabetic before I got covid. Diabetic after. Doctor doesn't seem to think it is related, but I do.

I was about 13 at the time, and my mother noticed i started taking water to bed, so she took me to get checked.

My 'depressive' symptoms were not getting better so my psychiatrist made me do a bunch of blood tests, otherwise I wouldn't have known (diagnosed prediabetic at 21, diabetic at 22, type 2).

My vision started to get blurry. My gf at the time suggested I go get it checked out. Turned out my blood sugar level was high.

It's good you're not looking for medical advice, because we're not doctors and don't give it.

With that out of the way:

It's good you don't want your life to change, because ignoring symptoms works pretty well for most of us.

Why are your nosy diabetic friends and family asking you to get checked out? What are your symptoms, buubie?

I already knew for about 2 weeks before being diagnosed. I was so thirsty. I couldnt get enough. Finally I just started to feel run down so I checked my sugar and it was 576. Diagnosed then and spent 2 days in the hospital.

I had to pee every 20 minutes. I couldn’t drink enough water. I’d have a glass and immediately want another. I was drinking 180oz/day and still parched. At night I had to play the game of deciding to be thirsty or risk pissing the bed. It got worse over the course of a couple months. It finally became too much to keep hoping it would just get better. I called the doctor and they ran labs. The results were what we expected and I got referred to an endocrinologist who ran more labs. My diagnosis went from T2 to T1.5 to T1 over the course of a few weeks as tests were taken and the results came in.

You can go purchase a glucose meter and test strips. You can stick your finger fasted in the morning. The results should be telling.

It was pretty much out of the blue. A few years ago, my doctor at the time asked me to pay attention to my sugar intake but did not insist so, I sort of disregarded it. Cue to this June where I did a routine blood check and my doctor has me come to his office to announce that my glycaemia was way too high, that I probably had diabetes and needed to see an endocrinologist ASAP. I got lucky and was seen two weeks later with 412 glycaemia and 11,7 A1C. I was diagnosed as T2 that day and started on Metformin and insulin right away and I changed my habbits. I had no symptoms whatsoever. Apart from feeling tired often during the day but that could be from anything! In fact, it was my high sugar making me feel sluggish. Now, my average blood sugar is 85 and A1C is around 5,5 so, not bad in a few

I woke up with severe double vision one day, went to the doctors to get my eye tested and it was perfectly fine. Doctor rested my sugar and I was at 35mmol (630 for Americans)

I was hypoglycemic for years, & eating all the wrong things for a quick fix. Then diagnosed with T2D several years later. (I had gestational diabetes with my 2nd child - which they said was a clue of what was going to come down the pipeline later in life). My A1C was 12.8% - so my daily numbers were in the 300's-400's. I went pretty strict keto right off the bat, and on days 3 & 4 I got the "keto flu", for about 2-3 days but I kept at it, keeping my carbs <10g per day & only drinking electrolytes (those are extremely important!), water & a bulletproof (look it up!) decaf coffee in the morning (bulletproof tea will work too - these help curb hunger sensations). I never took any diabetic medication, I told my Dr I wanted to try to fix it naturally. If I ever felt like I was slightly hypoglyc

I was going to the bathroom more than usual and my pee seemed odd (don’t know how to explain it). Eventually I got into an unrelated car accident and when my blood work came back, my blood sugar was in the 300s

Routine bloodwork saw my blood sugar in the mid 300s. Got my A1C tested and it was 11. Since then I’ve been put on Metformin and Jardiance and I’ve made lots of lifestyle changes - mainly cutting out soda. I’m sitting at an A1C of 6.1 about a year and a half after diagnosis.

It’s gonna sounds very dumb but it’s because of watermelon. One day I ate watermelon and I was feeling thirsty after. Then I remembered almost everyone in my family got diabetes, and I got scared.

I had no classic symptoms but my partner had GD during pregnancy and I was playing around with her BG reader one day and got like a 25mmol reading. It still took me about 18 months to go see a doctor about it and within a week I was officially diagnosed. Started off with an a1c of 101 at the end of last year and I'm 34 now as of about a week ago.

