I'm not the athletic type if anything I'm a sporting lost cause. I was never very good at it and therefore never really got into it. So, when the Olympics comes around every four years I notice what makes the news headlines in Ireland but that's about it. However, in an effort to be a better world citizen I'm paying attention to the London 2012 Olympics and I'm actually quite interested. I have never watched an Olympic Open Ceremony (I know I should be ashamed but I'm not) bu

Diabetes is a burden, a nuisance and feckin' depressing. But it shouldn't be all of those things all of the time. You probably think I'm "cracked" when I say that I'm grateful to my diabetes. Let me explain; There are a number of little things that I'm grateful to my diabetes for and the coolest one is that when I was pregnant with my babies I got loads of ultrasound photos. Seeing your baby on the ultrasound monitor is so "awesome" and pregnant women without diabetes in Irel

Once you have been discharged from hospital after your diagnosis of type 1 diabetes you are probably wondering what to do next! Well, here’s some help in the form of suggestions from the Starter Kit; a guide for Adults with Type 1 Diabetes . It’s comforting to know that there is a list. Find out who you can call in an emergency. Your endocrinologist or diabetes nurse specialist might give you their mobile number. Most major public hospitals will have an endocrinologist on cal

It’s been many a year since I was diagnosed as a young one with type 1 diabetes and over the years I have heard some valuable advice that I wish I had been told when I was diagnosed that would have caused me less stress. I’m taking an excerpt from the Irish version of the Starter Kit; a guide for adults with type 1 diabetes in the hope that people today who are newly diagnosed will be saved the stress and that this information will help the find the path to “I can do this dia

We have been hearing a lot about the Artificial Pancreas project lately in the diabetes news and I have to say when I read in the latest issue of Discovery, the JDRF's quarterly magazine that it had been tested in a non-hospital setting with good results I got very excited.  If you are at all interested or even just want to know a bit more about what kind of research is going on in the world that might make like with diabetes easier then this is the event for you. Diabetes Ir

This week, I thought I would just give you a couple of lines about the Type 1 Support group that I am part of. We meet every month in Ennis, Co. Clare and there are usually about 6 of us. Six is a nice number; it means we can relax a bit and really talk about what’s bothering us in our diabetic lives. Last night, we meet in the Temple Gate Hotel and there were 4 of us. There was myself, who has had type 1 for almost 19 years, a lady who has grown up children and has type 1 fo

Last month, I read a story called “ 500 Miles ” in the American Diabetes Association’s magazine, Diabetes Forecast. When I read the title I thought “aaahhh, another person doing something insane to create awareness about diabetes”. (I have nothing against people who do insane and wonderful things for charity but I feel I can’t be part of it because I’m just ordinary). After reading it I was “wowed”. This chap came up with an extraordinary challenge but then developed a plan t

Yes, even the best of us says “dumb” stuff but what I’m referring to in this instance are the things that people who do not have diabetes (even loved ones) say to us when we talk about our diabetes. You know; the “should you be eating that” or the “I eat so much sugar that I know I’m going to get it”, etc. What amazes me is the way people react to the “dumb stuff”! Sometimes we over-react to what the person says because they really don't know what to say and we don't do ourse

I may be a bit late with this post as we are only two weeks away from the season’s climax. Most people love the Party Season but for people with diabetes this can be the most difficult time of the year to stay on top of it. The Christmas season presents many temptations with big neon Christmas lights, trying to manage party after party, then, when Christmas day arrives you find you’re sitting around a lot in the presence of bad food choices. How do you deal with having all th

The Story of Jim's Christmas Lights.In September 2010, I was contacted by a gentleman named Jim O'Driscoll who lived in my town. You see every year he would decorate his house and garden with Christmas lights, snowmen & reindeer, extreme style and use his love of this to give something back to the community by asking people who came to see them for a small donation for charity. Jim had done this for 10 years and raised thousands for many good causes including; Crumblin’s Chil

When someone tells you “you have type 2 diabetes”, the reaction is usually one of shock. You may have gone to the doctor with what you thought a bothersome minor ailment, not expecting in the least to be told you have a serious chronic illness. You might be sitting in the doctor’s office and while s/he is trying to explain diabetes to you your mind is racing with the “how” and the “why”. Those first days, weeks & months are really difficult. You are trying to accept the hand

<p class="">My positivity about my diabetes is in a bit of a slump at the moment. Let me fill you in.</p>

Ever since I had my second child and had to spend seven days in a maternity hospital I have had a huge fear of ever being admitted to hospital again. That might sound a bit extreme but it’s the truth. I did not have any confidence that any of the staff in the hospital had the ability to care for me should I become incapacitated. When I was invited to speak at a nurse’s diabetes training day I thought that I might charge in there seeing them as the enemy. Thankfully, my husban

November 14th is World Diabetes Day . All around the world the diabetes community will mark the occasion in some way or another as we remember those who have passed from this life because of diabetes and  those who are struggling to stay ahead of their complications. We will also be thankful for every day that those who are living well with diabetes continue to do so. It’s the one day I know I’m not alone in the world of diabetes. This year the diabetes community in Ireland s

People with diabetes are very fortunate when it comes to the cost of living with diabetes in Ireland. Under the Long Term Illness Scheme , diabetes medications and supplies, such as test strips, needles, insulin, etc., are free to all people with diabetes. This scheme was set up in 1971, specifically to help people with diabetes manage the astronomical cost of medicine and subsequently covers another 14 illnesses. The cost of a box of 50 test strips for my One Touch Ultra Glu

I needed to clean my house, so, I jumped right in to the hovering. Low (pun intended) and behold about 15 minutes into the project I’m sweating and I’ve got the shakes. I’m annoyed because I have to get the job done before the school collection run and now I have to take time out to treat a hypo. I have never let my diabetes stop me from doing anything; I’ve travelled, worked, got married, had children. I did not climb any mountains but I didn’t want to. But when it comes to

Preventing Diabetic Kidney Disease Disclaimer: This following information is not provided to you by a medical profession but by a non-medical third party and does not in any well replace any advice given to you by such professionals. In October 2010, I attended a presentation given by Dr. Ray O’Connor on Diabetic Kidney Disease. I’m getting to the stage in my life where I don’t want to rely on luck alone to stave off the complications of diabetes and even though I trust my

I was at a diabetes information evening last week and we listened to an extremely eloquent and knowledgeable dietitian give a presentation on the most commonly asked questions from people with diabetes. I started to think about how much focus there is on food when you have diabetes and why this question is always asked, in multiple forms, so many times. It’s one of the first questions a person asks themselves, irrelevant to what type of diabetes they have, when they get home