How can you test yourself for diabetes without going to a doctor or buying test strips?

Answer 1

Some of the most common symptoms are:

• sudden weight gain or weight loss
• lack of energy
• tired and run down feeling
• irritability
• frequent urination
• dry mouth (with or without thirst)
• increased thirst
• chronic fatigue
• muscle weakness
• itching
• tingling or numbness in feet or toes
• slow healing of cuts or bruises
• muscle aches and pains
• yeast infections
• variable blurry vision

You may have just some of the symptoms or you may have all of them.

However, many people are diabetic without experiencing symptoms (or mistakenly think that their symptoms are caused by something else). There is no way of telling, with 100% certainty (without medical confirmation) that you are or are not diabetic.

If you are pre-diabetic type 2, you can adopt a good, healthful diet, lose 15 to 20 pounds and walk at least 30 minutes daily to alleviate the issue. If you are borderline diabetic type 2 that may help avoid having a Diabetes diagnosis when you do finally see the doctor. This is a serious disease and you would not want to go untreated since there is more that you need to do if you are diabetic.

The smart approach is to diagnose your diabetes type 2 before it starts causing symptoms, because by the time it's caused symptoms a great deal of permanent damage has already been done to your body. Ideally, you would like to be diagnosed when you are in the pre-diabetes stage, which is before you even have diabetes itself. At this point, there are no symptoms whatsoever. You would need to see your doctor and you would need to be tested.

Whether type 1 diabetic or type 2, you would need to see your doctor and have tests. Diabetes type 1 must be treated with insulin. Diabetes type 2 may or may not need to be treated by insulin.

If you have diabetes type 1, you will need insulin.

If you have diabetes type 2, you may be able to control your condition through just diet and exercise. Others, however, also need to take insulin or medications.

**Do not try to "cure" diabetes symptoms without a diagnosis. In many cases, people later diagnosed with diabetes type 1 (who tried to control it with just diet and exercise) have SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS. This can include COMAS and DEATH. Contact a medical professional if you are worried.**

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Answer 2

Many of the signs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are similar. In both, there is too much glucose in the blood and not enough in the cells of your body. High glucose levels in Type I are due to a lack of insulin because the insulin producing cells have been destroyed. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body's cells become resistant to insulin that is being produced. Either way, your cells aren't getting the glucose that they need, and your body lets you know by giving you these signs and symptoms. * What is Type 1 Diabetes? * What is Type 2 Diabetes? * Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes Are you visiting the bathroom much more lately? Does it seem like you urinate all day long? Urination becomes more frequent when there is too much glucose in the blood. If insulin is nonexistent or ineffective, the kidneys can't filter glucose back to the blood. They become overwhelmed and try to draw extra water out of the blood to dilute the glucose. This keeps your bladder full and it keeps you running to the bathroom. If it feels like you can't get enough water and you're drinking much more than usual, it could be a sign of diabetes, especially if it seems to go hand in hand with frequent urination. If your body is pulling extra water out of your blood and you're running to the bathroom more, you will become dehydrated and feel the need to drink more to replace the water that you are losing. This symptom is more noticeable with Type 1 diabetes. In Type 1, the pancreas stops making insulin, possibly due to a viral attack on pancreas cells or because an autoimmune response makes the body attack the insulin producing cells. The body desperately looks for an energy source because the cells aren't getting glucose. It starts to break down muscle tissue and fat for energy. Type 2 happens gradually with increasing insulin resistance so weight loss is not as noticeable. It's that bad boy glucose again. Glucose from the food we eat travels into the bloodstream where insulin is supposed to help it transition into the cells of our body. The cells use it to produce the energy we need to live. When the insulin isn't there or if the cells don't react to it anymore, then the glucose stays outside the cells in the bloodstream. The cells become energy starved and you feel tired and run down. This symptom is called neuropathy. It occurs gradually over time as consistently high glucose in the blood damages the nervous system, particularly in the extremities. Type 2 diabetes is a gradual onset, and people are often not aware that they have it. Therefore, blood sugar might have been high for more than a few years before a diagnosis is made. Nerve damage can creep up without our knowledge. Neuropathy can very often improve when tighter blood glucose control is achieved. Blurred vision, skin that is dry or itchy, frequent infections or cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal are also signs that something is amiss. Again, when these signs are associated with diabetes, they are the result of high glucose levels in the body. If you notice any of the above signs, schedule an appointment with your doctor. He or she will be able to tell you if you have reason to be concerned about a diagnosis of diabetes.

Answer 3

You could tell by knowing how much sugar you have or how fat you are.

Answer 4

You really can't. You have to test your blood in some manner or you won't be able to tell if you are diabetic or not.