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Remember that the information presented here is not intended to replace the care of your own doctor. Before making any changes in the management of your own illness, you should consult your physician or other qualified medical professionals.
Question
I would like to know what are the signs (e.g., tiredness, etc.) when a person with type 1 diabetes, will have when their blood sugar levels are high (or low) and you don't have ready access to a monitor.I have had occasion when I have been extremely tired, lacking in concentration, and generally having an unwell feeling, but have not had access to being able to do a blood sugar test.
Answer
While this is a good basic question, I find it odd. Why? Because it is so basic that it should have been one of the first topics discussed and explained by the physicians and diabetes educators when the person was diagnosed with diabetes!Does the writer actually have diabetes? If so, please talk with your own Diabetes Team and your Certified Diabetes Educators about signs and symptoms of high glucose (hyperglycemia) and low glucose (hypoglycemia). In addition (but not in place of talking with your team), you may search this and other websites about signs and symptoms. Your Diabetes Team can also talk with you about more convenient and rapid ways to check your glucose with pocket sized glucose meters and some that give an answer in seconds.
I would not advocate that you gauge your blood glucose strictly by "how you feel." But in general, when one's glucose is acutely high, symptoms may include increased need to urinate, increased thirst, blurred vision, possible headaches, and others. And in general, when one's glucose is acutely low (or dropping rapidly — and this is why you need to check!) symptoms may include shakiness, jitteriness, difficulty concentrating, sweatiness, blurred vision, headaches. Note: One may not have all or any of those symptoms together. And there is some overlap as you see. Please don't attempt to gauge your blood sugar strictly by your symptoms.