Only diagnosed a year and a half ago at 23. I think I've been tested several times for it over the years because I've always been fat lol. Noticed I was peeing more and more thirsty and healing slower so I talked to my GP about it and that was about it.

I went into DKA. Woke up in the ER and was told at that time. Worst way to find out. The ICU is not fun. Not fun at all.

My brother was diabetic for years and luckily my mum caught on really quick what was happening.

I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic.

I have hypothyroidism and would get labwork and a checkup once a year because of that. I was told I was pre-diabetic before but didn’t change enough I guess because next checkup I was diabetic. My A1c was 7. Looking back I had symptoms.

I had kids.... both successful pregnancies were GDM. A1Cs came back down after #1, had a miscarriage in between, and then my A1Cs didn't bounce back after my 2nd. Although I'm pretty athletic, I always had a higher risk of developing T2D due to genetic factors.

My kidneys were damaged and my hands were swelling, painfully. My nephrologist diagnosed me and said it was affecting my kidneys. My kidney disease preceded the diabetes.

I suspected I had it because of toe pain and being sleepy after high carb meals but avoided bloodwork until insurance gave me an ultimatum to get tested. The day I got blood drawn I got my last Reese’s pb cub blizzard from dq knowing what was coming lol

I actually didn’t think about it. The year before my diagnosis I was pre-diabetic. The next year on my annual physical, my blood sugar was 395. They called me in to do an a1c and it was 11.9!

I was diagnosed in May of 2025. I went to my family doctor asking to restart ADHD meds. She said she wanted a blood panel, as I hadn’t had one since 2019. This was a Friday morning, I immediately went and got my blood work done and on Saturday morning my family doctor was calling me off-hours to tell me that my blood glucose was 30.9 and my A1C was 10.6. She told me to go to the hospital because of the extremely high reading in my glucose. I hadn’t eaten yet, so I went to the hospital and got a fasting blood glucose which was 14.7. Needless to say I started Metformin and Jardiance immediately. In October, I did follow up bloodwork and my A1C is down to 7.0.

Thirst, excessive peeing for sure. Co workers, asking me, about weight loss. Losing feeling in my feet. Ultimately, my Dr visit -A1C over 11 was the final news. Diagnosis of being Type 2. Damn, that was a punch to the gut.

Couldnt read the beamer at school (never needed glasses beforehand) Also the 6 days of extreme thirst before that happened

Almost put in a coma, almost completely unconscious lying down in the bathtub in our house unable to move and unable to speak lol

I had to pee a lot but it was headaches for me. I still get the headaches if my bs goes above 180.

I had the usual symptoms for a long time (years), excess peeing, constant thirst, etc. I started to get tired more easily, that happened a little slower, to the point where I was sleeping a lot, never had energy, had no gumption to do anything (I was always productive, hard working, and looking for new things to learn to do). I found no pleasure or joy in life anymore. After a long while of this, I started noticing some edema. It got worse, my wife noticed it too. She made me see a doctor. BP was 210/120, had severe pitting edema, possibly congestive heart failure, fasting BG was around 350-400, a1c was 12, and I was in stage 4 kidney failure. I waited too long to see the doctor. That was spring of 2023.

Now, things are better than they were. Average BG is now 95-130, a1c at last check w

I was 26. We had been trying to get pregnant for awhile and I had a checkup with my gyno. She did a routine pee test which prompted a finger stick, and my blood sugar was in the 300s. I had not noticed any new symptoms prior to this, but I wasn't overly surprised. T2 majorly runs in my family.

My dad was going to kick me out if the house because I was urinating too much and he thought I was pregnant at 18 (shortly after entering my first relationship). I went ti get tested at a free clinic. Not pregnant. Just diabetic.

