Type I and II

Welcome to Diabetic Dialogue. We are keeping the conversations going about diabetes. We are fighting the war on diabetes. It is a battle. Let me tell you the stats. There are 4 million people in the UK with diabetes. Now let me just repeat that, 4 million people in the UK with diabetes. There are 500,000 people who don't actually know they've got it. A little bit about me, I'm Sandra Ewers, and the reason I'm doing this radio show is I had type 2 diabetes. I'm now in remission. It's been a bit of a battle. So what I've decided to do is share my knowledge and support other people with diabetes. It's possible to do this. Now, over the next few weeks, we're gonna be talking to people with diabetes to hear about their journey. And today I'm going to be talking to Sonya Edwards about her battle with type 1 diabetes. And I'll also be speaking to Fiona Nicholson about type 2 diabetes and how she stays healthy. She's going to be telling us about her journey. Thank you very much for listening. Thank you for joining us, Sonia, on Women's Radio Station today. Sonia, I believe you first experienced diabetes after pregnancy. Are you happy to tell us what happened? Yeah, that's correct. I had a baby, she was born in— on February, I should say, and I was experiencing side effects and I didn't think nothing of it. And then in October, I I went to my doctors and I said, "There's something wrong." Anyway, I was back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I was having the side effects, which I didn't realize was diabetes. At first, it was like blurred vision. Oh dear. Pins and needles in my fingers, pins and needles in my toes. I was feeling very thirsty, tired, a bit aggressive with people. And in the end, it came to a conclusion that they did realize it was diabetes, even though he was telling me to go home and take a Dismiss, probably my sickle cell trait. But in the end, we got there. I'm sorry that you had to have that experience, and I had the same symptoms as you. And to be quite honest, there were some symptoms that I did ignore, thinking it was just, you know, could be anything else. Correct, you're right. So what happened after that? What treatment were you given when, you know, when it was diagnosed? What treatment were you given? Okay, so I'm type 1 diabetes, and I believe, and you know, the doctors and nurses did say also, if it was caught early, I would have just been on tablets. But because it was caught late, I had to go on injections straight away, and that was twice a day. That must have been very hard for you. As a mum myself, I know, well, it was hard enough having a baby. What was it like having just been told you've got diabetes and having a child that was under 1? How did you cope with it? Well, luckily I was living with my parents at the time, so, you know, that was a big help. And it's just one of those things, you know, you have to get on with it. I sometimes did push it back of my mind thinking, yes, I'll be all right, and I was really stubborn with it. But, you know, I just had to get on with it and I just coped. You just have to cope. And, you know, you do. Well, I was lucky, I got good support, but I just had to get on with it. There's people out there worse than me. So, you know, it's one of those things. I certainly appreciate that. So let's talk about, they say, the highs and lows, and sorry about the pun there, but what were the bad days like and what have they been like? 'Cause obviously you've still got type 1. Are you saying bad days when I first got diagnosed, or are you saying bad days like now? I would imagine both, because I know with type 1 diabetes it's bad and it's good. So what are generally— what have generally— have you had diabetic comas? What's that experience? And sorry to have to be so personal. Okay, there's something called, which not many people know about, it's called DKA, diabetic ketone acidosis. That's when you're not taking your insulin properly. That's when you think, oh, I'll be all right, I don't have to take my insulin, but you can go into a coma. I have been in a coma a couple of times, but, you know, it was caught very early, so I have been lucky. My bad times now, I would say, is just having hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is when your sugar level is going down really low, and some people are very lucky. They can— they have the side effects, like you feel a bit sweaty, you feel a bit dizzy, you feel a bit angry, and, you know, all you have to do when you— you have to test yourself just to check to see if you're going down low, because the figure is supposed to be Your figure is supposed to be between 4.0 and 8.0. So if it's below 4.0, I have been told by my nurse, I just have to have a little can of Coke or 4 Jelly Babies or 4 Wine Gums, relax for about 10 to 15 minutes, and then it will bring your level back up. Right, because I do know that from my own experience, it's good to