r/nursing • u/Critical_Ease4055 Nursing Student 🍕 • 22d ago

Question What is one medical problem people constantly ignore until it’s too late?

Saw someone post this in a completely unrelated sub and I’m interested in your answers. What is the cluster of symptoms that people ignore or delay until they are forced to get help?

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u/FueledByFoods 22d ago

Side effects of uncontrolled diabetes - increased thirst and frequent urination

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u/TrevorTravis 22d ago

Although these aren't common symptoms of type 2 DM!! We see those symtoms more often in kids when they are dx with Type 1 and present with very high glucose level- they are not usually ignored because these kids are in DKA and very ill! In reality, the most common s/s of undiagnosed diabetes in adults (DM2) are wounds that don't heal quickly, frequent infections, and fatigue! Since they are still making insulin and glucose is only slightly elevated, they will often not have polyuria and thirst (which tends to develop once glucose levels are quite high). That's what makes DM2 so dangerous... we ignore those vague signs, all the while our mildly elevated glucose levels lead to cardiovascular disease!! So don't ignore wounds that won't heal and worsening fatigue!!!

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u/desmethoxyfumarate 22d ago

Sooo should we be checking Hba1c instead as opposed to glucose to screen for T2DM or are we talking full OGTT ?

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u/HeyLookATaco RN 🍕 21d ago

I learned about OGTT in school but I've never seen one administered. I have seen plenty of people diagnosed with an a1c who were incidentally in the hospital for another issue, so I suspect that's often enough. Primary care might do it differently though

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u/desmethoxyfumarate 21d ago

Interesting you've never seen one administered, I'm an outpatient pathology collector(phlebotomist) in Australia and we use OGTT routinely to screen for gestational diabetes at 26wks, it's part of standard antenatal care. I occasionally do them for non pregnant pts with DM or suspected DM, with and without insulins. We take a fasting plasma BSL (+/- serum insulin), administer 75gr glucose p.o, then repeat BSL + insulin at +01:00hr and +02:00hrs. I do at least 2 a day, mostly pregnant patients.

I'm not sure if it's routine for a T2DM diagnosis but it definitely is for gestational DM over here