anyone diagnosed as an adult: did you slowly begin showing symptoms?

I'm not asking to be diagnosed; waiting an endocrinologist visit and just thinking.

I went to the ER last night because I've had vague kidney and urinary issues for awhile now, and they became more severe this week.

One thing that has caught my eye was on my blood work, my glucose has been steadily rising. Over the last year, it broke 100, then again it hit 105/110 and yesterday we were short of 120. I know its a slow rise, but for fasting, I am starting to get concerned. Obviously not into emergency territory by any means, but I'd like to watch it, you know?

I've really struggled for the last three years with these vague symptoms (which all line up with diabetes) getting worse and worse. My mom joked when I turned 18 "I have no idea how you made it to adulthood without being diagnosed with diabetes" because every woman on her side of the family -- both her father and mother's side -- had diabetes. She dodged it and her mother dodged it, but she always joked I was doomed. Maybe she was right, after all. (I'm only 23 now).

I won't bore you -- just wondering about if you eased into the clinical or symptomatic signs or not? Or did it just hit you like a freight train?