Having surgery as a person with Diabetes.

Chris talk candidly about his first experiences of being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. His parents tell him that he has lost weight and was passing a lot of urine. He talks about starting insulin and having urine tests for sugar levels. His first blood sugar testing machine used to be the size of a brick! A key theme he talks about is balance - balance between diet and exercise. He tells about having a regular 'clockwork' lifestyle to be able to use insulin predictably. A major change for him was doing a DAFNE course which allowed him to vary his diet and vary his insulin dose accordingly. Chris describes the Expert Patient programme as a major step in acknowledging his learning over his life. Finally he talks about more flexibility being possible in this day and age.

Daniel talks about his journey with Type 1 Diabetes. He developed Diabetes as a post graduate university student. He shares how his first symptoms weren't picked up but eventually become quite unwell and was then diagnosed this point. When he was diagnosed he was started on tablets but glucose control was not good. He describes some fear around being started on Insulin but the Insulin pens helped. Daniel was grateful to the amount of detail he was given to do with his Diabetes. Particularly, he engaged very strongly with detail over the long term benefits of good blood glucose control.

Abdul Rais talks about lack of knowledge about Diabetes and health can result in lack of enthusiasm for medical treatment. He thinks this may also be relevant to the use of new technology, but also even for the use of Insulin.

Salma Mehar, Consultant Diabetes Dietician, talks about how important it is to engage with Healthcare providers to learn how to manage your Diabetes and blood glucose. She also talks about the importance of weight management in preventing complications in people with Diabetes. She talks about various sources of information available from face to face to online.

Dr Mushtaqur Rahman, Consultant Endocrinologist and Diabetologist talks about how to avoid damage to eyes and other organs with Diabetes. He explains that much relates to 'tight' blood glucose control. He also talks about issues which can occur when you quickly try to improve blood glucose control.

Steve talks about how Type 1 Diabetes affects his life. Very interesting Diabetes may not be the one thing he would change about his life given the opportunity. He talks about working within boundaries in the short term which will keep long term goals on track. Steve's main message is to treat Diabetes as part of a routine and a lifestyle - using this approach he doesn't feel he needs to dwell too long about long term outcomes.