hear you telling us that and good to hear the list so that making the listeners aware that I actually had a hypo but didn't realize I was, I had type 2 diabetes. Oh. And it wasn't very nice. It's not a nice experience. Experience. So, um, for all you guys out there who do have diabetes, it's always worth carrying something with you. Correct. So in terms of your treatment, how are you being treated now? Um, well, okay, let me just cut a long story short here. I live in, um, a town called Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, and I— the NHS, they're brilliant all over the UK. And, um, I am actually on a diabetic pump, which I got given to me 4 years ago, and there was only 25 people at the got that given to them. So that's what I am taking. I don't have to inject myself anymore with the needle. It's a pump which is attached to either my arm, my back, or my leg, and that is giving me insulin 24/7. I change the pump every 3 days, and every time I eat, I have to count my carbs, put it into my machine, and then give myself more insulin. And that It's brilliant. It's the best thing which has ever happened to me as a diabetic person, Type 1, I should say. That is so good to hear. In terms of carbs though, you're eating, have you reduced your carbs? Are you eating differently because of the diabetes? Okay, I wouldn't say, I don't believe in diets. I believe in healthy eating. Good to hear. You shouldn't really eat a lot of carbs anyway, because carbs will let you put on weight. You have good carbs and you have bad carbs. I've cut down on my carbs, but with the diabetic pump, I can eat and drink whatever I like, but I don't abuse it because I still like to keep my weight to a good level. That's good to hear. But were you also encouraged to exercise? Do you exercise as well with the diabetes? Have you been told to do that? Will that change anything? Sandra, please don't talk to me about exercise. I'm lazy. Even if you're an able-bodied person, you should exercise anyway. Diabetics, you're supposed to exercise. I don't go down the gym, I hate walking, I don't do nothing. I suppose I'm very lucky from the way I look, but I don't exercise. But please don't listen to me out there, exercise. I'm lazy and I know I should exercise. We certainly need to get Sonia walking, listeners, but obviously she's encouraging you to do it. So, um, do you have a family history of diabetes? Have you looked into why you got it, anything like that? Your history? No family history. My parents, my grandparents, they're not type 1 diabetes at all. My mum has just been diagnosed 2 years ago with type 2, so I'm going to say no, not for a type 1. And you say you had a child, so in terms of your daughter or your son, are you encouraging them to be healthy? Um, I'm very lucky. My daughter, she eats healthy anyway. She goes to the gym about 3 times a week, so, you know, She knows about diabetes, she knows how it's supposed to be controlled, so yeah, she's on a good level. That's good to hear. And are you still getting support, I would imagine, from the hospital and from your GP? Do you still— I mean, is it a very regular thing that you have to do? Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, they're very good. I get diabetic retinopathy— I cannot say this word, I'm sorry— retinopathy. Retinopathy. I can say it for you. Every 6 months. I go to my diabetic doctor every 6 months, and I'm actually going there today. I see my diabetic nurse every 2 months, and I see my eye doctor, who's brilliant, Mr. Bindra, and that's every 2 months. I used to see him every 3 weeks, but now it's cut down because my eyes are getting better. Well, it's good to hear that you're getting the support that you need. And for all you listeners out there, retinopathy screening is where you have your eyes screened to see how much— well, if any damage has been done to your eyes. And so, Sonia, in terms of your eyes, what are your eyes like? Has the type 1 damaged your eyes? I would say yes, the type 1 has damaged my eyes. I'm going to say it's my fault because when I was first diagnosed, oh, I'm all right, I can look after myself, I'll be okay. I got told by my nurse, look after your eyes, look after your legs, look after your feet, look after your hands, take your insulin, cut your nails because it's gonna you're gonna feel it later in life, and I have felt it. I've had a detached retina, I've had glaucoma, I've had my cataracts out, and now I'm visually impaired. But please, please, please look after your eyes. I've always said, you can cut off my hands, you can cut off my feet, and I don't want to go blind. But you know what, there's somebody out there worse than me. I'm still able to do what I need to do— my garden, that's my exercise, by the way. My garden, So, you know, just look after yourself, look after your eyes. Your eyes are so important. That's a really positive message. So even with all that, you're still giving out positive messages. Of course, there's people out there worse than me. Just want to say, we're really glad that you took the time to speak to us today. And, you know, it is a battle out there. We'd like to wish you good luck with your journey and thank you very much for your time. Oh, thank you very much. I'm so glad to reach out to people out there. Thank you. So glad. Well, that was Sónia Edwards telling us about her journey with type 1 diabetes and the battle that she's been through. I would like to thank her very much for her time, and we're now going to take a break, and following that break, we will be speaking to Fiona Nicholson. Thank you very much for listening. 