Here’s just a few things for anyone with a still-functioning pancreas to consider during 2019’s world diabetes month, and hopefully beyond. Imagine feeling like a human pin cushion from pricking yourself to test blood sugars. I can go through ten glucose strips in a day sometimes, yep I am hardcore! My fingers are so punctured with little black dots that after some time can start to scab over and peel away. Imagine having to inject yourself or take a bolus via insulin pump whenever you want to eat. Imagine the dedication that requires. It’s easier than you might think to forget it one morning ..read more

I am Doctor Jacqueline Anne Allan and I am a type 1 Diabetic. 10 years ago I set up a charity to deal with the issue of Type 1 Diabetes Related Eating Disorders (T1ED) and/ or Diabulimia called DWED or Diabetics with Eating Disorders and since then I have been a patient advocate, completed a PhD in the subject and commenced clinical psychology training Firstly I would like to thank the following people without whom I would not be here to explain why despite recent innovations, T1ED is still woefully under researched, under treated, under recognised and misunderstood DWED as a charity would h ..read more

I came across this article which I wrote back in 2011 for one of the early DWED newsletters. I am publishing it now with a few revisions, because it is all still entirely relevant. Type one diabetes. So many people think it's no big deal, or that it's purely medical. You just test your blood and can't eat as much cake as you'd like sometimes, right? Your friends would hate to be you because they're too scared of needles [“Wow, 5 times a day?! Does it hurt much?” I never could be diabetic!!”] but they just figure you must just be used to it by now. They say they wouldn’t mind that perk of being ..read more

I was just discharged from an eating disorder inpatient unit after spending four and a half months there. It feels like it took me so much longer to get here, and my recollections are patchy and blurred. It’s only recently the fog is starting to thin, and my brain hosts a bed from which seedlings of hope and self-belief are tentatively beginning to sprout.I feel scared. This was only the start of what will undoubtedly be a long and exhausting journey as I try to get better. I am a weak swimmer that having cast aside my armbands still needs a surround of floats to clutch onto., and I’m still i ..read more

The transition of moving on from inpatient treatment and aftercare services can be a difficult adjustment for so many reasons. Sufficient support services set in place to fill the gap, as well as a gradual return to the community and social interaction, are both crucial in order to decrease the potential for relapse.It’s frightening, stepping out into the world again. The fear of slipping up can be strong as you fret about failing and letting people down.Others around you may assume you are fine if you are looking physically healthier and It’s quite easy to muddle along and let everyone assume ..read more