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I was 22 when the Big D came knocking on my door (like an encyclopaedia salesman in a bad suit). I then started a one week stint in hospital. The first thing they did was put me on a drip. I will always remember waking up the next morning feeling like I could go ten rounds with Mike Tyson. I really did feel fantastic and felt quite out of place in hospital for the rest of the time there. I don’t even remember my first session with the endo – I was a bit out of it. My wife informs me that he saw me soon after being admitted – and also that he asked my wife to leave the room so that he could speak to me. That went down well. I think this is where I have developed a dislike for endo’s in general. I never found him very helpful at all. I was always the one asking about new technology / therapies etc – he was never forthcoming on this sort of stuff. For the money I paid him I felt totally ripped off. My diabetes educator and dietician were fantastic. They explained everything in simple terms and both complained about the lack of appropriate published material to assist me. They both had resorted to producing their own handouts on everything from what additives to avoid in foods to what to do on sick days. I guess this reinforces what you guys are planning on doing with respect to some sensible middle-ground literature. The biggest thing for me was giving myself that first shot. Once I had done that I was fine. I realised that the injections weren’t such a big deal and that I would have no problems dealing with them. Twelve years on and my biggest problem with injections is remembering whether I have had it already or not. Really bad combination - diabetes and appalling short-term memory. I was so bored in hospital for the rest of the week that I wrote a cartoon strip called “Diabetic Swat Penguins on Parade”. They attacked factories producing cup cakes, lollies and the like (now there’s a little window into my psyche). This could have been a bad initial reaction to the insulin (my excuse and I’m sticking to it). The other thing that shit me up the wall was the ignorance of the community at large. Relatives were the worst. I still to this day have a relative who asks me every time she sees me – “Are you still having to have those injections Dear”. Yes – lest I die. What would have been good would be a simple handout that I could give out that explained not what diabetes is but how it would effect me and them. I remember my wife was freaked out for a while because she thought that at some stage she would have to give me an injection – as if I’d let her near me with anything that sharp. One of your other questions was what did I really need on that first day. In retrospect I would have loved to have spoken to someone who had the Big D – not an expert, or a doctor, or an educator, or a nurse, or a dietician, or an endo – but someone who was living it, walking it, talking it and injecting it. Hope this helps and I’d love to see what Reality Check develops in your Starter Kit for adults diagnosed with diabetes. Regards, Anthony |