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 Greetings!
We hope you had a lovely Christmas and celebrated Australia Day with true Aussie gusto!
However, our thoughts do go out to those who have been affected by the recent floods in Queensland and Victoria, and those who battled bushfires in WA late last year.
This edition, we look at what diabetes supplies to take with you if you are evacuated due to an emergency situation.
We also tell you how to post on Reality Check with your mobile, explore the medieval "pissing eville" and look back at what it was like to be diagnosed with D 46 years ago.
And if you use Optium blood glucose test strips, make sure you find out about the recently discovered inaccuracy issues below!
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Visit Reality Check from your phone!
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 After many requests from our RC users, you can now view and post to our Reality Check online discussion forum from your mobile phone!
Go to www.realitycheck.org.au/mobile and the content will be reformatted on your mobile's browser to make it easier to scroll, zoom in and out, post, and generally use!
At this early stage, we are unsure of what phones it will or won't run smoothly on - it's simply a matter of trial and error. But we have tested it (and it works!) on an iPhone, an Android phone and a Blackberry.
If it works for you on your phone, please email our web extraordinaire, Tony, at tony@d1.org.au with your phone make and model so he can keep a list of working phones.
We're offering support for this capability on a 'best efforts' basis. This means Tony will try to help if it doesn't work for you (email him at tony@d1.org.au), but please remember that our "master of the web" is a T1DN volunteer with only so much time and he cannot work miracles!
 We've also created a QR code (see left) that may be used with a QR Reader app on your phone. This allows you to scan the code with your phone's camera and it will take you directly to the correct web address (once there, make sure you bookmark it). This is totally unsupported but we know that it certainly works on an Android phone.
Keep an eye on future editions of Yada for more details on this cutting edge technology. Enjoy! |
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************Sponsored Announcement************ | |  Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program for people with Diabetes
Dr Lisa Engel, a highly experienced diabetes educator and newly qualified health psychologist, is offering the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program for people with diabetes during February through to April this year.
Based in Melbourne, this program is participatory and supportive, and structured over 8 sessions with a one-day retreat.
The cost of the program is $480 and includes all tuition, handout notes, meditation CDs and the one-day retreat.
Dates: 17 February - 7 April 2011 (inclusive)
Evenings: Thursdays 6.30pm - 9.00pm
One-day Retreat: Saturday 19th March 2011, from 9.30am to 3.30pm
All sessions will be held at Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute at 99 Commercial Rd, Prahran.
Contact Lisa Engel on 0439 036 847 or email lisaengel@netspace.net.au
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| What to pack when you HAVE to go! |
 The recent onslaught of natural disasters has got the T1DN thinking about our everyday T1 needs, and how frustrating it can be if your normal diabetes supplies are forgotten in the heat of the moment or unavailable.
Some of you who were caught up in the massive flood evacutions across Qld, Vic and northern NSW may have already gone through such an experience.
A friend of mine in Brisbane was recently looking for size 16 shoes on facebook because he forgot to grab his on the way out of his rapidly flooding flat!
So, what can we do?
Ann Robinson, a diabetes educator in cyclone-prone Townsville, says prepare.
"It is so stressful and unless preparation has been made, you may not remember to grab everything you need for adequate diabetes management."
"We get all our Type 1s to put a kit together that includes: - a waterproof container
- a BSL meter
- strips
- insulin
- needles
- spare pump consumables
- a sharps container
- hypo treatments
- glucagon
A first aid kit that includes dressings (for foot injuries, etc) is also helpful." Check out the following links for some useful info:
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| Problems with Optium blood glucose test strips |
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Abbott Diabetes Care has advised the T1DN of a problem with certain lots of the Optium blood glucose testing strips. They found upon routine quality assurance testing that certain lots of strips (that had been exposed to high temperatures) had problems associated with slow filling, leading to falsely low blood glucose readings. Those of you holding test strips with any of the affected lot numbers that are not filling correctly may contact Abbott Australasia on their Customer Service Line on 1800 801 478 and the product will be replaced.
