Living with diabetes can be stressful, but you don’t have to put your life on hold. There is lots of information to help you fit diabetes around your life.

There are 2 main types of Diabetes

Type 1 – is an autoimmune disorder, which means the body attacks the pancreas. The pancreas is a gland which normally produces insulin. The vast majority of people with Type 1 Diabetes will need to use injections to manage their sugars, and will be regularly reviewed by their hospital team.

Type 2 – is by far the more common type of diabetes in the UK. In Type 2 diabetes the body isn’t able to respond to the insulin produced as well, and becomes resistant.

We diagnose diabetes with a blood test called HbA1c; this measures the amount of sugar stuck to your red blood cells. In some people we can pick up a condition called ‘Prediabetes’ which is when we can see the sugars are rising, but not high enough yet for a diagnosis of Diabetes. If you are found to have Prediabetes this is a brilliant opportunity to make some small and sustainable changes to benefit your long-term health.

Many people are able to reduce their sugars and therefore ‘cure’ themselves of Type 2 diabetes through lifestyle modifications. By changing your diet and losing weight, it is possible to reduce your HbA1c and for your body to be responsive to insulin once again.

However many people do find it difficult to make radical changes. If that’s the case there are lots of different medications we can try, including tablets and injections.

It’s really important to do everything you can to keep your sugars as near to normal as possible. High sugars within the blood damages the blood vessels and nerves in the body. This can lead to many different problems including eye problems, kidney problems, increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, and more.

You can find out more about diabetes on the NHS UK website.