Diabetes: Sean's story
Sean is the manager of a Canberra health and fitness centre. Aged 35, a typical day would see him working at the gym, training for an hour to an hour-and-a-half, and coaching a football team.
His energetic lifestyle masks the fact that Sean has had diabetes since he was a teenager. It has neither slowed him down, nor had any major impact on his life.
‘I’ve never used it as an excuse to miss work,’ Sean says. ‘A lot of people like to blame everything that’s ever happened to them upon their diabetes. It’s just something you’ve got — something you’ve got to live with. So you just do the best you can.’
Diagnosis
Sean was first diagnosed with diabetes when he was 17. He knew there was a problem when he started drinking a lot of water, and urinating 20-30 times a day. His GP suspected that he had Type 1, or juvenile-onset, diabetes, and when this diagnosis was confirmed, Sean was hospitalised for 4 days. During this time he was taught all about diabetes, and how to best manage his condition. He was also started on insulin, and will inject it for the rest of his life, or at least until some of the new delivery methods under development come to fruition.
Starting insulin
In the past it used to be common practice to admit people with newly diagnosed diabetes to hospital, and to use a ‘sliding scale’ to estimate the correct dosage of insulin required. While this is still the case with children, recent advances in home blood-glucose monitoring have now made it more common to start insulin on an outpatient basis. This allows people to tailor their treatment to suit their daily routine, within their normal surroundings.
New advances in insulin treatment
Sean has seen many advances in the treatment of diabetes since he was diagnosed 18 years ago, in terms of both the types of insulin available and the variety of delivery devices that have been developed to administer it. For example, Sean now injects Humalog, a recently developed ultra-short-acting synthetic human insulin, 4 times a day. Previously he had used slower-acting insulins to control his blood-glucose levels.
Similarly, people with diabetes now have more choice in how they administer their insulin. For example, Humalog can be administered using a pen injector system, or with a needle and syringe.
Regular blood-glucose monitoring
Sean monitors his blood-glucose levels regularly (about 4-5 times a day) using a finger prick test. He has to eat regularly and co-ordinate the timing of his meals with his insulin injections, adjusting the dose according to his blood-glucose level.
‘There were times when I didn’t monitor my blood-glucose levels for 5 years and didn’t have a problem with it*, but now I do it all the time and have heaps of problems. It’s just one of those things,’ he said.
The importance of regular blood-glucose monitoring was brought home to him recently when he had a close encounter with blindness due to retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes, and occurs when small blood vessels in the retina become swollen, or tiny new blood vessels start to grow and block the retina. Fortunately, Sean’s retinopathy was diagnosed before he lost his sight, and he was referred to an ophthalmologist in Sydney where he underwent laser surgery. Thanks to this early intervention his vision has been preserved, although he does experience night blindness.
Lifestyle
Sean has had to make some lifestyle changes, including having to become very aware of what and when he eats.
‘The most frustrating thing is you’ve got to have a regular routine. I suppose I should be a lot more conscious of it, but I know which things I can and can’t eat, so you just go easy on them. But staying fit and healthy is the easiest way to combat all that. The best thing you can do is to keep fit and exercise and look after yourself, just like a normal person should.’
He is careful with his alcohol consumption, but does not let his diabetes stop him from having a good time every so often. He admits to overdoing it on occasions, but is ever mindful of the consequences of bingeing too often. He says: ‘You’ve got to be a lot more conscious of drinking alcohol. You’ve got to know when to stop. You don’t want to put yourself into a coma.’
And his advice for people with diabetes?
‘Stay as fit and healthy as you can. Don’t let it rule your life. Just live with it. Just do the best you can. Don’t make excuses. Just get on.’
-
*Always follow your doctor’s advice. Not monitoring your blood glucose levels as recommended could have serious consequences not only for your blood-sugar control but for your health.
Last Reviewed: 12 July 2001
Sponsored links
