Health and Wellbeing When life’s not so sweet
We asked people living with diabetes to share their experiences and advice
More than 4.9 million people in the UK and Ireland have diabetes. While the vast majority have type 2, around 8% of this total figure have type 1 diabetes – and being diagnosed is lifechanging. Type 1 diabetes happens when the body can no longer produce its own – or enough – insulin (which we need to allow glucose in our blood to enter our cells and essentially keep things functioning), because cells in the pancreas, which produces insulin, have been attacked.
Why this happens is not yet fully understood. But it means glucose in the blood can build up to dangerously high levels, so people living with type 1 need to monitor their blood sugar and take insulin medication (via daily injections or a pump) to help keep levels steady.
There’s more to the picture – diabetes can also impact in other ways, including emotional wellbeing – and when you’re first diagnosed (which can happen at any age, including early childhood and teens) there may be a lot to get your head around.
We asked a range of people living with the condition about the things they wish they’d been told when they were first diagnosed, or what they’d tell their younger selves now…
Find community and embrace things you enjoy
Katie Collins, 42, a photographer and collage artist (katiecollins.co.uk), was diagnosed six years ago after having her first child.
“Being diagnosed with type
1 is confusing, a whirlwind and a huge amount to take in. It can feel daunting, scary and worrying – but you will find your feet and you won’t feel so alone. With type 1 diabetes, there are good days and not so good days, but there’s an online community happy to help and technology is advancing so fast.
“I’ve really benefited from going along to type 1 events and meeting people, sharing stories and advice. Also, from a mental health point of view, taking time to do things you enjoy – for me that’s art, photography and having fun and adventures with my family.”
Diabetes isn’t your whole life
Donna Scott, 38, an
Excel spreadsheets expert (donnascottservices.co.uk), was diagnosed while still at school.
“I’ve been diabetic for over 25 years and I wish I had known that not every doctor knows about diabetes. They might talk like they do, but it doesn’t mean they’re correct. When pregnant, I was actually told that pregnancy doesn’t affect diabetes – my blood sugars definitely dared to disagree on that one!
“Also, take control of your diabetes, don’t let it control you. Diabetes is just one thing you have to live with, it doesn’t have to be your whole life.”
It’s a learning curve for parents too
Jude Hughes, senior active events fundraiser at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ( jdrf.org.uk), is mum to 12-yearold twins Amelie and Albie, who were diagnosed with type 1 aged two.
“If someone had told me that, overnight, I would become my children’s pancreas, I may have listened more in biology. Overnight, you become a nurse, a doctor, a dietician, a mathematician and a sleepless zombie! You will need a notepad in the kitchen, along with a calculator as you meticulously calculate carbohydrate content of every meal – I think my specialist subject on Mastermind would be ‘carb contents of all foods on the shelves’!
“You need some ready answers as your kids say, ‘You told me this wouldn’t make me different to the other kids at school’, as you pack them with healthy snacks because you want their blood sugar levels to remain stable in the classroom. You need to be able to reason with them when their blood sugar is high so no, they cannot eat that cake/ ice cream on the beach yet… You need to hold their hands when they cry that they ‘hate’ diabetes, and ‘why them?’ There are no words for that one.
“My advice is to take it slowly, be kind to yourself as well as to your kids, involve their friends, their friends’ parents, and ask for help. Empower them in stages so that by the time they are old enough, they can do it all without you – they can then go on playdates, sleepovers and school trips, without a parent tagging along!”