I had a stubborn yeast infection that wouldn’t go away. My doctor tested my A1C “just to be safe” because of family history and it came back at 11.5. In hindsight, for 4-6 months prior to that test, I was thirsty all the time, peeing a lot, always tired, constant headaches … I just didn’t notice the pattern until after the fact.

56m here and diagnosed with LADA at 49. I'm 5'10", and I went from 163 to 133 lb in 3 months with no change in diet. I was drinking gallons of water a day and I'd wake up in the night parched, and water tasted way too good when I drank it. My GP was brilliant, as most LADA go months to years being misdiagnosed as Type 2. He said: 50, white, skinny. With your symptoms, I'll bet you're a late onset Type 1 diabetic, and got me on insulin that day at a 12+ A1HC. I'm now 3.4 A1HC with 90% in range blood sugar between 70-140. My Endo says I have better numbers than some non-diabetics, thanks to my wife's support. Hope that helps and I hope you're ok.

March 2020 I was diagnosed. Frequent urination, like hourly, and urine smelled sweet, unquenchable thirst, half a dozen Powerades was normal, it felt like every hour not working was spent sleeping, hair loss, which was shocking for a 65 yo woman.

I was so exhausted that I was falling asleep in my car at stoplights, and taking naps on my lunch and as soon as I got home from work just to function. I went in thinking I had sleep apnea and left with an A1C of 11.4.

I was always tired and lost a little weight; I thought I had low testosterone. A1c was 10 something but now it’s down to the low 5s

Bloodwork during an emergency room visit for an unrelated issue.

Had a few days of extreme thirst, constant urination, blurry vision, feeling out of it, and like my blood was electric.

Went in to get it checked out and my blood glucose levels were 900+

Spent four days in the emergency room. Doctor thinks I was probably undiagnosed for years

I was actually in denial for probably a couple of years, my sister was in me to get checked out. The constant peeing, unexplained weight loss (that one didn't bother me much), eyesight changes. Final straw was went to health department to get my pap, nurse said I had "a raging yeast infection" and she'd bet her salary I had diabetes. I was unaware that I had a yeast infection, I did notice any symptoms. Finally went to the doctor, was misdiagnosed as Type 2, doctor didn't do any tests besides A1c, just went by my age, 38, and I was 30 lbs overweight. Spent 2 years under that dx, learned about LADA, new doc, still had to practically beg for proper tests, and yep Type 1. I'm surprised I never went into DKA.

I was undergoing tests on my liver in 2024 and 2025 Turns out I have a fatty liver and type 2 diabetes. Then I had a neck MRI and got the surprise of an enlarged thyroid. I really want 2026 to be better

I drank at least a quart of water every waking hour. It went right through me. I woke up at least once a night to pee. I was 19-20 years old and had to take a nap every afternoon (no energy). Most significantly, I lost about 80 pounds without dieting.

My sister thought I developed an ED but didn't think to do anything about it. I just wasn't questioning my wonderful new metabolism.

I was diagnosed at 36 after getting pancreatitis. My A1C was at 10.8. It was a surprise cause my A1C was in normal range 6 months before (admittedly high edge of normal).

However, I'd been having diabetes related symptoms for years beforehand which disappeared after getting diagnosed, changing diet and taking prescribed metformin (a common diabetes drug). Extreme thirst, constant peeing, fungal infection, cramping, and a shift in my body odor noticed by my ex. I was also having dizzy spells I now know was low blood sugar following carb heavy meals.

Even if you get good numbers back, I think it's worth making any needed changes if you're experiencing any symptoms because your body will probably be struggling before it's noticeable in your labs.

I had the usual things like thirst, craving sugar, etc. but the final straw was unexplained weight loss.

Was chugging soda and fruit juices like crazy - always thirsty. Had increased my weight by 30+ pounds over a very short period of time (not normal for me) and was sleeping at weird times throughout the day. Would even drive home from work in the middle of the day and sleep for two hours then go back to work. Peeling constantly too. When my doctor finally saw me he did a glucose test strip test and I was at 28. Not good! Immediately put me on Metformin and booked me an endo appointment.

