Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Symptom: Increased Thirst and Frequent Urination

How It Feels
"I was having dizziness, very thirsty, urinating a lot, and at the time I was working a job with a lot of stress. I never thought of diabetes until my doctor mentioned it."
GidgetJan (submitted online)

"The first symptoms I noticed were frequent trips to the bathroom at night and not feeling well a lot of the time."
Joyce, type 2 since 2002
Alexandria, New Hampshire

"I was thirsty all the time."
Nancy
Independence, Missouri

"I am not the one with diabetes, but I cook for my husband who does. He began by noticing an urgency to go bathroom. The family noticed that he became extremely irritable, which was not typical of his generally easygoing personality."
Sharon, spouse of a PWD type 2, diagnosed in 2005
Laguna Beach, California

"Frequent urination, excess fatigue that hit after large meals, and thirst. My spouse nagged at me for almost two years to be tested."
Catherine (submitted online)

Why It Occurs
"Frequent urination is caused by the kidney's attempt to lower the elevated blood glucose levels by excreting the excess in the urine," Williams says. "This increased flow of urine results in significant loss of body fluid; this results in the signaling of the thirst center in the hypothalamus of the brain to get the patient to drink more water."

"Irritability can occur but is very difficult to localize to a specific factor," Williams adds. "Humans tend to be more irritable anytime the body's delicate physiology and equilibrium is disturbed through disease such as diabetes."