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We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help. I would like to welcome Fiona Nicholson to the show. Thank you Fiona, thank you for taking the time to speak to us on Women's Radio Station today. Thank you. Fiona, tell me a bit about yourself. You've got Type 2 diabetes, and I know you've had it for some years. Can you tell me all about it, your experience, please? Yes, definitely. Yeah, so I'm 52 years old. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 5 years ago. Right. It wasn't necessarily a shock, I have to say, with the diagnosis. It was, I think, somewhat sort of a relief really to find out, because I hadn't been well for some 6 months prior to the diagnosis. Right, when you say you hadn't been well, had you been having symptoms that we associate with diabetes? Absolutely, I'd— yes, I was Constantly tired, constantly thirsty, frequently urinating, particularly during the night. I mean, I describe the sort of symptoms really as just constantly feeling like I'd had a hangover, muzzy-headed, just no energy. And they were the main symptoms really that sort of signalled actually that something wasn't quite right. I think that's a very good description and And this is speaking from experience also. I've been there myself, but did have that tiredness for a year, which I'd sort of associated it to a very busy job. So just to say to all your listeners out there, if you do get any of those symptoms, it's always worth going to your GP just to make sure that everything's okay. And speaking of GPs, did you— how were you treated by your doctor, your GP? Well, it was quite interesting actually, because my experience with my GP wasn't necessarily positive, unfortunately. Like I said, I've been feeling unwell for, in the end, turned to some 6, 7 months and constantly going backwards and forwards and didn't really put it down to diabetes. And then after, I think it was about the 6 months of going back to them, they decided they'd do a blood fasting test and I had that tests done and then was told that actually the doctors recommended that I follow a low cholesterol diet and I'm retested in 3 months. So just out of interest, I asked what the readings were from the blood test and they then sort of confirmed that my blood glucose levels was 12.6, and I explained to them that actually I'm not a medical expert, but I know that that is a reading of a diabetic and insisted to be retested. Which I did, and then within sort of— I had the test one day, I had an emergency phone call, emergency appointment with the doctor the following day to say that I was diabetic, type 2 diabetic, and put me straight onto medication. Okay, so that obviously— I know that we have negatives and positives, you know, in our experiences of going to the doctor. So when you did take the medication, did you start to feel better? Yes, I did, I did, and it was almost, I'd say probably within sort of a couple of weeks, I was feeling better, the weight started falling off, but what I didn't have, well they weren't, the GP surgery unfortunately didn't have a diabetic nurse that was available to see me for another 6 weeks, so I then had to do all the research myself, so I have been really proactive with, you know, with the diabetes. And again, that's something I would sort of recommend, you know, to anyone that's not sure, is to ensure that they do their— as much research. The Diabetic Society have got a wonderful website with wonderful resources. That's really good to hear. And as well as— did you change your diet as well as taking medication? Obviously looking on to the Diabetic Society, did you find that you should eat differently, exercise? What advice were you given? Yes, yeah, absolutely. Unfortunately, with type 2 diabetes, it is sort of linked to lifestyle, and so it was a case of, you know, a complete lifestyle change, which meant I changed my diet and exercised and actually saw the results sort of fairly quickly. That's a very positive story. Now, how are you feeling now? Have you still had bad moments, or are you on top of this now? And is your blood sugar— it's quite a few questions being thrown at you— is your blood sugar at a normal level now? Yes, I'm actually in the