About 2 years ago I went to my doctor for a supposed yeast infection and they had me pee in a cup to run an analysis. The doc came back saying there was so much glucose in my urine and that they should do bloodwork. My A1C came back at 9.9 and they started me on metformin. With that I’ve been able to keep my A1C around 6.1 but striving to lower it some more over this next year. I had no symptoms, no frequent urination or weight loss, nothing that could be attributed to diabetes right off the bat. Now as I look back I can pin point some things like being extra extra tired after carb heavy meals but that’s really it

I’m type 2 with no previous symptoms. Was in a minor car accident and needed to see a doctor due to insurance policy. My doctor took one look at me( plus sized), ignored that I told him I have a clicking in my neck when I turn and ordered blood tests. It came back that my sugar was high. He berated me and called me dumb and said the car accident was the least of my worries. He set me up with medication and blood reader equipment. Was not my proudest moment but I feel I’ve come a long way since then. This was almost 3 years ago and I’m now doing a whole lot better as my A1C has lowered and I’m managing it now.

I've been thirsty FOR YEARS. My mom always thought something was up and even suspected diabetes a couple of times, but my test results always came back normal. I always went to bed with a glass of water on my nightstand and i got up every night to pee. Fast forward in 2023 where I was loosing my hair like crazy in the shower AND I was eating for 5 while losing weight. I almost had to beg my doctor to do a check up cause something felt off. My weight was at its lowest since at least 20 years and I didn't like what I saw, and doc said i had a "healthy" weight. PLEASE. Well some blood test later she called me and said I have diabetes and need to go to the ER right away. My BS was so high the nurse almost fainted when she did a finger prick. Admitted to the hospital and stayed for 4 days, they

I got diagnosed in 2020. It was a really shitty week before my diagnosis, loosing my first ever dog and really sick. I had lost almost 30 pounds in a month while constantly eating and drinking. My primary dr ran those tests to see if it was type one or two and turns out I’m type 1.5 (a mix of both). Anyway they prescribed me 7 units of insulin a meal and sent me home with no other information. Ended up in the hospital and got proper treatment and schooling on diabetes there.

Had 3 UTIs in a month. Doc checked my A1C just in case: prediabetic.

A few months later I insisted on rechecking, thought some life/health events might have inflated it temporarily. Diabetic

the fact that i was working out 5 days a week, eating healthier and got a lot more sleep for an entire 6 months and the pounds still didn’t move.

I had gestational diabetes with my second pregnancy, and I have diabetic relatives on both sides. So it was not a total surprise when my ophthalmologist noticed (diabetic) retinopathy during an annual eye exam (I was in my mid forties).He alerted my doctor, and she ordered the tests. I've been a type 2 diabetic for 20 years. I

Eating like I’ve never seen food, feet and hands were horribly tingly when I would wake up

I was diagnosed at age 59 (I am now 65). Diabetes runs strong down my mother's side of the family. Literally everyone had it. So for me, it was not a matter of "if" I was going to get it, but "when." I have been waiting for that other shoe to drop for years. I finally went to the doctor when I had weighed myself before the Christmas holidays and then again after New Years and discovered that I had lost like 3 pounds. There was no way that could have happened because, like many people, I really overindulged in all the goodies over the holidays. I had also easily lost like 10 pounds before that without even trying. I knew right then and there that something was wrong. I also looked back and realized that I was drinking a lot of water and also urinating a lot. Sure enough, when the A1c result

Recurrent yeast infections. As I was getting meds for my fourth in six months, I asked if they had any idea why it wouldn’t just go away. They asked if anyone called after the last visit to talk to be about my glucose. Turns out it was high then and the in office finger stick came back at 370+.

I had absolutely zero symptoms. I had my first PCP visit in probably a decade when the ACA happened. Dr drew blood as part of that. A1c was ~13. I think that was probably 10 or 11 years ago.

