# Symptoms of diabetes but no glucose in urine



## jeie (Aug 8, 2019)

Hi everyone, new here! 
So i've been experiencing a few symptoms of diabetes recently, I am always thirsty, frequently urinating, fatigued, any cuts/scratches/brusies i get take ages to heal etc. (sorry if i sound uninformed, i've just had to check lots websites). However, I went to a doctor a few weeks ago for something unrelated, and my urine test showed no glucose or anything indicating diabetes. Is it possible to have diabetes without it being detected in urine? Or is there another possible cause? Thankyou!


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## Drummer (Aug 8, 2019)

I have never had a positive urine test either, but I had a Hba1c of 91 at diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually by blood test not urine.
You can get hold of a test kit quite cheaply to check your levels after eating - I got one recently just to check that I am still maintaining control - the Tee 2, though as you are not diagnosed as diabetic you will need to pay VAT on the items.


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## rebrascora (Aug 9, 2019)

Hi and welcome.
I think you need to be talking to your doctor about your symptoms, explain your concerns about possible diabetes and getting a blood test done. Glucose will not always show in our urine.
Not sure if your GP surgery operates a similar system but I went through the "Ask your GP" online service on my surgery's website where you put your symptoms in an email type format and send it off and the GP makes arrangements for whatever extra tests they need, so my GP sent me an email back saying she had made an appointment for me with the nurse for a blood test the following day and diabetes was confirmed from there. I had an appt with the practice nurse a couple of days later and she started me on medication and I had already started dietary changes. I did not need to see a GP at all for the diagnosis, it was all done behind the scenes, so to speak, although I have subsequently been referred to the consultant because I did not respond to the medication and diet and eventually was diagnosed as type 1.

It makes sense to ask the question of your doctor if you are worried about this and your symptoms certainly tie in with diabetes. Please let us know how you get on.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Aug 9, 2019)

As others have said, your symptoms do sound like diabetes, and you need to have a blood test, not a urine test, to find out, so please go back and see your doctor and ask them to organise that.

The HbA1c @Drummer mentioned is the standard test for diabetes - it will tell you what your blood sugar has been doing for the last 3 months (you can also just get a finger prick blood test, but that will only tell you what your blood sugar is doing that moment, so it's not really very useful as a diagnostic test).  If your result is over 48 you are diabetic.


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## merrymunky (Aug 9, 2019)

Yes, it is entirely possible to be diabetic but have no glucose show up in your urine. 

On a urine dipstick test, the results won’t show a positive for glucose in the urine until your levels are above 10mm/l. This does not mean that your levels are fine though. 10 is high. That’s when the glucose spills into the urine. Anything over about 7.8-8mm/l is too high. It wouldn’t show on a dipstick but it would certainly show on a blood finger prick test. I suspect the urine test would be the same sort of situation. 

The only way you’ll know is if you have a blood test. Ask your GP.


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## Sally71 (Aug 9, 2019)

Yes definitely!  When I took my daughter to the GP suspecting diabetes he did a urine test which he said was normal.  Luckily though he had the sense to order blood tests based on the symptoms I described, and less than a week later my daughter was in hospital in the beginnings of DKA with blood sugar of 47 and loads of sugar and ketones in her urine!  (I can't remember what her hba1c was but it was well over 100.). 

In my opinion urine tests for sugar are pretty much useless, yes many years ago that was all people had, but in these days of quick and easy home blood testing it would make much more sense for GPs to do a quick finger prick test on you in this sort of situation, it would be much more accurate and any reading even slightly above normal would indicate that further testing needs to be done sharpish.


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## jeie (Aug 9, 2019)

Thankyou all for replying, it's been really useful. I've made a doctors appointment and hopefully I'll know soon


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## Nadia249 (Jul 6, 2021)

jeie said:


> Thankyou all for replying, it's been really useful. I've made a doctors appointment and hopefully I'll know soon


Can you please update? I’m having the same problem here.


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## grovesy (Jul 6, 2021)

Nadia249 said:


> Can you please update? I’m having the same problem here.


You may not get a reply as this poster has not posted for nearly 2years.


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