This is part of our Diabetes Stories series, where people living with diabetes share their personal journeys, challenges, and insights.
Hello! Who are you? And tell us a little bit more about your diabetes.
Hey everyone! My name is Peter Lucas. I’m 39 years old, and currently living in Copenhagen, Denmark. I’ve been living with Type 1 diabetes for 11 years.Since my work revolves around diabetes, I’m very interested in this topic. When I’m either not running my business or spending time with my partner and kids, I’m learning about different kinds of wine from Italy!
I didn’t grow up with diabetes because I was diagnosed as an adult. I did, however, grow up seeing my father deal with his type 1 diabetes. He never tried to hide his diabetes, which probably helped with my own attitude toward diabetes when I eventually got my diagnosis.
As a family, we have been rather familiar with diabetes because of my father’s diabetes. On top of that, my partner, Christina, is a diabetes nurse. So, my own diabetes was not exactly a curveball for my family. Instead, it was more of a curveball for me emotionally. It’s one thing to be familiar with diabetes when others around you have diabetes. It’s another thing to find that you have diabetes yourself suddenly. My diagnosis was quite a shock, and it shook me up a fair bit.
“Slow down, take a deep breath, and know that this is not the end of the road.”
Your treatment
How do you treat your diabetes, did a lot change over the past years and are you able to manage it well?
Fortunately, I feel that the Danish healthcare system treats those with diabetes rather well. In my case, the healthcare is provided by the Copenhagen Capital Region. Emotionally, however, I get support from my other half, Christina, who is rather used to handling people with diabetes.
At the moment, I use an insulin pen and a blood glucose meter, along with a pen and a continuous glucose meter. Later, I will most likely move to a smart pen and BGM/CGM.
I use both fast-acting and long-acting insulin. Luckily, I don’t take any other medication.
I would say quite a lot changed over the years after my diagnosis. Learning to deal with diabetes in itself is quite a change. On top of that, I felt that I needed to change my lifestyle a bit to become steadier and take better care of myself.
Most significantly, I founded my business, Hedia, which has grown tremendously. That growth is exciting in itself. But with regard to my diabetes, it has allowed me to fully open my eyes to the condition and even see the positive side of diabetes. So, generally, it has had a positive effect.
I manage my diabetes fairly well, but like everyone, I have my moments where it feels like it’s not going brilliantly. For instance, I do like to eat junk food when I’m stressed. That combination is not great for blood sugar levels at all. Mainly, though, it seems to be going well. I think the fact that I’m always talking about diabetes at work helps to remind me of the importance of taking care of my diabetes. Hedia’s app, Hedia Diabetes Assistant, also helps me (which was the whole point of the app, really).
Can you recognize the symptoms of a low/high blood sugar? Do you test often and can you tell a bit more about your experiences with low blood sugar?
Sometimes, I can recognize them. It really depends on what is going on in my life at that moment. When I do get symptoms, I get the typical symptoms associated with hyper- or hypoglycemia. Whether I get symptoms is a sort of 50/50 split. The lows are quite easy for me to notice. The highs are more difficult for me to feel.
I test my blood glucose meter six to eight times a day while I check my CGM all the time.
When treating my hypo, sometimes, I do the right thing (having the correct amount of carbs from orange juice). Other times, I empty the fridge!
Luckily I didn’t faint yet due to low blood sugar levels.
Food and diet
How does your diabetes affect your eating and do you find being on a diet restrictive?
In the morning, I often eat the same things: eggs or oatmeal.
Lunch and dinner depend on what’s on the menu (especially when it comes to the lovely lunch that is prepared at my workplace canteen).
My favorite food depends completely on the situation. I love breakfast with my wife and my two small girls—no matter what’s on the plate. I also might enjoy a burger before a football game with the “gang” or some fine dining with a couple of friends. I actually think that having good company—with people who I love spending time with—is more important than what’s on my plate.
I never skip meals, and for snacks, I eat fruits, nuts, and rye bread (rye bread is a big thing in Denmark).
When I eat something unplanned and need to adjust my insulin dosage, Hedia really adds value. It gives me the dose recommendation and reminds me to remeasure my blood glucose level. This helps me catch the spikes fairly quickly and respond to them.
My other half keeps telling me to drink more water because I often go for coffee. But, yes, I do drink water regularly.
For me, a diet is almost by definition restrictive: you purposefully restrict certain foods. So, in that sense, a diet is obviously restrictive. But I don’t think that “restrictive” needs to be bad. As long as you feel that you have a balance, it can be rather fun to find creative ways to cook foods that belong to a certain diet.
