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Greetings!
Don't miss in this issue suggestions for dealing with the Food Police - how do you respond when someone says "Should you be eating that?". Lots of funny and great ideas from people with Type 1 below.
I have also put together a few ideas about all this talk of health reform that has been in the news and keeping our politicians busy - will it mean anything for Type 1s? We have some concerns....
There's also news on an artificial pancreas device that works (YAY!) and some great resources that might help when D gets us down.
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Will all this Health Reform Mean Anything for TYPE 1 D?
| |  Health has been in the news constantly this month and I thought I might share a few thoughts on what it might all mean for Type 1s, in case you were wondering. Basically, we don't know - as detail has been pretty scant and as many commentators have said the Canberra barnstorm with all the premiers playing off with Rudd was more about dollars than health and people. For some small detail, a presentation that Mark Butler Parliamentary Secretary for Health has been delivering to consumer groups which provides a useful overview, is here.
The reform proposal about diabetes which got a lot of press and started a big discussion on Reality Check this month - having people enrol with their GP and paying the GPs to manage our care - is not completely new, it is a long-promised revamp of the very complicated GP care planning system.
http://www.d1.org.au/issues/  | You may have heard that your GP can do you up a plan and you can then get access to 5 subsidised visits to a diabetes educator, podiatrist, or similar - and there is a similar arrangement for people with chronic disease to access dental care via their GP. In our Statement of Issues affecting Australians with Type 1 we called for this system be reviewed to better support preventable chronic diseases like Type 1, by broadening the scope of professions that initiate care plans to include endocrinologists.
We would raise the same concern with the new system of registering people with diabetes which has been proposed. The current GP guidelines for managing diabetes instruct them to refer all Type 1s to a specialists (endos) and not to manage us directly. Which means the new diabetes system, in its current GP-focused form, will not help us at all. Unless of course GPs do end up managing Type 1, which evidence-based guidelines currently say is not appropriate. So where do we go? Yet again, Type 1 falls between the cracks. I was really disappointed to receive a letter from the Dept of Health last week outlining all the things they are doing for Type 1s and including this new system amongst it - clearly many people STILL don't get that Type 1 and 2 are different. Grrrrr.
And what about the rest of the plan? It has focused a lot on hospitals. And time will tell whether the new plan does improve hospitals, waiting times, etc etc. I remain optimistic. But also cautious that health is not just hospitals. Health is not even just health services - it is about people. Very many Type 1s spend just a few hours a YEAR in contact with any health service - yet we live with a complex and very demanding condition and inject a highly restricted and dangerous medication all day, every day. And we need systems and structures to support us to do this - which are unlikely to be just about hospitals. The Issues Statement made a number of suggestions.
WHAT CAN WE DO? You may like to write a letter to your local Member of Parliament to ask that what you and and need is included in the current debates (find your federal member here, and find your electorate here). It doesnt have to be long or complex. Tell them YOUR story of living with Type 1 diabetes; what YOU need from your health services, especially what you need that you can't or don't currently get. And you might like to include a copy if our Statement of Issues affecting Australians with Type 1 (print off a copy HERE) with the top 10 problems plus solutions to improve the system for Type 1s - people with Type 1 plus the endos and other diabetes groups worked to develop this over 5 months last year.
Check out the discussion on Reality Check with opther people's thoughts on the new diabetes system - click here.
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Another healthy D baby from one of the first D Bloggers
| | http://www.sixuntilme.com/  | We were delighted to hear this week of the arrival of Kerri Sparling's happy health baby girl. Kerri was one of the very first D bloggers and is a talented writer who has brought extraordinary insights through her daily descriptions of life with Type 1. Kerri's blog Six Until Me has catalogued her pregnancy, including ups and downs with pre-eclampsia and other issues. She also has a number of interesting guest bloggers who have filled in while she has been, err a little otherwise occupied in recent days!
