Health News and Information

No one can learn even the basics of diabetes overnight. Taking command of your diabetes is a process that takes several weeks or months to learn and years to refine. It is important to learn to walk before you start running. If you are unsure about aspects of the basic knowledge I have assumed you know, do not be afraid to ask. The father of one of our diabetic patients is a teacher. He tells his son and his pupils: ‘No question is ever silly if it has to be a question.’ If you have got into a muddle with some aspect of your diabetes it is often helpful to go back to the beginning and work it out step by step. Sometimes when one is learning, or studying something, it helps to watch someone else going through the learning process and see the steps they have to take. Ben’s story is of a young man just beginning to take command of his diabetes. Does any of it sound familiar to you? What advice would you give him from your experience of diabetes?

Join your local diabetic association

It is well worth joining your national association and its local branch. They produce magazines full of information not only of practical use, but also about recent research and new advances. The association may be able to help you with specific problems, such as advising on insurance or helping to find a particular piece of equipment. They run courses and vacations for people of all ages with diabetes. Some people say, ‘Why should I join an association full of diabetics? I live in the non-diabetic world; I do not want to emphasize my condition.’

The point is that diabetics can do a lot to help each other and can provide the impetus for research into their condition, and help to raise money to fund it. You do not have to go to meetings unless you want to, but it is worth joining one of the associations just for the information service and magazines it provides.

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Whatever you decide to do, you should be seen regularly by someone who checks up on your glucose balance, your diabetes and your general health. Diabetes is so common that there should be a doctor with this special interest near you. If you have no family doctor or have just moved to a new area, ask your local diabetic association for a list of doctors’ names and clinics. Better still, if you are moving, ask your previous adviser to contact someone they know in your new area.

In the 1980′s the department in which I worked arranged special clinic sessions to convert everyone taking insulin in the Oxford area to the U100 strength. Because pharmacists notified us of every diabetic for whom they filled a prescription for insulin, we discovered a group of people on insulin who had not been attending the clinic. They gave various reasons for not attending: some had moved, others were too busy, or had missed an appointment and not received another, or not sought one. Some of these people had severe diabetic tissue damage. If you miss an appointment, do not expect another to appear automatically. Most clinics and diabetes centers chase up non-attendees but notification of your appointment may have got lost in the mail or you may have forgotten to tell the clinic your new address. If you do not get a follow-up appointment, write or telephone and ask for another, or ask your family doctor to do this for you. Do not wait for five years wondering why nothing is happening – or put it off until tomorrow.

Some aspects of diabetes require special care, for example, pregnancy, proliferative retinopathy and renal disease. If this applies to you, your diabetes adviser will be able to tell you if this is one of his or her specialties; if not, he will arrange for you to see someone who is expert in this field. It is worth being prepared to travel to another city for expert care. Your diabetes adviser may also ask for a colleague’s help if you have other forms of tissue damage such as peripheral vascular disease or heart trouble.

Most people find going to doctors, clinics and hospitals worrying and there is a natural tendency to sit quietly and just do as you are told and speak when you are spoken to. But it is your diabetes and your body, and it is important that you take an active interest in what is happening to you. Asking questions is not troublemaking or being difficult. You must be involved in your diabetes and know what is going on, so that you can work with your advisers to keep as healthy as possible. They cannot guess what you are thinking. I must stress again, if you are worried about something, or fed up or confused, please ask; that is what we are there for.

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