3 Signs of Juvenile Diabetes

My friend Mark was a good deal overweight. He played blues guitar professionally, so was out late most nights and did not live the healthiest of lifestyles. He had no idea what the signs of juvenile diabetes were, so when he started to exhibit them, he was somewhat puzzled.The first sign Mark noticed was an incredible thirst. I remember seeing him toting a gallon jug of water with him wherever he went. He sometimes kept two or three of those in his car. If you saw him not drinking water, you were witnessing something rare.Why does juvenile diabetes make its victims thirsty? Since the diabetes impairs the body's ability to process sugar, this sugar builds up in the kidneys and other parts of the body. Diabetics are thirsty because the body is trying to flush the excess sugar.Mark would sometimes get lightheaded and dizzy. This was also attributable to his dehydration. If this condition is left untreated, more serious complications may occur - such as nausea, severe headaches, or even fainting.If ignored long term, the diabetic may experience a condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. This occurs when body acids that are normally expelled by the body are allowed to build up. The consequences of this buildup are severe, and may include coma, organ failure, or even death.The second of the signs of juvenile diabetes that Mark experienced was dramatic weight loss. He had always been heavy, even as a child. Even though he kept eating as he had always done, he began shedding the poundage like crazy. He used to joke that he was going broke just buying clothes that would fit him.


The reason Mark lost so much weight is because his body could no longer use the sugar in his body for fuel. Instead, it turned to its reserves, which is fat and muscle tissue. In a very short time, he went from fat and jolly to gaunt and sickly.I remember one Christmas Eve, several friends and I were at Mark's apartment, as his girlfriend Carla was cooking Christmas dinner. She said Mark was out doing some last minute errands. When the phone rang, it was Mark. He told Carla he couldn't see to drive and needed her to come pick him up at the store.Mark had always worn glasses, but was finding they sometimes weren't enough to help him see things clearly. I say sometimes, because most of the time he could see just fine.Vision loss, another of the signs of juvenile diabetes occurs when blood sugar is very high or very low. Water from the body gets pulled into the lens of the eye. This can cause vision to blur, as in Mark's case. When blood sugar returns to normal, so does the person's vision.If this condition is ignored over a period of time, a condition known as retinopathy may develop which can cause blood flow to the retina to stop, and can cause permanent blindness.