And closer to home, we have a flush of Reality Check babies on the way - see the discussion amongst women all due in the second half of this year comparing notes here: http://realitycheck.org.au/RCforum/viewtopic.php?t=8536
And finally, Vanessa's blog The Sweetest Thing remains one of the most popular stories on our website. Well worth a read - even just for the laughs - I love her husband's panic that she will poke their baby in the head when she inserted her pump into a very pregnant belly!
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Diabetes Getting You Down?
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 We all know that living with diabetes
can be tough. But sometimes the pressure of the daily diabetic grind can take
its toll and lead to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and
eating disorders. Finding the right
help can be difficult and frustrating. Many of us have had experiences seeing counsellors and psychologists who don't know anything about diabetes and why it might be causing you stress or worry. We also hear stories of people asking their doctors and
endocrinologists for help with 'head stuff' and getting responses that make them feel like they should just try harder. So what do you do?? Below are
some links that people with Type 1 have told us have been helpdul to them :
Feeling
isolated? Further
information: Health professionals that
really understand:-
Recommended
by other people with Type 1 - includes psychologists and counsellors, as well as endos, diabetes educators and others who get Type 1 - www.d1.org.au/endos.htm
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The Glucose Goodess on the Food Police
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| http://www.livabetes.com/diabetes_police.htm  |
The Glucose Goddess (aka US comedian with Type 1, Laura Menningen) has some new wisdom for us - specifically on how to respond to the Diabetes Police.
How about this:
- "My numbers were good last week... sorry you missed them!"
- "The lack of sugar made me do it!"
For more from the Glucose Goddess, click here....
And closer to home, we have some pretty witty Reality Checkers who discussed this recently and suggest the following responses to the dreaded question "Should you be eating that?":
- Abs suggests: "Wow, you must be a really great student. How did you get your doctors certificate so quick ?"
- "Have insulin, will travel" says Erin, and also ...
- "Well since I just took a $%^*^load of insulin i better eat this, or you'll be peeling me off the carpet in a few minutes"
- And my personal favourite: "Should you be asking that?"
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T1DN WANTS YOU (especially if you're an accountant).
| | The Type 1 Diabetes Network is looking for a volunteer to take on the Treasurer responsibilities as after 10+ years, Mel is taking a break.
Duties will generally involve a few hours a month, preparing financial statements and invoices and reports etc can all be done electronically. Committee meetings are held five times a year by teleconference in the evenings.
Ideally you'll be a CA or CPA and have some knowledge or interest in reporting and compliance requirements applicable to charities.
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ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS is Coming: Promising Small Trial
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A recent trial of an artifical pancreas - a pump connected to a continuous monitor that talk to each other automatically without you having to interpret results and bolus etc - has been successful! Woo hoo! The trial involved 11 people wearing it for 27-hours.
The artificial pancreas system trialled also had glucagon in it so it could raise blood sugars as well as lower them, or treat hypos before they happened. Whilst we talk a lot about our insulin-producing cells being destroyed by diabetes, most people with Type 1 have also had our beta cells that produce glucagon and correct low blood sugars destroyed as well (from over-use in the early days of our condition, many think).
While a complete cure with new islet cells that are indestructible would be wonderful, my money, in my lifetime is on technology like this - how exciting! If they can bring out a new iPod every year and slash the costs, let's hope this will continue to develop and become accessible quickly too.
Read about this exciting new device and the successful trial here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_97595.html
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QUICK SHOTS
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Hot topics on Reality Check online discussion this week:
On Munted Pancreas, Parents of Kids with D are discussing:
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I hope you enjoyed that update on all things Type 1. Hit reply with any feedback or send us ideas for future articles any time.
Kate
Founder & President (Volunteer)
The Type 1 Diabetes Network Inc.
P.S. If you would like to help us to continue connecting, informing and representing the Type 1 Community, we are a registered charity and all donations over $2 are tax deductible. Click here to donate online.
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