Know the Warning Signs of Diabetes Complications When your blood sugar is out of control, your body will let you know. You might start to have other health problems. But if you know their warning signs, you can nip them in the bud or keep them from getting worse. The best way to do this is to get a handle on your blood sugar. Sometimes other treatments can help, too.

This go-to list of warning signs can help you get a jump on any problems diabetes throws your way. See your doctor if you have any of them.

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Nerve Damage

This usually starts in your hands and feet. But it can also affect your stomach, bowels, bladder, genitals, heart, and other parts of your body. See your doctor right away if you have:

• Tingling, pain, or numbness in your hands or feet
• Stomach problems like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• A lot of bladder infections or trouble emptying your bladder
• Trouble getting or keeping an erection
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

If you have nerve damage, you can improve or slow its progress by keeping your blood sugar levels near normal. Some supplements and medications for pain, nausea, or sexual problems can also help.

Skin Issues

Yeast feeds on sugar. Skin problems like yeast infections are a sign that your blood sugar is too high. Symptoms include:

• Itching in moist folds of your skin, such as under your breasts, between fingers and toes, or in your armpits
• For women, itching, pain, or discharge in your vagina
• For uncircumcised men, itching under the foreskin

Your doctor may prescribe medication for yeast infections, especially if you get them often.

Watch for these other skin symptoms:

• Hair loss on your toes, feet, or lower legs
• Brown patches of raised skin on the sides of your neck, armpit, or groin, called acanthosis nigricans

Eye Damage

The sooner you get treatment for eye problems, the better. Get help right away for these warning signs:

• Blurred vision
• Trouble reading
• Seeing rings around lights or dark spots
• Being very sensitive to sunlight and other bright light
• Trouble seeing at night

Eye damage doesn’t always cause symptoms, even when it's advanced. So it's important to see an eye doctor at least once a year for a thorough exam.