5.5 which is amazing as it was my best friends cheese, pate, nibbles and wine birthday evening and it went on until 11.30pm!
Here is today's social media post. Please feel free to comment. Any advice appreciated. I meet with PM to take this all forward on Monday. Excited.
I have some very exciting news, i may have already mentioned it earlier, but I need a little input from my friends please if you have a minute to spare.
I've joined my surgery's Patient Participation Group 3 months ago, to see if i can perhaps help at all with the little knowledge I've built up over the past year. From this has come something very special. The Drs and the practice manager are very much behind me and behind me helping other diabetics where I can. Sometimes all you need is another diabetic to talk to.
My amazing PM explained to both the CCG and Blackpool council that i would be interested in doing talks for diabetics and pre diabetics on what you could eat to help control blood sugars, avoid medication in many cases (sometimes it can be beneficial for various reasons) and enable weight loss etc. There is currently an initiative to signpost patients to what is called ‘social prescribing’ – things other than medication which will help improve patients lifestyles and their health.
'Everyone is interested in working with you to put you in touch with patients and the council are interested in helping you to find a space to do that in' she said. Music to my ears. The surgery are offering facilitation support (together with the council) and contacting the PMs at other surgeries to ask if they want to invite people.
***If any of you know someone who might be interested please let me know and I will give you more info as soon as the details are confirmed***
So basically I'm going to give a talk in the community, some time in February, (venue to be confirmed) on my journey with putting my type 2 diabetes into remission and my incredible weight loss (still can't quite believe it!!!). If anyone is interested in hearing it! I may yet be talking to myself! This is VERY MUCH out of my comfort zone. I HATE public speaking with a passion. I get tongue tied. I get my words mixed up. I stutter and stumble, i almost internally combust, yet I am passionate about doing this. If it helps just one person I will be more than happy.
I feel there is little out there by way of support, due to financial constraints. I felt very lost, upset, angry with myself on diagnosis. I also was terrified as I have seen first hand what the consequences of diabetes can be with my beloved mum. For her it was progressive. She ended up injecting insulin. Her sugars were not controlled and complications set in.
In my experience you are diagnosed, offered medication and 6 monthly check ups and told it's going to be progressive, which sent shivers down my spine. Plus a one day DESMOND course (type 2s). I was given a stack of booklets. And sadly that was it. There is a meeting held once a month for diabetics (at the Tesco superstore) from across Blackpool Fylde and Wyre, but at my last one only 10 attended. I was told a couple more that usually attend were on holiday. So not many at all.
HELP PLEASE
***If anyone has been reading my blog enteries over the past 2 weeks i would love your input as to which bits they found the most interesting. I would like to incorporate weight loss info in the presentation too***
If the first meeting goes well and is a success I would love to do one a month maybe. Or every 3 months at least.
Any help greatly appreciated.
From little things acorns grow .