Diabetes/call The Midwife

[jennyjoan]

Just watching probably a re-run of the above programme and haven't watched the full episode as I am on my way to bed. But the gentleman was getting treated or trying to be treated for diabetes.

My mother had diabetes some 30 years or more ago and until she had it I never heard of it in my life.

How long has diabetes been around.

[brainiac]

Many centuries ago:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/understanding/diabetes-mellitus-through-time.aspx

[jennyjoan]

ok brainiac - will read that link tomorrow. goodnight

[Sqad]

Good link by brainiac above.
First of all let us talk about Type 1 ( lack of insulin).
in the 1920's insulin was first used to treat "diabetes" and before that, you either died or live on a ridiculously low carbohydrate diet and Then you died......whichever way, one didn't last long.
Insulin in 1922 changed all that.
Type I affected all aspects of the body,,heart, kidneys , brain....etc and as a medical student in the 50's one was told:

"Know diabetes and you know medicine"

Type 2 ....sort of slid into prominence in the 50's and was known as "Early onset diabetes".....and that grew into prominence with people living longer, a more affluent lifestyle and the discovery of tablets taken by mouth to control the disease and is indeed a "bigger deal" that Type 1 diabetes.

This is a potted version of diabetes as it is always difficult to know how high to pitch one's answers in AB, so that one doesn't insult one's intelligence.

When one talks of diabetes one always assumes that diabetes mellitus is the topic, but there is another form of diabetes,diabetes insipidus which is extremely rare and due to problems of the base of the brain.
I have never seen such a case.

[brainiac]

Diabetes is one of the biggest health problems in the UK. Around 10% of the entire NHS budget is spent on treating diabetes and its complications.

[pastafreak]

To confuse matters, I read recently that there is research indicating that there is a form of Alzheimer's that may be related to insulin resistance, and is sometimes referred to as type 3 diabetes.

[Sqad]

pastafreak....;-).....I am sure there is.

[JimF]

These days diabetes is completely manageable. There's no longer even any reason to do the finger prick thing to test your blood glucose levels:
https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk-CDrqXJ5gIVmpntCh3LVgZBEAAYASAAEgK5yPD_BwE

[MWG14]

My grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes in the 1940s. My mother had to learn how to inject her daily dose of insulin because she couldn't manage it herself.

[JimF]

Again, technology has moved on massively since then. These days, the lancets which attach to the end of the insulin pen are so sheer that you really cannot even feel them, akin to the needles that dentists use to numb your mouth.

[Barsel]

Jim you seem very knowledgeable about this so can I ask you if those sensors you can use for testing your blood sugar levels can be prescribed by the NHS or do you have to buy them? If so, how much are they?

[bhg481]

My mother always referred to it as "Sugar", short for "Sugar diabetes". Perhaps you didn't make the connection when you were young, JJ.

[Sqad]

Barsel...if you are a Type 2 diabetic, you do not need to do regular blood tests whatever method. A blood test is all that is necessary every 6 months once you have been stabilised.
If you are a Type one diabetic then ignore my post.

[Barsel]

Sqad I don't have diabetes but my eldest daughter who is now 43yrs old has had type 1 since she was 7 years old and I know she still finds it a chore to test her blood sugar levels so the thing that Jim mentioned looks interesting but he didn't come back to answer my questions.

[JimF]

As far as I know, they are not available on the NHS, though it couldn't hurt to ask. They cost around £50 each and last for a fortnight. If that's a lot of money to you, then they're expensive. The difference they make in terms of not having to go through the finger pricking ritual four times a day makes them completely worth the cost. As squad says, if you have type II and are stabalised, you don't need to do the regular testing by whatever method, unless you sense that you are having a hypo incident.

A wristwatch version is also in the development stage, plus an even newer innovation which measures your blood glucose level by shining a laser through the skin webbing between your thumb and forefinger.

[Mamyalynne]

The Freestyle are available on NHS in some areas depending on local approval, so well worth asking.

[Barsel]

Jim as I said in my post to Sqad it's not for me as I don't have diabetes, I was asking because my daughter does, but I'm pretty sure she couldn't afford that, so I'll look into The Freestyle that Mamya has mentioned to see if our health authority supply it.

[JimF]

"the Freestyle that Mamya has mentioned"

They are one and the same.

[Mamyalynne]

My answer was in reference to Jim's mention, didn't make that clear.

[Barsel]

Oh sorry, I didn't realise. Looks like it depends on quite a few things to see if you are suitable for it so I'll tell my daughter and she can enquire.

[albaqwerty]

queenofmean had a session with libre.
I've no idea whether she still has it or not, will get in touch with her and ask if she'd comment on it.

change.org did have a petition a few years ago to try to make it free or reasonably priced, at that time it was £100 a month.