I definitely think we need both - we need to educate people more about the condition to help them to manage it better and live as best a life as they can! We also need to educate people generally about the condition! One thing that does get me very frustrated is when people say I have got Diabetes because of what I eat and my lifestyle choices - type one is not like that and not many people know that - I also think it is important to educate people more about the symptoms of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia as well as the 4ts - I think we should have different programs being taught in schools and more stalls etc around the country and it
I do believe education is important, in all aspects of life, not just relating to diabetes. It's the foundation for success. However, I do believe that there is already enough information out there (both free online and in books) to drastically improve the way in which T1D's manage their condition - without the need for further expenditure by the NHS for structured educational courses.
And yes, sometimes Joe public can be ignorant to reasons and causes of T1D. Did you eat too much sugar, but you're not fat, etc... It's frustrating at times isn't it?
Purely for example, everyone knows that diet an exercise is important and good for you (diabetic or not) right? Yet over 60% of type 1 diabetics in Scotland are still overweight or obese. There is no amount of further structured education that will make a person improve their diet and increase their amount of exercise. We ALL already know how important maintaining a healthy weight is, yet as a population (both diabetic and non-diabetic) we're not working hard enough to make it right. It really is bread and butter stuff. If we can't get that right, what can we do?
The individual must help themselves and want to help themselves, after all, you can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink.
T1D's meeting HbA1c targets of <53mmol/l is less than 8%. I'd like to say that I'm one of the "lucky ones" who falls into that small percentage, however I'm not lucky - I just work extremely hard for the results I have. It's taken lots of reading, experimentation, seeking help on this forum, fasting for basal rate testing, logs and diaries, calculations, diaries, overnight BG testing and trial and error. I know for a fact that I've put in more ground work for my results than your average T1D who is not achieving good results.
I'm not for a moment saying that if a diabetic is not meeting targets that they are not trying, or lazy - as I fully appreciate that many diabetics struggle a lot more than most to maintain good control. But I need to stress my point that maintaining good control is a battle that is ongoing, every day, permanently, without rest - that needs a lot more effort than people generally think.
What sort of improved education opportunities would you like to see offered to us T1D's? I honestly think that if every T1D in Scotland were to read through a book such as "Think Like A Pancreas" or "Pumping insulin" (even if not using a pump) we'd see almost an overnight improvement. I genuinely think that. No expensive courses needed...
