Diagnosed age eleven and put on two insulin injections a day of Mixtard 30. Now she is on one injection of Lantus in the evening and three injections of Humalog with each meal. She took part in the Insight programme which provides training on adjusting insulin dosages for healthy eating. She recommends such training sessions to everyone.

He used to take Insulatard twice daily but now is on NovoRapid three times a day and Lantus in the evenings. His mother used to do his insulin injections until he was eleven years old, but he decided to learn to do them himself. Says he got lots of support from his mother, father, and the diabetes care team. He found that when he went on 'a super diet' he was going low all the time. Says that he has always been aware of the grim consequences of poor diabetes control but that as he grows older that understanding also influences the practice.

Since diagnosis he has been on two injections a day and does not want to change to fast-acting analogue insulin because he does not like the idea of injecting everytime he eats. He tries to have a balanced diet, but acknowledges that at university it is not as good as at home. He says that student life isn't always that healthy because there are more opportunities to eat fast food and drink alcohol. Says that his HbA1c's are generally good.

Diagnosed in 1999, age 15. She was on an insulin called Human Mixtard that she injected twice a day and had to eat every three hours. Now she is on Lantus, an analogue long-acting insulin that she injects once a day and on fast-acting insulin; NovoRapid that she injects when she eats. Shortly after the interview she was due to go and try an Insulin Pump.

Diagnosed in 2000 and initially his insulin regimen consisted of Lantus and NovoRapid. He found it difficult to manage his diabetes and his blood sugar levels fluctuated a lot between high and low. In retrospect says that he would have benefited from more one-one advice and guidance from a diabetes nurse or other specialist. He now has an Insulin Pump and says that his control has improved substantially. For him, managing diabetes well comes down to experience and having the necessary support and information.

Her diabetes was very unsettled for a long time but recently she has managed to have and maintain good control. One of the main motivations for doing so is that she and her fianc'e would like to start a family after they are married. She says that the media often reports scary stories about pregnancy and diabetes and that it is important to say that women who have good control do have similar chances of having a healthy baby as non-diabetic mothers. Currently she is on Lantus and on NovoRapid.

She has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1997. As a child she used to experience many hypos and also loss consciousness several times. Her local children's diabetes clinic transferred her to another, bigger hospital. For a long time her mother used to go and check on her twice during the night to make sure that she wasn't having a hypo or even more worrying, experiencing a diabetic coma. She has fewer hypos now, but she always carries her glucose tablets wherever she goes. She injects long-acting insulin in the morning (Glargine) and a fast-acting before each meal (NovoRapid).

She has used the same insulin regime since diagnosis; Human Insulatard and her HbA1Cs are always between six and seven so she does not see the need to change. She has been doing her blood sugar tests since the age of five but she was unable to do her own insulin injections. Her parents were doing the injections for her until last year. She asked her consultant at the adult clinic for help and she was referred to a psychiatrist. After a year of cognitive therapy she started to do her own injections. Now she feels confident, independent and has a busy social life.

He has an injection of NovoRapid with his breakfast, lunch and dinner and one injection of Insulatard in the evening. Last year he had problems in managing his diabetes. He was experiencing many hypos and felt awful and unable to do his surfing. He reduced his insulin dosage and while he was avoiding hypos he started to experience highs (hyperglycaemia). He says that his diabetes has been more difficult to control since becoming a teenager because of all the hormones and other changes. His attitude now is that despite all the problems you have to keep fighting at controlling your diabetes in order to live a normal and healthier life. Says that he knows about the consequences of poor control and does not want to end up blind or plugged into a dialysis machine.

She is on analogue long-acting insulin (glargine) and on a fast-acting insulin; NovoRapid that she injects with her meals. She highly recommends this insulin regimen because it is flexible and you can eat what you want and when you want. In her experience diabetes is more difficult to control when you are a teenager because of the hormonal changes. She experienced heavy periods and her doctor recommended a contraceptive pill (Microginol) to help with the problem. Last year she did a three-day hike in the Peak District and says that you can definitely do sports if you have diabetes. You just need to plan ahead.