Police (or Other Emergency Service Workers)

Hi @DiabeticCop and welcome to the forum. How does T1D effect you being a copper??

How did you manage that? What happened to the blanket ban on employment from the emergency services

DiabeticCop said:

Hey,

Any other T1 emergency Service workers out there?!
I’ve been a police officer for 4 years and diabetic for 7.

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My uncle was in Army but he was asked to retire when he was diagnosed with T1.

NewTD2 said:

My uncle was in Army but he was asked to retire when he was diagnosed with T1.

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crazy

@DiabeticCop

Hello DiabeticCop and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

I was t2 prison manager. Turned to keto diet. Lost 27 lbs and reversed it. Life changes

Daisy1
The OP is only asking if there are any other T1 Emergency Service workers on the forum not for info on controlling it.

buckmr2 said:

Daisy1
The OP is only asking if there are any other T1 Emergency Service workers on the forum not for info on controlling it.

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Pipp tagged daisy1
Hello and welcome @DiabeticCop .

Have you seen the info for new members @daisy1 posts yet?
Now I have tagged her she will post it here soon.

DiabeticCop said:

Hey,

Any other T1 emergency Service workers out there?!
I’ve been a police officer for 4 years and diabetic for 7.

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A tough job to do even without type 1, hat's ( or a cap) off to you

I think @KK123 Might be able to help here.

DiabeticCop said:

Hey,

Any other T1 emergency Service workers out there?!
I’ve been a police officer for 4 years and diabetic for 7.

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Hi there! (Thanks DiaKat). I am in the same position, I work shifts as well albeit in a Supervisory position so I have more time to make any adjustments and do any testing whilst I am going along. How are you finding it in general, there is one other person with type 1 in my place of work, also a response Officer and he and I have many chats! I was only diagnosed a year ago so it was initially quite daunting going back to work. I agree in that the Police assess each person individually, ie they look at how the person is managing it all, they have been very good about time off for appointments etc, is that the same where you are?

Pipp said:

Yes, it is customary to alert daisy1 when a new member posts, regardless of their initial query.

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Yes I know pipp, it was another member who questioned it @buckmr2

DiabeticCop said:

Thanks for the reply!

When I joined, Occupational Health said they would do yearly reviews with me. I haven’t heard from them since my medical before joining! And I didn’t have to jump through hoops to get a response driving course either luckily, so they seem quite relaxed about it in my force.

It can be a bit of a pain testing on shift, especially when you’re going from immediate to immediate.
I’m seeing my new Diabetes team next week so I’m going to request having a Freestyle Libre on prescription.

How is your force with yourself and your T1 colleague? Do they try and push you in to office roles at all?

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Hi DC, nope, they wouldn't dare!!!! Going into an office job has never been mentioned, in fact they seem determined to keep the pair of us on shifts (I would love an office job after 30 years service!!). It's good that they allow you to simply carry on as normal to be fair, I am in a fairly senior position so I have campaigned to raise the profile of diabetes and I make sure that they treat us all fairly and as individuals. I'm a bit of a Mother hen to the PC as in I tell him to report back to me if anyone tries it on, lol. We have made sure also that other individuals on the shifts know the situation so that they can act accordingly if they notice one of us acting oddly (hasn't happened so far though). We are small cogs I know but I do think it is important to speak up on behalf of ALL of us to address any prejudice.