Type 2 Diabetes: Symptoms and Treatments

5.3 million Americans are diabetic and don’t know it. Here is a list of some common symptoms associated with type two diabetes: excessive thirst, extreme hunger, frequent urination, fatigue, increased irritability and unexplained weight loss. If you have these symptoms and are concerned that you are at risk for diabetes, please talk to your health care provider immediately.

I was 22 years old when I was first diagnosed with type two diabetes. After some research, I learned that 95% of diabetics are type two. In an abbreviated version, this is what it means. The difference between type 1 (formally know as insulin dependent) is the pancreas has stopped producing insulin. With type two, you are still making insulin, just not enough. This is important because insulin converts glucose (sugar) into energy. Without the insulin (or without enough) the sugar builds up in the blood instead of the cells and leads to serious health conditions such as blindness, heart attack, stroke, blood clots and more. That’s why frequent testing is so important.