Spikes are when your bloody sugar rockets high after a meal and then a few hours later falls quickly back down (as you can see in the picture). This often then results in a hypo (low blood sugar) and then after an incorrect correction (PANIC EATING), you end up high again and so on… After a day like this is makes you feel very tired and truly a bit battered. Over the past 12 years, truthfully I’ve had spikes most days and I am still yet to find a solution (not as extreme as this one). I am aware they could be due to incorrect carb counting, incorrect carb ratios or incorrect basal rate ..read more

Living with a ‘chronic condition’ and knowing that, for the foreseeable future it is not going anywhere is a lot to handle. No matter how positive you are as a person it is bound to get too much sometimes. Unfortunately, I am yet to find a way of avoiding becoming down sometimes but I can share what I have done in these situations to make me feel better. I always feel down when I have had a tough day with my blood sugars. My blood sugars have probably been up and down all day and my emotions will have been out of control. In this situation, it is important to remember that it is okay to h ..read more

I have worked numerous jobs being a diabetic from being a shop assistant to a waitress. I have always found my employers very supportive of my diabetes and I have been able to resolve any highs or lows effectively. In September I started as a full-time teacher. I have always been very worried that my diabetes would prevent me to do things in life, however this is my dream job and I am going to share how I am finding this. I have always found being a diabetic means it is important to have a routine. It has now been 3 months and I am still finding I don’t have a daily pattern which I can ..read more

For the past 10 years I have pretty much had a wire attached to me 24/7. On a day to day basis I find this quite normal and easy to wear, however as a young girl I have had some occasions where I didn’t want my pump to be on show. I remember for my year 11 prom I decided to take my pump out for a day and go back onto injections just so I didn’t have it on show in my dress. Looking back now I can understand why my mom and nurse were annoyed with my decision because it caused a lot of unnecessary work for no reason. On an everyday basis I wear my pump attached to my trousers or the middle o ..read more

At the age of 18 I took the plunge and decided to move to university. Granted, I only lasted a month but I will share some of my experiences. The thought of me moving away to university to my family was daunting. I think every family worries about the day their children move out but having diabetes doesn’t help this situation. However, the reason I decided to leave was not necessarily due to having diabetes and my experience was mostly positive in terms of my diabetes. Here are some of my tips for moving away to university: My top tips: Make friends and tell them about your diabete ..read more

Please be aware this is just my personal experience and advice for dealing with diabetes and drinking alcohol, it will not be the same for everyone. Do’s – Eat carbs before drinking and before going to bed Eating a high carb meal before going out, such as pasta, is effective to stop the late night/early morning low blood sugars. – Make sure your friends know you’re diabetic and what could happen Alcohol can cause unexpected changes in blood sugars. Often, even with diet mixers, blood sugars rise very high which can result in the feeling to put a correction in. However, after ..read more

On a good day diabetics are expected to test their blood sugars a minimum of 4 times a day. Usually before meals and bedtime. To do this you need to use a finger pricker and using a small amount of blood and blood sugar meter will tell you your blood sugar after a few seconds. However, that is on a good day, this increases after exercise, any stress or illnesses and before driving. In addition to this you have to test your blood sugars when you feel either high or low throughout the day. UNTIL….. The NHS funded the FreeStyle Libre (i.e. life changer)! The FreeStyle Libre is a circle de ..read more

If only I had a jar for when people ask if I’m allowed to eat chocolate. I would be rich! I just thought I would share with you my disastrous blood sugars on Christmas Day. My sugars do not agree with any food unless I have put my insulin in 20 minutes before eating. As you can see, this did not happen on Christmas day and as a result I battled all day with my sugars and then ended on a hypo. However, surprisingly I managed to stay in the Christmas spirit and didn’t let it ruin my dinner which we paid a fortune for. I have a lot of trouble with after food spikes and then dips so if ..read more

Christmas is a time for indulging in the things we love most, drinking alcohol and eating treats. Any diabetic could tell you these things are not a good combination at other times in the year but personally I don’t let diabetes stop me at any time. Ever since I was diagnosed I feel like I have lived life as a ‘normal’ teenager and young adult but with some extra baggage and Christmas is no exception. My advice for diabetics over Christmas is to plan ahead and don’t eat things for the sake of it, it’s not worth going high for something you didn’t even like anyway. HOWEVER, my biggest p ..read more

Most parents nightmare is the day their child asks them to go clubbing. I think my mom knew it was coming but secretly hoped I would never be interested and she would get off lightly. However, much to her disappointment I did decided to join my friends and go out out! For a few years prior to going out, my diabetes team had spoken to me about how to manage diabetes and alcohol so I felt confident enough to go. Thankfully my experiences of drinking and diabetes have been more positive than anything and I am so glad I didn’t let it stop me! Going clubbing with friends is something I sti ..read more