Profiles

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Interview 35

After diagnosis she was on two injections a day of Humalog Mix 25. As a child she used to have lots of hypos and twice she was admitted to hospital. When she was about 14 years old her insulin regimen was changed to four injections a day' a long-lasting injection in the evening (Levemir) and an injection of fast-acting insulin three times a day at mealtimes (NovoRapid). She kept forgetting to take her lunch time insulin and was having high blood sugar levels. She went back to Humalog Mix 25 until she decided to try again the four injections a day regimen. This insulin regimen has worked very well the second time and she thinks it is because she is able to carry her insulin pen with her rather than leaving it in the school office. She has improved her diet by including slow-release carbohydrate (GI food) and more vegetables and fruits.

  • Background

    Sixth-form student preparing for her final exams. Plans to go to university this year. Lives with her parents & younger sister. Her mother was diagnosed at 14 with type 1...

  • Age at interview 17
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 34

    She has had difficulties in finding the right type of insulin regimen for her. Until last year she was taking two injections daily of Mixtard 80/20. When she was 14 years old she had a severe fit and ended up in a coma. She has had several more fits after that but says that at present cannot cope with preparing exams and changing insulin regimen at the same time. Her current insulin regimen is still two injections a day of a mix insulin called NovoMix 30. Her last HbA1C was 10.4 which she admits is too high. She says that she keeps her blood sugar levels a bit high because she is frightened of going low and having more fits. Her new diabetes care team has suggested she consider using an insulin pump but they have also said that it will only work if she is ready for it.

  • Background

    Lives with mother and is preparing for her final A level exams. Next September she and her boyfriend will go to the same university. She plans to study Physical Education.

  • Age at interview 17
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 33

    After diagnosis she was put on two insulin injections a day. But now she is on four injections a day; three injections of NovoRapid one with each meal and one of glargine at bedtime. She started to do her injections from the very beginning. She uses an insulin pen and the small size needle. Her diabetes is well-controlled; her last HbA1C result was 6.8. She attributes her good control to a well-balance diet which doesn't change significantly except when eating out; the right amount of insulin and checking her blood sugar levels everyday. She has never had a bad or severe hypo. Her blood sugars usually range between 3.5 and 10 but she finds the blood sugar tests a bit of a pain! She thinks that an important part of having good control is to understand why blood sugars go high or low and knowing what to do about it.

  • Background

    Full-time student preparing her final A level exams. She is going to university next September to study psychology. Lives with parents and an older sister. Says that diabetes has never...

  • Age at interview 18
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 32

    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 has 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.

  • Background

    Performing artist. Shares a house with a friend. Her advice to other young people who are not doing their insulin injections is to find the courage and to seek help...

  • Age at interview 27
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 31

    After diagnosis she was put on Humulin S insulin and she had to inject two times a day at mealtimes and also had to have about four snacks a day. She found it annoying that she had to eat even when she was not hungry. Her insulin injections were increased to four a day to try and improve her blood sugar levels. By that time she was playing golf at a high level and found it difficult to maintain good control. She remembers that her blood sugar levels could go as high as 25 and her lowest were around 12. Physically she felt tired and unable to concentrate plus it was difficult to inject in the middle of a tournament. She and her mum started to look for an alternative to injections and looked on the internet and found an American website that provided information on Insulin Pumps. Her GP didn't know much about Insulin Pumps and she was referred to a diabetes care team in London. On assessment she says that her control is much better since she is on the pump. On average her blood sugar levels are between 7 or 8 and never higher than 13. And her HbA1C's have come down from 12 to 8.

  • Background

    Full-time student; lives at home with her family. She took up golf at the age of 11. She won a golf scholarship and is travelling to the USA in August.

  • Age at interview 18
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 30

    She has blurred vision as one of her main symptoms prior to diagnosis. Her driving instructor asked her to have her eyes tested. She was told that she was long-sighted but, her symptoms which also included tiredness and thirst didn't improved. Her mother is a nurse and decided to test her urine and found she had ketones. She stayed a few days in hospital and at first, found it difficult to inject insulin. Testing her blood sugar level was also difficult but found it easier than injecting insulin. She remembers feeling scared of doing her insulin injections and stayed in hospital a bit longer for that reason. Found the nurses really supportive and friendly. Initially she was put on NovoRapid and Insulatard. She injected Insulatard in the evening but found that she had frequent hypos in the morning. Her Insulatard was then changed to Lantus. Once at university her HbA1C got gradually worse and her mum and a nurse talked to her about having an Insulin Pump. She decided to try one and has used a pump since last Christmas. Since then she has noticed an improvement in her blood sugar levels and a reduction in the number of hypos. She is due to have an HbA1C soon. Her mum bought the Insulin Pump.

  • Background

    Second year university student; has a boyfriend; lives in university halls. Has done voluntary work for Diabetes UK. Says that you musn’t allow diabetes to take control of your life.

  • Age at interview 19
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 29

    She remembers that after diagnosis she left the hospital with a bag 'full of medicines. Initially she was put on two injections of Mixtard 30 a day. To start with she found managing her diabetes easy. She learned to inject and was monitoring her blood sugars regularly. Around the age of 16 she began to develop an eating disorder that took sometime before it was properly diagnosed. Initially, the care team treated her behaviour of skipping insulin injections as a 'rebellious teenage phase. It was nearly two years before she was referred to a psychiatrist. Recovery has been a gradual, bumpy process with lapses on the way. In her experience the support of her family and close friends has been invaluable.

  • Background

    First year university student. During term time lives in student accommodation but often at weekends goes back home to see her parents and brother. She is enjoying her student life...

  • Age at interview 19
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 28

    He has been doing his insulin injections since he was eight years old. He started to self-manage his diabetes when he was 15 years old. About seven years ago he changed his insulin from Humulin S to glargine and Humalog. The main reason for changing his insulin regime was the lack of flexibility regarding eating times. He admits that he no longer does glucose tests except when doing things differently such as changing insulin regimen, exercising more, changing diet, etc. A few years ago he was diagnosed by a private consultant as being clinically obese. The consultant put him on a diet and on Metformin tablets. Since then he has loss a total of five stones. Says that his obesity was the product of a bad diet and lack of exercise rather than because he is diabetic.

  • Background

    Works full-time as a customer service adviser; lives at home. Says that the children’s diabetic clinic was very good but his impression of the adult team is that basically they...

  • Age at interview 23
  • Sex/Gender Male
  • Interview 27

    She had no symptoms and her diabetes was diagnosed when she registered with a new doctor in a new town. The GP phoned her at home and said that they have found sugar in her urine. At the GP surgery she was told that the results were inconclusive because she neither fitted type 1 or type 2 diabetes profiles. She was advised to go and buy a glucometer to check her blood sugar levels and to avoid eating sugar. She waited for about three months before she saw the diabetes care team at the hospital. After further tests they concluded that she has type 1 diabetes but what they call LADA (Latent Auto Immune Diabetes in Adulthood) also known as Type 1.5. At first the consultant put her on tablets like for those with type 2 diabetes but after a month she had to start on insulin injections. She is on NovoMix twice a day.

  • Background

    Journalist; shares a house with other young people. Says that when first diagnosed she had no idea what diabetes was all about and that she had loads of questions but...

  • Age at interview 25
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 26

    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

  • Background

    Lives with parents and siblings; he is a first year A level student. Says that when he was experiencing problems with controlling his diabetes he talked to his father and...

  • Age at interview 16
  • Sex/Gender Male