Advocating Together We Can Make A Difference

I felt very 

​honoured

​ and proud to be given the opportunity​ to

​go

 to Leinster house as part of a team Advocating for a National Diabetes Strategy with a multi-year resource plan. The work involved in getting this together in a few short weeks was a huge task but Kieran from Diabetes Ireland 

​with his experience pulled this together perfectly. 

 Together we were strong, and together we were firm

​, ​

It felt strangely powerful 

​!​

It all started after hearing about minister Harris imposing a hiring freeze on the HSE.  I was fuming followed by action. Putting my feelings about this in writing and emailing as many TDs as I could find email addresses for, yes I had a good old rant.

Frank O Rourke

​ the 

TD for my area

​ (North Kildare)​

 wrote back to me quickly and in a phone call the next day he suggested we ( my colleagues & myself ) come to Leinster House and present our case on a national level to the ministers, all of which he would invite to attend. 

​now how exciting did this sound ?

​

Yep said I, seemed like a good idea and so the plan was hatched. Not in my wildest dreams could this Advocacy Project happen with effect without professional facts, figures and backup.

​ ​

My next phone call was to Grainne at Thriveabetes for advice and then Diabetes Ireland to talk about how best to go forward with this opportunity which had literally fallen in 

​m​

y lap.

I'd been given a job with huge opportunity but

​ not 

in my Wildest dreams could I do that job, well not alone anyway.

​ ​

Kieran was the person in Diabetes Ireland I spoke with and the support I received was instant.

​ ​

Kieran enlisted the help of the Clinical Leads for paediatric and Adult services and it all started to come together.

Every single step of the way Kieran keep us in the loop and made sure what was happening was with our approval.

After only a few weeks to plan it all the pressure was on to make sure everything was covered and then finally the day arrived ! 

I met Grainne, Rebecca, and Liz at Heuston Station and together we met the rest of our team

​ ​

across from Leinster House for coffee where a last chat

​ and briefing​

 could be had among ourselves and Frank O Rourke before being brought across

​to Leinster House.

It was a very well attended meeting by TD's and Senators, and both Clinical Leads talked about the lack of Diabetes Services nationwide but particularly In the SouthEast where services seem to be particularly bad.

Rebecca and I both spoke about living life with type 1 diabetes, Rebecca from the point of view of a parent of a child with type 1 and me from an adult point of view. 

​Any​

 lack of service

​ we were experiencing in our Diabetes clinics was highlighted​.

 

I never knew before exactly what the crew at Diabetes Ireland did, I knew 

​they worked on​

 lots of 

​campaigns​

 but I'd no 

clear idea of what those campaigns​

were​

.

After today I understand a little better what their job and their role in our lives is.

​

I also understand that we as patients can shout from the rooftops advocating and raising awareness

​in our separate groupings​

 but unless we work with our peers as a united team we are unlikely to be heard by those that truly matter to our lives as people with type 1 diabetes.

​

There is no "i"

​ in the word

 team, certainly advocating as a small body will make noise but if we want changes we have to all pull together with the one agenda and as one body.

​Today was a special day and we need to say thank you so much to Frank O Rourke TD, for giving us this opportunity also Kieran O Leary and his team from Diabetes Ireland​, their patience and support was endless and invaluable, and im sure it will continue to be so as they continue to work with us and also on our behalf.

The support we recieved from our community was overwhelming as the days grew closer to the briefing and if i had a message to everyone now, it would be that there is strength in numbers, it is very important that we stand together and united as people with type 1 diabetes, to campaigne for a better and healthier future together. 

Feeling the love .......

Davina 💙

Let's Talk #Oral and My #Diabetes

Let's Talk Oral,and My Diabetes 

Yes iv used the word "Diabetes" all on its own because I'm talking about both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

Taking our Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes seriously is something we all must do if we want to live long happy and healthy lives in the hope of skidding to the finish line rather than arriving in bits.

We hear all about the danger to feet, limb amputation, eyesight and retina problems and deterioration of Hearing, to name just a few among many other complications. I remember after diagnosis of my T1 coming home with only a small amount of information, only discovering later the vast amount of other things I needed to know.

