symptoms of diabetes??

[hope is never lost]

I have my family member who is 13 years old and he is overweight and he was told by the doctor that he was getting close to getting diabetes. He needs to watch for his diet and. One of the things I don't know is what are the symptoms of diabetes and. He gets alot of nose bleeds and a couple days ago he's been telling me that his arm and hand gets numbed, this happens everytime he usually wakes up in the morning. I am really worried about him I don't want him to get worse. what can I do to help him, and why does he keep getting nosebleeds for like 10 minutes.? thank you

[patricia c]

OK here goes , the nose bleeds are not connected to any thing,he will out grow the bleeds , it happens when the capillaries in the nose are weak they fill up with blood and when he turns over in bed or rubs his nose it breaks the vessels and he bleeds or they just get too full and break . no big deal , no harm , just a bloody pillow.now the numbed arms or hands could be because he sleeps on them cutting off circulation , causing the numbness and tingling effect.he is over wt. he just needs to eat a good diet , normal food just slow down on the sweets (not all ) he needs good exercise , walking is good ,no couch potato,Drink water,cut down sodas to one or two a week,just small things maybe one or two at a time . and see a dr. every year , if he thinks he is Pre-diabetic then Dr.might want to do a blood test every 6 months .just try to keep him healthy by encouraging him don't complain or get onto him for eating something that is not good or that is fattening but be supportive ,he will back slide at this age a lot ,so just help him to get on the band wagon again and keep trying, in the mean time you start reading and learn all you can about diabetes and be ready to help and support your brother to make sure that he lives a long and healthy life, and just remember that he is NOT diagnosed yet!!good luck.

[bellamou]

not sure about the nose bleeds, but other symptoms include not being able to quench your thirst, stinging when you pee, funny smelling pee (sometimes smells fruity or sweet)...go to a doctor and get a blood glucose level test. Best to do it when you haven't eaten too, then they might take another after you have eaten something.

[Mary D]

Sometimes, there are no symptoms until it gets really bad. But excessive thirst is one-if it just seems like he can't get enough to quench his thirst no matter how much he drinks. I don't know about the nose bleeds-I used to get them when I was a kid (I'm not diabetic and wasn't overweight) I eventually just quit getting them.