Gugu – Interview 40
Gugu was diagnosed 10 years ago. At first she was prescribed metformin. 3 years before the interview she was transferred to insulin.
Gugu has had diabetes for 10 years and is still finding it difficult to control. She wishes she had understood right from the beginning how serious the condition could become, but says that initially she was more concerned about her fertility problems than diabetes which she felt was unimportant by comparison.
She has been taking insulin for 3 years (NovoRapid twice daily; Lantus at night) as well as metformin. Gugu feels very well supported by her hospital diabetes team, and only sees her GP for checkups twice a year. She has been referred to a dietician and a nutritionist both of whom tried to help her change her eating habits. She has attended one-one counselling sessions at the hospital, and recently started group counselling sessions for people with diabetes.
Gugu has experienced depression on and off for many years which she attributes partly to her diabetes, and partly to recent problems at work and in her family. Both her parents have recently returned from Zimbabwe and have been diagnosed with diabetes. She realises that because she feels under pressure at home and at work at the moment she is finding it extremely difficult to eat properly or exercise regularly. She thinks that her inability to control her diabetes at the moment may be a form of self-harm or ‘self-sabotage’.