A Patient’s Perspective of Diabetes Judith Coggles

Introduction Who am I? How and where did I discover I had diabetes? - Lost 2 babies – sugar in urine at booking clinic, King’s College Hosp, weight loss! - How was I treated? - I was 32, diet, medication, insulin Type 1 What effect did it have on my life/how did I feel? Always there at the back of my mind even now. Livable with, but boring.

Needles!!!! Blood glucose monitoring. - Old equipment, quite scary!! - Time consuming, painful, lots of blood New equipment - Quick, less blood, less pain! Insulin - needles long, not on prescription, quite painful. - now needles short, on prescription, no pain.

Blood Glucose monitoring Everyday. Where and how to test. How do I respond to results. If low? If high?

Hypos 4’s the floor! Those treated with insulin start to loose hypo symptoms if this occurs frequently. How do I feel? - Sleepy - Trembles - Vague/Slow - Blurred or double vision - Quiet - Sweaty

How to treat Hypo’s FIRST AID Treat with quick acting carbohydrate - 3/4 jelly babies, ½ tea cup orange juice or Lucozade, 2 sachets of sugar into the cheeks. - Check sugars again in 10 mins and repeat. - If meal some time off add slow acting carb too! A sandwich, fruit or 2 biscuits - Feel a fool, left with a terrible headache nothing takes away.

Driving Tell DVLA and insurance! License renewed every 3 years and Doctors notes checked. 5 to drive!! Test during 2 hours before I drive. Stop and test every 2 hours. If hypo - get out of the driving seat - check my sugar - take some quick acting carbohydrate - don’t drive again till sugar up to 5 for 45 mins

Eating out and difficulties! How and where do I inject myself? Unusual food, sugar in vegetables in hotels!! How do I gauge how much to give? - Carbs and Cals - Some folk can go on DAFNE courses

Holidays Holidays abroad -Travel vacs - ID, letter or ID card for airports - Insulin and supplies in hand luggage - Double supplies - Where to keep my insulin – Frio bags - Affects of heat, sunbathing/swimming

Babies Plan in advance and go to pre pregnancy clinic. Looked after in hospital, not primary care. Really important that blood sugars are as perfect as possible as higher sugars increase risks of miscarriage and still birth. I lost 4 pregnancies and have 7 years between children despite normal HbA1c!

How my disease progressed Numbers of injections - 2 a day - 4 a day - 5/6 a day Dawn phenomena Pump!

Pumps Will not suit everyone but:- –Complete freedom –Must blood test at least 3 times a day –Only short acting insulin

Understanding Diabetes