process. I was inspired by a— I'd read a book by a gentleman who had reversed his type 2 diabetes in 104 days. And that was a real inspiration to me. And so I started, I'm on that process at the moment to reverse my diabetes. So I've now reduced my HbA1c level down from 70 to 52. That's really good to hear. Let me just tell the listeners out there that the HbA1c is your blood average over 3 months. So it's how high your blood has been in over the 3-month period. So it's a very positive story that you've managed to get it down like that. And I've got to say that mine was 116 and I managed to get it to 43. So, wow. And are you definitely feeling better now because of it? Oh my goodness. I can't even begin to tell you how, 'cause I've done a lot of research around it and I've opted to follow a low-calorie diet as opposed to the very, very low-calorie diets which I know they've been sort of promoting. There's been quite a lot about it on the media. It wasn't suitable for me to take that option. So I'm doing it with a very low calorie diet, low carb, low sugar diet, and the results are amazing. And I had another appointment with my GP last week who has suggested that, you know, when your levels go down into the 40s, they will take you off the medication. So she commended me for all the work that I've done and the results. And I'm hoping that certainly by September, October, if I carry on as I am, that I should be off the medication. Congratulations. That's a very positive story because I know that it is a battle. I've been through the battle myself and I'm continuing to fight the battle. Yeah. So in terms of like exercise, what exercise are you doing and what, what did you exercise before that? Is it, you know, what was your sort of workout ethic? Yes, yeah, I do. I mean, plenty of walking, um, and it's about sort of, um, cardio exercise to get the heart rate, um, going, um, you know, and, and to burn, burn, um, energy. So that's the sort of— but nothing really— I don't, I don't go mad because it is, um, it's a lifestyle change, so For me, it's about starting something that I will be able to continue, because I think that's the key message with Type 2 diabetes, is about lifestyle. So it's about changing your lifestyle and doing activities that you can, that you enjoy, but that you can continue doing. Because as you mentioned, Sandra, it is a battle, and I think that's what you have to sort of accept. It's, you know, because the minute Yeah, the minute if I, you know, the new lifestyle that I have, if I was to change that and go, you know, revert to my previous way of eating and exercise, I would probably be back in the same situation, you know, as I was with the initial diagnosis. Oh, that's really positive words, and we make changes to suit our lifestyle. Listeners out there, obviously, if you are going to start any new exercise exercise and you're unsure, always check with a health professional, with your doctor, if you're not quite sure what you should be doing, if it's something new to you. I exercise every day, you know, I give myself a break, but I do what my body can handle, and I did check with a health professional first of all. Do you have a final message to our listeners? Just, you know, what would your final word be about diabetes? About type 2? My message would be, I mean, it's important to say if you are sort of going through a period where you're not feeling well, as the symptoms that I've sort of described, I mean, the only real sort of way I could describe it is sort of feeling like I had a hangover, constantly tired, constantly thirsty, you know, I would suggest to sort of speak to your GP, have the blood fasting test to sort of get the diagnosis, And just sort of be really mindful of your lifestyle and your diet, because that's the key thing, I think, to type 2 diabetes. Well, that was Fiona Nicholson telling us about her journey with type 2 diabetes, and we'd like to wish her continued success and hope she stays healthy. Now, if you would like to listen to the show, you can go to our website, which is Women's Radio Station, WRS, and just click on the presenter tab if you want to find out a little bit about me. I'm Sandra Ewers. And if you just want to listen to the station in general, don't forget to go to your GP if you have any of those symptoms. Stay healthy. Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. Hungry? An average woman eats about 2 to 3 kilos of lipstick in her lifetime. Women's Radio Station, we want to hear from you. This is Women's Radio Station. You're listening to Avril Price with Kitchen Sink Spirituality. It's Anna Kennedy talking all things autism, and my guest today is Karen Nunn. I listen to Women's Radio Station. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Do you experience skin irritation, unpleasant odor, or feel insecure worrying about possible leaks during menstruation? 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