Profiles

Here, you can find any of the interviews on this site.



Interview 14

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.

  • Background

    University educated; engaged; she is one of five children, lives at home with parents and siblings. Unemployed and is applying to the Prince’s Fund to start her business as a...

  • Age at interview 22
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 13

    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.

  • Background

    Lives with parents and siblings and works part-time in the IT industry. Despite his symptoms, it took six months for the GP to diagnose his diabetes. The doctor kept telling...

  • Age at interview 19
  • Sex/Gender Male
  • Interview 12

    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.

  • Background

    Lives with mother and siblings. Works full-time in the retailing industry. He walks to work.

  • Age at interview 19
  • Sex/Gender Male
  • Interview 09

    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.

  • Background

    He is in his third year at university; during holiday times lives with parents and siblings. He considers himself lucky because he found it relatively easy to adjust to life...

  • Age at interview 20
  • Sex/Gender Male
  • Interview 08

    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.

  • Background

    Sixth form student; lives with mother & brother. Does not like diabetes described as a chronic illness because ‘sometimes you just forget it’s there’. Learning to manage his diabetes has...

  • Age at interview 17
  • Sex/Gender Male
  • Interview 07

    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.

  • Background

    Full-time student; in a long-term relationship, until recently living in student accommodation but is moving back with her parents and will commute to university.

  • Age at interview 20
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 06

    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.

  • Background

    She lives at home with her parents and siblings. She is studying to be a nurse care assistant. She has a lot of experience with managing diabetes while travelling/living abroad.

  • Age at interview 20
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 05

    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.

  • Background

    She just finished an IT course. Lives with her mother. Her diabetes was diagnosed around Christmas time when she was constantly drinking water and also started vomiting. Ethnicity: African-British

  • Age at interview 19
  • Sex/Gender Female
  • Interview 22

    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.

  • Background

    Full time student; lives with parents. He is a keen sports person and plans to do medicine at university.

  • Age at interview 17
  • Sex/Gender Male
  • Interview 11

    She has lived with diabetes most of her life and has been on different insulin types such as NovoRapid and Insulatard. When she was on two insulin injections a day she had a fixed mealtime routine and had to have snacks in between meals. She stopped having her snacks because she thought she was eating too much. Currently, she is on Lantus and Humalog.

  • Background

    University student; has a boyfriend; living in shared student accommodation with three other friends.

  • Age at interview 20
  • Sex/Gender Female