Nobody ever mentioned "Oral Problems"

My oral hygiene has always been a little OTT and brushing vigorously 2-3 times daily would be my absolute minimum, yep me and my toothbrush are never far apart. 

We use our mouth for many things like breathing, eating, drinking, smoking, talking, smiling, and kissing etc lol. We ladies outline it with lip liner and slap on the lipstick hoping we look great. 

You men pucker up without the lippy and hope you'll get lucky.

In the dead of night when I reach to the bedside locker to treat a hypo without even getting out of bed and then falling straight back to sleep, do I brush first ? 
NO .......  

I wouldn't even be thinking, I'm shaking,sweaty, and desperate for sweet stuff so I can see yet another day. I never totally wake in a hypo, I sort of move and react while still sleeping, yep that's it, I sleep eat.......

Then I wake up in the morning with an awful sickly sweet taste in my mouth, honestly that's when I realise iv treated a hypo through the night, and only then do I brush.

Do we ever stop to think about what our diabetes is doing to our Oral status?

I sure didn't.......

As I am a regular 2-3 times a day brusher, it never even entered my head. Until Christmas week when a tooth started being a bit more than sensitive.

First week in January straight after new year I treated myself to a trip to the dentist, did I tell you I HATE going to the dentist ( probably why I brush so much ) the only consolation was, he was young, good looking, had a lovely smile and a great bedside manor.

I even joked with the receptionist about it being ages since I'd had someone that good looking talking Oral to me ...... ( well that's not exactly what I said lol )

However, my tooth was causing grief so I opened wide just like I was told to, the result was a crack in the molar that he'd try to save with a big filling. It was a long shot and I knew it, but we took the shot and lost. It continued to cause problems and 2 weeks later it had to be removed. 

The root broke off during the procedure and a little digging was needed. ( it wasn't good )

I went back a week or so later to have stitches removed and it was then, he said he was surprised that the healing wasn't as advanced as he had hoped. He suggested because I was a diabetic a really deep clean done in his office would be advised, and I took his advice, starting 2 weeks later. 

Cutting a long story short here, iv had to have more "work done" than I hoped. We discovered not only is my healing not good, but my gums are inflamed. The result of my diabetes, the work done and a lack of healing.

The local anesthetic he gave me at 9.30 in the morning, had managed to remain in place until between 8 - 10 pm and all day as I sipped my coffee in one side of my mouth it spilled out the other side and down whatever top I was wearing this time. Eating wasn't pretty ......

I felt like I belonged in a comedy show, yes it was hilarious to look at, my sense of humour however wasn't great. 

Another thing, the anesthetic for my molar had now numbed me from the base of my neck to my hairline and just to keep things balanced out it also totally numbed my ear, enabling me to stab myself while putting on my glasses without pain, or as another option just miss my ear target and wear the glasses sliding down my face. 

I did bump into my Mr 50 shades of Dentist at the shop in the afternoon, he was more than a little surprised that I was still talking with a sort of "spit and drool" action. No he hadn't given me too much. The reason ??? My metabolism and my diabetes, meant the anesthetic was acting differently, and not wearing off too quick. Yep you could have punched me anytime through that day and I wouldn't have felt a thing.

I also spent a full 24 plus hours, eating ( everything ) and not injecting insulin just trying to reach a (5. Plus) on the BG meter and CGM, I did manage it just once for about 40 minutes but I very quickly dropped back to the 2s ( no sleep was had that night ) just my T1 system reacting to local anesthetic. 

That was January and guess what ? Iv still got another molar with a crack, just filled but the issue is not resolved. Iv got a lack of enamel now and dentures are now on my bucket list for this year.

I'm thinking diabetes has a lot to answer for, and more regular check ups are advisable for those with diabetes. 

The only good thing is, my Mr 50 shades of dentist, can't and doesn't  say "don't eat sugar" to a diabetic and when it comes to treating a diabetic, their protocol is to be guided by the patient and what they need, they will only work on us if we are happy with the BG numbers at the time. His exact words were " the diabetic knows best " ( music to my ears )  now that's one very clever man, my 50 shades of dentist.

How my Dogs will think when i get my new set of dentures. 

That of course is if Princess Kate does'nt eat them on me.

