Katie uses an insulin pump and feels that it has make the management of her diabetes much easier. Katie has good control of her blood sugar levels and feels that hockey training has helped a lot in keeping things stable. Her HbA1c is within normal range although she finds it harder to keep her blood sugars well controlled at night. Roughly, she would test her blood sugars about five times a day and before going to bed. She does not mind doing the finger prick tests and repeating them if her reading are not good or, before doing sports. She would love to have a continuous glucose monitor, but as a student she cannot afford it and her hospital does not have the funding for it.

Sophie is on Lantus and Novorapid and her consultant suggested she goes onto an insulin pump. In the past, Sophie disliked the idea of using an insulin pump, but now she is keen because she knows that people have had great results with it. Sophie's main goal is to live a healthy life' and has made significant improvements to her diet and exercise planning. She also uses a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) that she finances herself. She only recently started using social media and found out that there are lots of young people out there' that like her, are living with type 1 diabetes.

Lewis was diagnosed age four and initially used insulin pens but they were not helping to achieve good control. He started using an insulin pump when he was six years old. He now has good control and feels that since his diagnosis, he has got all the support and help he needs from his Mum and Dad we learn from each other's mistakes and we sort of help each other. He describes it as team work'. The family feels that learning about diabetes management is an ongoing process. Lewis, his family and the diabetes specialists have worked together to help Lewis control his diabetes and provide a safe space where he can talk about feelings and emotions. Lewis wants to become a mentor and help others.

Lydia was diagnosed aged twelve with type 1 diabetes. She initially used insulin pens, but after six months her diabetes clinic offered her an insulin pump. After six months she managed to achieve good control; her HB1C was 6.5. Lydia has always wanted to be fully involved in managing her condition and made a point of doing all her injections and finger pricking and later, learning on how to use and care for her pump. She says that the insulin pump has made the management of her diabetes even easier. But Lydia says you never stops learning' about how to manage diabetes and added I'm still learning'.

Robert was diagnosed in 2015 aged 20 but it didn't come as a shock because his brother and a cousin also have type 1 diabetes. He participated in a Patient Education Programme similar to DAFNE. This course provided important information and advice on how to balance exercises with insulin and carbohydrates for effective management. Robert was also thrilled to learn more about the different types of technologies available to help manage the condition like glucose scans and those that are being planned for the future. Participants to the course set up a Facebook group and continue sharing tips and experiences about their condition. Robert is on Lantus and Novorapid.

Since diagnosis and until she was sixteen years old, she was on a two daily injections of insulin. Until her early teens, she had well-control diabetes, but then it began to slip. She found her insulin regimen oppressive and limiting, so when it was changed to short-acting and long-acting analogue insulin she had a sense of freedom that she had never experienced before in relation to food and mealtimes. The problem was that around the same time she started to be concerned about her weight and decided to go on a diet. That was the start of her eating disorder that was to last for several years. She realised that she needed help and talked to her GP, whom she trusted. Eventually she was able to find a psychologist that worked with her and helped her overcome her eating disorder. Unfortunately, she developed diabetes-related complications which affected her eyesight. She was registered blind at the age of 23. She currently uses an insulin pump and her control is very good. This is a follow-on interview with Sarah. We first interviewed Sarah at the age of 27 (Interview 32).

Linda was diagnosed five years ago at the age of nineteen. She is on two types of insulin Lantus and Novorapid. Lantus is the long-acting or background insulin that she injects once a day. Novorapid is a short acting one that she injects after meals. Before Lantus she used to use Levemir, but it was changed because she developed an intolerance to the preservative in it. Diet and exercise are an important part of her lifestyle. She feels she has learnt a great deal about her condition and how to manage it.

After being diagnosed with diabetes she was put on Humalog Mix 25 twice a day. She had one injection with her breakfast and another at tea time. She used Humalog for about four years but because her control was a bit unstable decided to follow the advice of her diabetes care team and changed to Lantus but remained using Humalog mix. She was also diagnosed with Coeliac disease (gluten intolerance) and she finds that her new four injections a day regimen allows her to control her carbohydrate intake better. Along with Coeliac disease she was found to have slight damage to her kidneys. She is currently taking Enalapril tablets. She has applied for an Insulin Pump and sees it as the next step up from being able to control her diabetes even better. Having tight control is very important to her and she tends to test her blood sugar levels about 10 times a day.

When he was first diagnosed he was on Novomix 30 in the morning and Mixtard 20 in the evening. Initially he hated injections but has become used to the routine of doing them. He has found that he is less likely to forget his insulin injections if he does them before a meal rather than after. Doctors changed his insulin regime to Lantus and NovoRapid but he did not like the new regime and asked to be moved back to the original one. He prefers a daily routine of set mealtimes and snacks and two injections rather than having to inject every time he eats. He stopped smoking soon after he was diagnosed.

He has been on several insulin regimens: Humalog, ActRapid, Insulatard and NovoRapid. Around the age of fourteen, while on Insulatard he started to experience problems with controlling his diabetes. He began to have high blood sugar levels and felt sad and frustrated about it and was compensating by eating chocolate. Six months ago he went to see a new consultant who decided to change his insulin regimen. The consultant explained that Insulatard was not the best choice for him because it is for