It certainly can be annoying when people ask me about the food I can or can’t eat. I suppose the frustration comes from others not always understanding the complications and nuances of diabetes treatment. They potentially will never understand since they don’t deal with diabetes on a daily basis.
At the same time, it’s important to remember that many people who ask this are asking because they are concerned. It usually comes from a good place.
Do you believe that a plant based diet can improve diabetes? Did you ever experiment with this?
I haven’t exactly experimented with this, but I have tried some plant-based alternative foods, which have been rather tasty. In any case, I believe that people should be able to decide to eat what they want. It’s not uncommon for people with diabetes to get comments about whether they’re “allowed” to eat something, which can be irritating. If a person with diabetes notices that a plant-based diet works for them, then they should go for it!
Do you have a hard time eating out in a restaurant? And what are you thoughts on making this easier?
I personally don’t have a hard time eating out at a restaurant. Again, this is probably due to the fact that I’ve been used to seeing my father inject insulin while growing up. So, injecting insulin at a restaurant is something I don’t even think about. I just do it. I don’t want to make my diabetes any more complicated than it needs to be. I understand that many others have difficulty eating out at restaurants, though. At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice whether people want to deal with their diabetes in public.
I like to go out eating at many places! Copenhagen is known as a “foodie” place. You might even call it the capital of Nordic Cuisine. So, there’s always some exciting restaurant around the corner.
“Well, this might be biased, but my best advice is: use Hedia!”
Exercise and work
Does your diabetes restrict you from exercise or your daily job?
I go to the gym usually three to four times a week and used to play a lot of football until my body broke 👨🏻🦳!
The same goes with running – I love it, but my body has a hard time doing it.
I am the CEO of Hedia. I founded Hedia because I felt that something was lacking in my own diabetes treatment. I wanted to make my diabetes easier, so the other two co-founders and I set out to develop an app as a medical device.
Now, Hedia is a fast-growing business. That means there is always a great deal to think about, which can occasionally be stressful. But for the most part, my work affects me positively because I have lovely colleagues and a positive work environment. Naturally, when that work balance is going well, it’s easier to keep on top of keeping the balance with blood sugar levels.
As I mentioned before, the fact that I work so closely with the topic of diabetes means that I am able to think rather positively about diabetes. I can even be grateful that I wouldn’t have this work today without diabetes.
Final
Do you have any positive or negative effects because of your diabetes?
Just keep talking about it. The more open I am about it, the more I can accept that diabetes is a part of my life.
I think the hardest part is the mental side of diabetes because it’s the part that isn’t visible. There’s quite a lot to think about when you have diabetes; it’s like a full-time job in itself. There are many mental aspects of having diabetes that we perhaps don’t realize ourselves. For example, the term “diabetic” can even subconsciously make us feel like we are defined by diabetes.
The best part of diabetes is that it forces you to think about your well-being. While the mental side of diabetes is tricky, I’m also grateful that I am actually considering my mental health.
The same goes for my body. Everyone is encouraged to exercise and eat well for the sake of their health, but those with diabetes notice positive changes immediately in their blood sugar levels. That means that it’s a lot clearer for someone with diabetes to notice how important it is to stay healthy and to stick with it.
Copenhagen is by the sea, so, if anything, the place where I live positively impacts my diabetes because the seaside helps me relax.
What is the best advice that you can give to non-diabetics, new diagnosed diabetics and diabetics?
There’s a lot to think about, but many great devices and people help along the way.
Take time to give yourself a breather. Slow down, take a deep breath, and know that this is not the end of the road. It might even lead to something wonderful.
Well, this might be biased, but my advice is to use Hedia!
What would you ask the other diabetics?
I am interested in knowing what kind of devices you use to help manage your diabetes.
Share your thoughts in the comments—I can’t wait to hear from you!
Ready to share your story with the world?
At Diabetic Me, we dive into the real-life stories of people living with diabetes, uncovering the challenges, triumphs, and everything in between. Through these powerful stories, we aim to shed light on what it truly means to live with diabetes, offering understanding, inspiration, and support.
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man, got diabetes too. its tough, but stories like urs give me hope. gotta keep pushing.
I’m curious how using Hedia has impacted your diabetes management? Has it really made a significant difference?
Hedia can be a game changer for some, offering personalized insulin advice. However, everyone’s experience varies, so it’s about finding what tools work best for you. Ely’s recommendation adds a useful perspective.
ely, its cool you manage with diabetes and still find time for wine. shows you gotta keep enjoying life, no matter what.
Hello Peter! Nice to meet you!!