Nia W.

Hey everyone! My name is Nia W.. I’m 28 years old and currently living in England. I have type 1 diabetes for a total of 5 years.I was diagnosed when I was 23 years old. I did not grew up as a child with diabetes.

Emotionally was the hardest part. I live in a society where healthcare is free at the point of access and people with diabetes do not have to pay for prescriptions.

“Emotionally was the hardest part.”

Currently I am using the the Medtronic 640G pump and Freestyle Libre sensor as my treatment. I am using Humalog insulin. Before I used Humulin I and Lantus.

Being able to use the pump and Freestyle Libre sensor have improved things a lot, on both a psychological level and in terms of ease of management.

I think I manage to treat my diabetes fairly well though but there is room for improvement. I get support from my husband and friends. I am treated by a hospital team consisting of a consultant, specialist nurses, and dietitians.Yes, I can recognize them. When I have a low blood sugar I have sweatiness, confusion, slow reactions, anxiety, nausea and a fast heart rate. Wen I have a high blood sugar I get thirsty, irritated and nauseous.

I test around 9 times per day with the Freestyle Libre sensor, closer to 4-6 if I have to finger prick.

I carry small bags of Skittles and Haribo in my handbag to treat my low blood sugar. In the car I have a strip of glucose tablets whenever I need it.

I have never fainted before.My food intake varies, but generally:

• 8.20 am: egg and rice OR cereal bar and fruit
• 1 pm: leftovers from the night before, e.g pasta, roasted vegetables, and Cous-Cous, chili, curry
• 7.30 pm: a variety of foods

I vary my insulin dose based on the number of grams of carbohydrate that I am eating and I sometimes skip meals.

I drink about one liter of water per day and sometimes I eat snacks in between my meals.

I feel restricted from being on a diet because it puts even more focus on food than I have to maintain as standard.

I find it annoying when people ask me about eating certain food because nobody should comment on anyone else’s food.No, and not specifically though I mainly eat vegetarian food at home. This has no effect compared to when I eat meat.No. I use the Carbs and Cals app to help me estimate carbohydrate content of restaurant meals.

“I feel restricted being on a diet.”

I exercise on the bike and rowing machine once or twice a week. I walk a lot at weekends.

I work in social care in a community setting. It means it can be difficult to treats highs or lows, or test as I lone work in people’s houses.I try to maintain awareness, test often, etc, …

The hardest part is the general toll it takes. You have to think about everything in a different way to someone without diabetes, whether that is food, exercise, keeping hypo treatments on your person, collecting supplies from the pharmacy and more. It is tiring at times.

The best part is free prescriptions and being a cyborg!

I can get really frustrated when things aren’t on track, and some worry about the future.That it can be challenging and tiring, and not to comment on the condition because they do not understand it and how it affects each individual.

It gets easier, you learn quickly, lean on your diabetes professionals for support and ask lots of questions if anything is unclear or feels worrying.

Do your best to look after yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for support, and utilise your medical professionals’ expertise.Do you wear a CGM? Why or why not. How has insurance effected your diabetes management?

Hey! I’m Ely Fornoville, the founder of Diabetic & Me .

We interview people with diabetes share the stories behind their lives. By sharing these stories, we want to help others to understand life with diabetes.

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