Diabetes

I've been a type one diabetic since I was 19. I was diagnosed whist in my gap year working for ACN. It was a big shock, being much older than the common range for diagnoses and I do have quite a sweet tooth. It affected my general health and had an impact straight away on my day to day life with all of the activities and sports that I participated in. I wouldn't say that it changed my quality of life, it's just that everything I do now needs a lot more time and consideration.


I inject 4 times per day but it honestly isn't as bad as it sounds. My long acting insulin is taken at lunchtime. This is a little unorthodox as most people take it in the morning but I find that it's one thing too many to worry about when I'm scuttling around trying to find matching shoes. I prick my finger and test my blood sugar levels (BMs = Blood Measures) before every meal. I then slightly adjust my short term/rapid insulin dose depending on what it currently is and most importantly based on what is going to happen next i.e. what food I'm eating and what activities I will be doing after I eat. I may need to take on more carbohydrates ahead of polo and therefore will need to take more insulin to produce useful energy. This happens at every meal. Throughout the day my BMs may fluctuate and if I am aware that something is unusual or I'm feeling off colour, I will probably test my sugars a few more times throughout the day. 
If my BMs are high when I wake up and continue to creep up despite taking additional insulin, it is a good indication that I have an infection - it is my first warning sign that I'm unwell.
To learn more about Diabetes please visit the Diabetes UK website. It has lots of great info and even has a recipes area for anyone wanting to test their culinary skills on me :)


http://www.diabetes.org.uk/