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Amazed
that there are so many people (doctors, educators, researchers, pharmaceutical
reps) dedicated to providing support to people with Diabetes. (The
Congress was held in a complex larger than Jeff's Shed and it was full
for four days.)
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Amazed
by how much everyone wants to know about Reality Check, about us, our thoughts
and our experiences.
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Amazed
that lots of the health professionals were
surprised at us being there and even more surprised that we had constructive
things to say - as if we as young people with diabetes are not prepared
to or are incapable of taking responsibility for our understanding of this
element of our lives.
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Amazed
that educators, who attend many conferences each
year said that the most useful nd best thing they've ever attended was
Reality Check's ISYAD. They said it was the first time they were able to
get a first hand account of the real issues affecting young adults with
diabetes rather than text book accounts. (Actually, I'm not all that
amazed. We all knew ISYAD was great!)
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Amazed
by how far ahead America is with the quality of their Diabetes educational
literature. (The JDF Countdown magazine I picked up was a great read!
How much longer will it take Australia to catch up?)
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Amazed
that they have magnum icecream giveaways at
Diabetes conferences. (In case you were wondering ... I was actually low
after mine & Andrew was high - Defies the 'laws' of Diabetes, doesn't
it? But it goes to show there are NO 'laws'.)
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A commonly eaten amount of fruit
eaten at a time when insulin is past peak action does not adversely effect
blood glucose levels in Type 1 diabetics.
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In a Chinese study, pump therapy improved the glycaemic
control and decreased the patients' 'worries' on diabetes.
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A nation-wide survey was conducted in Japan to evaluate
the social circumstances and lifestyle of patients with IDDM. It
found a multi-disciplinary team is required to address the psychosocial
issues of the diabetic. An experienced psychologist/psychiatrist is an
important member of the diabetes "team".
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There is NO information available about recreational drugs
and diabetes.
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After moving from regular insulin to Humalog, 86% of a
group studied had a reduced HbA1c, 57% had a decrease in hypos and
47% had both. The author of this study, Dr Matt Cohen, has written
a beautifully titled book "Think Like a Pancreas - a User's Guide to Humalog"
- stay tuned for a book review next issue!
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Dr William Tamborlane spoke of "Coping Skills Training"
a program he developed for teens with diabetes to teach them how to cope
with their lives in the context of diabetes management. He proved
that the addition of such a course is helpful in achieving and maintaining
HbA1c and quality of life goals.
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VACULANCE is a new product which lets you obtain blood
for a test from places other than your fingertips. It pricks and
then sucks up the blood. Sounds weird but it's actually really cool!
At last an answer for everyone whose ever told us they're a pianist, typist,
guitarist, mechanic or obsessive tester (!) and wants an alternative to
pricked fingers. Available from Diabetes
Australia-Victoria for $34.50 (Call 03 9654 8777) or more
info from www.bayer.com.
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For the first time, 'A National Needs Assessment of Children
and Adolescents with Diabetes' has been done by JDFA (you may remember
Penny & Lilian were at ISYAD last year). It's come up with 10
recommendations among them automatic access to Health Care Cards for all
kids and students with diabetes, increase awareness of GPs and the general
community of seriousness and psycho-social impact of diabetes, and increased
funding into research. It's a fascinating read ... call 1300
363 126 for a copy.
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It was very
exciting to observe people in the field of diabetes whose work goes far
beyond the wildest part of my imagination, with proteins and receptors
that mean nothing at all to me daily as I test my blood and administer
my insulin. But it was their passion for their work and their dedication
to go back and research further to find answers that blew me away.
