Am I diabetic, or insane?!
Question: It's hard for me to tell. My doctor told me I was borderline diabetic. Several months ago, I started waking up to a very strange smell. Weird. Then a few months ago, I started smelling the same odor while I was awake. This was accompanied by a feeling of fear or dread, with my skin sort of tingling. I thought it was my brain playing tricks on me. Very odd things seemed to set it off; a feeling of deja vu, or "Gimme Three Steps" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Then I remembered my 7th grade science teacher going into some kind of trance caused by diabetes, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. Of special interest was the fact that your breath may smell of acetone (my smell is like hot plastic, and acetone is used in plastic) and how the disease can affect your thoughts and mood. Do my symptoms sound like diabetes? I'd kind of rather be diabetic than insane.
Answers: It's hard for me to tell. My doctor told me I was borderline diabetic. Several months ago, I started waking up to a very strange smell. Weird. Then a few months ago, I started smelling the same odor while I was awake. This was accompanied by a feeling of fear or dread, with my skin sort of tingling. I thought it was my brain playing tricks on me. Very odd things seemed to set it off; a feeling of deja vu, or "Gimme Three Steps" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Then I remembered my 7th grade science teacher going into some kind of trance caused by diabetes, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. Of special interest was the fact that your breath may smell of acetone (my smell is like hot plastic, and acetone is used in plastic) and how the disease can affect your thoughts and mood. Do my symptoms sound like diabetes? I'd kind of rather be diabetic than insane.
before my husband was diagnosed as a diabetic,he would tell me that he woke up to very strange smells too- and the smell would not go away sometimes for hours or days- he has not complained about this since starting on meds- also his breath did have a strange aroma as well. Yes, diabetes can affect your mood- it does my hubby.
My guess is the borderline diabetes is having an effect on your mood, etc. It is probably affecting how you feel, and your thinking, so no you aren't crazy, just under the weather.
Wow, I thought I was the only diabetic who smells strange things. It's not exactly a trance, either. When your blood sugar level is off, your brain kinda slows down. Although I read in a book once that smelling things that aren't really there is a sign of a brain tumor. I think the book was "Death Be Not Proud."
iabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.
Some diabetes symptoms include:
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Pinpoint the danger signs of diabetes-related trouble in 60 seconds or less with The Diabetes Problem Solver. Also, get symptoms, risks, course of action, treatment, and prevention information on a wide array of conditions. Check out more books on healthy living here.
* Frequent urination
* Excessive thirst
* Extreme hunger
* Unusual weight loss
* Increased fatigue
* Irritability
* Blurry vision
I dont think you're insane. You have a mixed bag of symptoms, and it makes it hard to diagnose. A strange smell emitting from your pores and breath is a very dangerous sign of type 1 diabetes, in that it means you've entered into diabetic ketoacidosis. Assuming that's what the smell is. It would be accompanied by extreme urination and thirst. DKA is often also accompanied by excessive sleeping, labored breathing and ultimately projectile vomiting. If you have additional symptoms, call your doctor's office right away. DKA can kill you if not treated promptly.
Probably both.