“What is the first sign that you have diabetes?”

Some of the most common early signs of diabetes are:

- Urinating A LOT (often and copiously). That's from your kidneys basically spilling sugar water into your urine
- Increased THIRST (from losing all that water and from such a high level of sugar in the blood)
- Skin infections (recurrent boils, cellulitis, abscesses)
- Light-headed, dizziness, nervousness
- Darkened skin around skin folds ("acanthosis nigricans") is a skin discoloration that can happen due to insulin resistance.
- Weight LOSS actually (from protein spilling into your urine related to damage to kidneys from high sugars)

Sugar is really irritating to the cells in the body, which is why we naturally tightly regulate it. There's no part of the body that's unaffected by diabetes, so how someone presents can be typical or atypical. We screen for diabetes annually for a reason bc caught early, it's VERY MANAGEABLE. IF YOU FEEL "OFF" FOR ANY REASON, a diabetic screen is a fair request.
Best of luck!

Dr. S. Mookerjee, MD

Increased urination, thirst, and appetite.

Dear patient,

Excess urination, severe thirst, and weakness are the first clinical signs of diabetes.

Respectfully,

Marvin A. Leder, MD FACP FACE