Champion cyclist SOPHIE WATTS hasn’t let type 1 diabetes stop her from pursuing a sporting career. I was four years old when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. That was 21 years ago now. I do actually remember sitting in the doctor’s room and being quite disappointed because I had a birthday party that afternoon, and I wasn’t allowed to go because I had to go to hospital and learn about diabetes. I don’t remember too much about life before diabetes. It’s just been something I’ve had to live with. There were moments, especially at high school when I was having to test my blood or take insuli ..read more

Endurance sports can be particularly challenging for people with chronic health conditions, but a group of swimmers with type 1 diabetes managed to make the long swim to Rottnest, writes MYKE BARTLETT Jake and his team, pictured in 2021. (Supplied) On the last Saturday of every February, a hardy breed make their way to Cottesloe Beach before most of us have even thought about getting out of bed. Their goal? To swim the 20 km crossing to the shores of Rottnest Island, either as part of a small team or a solo effort.  While making the channel crossing is an extraordinary achievement ..read more

One question that we get asked a lot on our Helpline is ‘when should I check my glucose levels?’ Like most things related to diabetes management, no one size fits all. When and how often you check your glucose level is going to depend on your type of diabetes, what you want to find out, what medications you are taking and how you are feeling. So let’s start with what you want to find out. This is thinking about what information you think is going to help you to manage your diabetes. Here are some common reasons why people with diabetes check their glucose levels: Want to know what effect exer ..read more

October’s camp for kids living with type 1 diabetes was a great success, writes AMY FIDDES. Held over the October school holidays, the latest kids camp for kids with type 1 diabetes gave campers a safe space to go ‘wild’ with their peers. The ‘At the Zoo’ themed camp saw kids donning their favourite animal costumes for animal themed disco one evening before enjoying a visit from a Perth Zoo keeper on the final day. There were 35 children from regional and metro Western Australia in attendance at Point Walter Recreation Centre, Bicton, for the two-night, three-day camp. Our type 1 camps are he ..read more

Staying active can be hard when life has other plans for you, writes DENISE BROWNSDON. Like everyone else, I had my fair share of goals for 2020. And, just like everyone else, I’ve found life tends to get in the way! I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe it’s July already. It seems like a good time to check in and consider how well I’ve stuck to all my new year resolutions. I do this every so often, to try to hold myself accountable to the goals I’ve set. Staying active is always top of my list these days. I admit that I had a very slack week when COVID-19 hit our household. My ..read more

A new study shows that young adults who are worried about access to food are more likely to develop diabetes within the next decade, writes JESSICA WEISS. We’ve long known that your socio-economic status — in short, how much money you do or don’t have — is a reliable predictor of your diabetes risk. While past studies have linked food insecurity — being without access to a steady supply of nutritious food — with a range of health issues including diabetes, obesity and hypertension, a new study has now proved a direct causal relationship over time. The Washington State University study, publ ..read more

Vegetarian food Diabetes WA educator CHRISTINE CARNE answers a common question about living with diabetes. Can I be vegetarian if I have diabetes? The simple answer is – yes, of course! Around 2.5 million Australians (12.1% of the population) now have diets of which the food is all, or almost all, vegetarian, which is up from under 2.2 million (11.2%) four years ago. There are several types of vegetarian diets: Lacto-vegetarian: includes milk and dairy products but no meat, poultry, seafood or eggs. Ovo-vegetarian: includes eggs but no meat, poultry, seafood or dairy. Lacto-ovo vegeta ..read more

Hypoglycaemic episodes can be very distressing for people with type 1 diabetes A new UK program designed to educate adults with type 1 diabetes has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of hypoglycaemic episodes, writes CARLY LUFF. Researchers at King’s College Hospital in London have trialled a new educational program, aimed at reducing hypoglycaemic episodes which occur when blood glucose falls to a potentially dangerous low. Hypoglycaemic episodes — colloquially known as “hypos” — can be very serious if untreated, impairing normal brain function, causing confusion and sometimes prov ..read more

The Diabetes WA Helpline provides free comprehensive access to personalised diabetes management advice and support from a Credentialed Diabetes Educator. Meet our educators as they share some of the common concerns they hear from our members. Christine Carne Christine Carne (Christy) is a credentialed diabetes nurse educator who has worked in the diabetes field for more than 20 years in various roles including diabetes research, children’s diabetes and community diabetes education. For the past seven years she has been employed at Diabetes WA in clinical, telehealth and community education r ..read more

There have been mixed messages about the dangers of COVID for children with diabetes. MYKE BARTLETT speaks to Dr Craig Taplin, endocrinologist at Perth’s Children’s Hospital, to sort the facts from the myths. What do we know about COVID and children with type 1 diabetes? The situation is still evolving, and we’re still trying to understand as best we can, how this directly impacts upon children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. We know from overseas reports, that in adults with type 1, there is an increased risk of a more complicated COVID course. We have taken that information on board ..read more