I used to get – what do you call it – itching in my legs quite a lot, and I used to sweat. Since I started on insulin after that I’m okay, I’m alright.

So what you are saying at the beginning, what symptoms did you have right at the beginning, how did you get diagnosed with diabetes?

Thirst, I used to drink a lot of water, and like orange juice, like sweet drinks, you know. So every about ten to twenty minutes I would drink water, I’d drink a lot of water. So then I felt that I did have diabetes. My dad had the same thing you know. He used to also drink a lot of water, the same thing happened to him. But he found out much later, you know. I found out about mine sooner.

So have you ever had what they call a hypo, hypoglycaemia, when your blood sugar drops a lot? Have you ever had something like that?

Only once has it gone down to 2. That’s it. It became 2 just once.

So then what symptoms did you have, how did it feel?

Like shaking. And I got very sweaty. And I couldn’t stand up. So then I knew that it’s very low. So then, you know milk, I put 2 or 3 spoonfuls of sugar so then I drank that. And after 5 minutes, I was okay. So, if that ever happens to me, I know that my sugar must be low. Sometimes I test it too, when it’s low then I do test it, sometimes 3 or 4.

And so how often do you test your sugar normally?

I test it after every 2 weeks.

You don’t test everyday?

No. Sometimes, it happens, sometimes, I do it after 3 or 4 days, otherwise every 2 weeks I definitely do it.

And what has your doctor advised you?

The doctor says that, ‘Everyday you should test your sugar. But I don’t do that. He does it, hes also given me a book to write in. In the morning, before eating you should test your sugar. Then after food, after two hours, two hours, you have to check again [laughs]. It’s too much for me. So I stopped it. I just test it myself sometimes, test myself. So when I test myself, nowadays it’s usually 6 or 7. Roughly till about 9. It’s never higher than that.

So the doctor asked you to test everyday, why don’t you do it everyday?

Huh…Lazy. I am too lazy.

Does it cause discomfort to test yourself, is that why?

No, it’s not that it causes discomfort, just like that, you know. What’s the discomfort, it’s just a machine, it doesn’t take any time to test. You stick the needle in, and you just check it. That’s it. Easy, it’s easy to check you know. So just that, I’m lazy.

No but if you imagine that a doctor might listen to this recording, and the doctor is trying to understand why you don’t test your blood, so what would you say to them?

The doctor will say to me, ‘Why have you come here for?. That’s what the doctor will say to me. Doctors do say that, if sometime you don’t check your blood, ‘Why have you come here for?.

So what would you say?

Huh. What is to say in that case? I’d just say, ‘Can’t help it.

So if the doctor did really want you to test your sugar everyday, then what would need to happen that you start doing it?

If he said to me, ‘If you don’t test your blood everyday, then you don’t come here anymore. I’ll take your name off the list. Then I’ll have to do it. Then I’ll have to do it.

So have you ever had, what they call a hypo – hypoglycaemia – when your blood sugar drops a lot?

Only once has it gone down to 2. That’s it. It became 2 just once.

So then what symptoms did you have, how did it feel?

Like shaking, and I got very sweaty, and I couldn’t stand up. So then I knew that it’s very low. So then, you know milk, I put 2 or 3 spoonfuls of sugar so then I, drank that. And after 5 minutes, I was okay. So, if that ever happens to me, I know that my sugar must be low. Sometimes I test it too, when it’s low then I do test it, sometimes 3 or 4.

And like for a hypo, I mean when the sugar goes very low, do you do anything to avoid that?

Yes for that, I have that, what do you call it? Glucose sweet. I’ve got that and sometimes if it’s low, I’ll have that, or I’ll have a banana. I’ll take that. I’ll definitely have that, a small banana I’ll eat that. So with that it it’ll become fine. Or sometimes it could just be some juice, only, sweetness. I keep that sometimes, like in the car, in traffic sometimes, so juice, apples, banana, I keep those. I’ve never had a problem, but if sometimes I do have it, then I’ll have orange juice or you know the sweet tablets, special glucose ones, those.