Some wise words from the dentist here :

http://www.diabetestone.com/our-dentist.html

Another Dental article

http://www.informationaboutdiabetes.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/why-your-dentist-is-part-of-your-diabetes-treatment-team

Just a Type 1 Diabetic sharing experience
Davina

Type 1 Diabetes is an Autoimmune Disease but does Stress and Trauma play a part in triggering it ?

I

​Im well aware of the fact that we dont have a clear cause of type 1 diabetes, some say it was triggered by a virus or other illness, many people say when it comes to children, that the child had'nt been well with another illness in the run up to being diagnosed​. 

In my case i blame ( if thats the right term ) stress and trauma and iv always believed this is what started my autoimmune problems. i had hit a part in my life where life as i knew it had just fallen apart in every form. The changes that came with it left me feeling extremely lost and very shocked and very frightened. extremely stressed and barely coping is the way i would describe this episode of my life.

When i had lost a huge amount of weight, and had various other symptoms i did go to a gp about it but i prescribed zanax to help me relax and take me down from the extreme state of fear and stress i was living with. 

It was only after i had collapsed in work and was brought to another GP that i ended up in A&E, the blood test taken there revealed Hyperthyroid, ( full blown Graves Disease ) an autoimmune disease where the thyroid gland was over active and producing too much iodine. My finger nail beds were dying and were parting company with my nails, the same thing was happening with my toe nails, my skin had taken on a tan to be proud of, i walked around in the depts of winter looking like id been sprayed on a daily basis. My hair was clearly thinning, o ye and i had the shakes as id hand over money to pay for something in a shop, i had a shake like someone who had been on the vodka all night. palpatations became very regular and lasted for hours. SVT's they called them, which eventually led to a situation i hope never to have to face again. I ended up in intensive care after my heart had to be stopped by injection and then they brought me back to life.

A procedure a few weeks later called an AV node ablation sorted this out. Although my thyroid condition was put into remission a few years later with medication and to date it has remained there, i do firmly believe that this is what and where my autoimmune problems started.

Moving forward a few years and my symptoms seemed to have re visited me and thinking i was out of remission i went for blood tests and that was when the word "Diabetes" was first said to me.

At first because i was of the older generation and heading for my 50s it was presumed i was a type 2 diabetic and getting rid of it (curing it) became my mission. i was NEVER going to end up injecting insulin and that was something i was 100% sure of. I look back now and just laugh at this........................

Despite changing my whole lifestyle and doing everything i was now supposed to do, i wasnt making any improvements on blood sugar and got very sick. It was only then after an antibody test was done that i was told i was a type 1 diabetic. Yep the autoimmune kind........

Devastated is the only way i can describe my feeling on that day, to be honest in many ways it was a relief because now i was going to start feeling better, but it did'nt stop me feeling like id just been thrown down a very black hole with nothing but a tea towel to cry into, and cry into it i did, for weeks, and the rest as they say is history....

Nothing will ever change my mind that the horrendous, and frightening time in my life and the trauma i suffered at that time was what started the autoimmune response in me, something back then was telling my body that bits of me didnt belong in my body so the attack started. Firstly with my thyroid gland, and then with my pancreas.  ​

More on this subject here:

http://insulinnation.com

​ ​

/living/trauma-heightens-chances-of-typ

​​

e-1-in-kids/

​​

​Just my thoughts and feelings, im not a medical professional​, but i am someone who knows her body.............................

Davina 

#TheMedia #Celebrities #PublicFigures #DiabetesAwareness #Type1Diabetes #Type2Diabetes

-- 

#TheMedia #Celebrities #PublicFigures #DiabetesAwareness #Type1Diabetes #Type2Diabetes

​

I only ​learned recently t

hat this is Diabetes Bloggers Week.

Well, I’m in then!  Today’s theme is “What would we like changed about Diabetes.”

​ If i was to pick just one topic it would be Type 1 Diabetes Awareness​

This is rather a big area but the points i think that "need to change" about Diabetes is the use of the term "Diabetes" without a type" and then how its portrayed in the media.

Many peo​ple are AWARE that there is more than one type of Diabetes.  They are AWARE that people test blood sugars and take shots.  But, even within the medical community, the world at large is rather UNAWARE of Type One Diabetes, what the symptoms are, when to diagnose Type One instead of Type Two, and what to say to us or do for us when we need help or comforting (or even friendship).

