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Hello there - any 'Non Diabetics' here?

PaulKee

PaulKee

Newbie
Messages
3
Location
Cill Channaigh
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
I've just joined yesterday - I'm not a diabetic but my wife is Type 1 and has been for most of her life. While I do know a lot about diabetes I was wondering if there is many on this forum/website that are like myself - partner or spouse of a loved one with Diabetes? My wife has been a member of this site for few months now and I know she has got great advice and been able to converse with other diabetics so I have decided to join and see is there any advice/tips/help for partners in similar situation etc.
 
Welcome @PaulKee :)

Yes, there are :) Some of our members are partners of people with diabetes, some are parents of children with diabetes, and some are friends or relatives.

It's great you've joined up and are supporting your wife :)
 
azure said:
Welcome @PaulKee :)

Yes, there are :) Some of our members are partners of people with diabetes, some are parents of children with diabetes, and some are friends or relatives.

It's great you've joined up and are supporting your wife :)
Click to expand...

You forgot to mention us non diabetic RH ers!
 
PaulKee said:
I've just joined yesterday - I'm not a diabetic but my wife is Type 1 and has been for most of her life. While I do know a lot about diabetes I was wondering if there is many on this forum/website that are like myself - partner or spouse of a loved one with Diabetes? My wife has been a member of this site for few months now and I know she has got great advice and been able to converse with other diabetics so I have decided to join and see is there any advice/tips/help for partners in similar situation etc.
Click to expand...

I have a endocrine condition that is non diabetic and the wife is T2!

So I come into your parameters!

Best wishes.
 
PaulKee said:
I've just joined yesterday - I'm not a diabetic but my wife is Type 1 and has been for most of her life. While I do know a lot about diabetes I was wondering if there is many on this forum/website that are like myself - partner or spouse of a loved one with Diabetes? My wife has been a member of this site for few months now and I know she has got great advice and been able to converse with other diabetics so I have decided to join and see is there any advice/tips/help for partners in similar situation etc.
Click to expand...
PaulKee said:
I've just joined yesterday - I'm not a diabetic but my wife is Type 1 and has been for most of her life. While I do know a lot about diabetes I was wondering if there is many on this forum/website that are like myself - partner or spouse of a loved one with Diabetes? My wife has been a member of this site for few months now and I know she has got great advice and been able to converse with other diabetics so I have decided to join and see is there any advice/tips/help for partners in similar situation etc.
Click to expand...
Hi, I'm new to the forum and also not diabetic. Son diagnosed 6m ago and I'm trying to find out about clinical trials, such as the very interesting-sounding Imcyse one, which is testing new treatment for newly diagnosed who still have defiite beta cell function. Does anyone know how to find out more and maybe get on this trial - if there are no side effects (!) Also, it seems impossible to connect with people in the same situation: when you're the parent of a newly diagnosed child, at a time when you really need people to talk to. Still I have not found any physical groups. And my son is facing challenges with no network of people who know what he is dealing with day in day out. He is incredibly brave - more so than me - but this has been very tough for us. I decided to make myself as "expert" as possible about this condition and I spend hours every day trawling the internet and analysing his numbers and data. I could probably actually help parents of newly diagnosed children myself now, at least on the practical/ knowledge side. Latest challenge is GCSE's, having missed lots of school, (what a year he's had, poor little chap!!) and seeing what stress does to blood sugar: which is quite incredible. We're fans of Freestyle Libre, which has been a game changer, in a number of ways for us. I'm lobbying my doc's surgery to try to get them to pay for it: it's cheaper for them than the finger pricking system and looks like it might have better long term outcomes, because of the data it gives you. We're not rich, but have decided to pay for this. What about people who just can't make that happen? Doesn't seem right to me. So any thoughts on how I can pursue this cause welcome. Lots in this first post....
 
Hi @New2T1D welcome to the forum.

I don't know about the imcyse trial, it seems to be running at several centres in the uk, you could contact imcyse to ask for details on where the trials are running/ how to get on the trials - http://www.imcyse.com/en/contact

You might want to search for local support groups / meet up with diabetes uk - https://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Local_support_groups/

Or search for events and discovery days with JDRF - https://jdrf.org.uk/living-with-type-1/type-1-discovery-days/

I would recommend going easy on so much "trawling the internet". If you're looking for info, the book "think like a pancreas" has the basics on what you need to know to manage type 1.

I hope the revision is going well. JDRF has as one good practical information on type 1 and exams - https://jdrf.org.uk/living-with-type-1/everyday-life/school-and-university/exams/

Your GP practice doesn't make NHS funding decisions. The freestyle libre isn't NICE approved. Even CGMs that have limited nice review are only NHS funded in limited circumstance of clinical need, like severe hypos or hypo unawareness, because funding a CGM is cheaper than funding the ambulance call outs. Until there is a NICE or NHS business review supporting the cost savings of a libre or CGM in the long term I'm afraid lobbying your doctors surgery probably isn't going to get you very far. Abbott are actively pursuing assessment for libre on prescription - https://freestylediabetes.co.uk/freestyle-thinking/post/Freestyle-libre-NHS
 
It's so kind of you to respond like this Catapillar - and such great information THANK YOU. It didn't occur to me that I could find out so much from experienced people like you; or that people would bother to respond really. I've just clicked on every one of your links and got something from each one :-) I've read "Think like a pancreas" and also Dr Bernstein. I know he's considered to be controversial, but I like the sound of the results he gets and do help my son to manage "tight" control, though less stringent during these flippin' exams. I don't apply Dr B's methods entirely, just a few principles. Not really possible to follow closely for a 16 year old with additional nut allergy and also a few food intolerances - and possible Coeliac condition (biopsy awaited). Food could be about to become more challenging. I suppose we will just adjust again. Again - thank you for taking the time to respond to me. Really helpful.
 
Many thanks for all the welcoming replies and info. Have navigated the site and found lots of information some basic some mind boggling that one would need a medical PhD to understand but in general very user friendly. In fact I am beginning to realise that I know more about Type 1 than I thought. Don't think I'll ever know it all but once I know enough about my wife and her reactions to highs and lows etc that's good enough for me for now. What I certainly have newly learned is that while T1 is a specific condition each individual person that has T1 has different levels of resistance or none at all. (Not sure if my terminology is correct but you know what I mean!!)
 
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