Diagnosed in my late 60s through routine bloodwork by my pcp.

I was 17 Had all the symptoms, thirst thinner fruity breathe etc was walking to college(highschool in america) one day and felt super dizzy like i was about to faint and so i turnt back and went home, i told my Aunt that i felt like i was going to faint and she told me to ring 111(UK non emergency line) so i did and they thought i was having a stroke i thought it was low iron, went to the hospital and my heart rate was 250bpm they did an ECG and nothing showed up other than tachycardia. Dr had an idea to do a blood test so they did and he came in the room a couple hours later and told me verbatim “you have an incurable disease, youll need medication for life” i had no idea what he was on about so a nurse told me i had Type 1 diabetes.

Zero symptoms. I have to use alarms to remind myself to drink water. I can go more than a day without peeing- once went 3 days as a kid to avoid having to use a pit toilet😷. A1c was 11.5 at diagnosis last March. Last A1c was 5.2 -probably a bit high from aftermath of surgery.

Pee

Extremely thirsty, peeing a lot. But what really did it was my vision going gradually blurry to where i couldnt even make out icons on my phone or see details in my kids’ faces. I called eye doctor and they told me to go to ER. A1c 12.6. This was summer 2024. Now its at 5.4. Controlled by diet, exercise and berberine.

I was having debilitating stomach aches and went to see a gastroenterologist. I was also losing weight rapidly but I was exercising a lot (dancing, yoga, hiking). The gastro did ultrasounds and thought it was my gall bladder causing the stomach issues. He did blood work then sent me to an endo. Told I was T2 at 28. Stomach aches went away after starting medication. So weird!

I was under a lot of stress at work and concerned that my blood pressure was all over the place (normal one day and high the next). Scheduled my routine physical to discuss this with my doctor. he did routine bloodwork that led to my diagnosis. This was back in October. My previous bloodwork was normal. I had no symptoms but I do have family history and I learned that stress can tip the scales.

Had an eye test, paid the extra £10 for the eye scan because why not, best to have it and they find nothing than miss something right?

Oh, you’ve got a tiny bleed on your left eye we are gonna send you for a blood test.

Bam, diagnosed type 2.

No symptoms other than being thirsty a lot but I used to often forget to drink (adhd brain) so I put it down to that

I don't think I really had any symptoms. They found it during my blood work they do every 3 months. T2D runs in the family, so I guess I wasn't that surprised. I am so bad at eating the wrong things still. I made it about 3 months eating diabetic recipes I found on an app then stopped for some reason. Even while eating those recipes my BS was over 160. Now, it is usually in the low 200s fasting, about 2 to 3 hours after waking up. I am on Jardiance and Januvia.

Drove myself to the ER near death not realizing how bad of shape I was actually in (DKA).

Our son was sick then would be peeing every 10-15 min, wetting the bed again at night, and he’d wake up and stick his head under the sink to drink because he was so thirsty. He was also eating a ton but had lost about 10-11 lbs, he was 4 so it was very noticeable. We took him in a few days later and he had an A1C of 14.

My story is totally atypical - my husband was diagnosed T2 with high fasting glucose (435 and such). He was having issues testing his blood sugars - so I had a meter my Mother was no longer using. And I decided to demonstrate how easy it is to take your fasting numbers - and what do you know, I was over 200 - fasting. So the next day, I tested again, and again over 200. So, I called my HMO and pushed for a morning appointment with any of the internal med docs. Went in with my facts, he put in a request for a fasting blood draw. Thus led to my T2 diagnosis.... Now, my husband is diet/exercise controlled (low carb and such), me I'm transitioning to insulin after 20 years.

My one piece of advice for you is to start tracking your eating patterns. What you eat and when, staying hydrate

Kinda graphic, you’ve been warned.

