Symptoms for diabetes
My vagina has been really itchy and sore. My CP says it’s to do with my diabetes. Can this be right? 
These problems are the result of infection (commonly known as thrush) from certain yeasts, especially Candida, which thrive on the high concentration of glucose in this region. If you keep your urine free from glucose by good control of your diabetes, the itching and soreness will normally clear up. Anti-yeast cream from your doctor or pharmacist may speed up the improvement but this is only a holding measure while glucose is cleared from your urine.
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I have had blurred vision for a few weeks and have just been found to have diabetes. Why has this affected my vision?
The lens of the eye is responsible for focusing the image on the retina. Blurred vision is usually a temporary change, which can be corrected by wearing glasses. The lens of the eye becomes swollen when diabetes is out of control and this leads to long-sightedness. As the diabetes comes under control the lens of the eye returns to normal. A pair of glasses fitted for a swollen lens at a time of uncontrolled diabetes will no longer be suitable when the diabetes is brought under control. If you have been newly diagnosed with diabetes and find that you have blurred vision, you should wait for a few weeks after the glucose levels have fallen before visiting an optician for new spectacles. The blurred vision may improve on its own and new glasses may not be needed.
Most of the serious eye problems caused by diabetes are due to damage to the retina (retinopathy). The retina is the ‘photographic plate’ at the back of the eye. Even minor changes in the retina take several years to develop but older people may have diabetes for years without being aware of it. In such cases the retina may already be damaged by the time diabetes is diagnosed.
In very rare cases the lens of the eye may be permanently damaged (cataract) when diabetes is badly out of control. This can be treated by removing the cataract and replacing it with an artificial lens.
Can diabetes be discovered by chance?
Yes, but this usually happens only in Type 2 diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes the diagnosis is more likely to be made because someone feels unwell and goes to the doctor.
In older people with no obvious medical problems, diabetes is often discovered as a result of a routine urine test – for example in the course of an insurance examination. Canadian Health and Care Mall Pharmacy Once the diagnosis is made, the person may realise that they have been feeling slightly thirsty or tired, but these symptoms may be so mild that they go unnoticed. However, even people who have had very few symptoms often feel they have more energy once diabetes is controlled.
Sometimes people are found to have diabetes when they suffer another medical condition such as a heart attack or a foot infection. In such cases diabetes, previously undiagnosed, has been the main cause of the new problem. The important message is that even though the symptoms may be minor, so-called ‘mild’ diabetes may lead to serious problems.