​But leaving the medical 

medical professionals now

​ and into the

 general public.  The average person knows almost nothing about Type One Diabetes unless they have already come in contact with a Type One Diabetic.  Even then, their knowledge is only as extensive as their curiosity and 

​how much information they remember from​

 casual conversation.  While Type Two Diabetes is more prevalent, because both diseases are called “Diabetes,” the presumption is that the two are equally manageable if ONLY THE DIABETIC BEHAVED.

While Insulin has the ability to save Lives it also has the potential to take lives if used incorrectly !​

Living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes is without a doubt challenging, yes for very different reasons​,​ but hold on, do we all face the same challenges in different ways ?

No matter what Type we have we will all undoubtedly have what I call "bold days" and yes some "absent moments" 

• Forgetting to take tablets 
• Forgetting to take insulin
• Injecting the wrong insulin at times ( iv done this )
• Forgetting we'v injected already and doing it again
• Eating too much of the wrong type food
• Going out without a hypo fix
• Going out without our insulin

Yes without a doubt we have all made mistakes, some small and some not so small. We beat ourselves up for letting our concentration slip, for loosening our grip and slipping up on our daily management routine.  24/7/365 is no joke and it's not for the faint hearted​, yes we get tired, we are human.

Through all this we are constantly at battle with ignorance and yes danger. We can't just ignore when people say, ah yes I know all about that diabetes.

Quoting :

• If your low or collapse 
  y​ou need insulin, right ?
• You can't have sugar or sweet stuff of any kind, right ?
• You'll die from that, right ?
• You'll have to have amputation some day, right ?
• You must have led a very unhealthy lifestyle, Ye ?
• That's because your not fit, Ye ?
• Were you very fat at some point, Ye ?
• Did you catch that from something ?

When I hear someone say these things, it's either ignore them, smile politely and let them remain in ignorance, or correct them, try to inform them of a little something they didn't know. But this brings a risk of disapproval on their part because how dare I correct them even though they were wrong.

Making the decision for me is easy, I hear it and the rest is history.Yes people make mistakes and say the wrong thing sometimes but When that statement is blatantly out of whack and comes from someone who says they are a diabetic and has a public platform of millions then letting that statement just coast on​, is not just irresponsible it has the potential to be fatal, our silence can be as bad as the incorrect statement. 

CURED ?

We have high profile people​ saying she WAS a type 1 diabetic
and is CURED she had come off all insulin.

Why haven't the rest of us done this ? 
Because it's NOT true and NOT possible.

GOING LOW AND INJECTING INSULIN ?

Be warned, this one can kill you. A person with any type of diabetes gone or going low ( it's called a hypo ) needs glucose or sugar.

The only injection to take for this is glucagen or glucagon. 

IF THE INJECTION SAYS INSULIN ON IT "DO NOT INJECT IT" YOU COULD KILL THAT PERSON.

​Every one of us who live with either ​Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes have a responsibility if speaking about it in the media to portray it correctly or simply refrain from comment. 

The media in general have a huge responsibility when the word Diabetes gets mentioned yet we see headlines saying .... CURE DIABETES BY......

What the general public hear from the media, they believe, sure why would he have said it on national TV if it wasn't correct ? 

and ​YES​, this has been said to me....

Remember there is always an option to say " I have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and believe me it's no joking matter".

​

There is always an option to just not discuss it, blurbing out incorrect information is very damaging and when it comes from someone in the spotlight and someone with a high profile the damage is limitless. No im not giving out about someone who just does'nt know about their diabetes or who makes a mistake with the information they speak, but i am saying we as diabetics need to take responsibility for this and the media need to take responsibility as they give this a platform, those with diabetes of any kind who don't know much about it should refrain from comment.​

Our most recent incident ​flashed an insulin pen for the cameras.​

Said he gets reminded to inject when he's low. ( totally wrong info )

Apologises after his blurb gets pointed out.