As others have said the incontinence was a sign but what really got me to seek help was after a meal I felt sick to my stomach. I went to vomit and instead of what you’d expect it was blood. Immediately called an ambulance. I was hospitilized for almost a week from DKA

Coworker has type one. She suggested we test my glucose because it was a slow night in the kitchen. The meter said it was 500. She suggested I call my doctor asap

My stomach felt uncomfortable, thought it was hyperacidity. The next day I kept vomiting, couldn’t keep anything down, even water. Thought it would pass so I just went to bed. Felt so weak when I woke up so I asked my parents to bring me to the ER just for fluids cause I thought I was just super dehydrated. Turns out it was DKA already 🤪

I was so dehydrated that my tongue was turning white and cracking. Also when I drank water it tasted extremely sweet or bitter and I was so thirsty for water.

Mother had type 1 at 29. Sister had hypoglycemia early 20s. Then, peeing a lot. Weight gain. Fatigue, fatigue, fatigue which could have been menopausal....I should be so lucky. I did wind up with type 2 which is somewhat easier to handle than type 1. Good luck with your own journey!

I knew I was diabetic but just ignored it. It’s easy to get blood tests and know where you are - I got to the point where I had to take some insulin. I don’t wanna take that - so I got really serious about my diet. I also am on Mounjaro. I’m getting another blood test done to check my ac1 and I’m sorta excited to see the change. I expect it to go down significantly.

I suffer from food noise so I’d get real angry about food restrictions - but now it’s mostly gone. I don’t care about food, I don’t even want foods I used to love. And I crave fresh veggies like some freak. :

It’s always better to know than not. Sending you good vibes.

Went to my doc for shakiness (I’m a graphic designer so it was affecting my working when it came to sketching/designing by hand). Doc had me see an endocrinologist for possible thyroid issues. Endo had me do bloodwork, bloodwork revealed my elevated A1C - type 2… most likely genetic from my mom.

At 24 I recently was diagnosed. I went because I developed a yeast infection, the infection went away with topical medicine but the painful peeing did not, so I went in again to check what the issue was and surely enough the doctor in the urgent care told me it was type 2 diabetes.

I did my research and I found out symptoms I was going through for a very long time. Some of that was a constant sleepy and fatigued mental state, I couldn’t rest enough. Than came the onset of more common symptoms like I could not stop peeing, I was peeing so much that I noticed I would wake up two to three times throughout the night to go pee — something I never did, even as a child.

The feeling of being thirsty was aggressive, I feel like i could not have enough to drink or to quench my thirst, of course

I didn't seek out a diagnosis. I carry a CDL and because of aFib I have to renew my medical exam yearly. One of the tests they do is a urine stick for sugar. I had seen the same doctor 11 months earlier. No problems at all. This time the nurse came trotting back in and stabbed my finger and asked me if it hurt when I peed. I told her it didn't and she trotted back out with my blood sample on the test cartridge. It was an a1c in office test. My a1c was 12.? And I had a raging UTI. I started insulin 3 days later, and metformin (that went in the trash 3 days after I started it!) I lost my CDL that day, although I can reclaim it now that I am off of insulin. Mounjaro stabilized everything and I've been off insulin over 2 years and my a1c was 5.6 at my last bloodwork.

ETA: The DX blindsided me

Honestly it took me until I had a mental break back in 2018 to get my diagnosis.

I just remember waking up in a hospital after my (tw si) >! suicide attempt !< and being told that I also had to start taking meds to control my sugars from now on and iirc I started with 12.8. I got it down to 6.6, but my last test went up to 7.1 because of some other reasons.

I was diagnosed with the "flu" (was actually acute meningitis). I was drinking alot, peeing alot.

In the end my body started shutting down. 2 wks in a coma, 2 wks learning about injections, carbs etc

I had to get blood work for an unrelated thing. They flagged my super-high glucose and asked me to see a doctor/get tested for diabetes. Testing was just more blood work, including A1C, and a urine sample.

