Our bodies have a way of telling us when something is wrong.
Even if you work out five times a week and eat all the right foods your body will let you know if something is not functioning properly.
Whether it’s general malaise or extreme pain, there are typically warning signs to indicate something is awry.
A person living with a condition or disease, like diabetes, has to be even more in tune to their own bodies.
Warning signs in diabetes patients could be the start of something much more serious that can lead to further complications, hospitalization and even death.
The Importance of Controlling Blood Sugar
If not kept under control, continual fluctuations and sustained levels of high blood sugar can cause serious health issues. “Long-term, high blood sugars cause inflammation and changes at the cellular level, as the body produces less insulin and struggles to process excess glucose in the bloodstream. This disrupts the foundations of how blood vessels are formed, which can later lead to issues, like kidney disease, eye disease, poor circulation, neuropathy, heart disease, stroke and more.”
Warning Signs that Something Could be Wrong
Here’s an overview of what to watch for and when to consult a healthcare professional to prevent serious health conditions down the road.
- ❖ Excessive Thirst and Increased Urination These signs may not seem alarming at first. Excessive thirst could be the result of increased exercise, fluctuations in temperature, changes in diet, or dehydration. But they could be the start of something much more serious. Extra blood glucose in your system makes the kidneys work harder and can cause serious damage down the road.
- ❖ Increased Hunger and Weight Loss Abnormally high or low blood glucose can cause increased hunger because the body can’t convert the food you eat into the energy that is needed to function. Your body works harder resulting in hunger and potential weight loss.
- ❖ Slow Healing Wounds If you notice that cuts and scrapes are taking abnormally long to heal this could be a sign of a more serious issue. Increased blood glucose levels can affect circulation which can alter blood flow and prevent or delay healing. Nerve damage is also common with sustained fluctuations in blood glucose and it’s not uncommon for some wounds to go unnoticed which can lead to complications later.
- ❖ Blurred Vision and Headaches Fluctuations in blood sugar can cause swelling in the lens of the eye, as well as excess fluid buildup, which impairs vision. When vision is affected, it often causes increased chance for headaches and migraines. If left untreated, higher than average blood glucose levels can cause serious eye damage.
- ❖ Tingling and Numbness Prolonged and uncontrolled blood glucose can cause tingling and numbness in the extremities. A loss of feeling in limbs is dangerous and could result in falls and broken bones. A condition called diabetic neuropathy can occur in patients that don’t have a handle on fluctuations.
- ❖ Skin Irritation and Dryness From dry, itchy skin to discolorations and skin tags, high blood glucose can cause many issues. Often these skin problems are just unsightly, but it’s important to know when to consult your doctor or specialist. Other types of bacterial and fungal infections are also more common when blood glucose is too high like yeast infections.
- ❖ Excessive Fatigue “When your body is not processing insulin properly or it doesn’t have sufficient amounts of insulin, the sugar stays in the blood rather getting into our cells to be used for energy.”2 This lack of energy produces extreme fatigue and tiredness that can continue while blood glucose fluctuations remain.
- ❖ Dental Issues Glucose is also found in your saliva. When blood glucose is too high, the increased amount of glucose creates bacteria that can combine with plaque to cause increased tooth decay and gum issues.
Control Blood Glucose with a Continuous Glucose Monitor
Getting glucose levels in check is not an easy task, but a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGMs) can help to get things into balance. Fluctuations can be caused by a number of factors, like diet, exercise, stress and schedule changes. Trying to monitor every factor on your own can seem impossible at times. A CGMs serves as a safety net and does the hard part for you. It can give you a reading at any time to help you track current levels and track where they are headed. It takes the guesswork out and alerts when a change is necessary to help get things under control.
Finding Support to Help You Gain Control of Blood Glucose Levels
At Quest Health Solutions, we are one of the leading suppliers of Continuous Glucose Monitors in the market. We also offer CGM Fulfillment Solutions and help to make the process as seamless as possible. To learn more about how a Continuous Glucose Monitor can help you get control, contact us at 1-877-888-7050 Option 3, Ext. 1011 or email ben@questhealthsolutions.com or schedule an appointment today.
1. (2018) Chicago Medicine. Legacy Effects and the Importance of Early Blood Sugar Control for Diabetes available at Click Here accessed on 5 July 2021.
2. (2019) Everyday Health. 9 Signs Your Blood Sugar Is Out of Control. Available at Click Here accessed on 6 July 2021.