Diabetes is a life sentence, not a death sentence

[Penny 7]

I have type 2 diabetes which I control by diet, exercise and medication, and I have never felt healthier! Yes, it is hard work! I have to watch the amount of carbohydrates that I eat to avoid having too much or too little glucose (sugar) in my blood. I need to walk at least four miles a day to help keep my blood glucose levels (and weight) down. Luckily I enjoy cooking and walking – and it helps to be retired so that I have time to do these! I get excellent health care from the NHS here in Shropshire, with regular blood tests for glucose and cholesterol levels, blood pressure measurements, eye and foot care, etc.etc. I do need quite a lot of different tablets though, and sometimes think that I rattle, but that seems a small price to pay.

 

My concern is that diabetes gets a very negative press, both on TV and in the papers; so that people who are at risk can be afraid to talk to their GPs about their worries. Too many people think that having Type 2 diabetes means regular insulin injections, along with kidney failure, blindness and amputated legs.  By the time that they do see their GP, some of these complications may have set in. Many diabetics do not have these problems if they control the condition well.

 

If you also have type 2 diabetes (there are probably 400-500 of us in this area), think that you might be at risk, or are just interested, and would like to share your experiences, please join this chat.

[Carol 4]

My husband was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November 2011 after becoming really quite ill before being diagnosed (ignorance on our part rather than any other reason).  He was taking insulin injections 4 times a day once he was diagnosed.  Following a change in diet and regular excersie he was told by his consultant in January this year that he is now considered type 2 and was able to switch from injections to tablets.  This week it was confirmed by his diabetes nurse that he can stop taking the tablets and for the last 2 weeks has been controlling his diabetes with diet and exercise alone. 

He himself says that it is years since he has felt as fit and healthy as he does now, and it is very unlikely that he would have made these changes without the onset of diabetes. 

Just as you have experienced Penny, he too has had excellent care & support from the NHS services locally.

[Penny 7]

That is such a brilliant outcome.

 

Are there any ways in which you think that people could be made more aware of the symptoms of diabetes? So that your husband's diagnosis could have been made earlier?

 

They reckon that there are about 3 million of us in the UK with diabetes. It is such a shame that we hear so little about people who are managing it well, living really healthy life-styles, and are actually feeling better than they have done for years. I have tried writing to the papers and the BBC about it, but have had absolutely no replies. Perhaps they don't think that it is news worthy?

[Penny 7]

What Carol describes is very like the Cuban diet which has been talked about this week.

In Cuba between 1991 and 1995, food was scarce, there was little transport and people walked and did hard physical labour. It was found that not only the average weight of the population went down, but so did the number of people dying from diabetes and coronary heart disease. When food got more plentiful, the people put on weight again and the rate of diabetes tripled.

Perhaps we should all be exercising more if at all possible?

[Penny 7]

A fairly grim up-date.

 

My original post was based mainly on an ex-colleague who was petrified of going to his GP, even though he had symptoms of diabetes. On a visit 'down South' yesterday, I was told that he had had a heart attack. Luckily he survived, but i understand that his untreated diabetes was thought to be considerably to blame. And now he is on medication and a strict exercise regime.