Would you recognize these weird diabetes symptoms? TikToker Jessica Coffeyy recently opened up about a host of symptoms she experienced before her diabetes diagnosis.
You may be surprised to find out what they were.
Coffey posted her video confession to her TikTok account back on Oct. 30. The video now has over 607,800 views.
What were her symptoms?
Coffey’s video caption reads, “Let’s talk weird diabetes symptoms.” As it begins, she discusses some of the more commonly well-known symptoms of the disease—excessive thirst/urination, hunger, and fatigue.
But then she pivots. “I’m going to share with you some of my weird symptoms that I had no idea were even a thing until after my diagnosis.”
The first weird symptom? Hair loss. “I lost so much hair. I’m still losing hair in clumps,” she claims.
The next symptom Coffey discusses that may come as a surprise is chronic vaginal yeast infections. She states, “All of a sudden, I was getting two, maybe three a month.”
Another bizarre symptom was persistent mold in her bathroom. “I was getting a black mold ring in my toilet, and it just kept coming back,” she claims, despite repeatedly cleaning it.
The last symptom Coffey discusses is urinary incontinence. She claims she could barely sit on the toilet before she would begin to urinate.
“We all have busy lives, and we all ignore symptoms and things that should probably be addressed,” she warns. “But we all have a threshold, and mine was peeing my pants.”
Are these weird symptoms legitimate signs?
All of Coffey’s symptoms are potential indicators of diabetes.
Hair loss is indeed a legitimate sign of diabetes. Very Well Health reports, “Hair loss can be a symptom of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.”
According to Medical News Today, “A person with poorly controlled diabetes has an increased risk of more severe and frequent yeast infections.”
Scientists are still attempting to determine the link between the disease and yeast infections, but many believe it may be due to the “presence of extra sugars, which allow the yeast to colonize at unhealthy levels.”
In 2023, Yahoo Life reported that “frequently seeing mold in your toilet could be one of the first signs of diabetes.”
The article stated, “Mold and fungi feed on sugar. If your body is flushing excess glucose, higher levels of sugar are making their way into your toilet.”
And lastly, “People with diabetes are more likely to have other types of UI, such as stress incontinence,” according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
@jessmcoffey lets talk weird diabetes symptoms while I wait in carline! #creatorsearchinsights #diabetes #t1d #symptoms #lada #diabetesawareness #carline #momtok ♬ original sound – JessMCoffey
What did her viewers say?
Many of Coffey’s viewers discussed their own symptoms.
“OMG, I have the black mold ring. Wow, had no idea,” Tdunc (@tdunc08) wrote.
Another commented, “I just got diagnosed with pre-diabetes. I had tingling in my hands and then my feet. I got a rash on the back of [my] neck that my doctor said was eczema. Saw a new doctor – it was bc of pre-diabetes.”
“I was always peeing my pants, I thought I was just getting old. Since having my sugars under control, not even a drip,” another viewer added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Coffey via TikTok comment and direct message.
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