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).

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.

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.

Insulin injections turned out to be less of a problem than he originally anticipated. He does not mind injecting at all. He is on Lantus and NovoRapid and says that he likes the flexibility of his new insulin regime. Says that the secret is to be patient, to learn how to control diabetes and then to live life normally. The information given by doctors, nurses and dieticians has really helped him to maintain good diabetes control.

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.

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.

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.

Her current regime consists of analogue long-acting insulin; Lantus in the mornings and short-acting insulin injections of NovoRapid three times a day at mealtimes. Says that she is fine with taking her insulin but, as a teenager, she did mind the blood sugar tests and seldom did them. She has developed diabetes-related complications and says that these were a 'wake up' call to take control of her diabetes.

She takes Humalog mix 25 twice a day. She finds injections a pain and does not want to change her insulin regime. Prior to Humalog mix 25 she was on another type of insulin call Human Mixtard 30-70 where she was required to have snacks in between meals. She finds her present insulin regime much easier to manage.

Since diagnosis he has always done his own injections. For several years he injected insulin twice a day at breakfast and with his evening meal. At the age of sixteen his diabetes care team suggested he change to the Basal Bolus Scheme. He was reluctant to change at first because it would involve injecting at lunchtime and at school. In retrospect says that it wasn't much of a problem and that the new regimen is better because it is flexible and offers much independence.