At My Diabetes Home, we’re committed to the healthy management of diabetes for adults. It’s important to remember, though, that successful diabetes management begins with recognizing symptoms and making an early diagnosis.

Spotting an illness sounds easy enough, but for a lot of Americans, diabetes goes unchecked or unrecognized for a long time. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), nearly 6 million people in the United States live with undiagnosed diabetes.

The problem is that a lot of early symptoms of diabetes are ignored because they seem harmless enough, from general fatigue to thirstiness. People take a nap, get something to drink, and their diabetes goes undiagnosed and untreated.

The Mayo Clinic offers a helpful list of potential diabetes symptoms to look for:

  • Excessive thirst and increased urination
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Blurred vision
  • Slow-healing sores or frequent infections
  • Tingling hands and feet

Although some symptoms might seem harmless or unrelated to diabetes, they can actually be a direct result of your body’s inability to process sugar properly. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, or have a loved one in your life who’s experiencing them, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible.

My Diabetes Home’s own Dr. Anuj Bhargava is a strong proponent of early screening for diabetes. In his experience, Dr. Bhargava once had a relatively young patient who was hospitalized for a heart attack, only to be diagnosed with diabetes soon after.

“A heart attack doesn’t have to be the first symptom of diabetes,” says Dr. Bhargava. “If [he] had been screened regularly, then it would be a different story.”

The earlier a diagnosis can be made, the earlier a person can take steps to manage their diabetes and live healthy lives. Often times, this also includes avoiding a potentially dangerous complication like a heart attack.

Then the important question is, “Who should be screened?” The ADA has some useful guidelines that apply to people who:

  • Are overweight
  • Age 45 and older
  • Have family history of diabetes
  • Exhibit other risk factors like high blood pressure

So as you can see, identifying diabetes is an important first step on the path to diabetes management and healthier living. In fact, recent studies suggest that early detection of diabetes can save lives and reduce medical expenses.

Once diabetes has been diagnosed, it’s possible to make plans for health management and medication. Our brand new website for My Diabetes Home offers a comprehensive “home base” to record, organize and track your personal health information — all for free!

It’s all part of our effort to make diabetes management simple and straightforward. Head over to our website, and get started on the path to healthy living today.

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photo credit: DeathByBokeh via photopin cc