Only then states what​ type of diabetes he has.​

Then goes on yet another programme to apologise profusely for his last blurb, now saying he's on insulin tablets. M​ore incorrect information as insulin can't be ta​ken through the stomach which is why we inject and pump insulin.​

It makes me wonder does that​ person know anything at all about diabetes. NO I don't agree a mistake was made on either occasion, and Yes i know he did'nt go on a TV show to create diabetes awareness, however if he was going to mention it to millions of viewers, he could at least have portrayed it correctly​ instead of pretending to be Mr Big and using it is as some kind of prop.

I think he just does'nt know what he's talking about, and is in serious need of diabetes education, but unfortunately now the public has heard him and we will live with the fall out.

If someone went on a popular TV show with millions of viewers​
and said I'm suffering from depression, cancer, Ms, or any other life threatening disease, following on with flashing equipment or medication for that condition while making a joke about it and stating incorrect facts, Would that be ok ? I wouldn't think so ......

Type 1 Diabetes 

is an autoimmune disease, nothing we did caused it and nothing we do will take it away. Our immune system has attacked an organ in our bodies as if it was a foreign object. In our case it attacked our pancreas and stopped us producing any insulin of our own. Without insulin we would die, so we inject or pump it in, to stay alive. Sugar / glucose is what we use when our blood sugar is too low, we must maintain a balance. ( it's that simple )

Type 2 Diabetes has many causes:

Being Overweight ( I don't like the word obese ) a person who never eat sugary stuff can still be overweight from eating too much breads, potatoes, pastas, pitza or fatty foods for example, and not getting enough exercise.However that's not the only thing that puts you at risk of be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Other things that can increase your risk are :

• Cancer treatments
• Under active thyroid
• Poly cystic ovary syndrome
• Medical use of steroids for other conditions
• Genetics / family history

To name just a few. There are very many slim and fit people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes so it's very wrong to label all type 2s as developing it because of being fat or lazy.

• Sometimes type 2 Diabetes is managed or controlled with diet and exercise.
• Sometimes it requires oral medications to help them increase their sensitivity to their own insulin which they still produce. This is not oral insulin, as insulin cannot be taken through the stomach.
• Sometimes they need the help of a long acting insulin injection. ( Basel ).
• Sometimes they need the help of a short acting insulin with food (Bolus ).
• Sometimes they need both insulins with their oral medication.

There have been some type 2 diabetics who have completely changed their diet and exercise regime and have come off medications. This is not the same as cured, if they slip back to their old lifestyle at any point they would be reunited also with their type 2 diabetes.

A type 2 diabetic that is injecting insulin, is NOT a type 1 diabetic. They are an insulin injecting type 2 diabetic, who would be subject to carb counting and the regime much like a Type 1 Diabetic would need to follow.​

For all of the above reasons, both type 1s and type 2s have a very serious lifestyle to live, it was said to me recently that some people with diabetes, treat their condition / disease as though it was a "Badge of Courage" and I would agree with that. Those people are either​ very courageous indeed, or very stupid.

As a final thought, I would say if you find someone unwell 

and you've established they are diabetic, if you think their blood sugar is low, they are unresponsive in any way or unconscious. 

DO NOT INJECT INSULIN INTO THEM, YOU COULD KILL THEM. 

Phone for an ambulance straight away.

The only injection they can have is GlucaGen and they may,​
or may not​,​ have this with them. 

THIS HYPOKIT HAS INSTRUCTION ON THE INSIDE OF THE ORANGE PLASTIC BOX IT COMES IN.

DO NOT POUR FLUID INTO THEIR MOUTH, IT WILL JUST END UP ON THEIR LUNGS. 

Do we react strongly every time we hear diabetes light heartedly discussed ? Yes.

Do we react strongly when the wrong information is broadcasted. ? Yes.

Do we take it personally ?

I sure do because someone will quote what they heard in the media and insist,​ as it was said on national TV then it must be right.

Living a life with any type of Diabetes ​is no joke and certainly no laughing matter. We carry around with us everywhere we go, a medication that has the potential to kill if administered incorrectly or indeed if administered at the wrong time. 

Incorrect information that is broadcast in any form is not only unacceptable but its dangerous.

No im not a profesional

Im Davina a Type 1 Diabetic

​This link will you give low blood sugar or Hypoglycenia information​

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html