This is interesting. I had normal blood work at one point showed a1c 5.4. Dr basically said to watch my diet, pre diabetic etc. several years past and then I got another regular blood panel this time it should 6.7. A1C. They recommended metformin I didn’t wanna take it so I took it for about a month and didn’t like the side effects. Start to stop taking it changed my diet and tested again in about six months and it was down to 5.2. I was several years ago, haven’t been tested in last couple years but I’ve been eating not great for probably the last six months and the one thing I noticed not so much urination or thirst problems but I literally will get so tired after I eat sweets or heavy carbs not just tired but literally feels like if I’m sitting on the couch almost feel like I’m just pas

I was in the hospital for an appendectomy, and it wasn't healing right. The hospital did a blood draw and found I had an A1C of 9!

Routine physical. A1C came back at 12.5

Got a GP for the first time in a ten years. Had some blood work done and he told me I was diabetic. A1C was 10.8, managed to drop it to 5.6 in 6 months.

Drinks going right through my. 3 litres gone in a very short time. Went school, did my day and was normal for me to hang out in the library. For the life of me, can't remember the book but either way, the symptoms matched.

Went home and told mum "I think I have diabetes". Next day saw the GP on the way to the movies. Well, never made it to the movies. I went straight to hospital for a week. Stuck beside a little girl also mid diagnosis and crying 24/7. It was a long week.

That was over 20odd years ago.

I almost got diagnosed last year again because somehow the information of being type 1 never made it past triage. They took bloods and doctor took me aside and said we needed to do more checks. He started asking about if I had increased toilet trips, losing weight, feeling tired more than

I was diagnosed fairly early at age 14. I went to the doctor for lethargy, nausea, and a burning sensation when I urinated. When the urinalysis came back he simply said, you have 500g/dL in your urine and you need to go the hospital. Keep in mind, I knew nothing about diabetes. On the way to the hospital I receive a message from one of my courses about the topic of the lecture, “Living With Diabetes.” That foreshadowing still makes me laugh. So, the overall lesson was don’t just assume you have a UTI when you have PU/PD, because cranberry juice won’t help at all 😂

Diagnosed with a different issue and this is often part of that issue. Was not having classic signs when I became insulin resistant.

I wish I had better education for T2D. If you think this is your issue Dr Fung has some great books out (The Diabetes Code) and there is a wonderful Ted talk by Sarah Hallburg.

Good luck!

Was peeing like crazy. And also my throat and mouth area was burning so bad even drinking water didn’t help it made it worse, i think that’s the worse uneasy pain i ever felt, i also threw up so much and when they took me my sugar was like 700

I was having problems seeing. My kids race at a dirt track and that night driving home I just thought the track was dry and i had dirt in my eyes. Then the next day I put the TV on and I couldn’t see anything clearly. Everything was blurry. I went to the eye doctors the next day and she had my call my doctor as soon as I walked out of her office. She said for my eye sight to change that much my blood sugar must be very high. After getting my blood work back A1C 11.4 and my glucose 371. Very scary to lose your sight. It took about a month for me to start seeing clear again.

I felt totally fine. I didn’t feel like I was drinking water or peeing more. I. Felt. Totally. Fine. Until I got my blood work at the doc and my A1C was 13.

Peed 1000x times day. Was driving a vehicle for work and would be afraid to get stuck in traffic. Drymouth and thirsty all the time as well. Had a blood test. Cane back T2 I was 32 at the time. That was over 30 years ago

Also FWIW mt father was diagnosed t2 at age 32 as well

Last week I was having acid reflux so bad it felt like I was being stabbed in the back, While I was there the doctor wanted to do some routine blood work since it's been a really long time of being uninsured since I last had any done. Glucose was around 200 and A1C was at 8.4 so she broke the bad news and immediately put me on Mounjaro and now I'm just trying to get my shit together and take better care of myself.

Initially started as constant dehydration and constipation, followed by constantly having to get up and urinate in the middle of the night and tingling in the toes. On a hunch, I purchased a glucose meter, gave myself a blood test, which came out to close to 20 mmol, so I promptly set up an urgent appointment with my PCP the next day to get a proper hba1c test.