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************Sponsored Announcement************ |
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************Sponsored Announcement************ |
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More D YouTube clips to make you giggle!
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Check out these laugh-out-loud diabetes videos recently discovered on Youtube by one of our regular T1DN contributors: The Diabetes RapA diabetes-themed rap starring Luke Widbin, a Type 1 who won the 2008 World Diabetes Day Young Voices video contest. Funny, and it also contains accurate Type 1 info!
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46 years with Type 1... and counting!
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  Jane Reid, one of our T1DN managment committee and RC moderators, has recently celebrated her 46th "D-day" - 46 years since she'd been diagnosed with Type 1! Congratulations Jane - what an achievement! Things have changed a lot since then, and she tells how she was finally diagnosed: "I'd been getting sick for a long, long time and my parents had me to the local GP on a regular basis, but no-one twigged, even with symptoms of drinking loads of water, peeing continually and even wetting the bed. I can remember walking home from the station after school and having to stop at a local church to wee, and fill up on water from the tap. I was also losing weight at a rate of knots. I don't remember much about the day itself. I think Mum dropped me off and went shopping while I went to the cinema. But I was feeling extremely unwell and so started to walk home. I remember having to sit on the gutter and vomit numerous times. I think someone I knew gave me a lift home, but I'm not sure about that. The last thing I remember is wanting to pee and not being able to, so Mum put me in a bath to see if that would help. I was later told that I was put to bed, and then started having conversations with dead relatives! I don't know how much time had passed when I came to, but by then I was in Hornsby Hospital ICU. Not long after, they diagnosed me as having diabetes, and the first insulin shot was administered. The specialist on call later gave me the best advice about diabetes I have ever heard from anyone: "You will know more about your diabetes than anyone else." It's as true today as it was then.  I was kept in hospital for about four weeks, learning to inject and test my urine by mixing it with water and putting a tablet in the mixture. Invariably it either turned blue (no glucose) or brick red (high glucose). I've since found out that blue (on a test strip) can mean anything up to 10mmol for me! Great control - not!Anyway, I'm still here and doing fairly well. I love my pump and my meter, and wouldn't ever want to ever go back to the bad old days." Read more or post a comment on 46 years and counting! Find out about your T1DN management committee, all of whom are Type 1s, on the T1DN website.
Other stories and Reality Check posts you may be interested in:
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| Did you know diabetes was called "the pissing evile" in medieval times? How appropriate! | |
 True! In this fascinating article published by Diabetes Health, a parent of a Type 1 child discovers all sorts of weird and wonderful historical diabetes facts at the New York Historical Society's Diabetes Exhibition. Read article |
| ***************Sponsored Announcement****************** | |
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| One week left to tell Health Professionals what you think! |
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As part of our mission to help health professionals understand more about what it's like to live with T1D, we're currently working on producing an eLearning module that they can access for their professional development. Survey closes 6 February, so give us your much appreciated input today!
(It is a really quick one - it will only take 5 minutes, or 10 at the absolute max.) |
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Act1vate 2011 is on this weekend - register NOW! |
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Brought to you by HypoActive, Act1vate 2011 is for anyone with Type 1 diabetes (above the age of 18) interested in exercise. This weekend-long program will give you practical tools and tips and covers all abilities and fitness levels. |
| Want to catch up with some other Type 1-ers? |
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These informal meets are the perfect way to meet others in your area who have Type 1. Organised by everyday people, these unofficial get-togethers are fun, relaxed and totally awesome, as you get to talk to people who really do understand!
NEW! Rockhampton - Type 1 Diabetes Capricorn Connection
When: Saturday 5 February 2011
Where: Community Health Centre, 82 -86 Bolsover St, Rockhampton
Time: 2pm
Details: Meet Diabetes Educators, Lisa Grice and Veronica Mills
Melbourne
When: Friday 11 February 2011
Where: Soul Mama, St Kilda Sea Baths, Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda
Canberra - Type 1 Diabetes Interest Group (DIG) When: Tuesday 22 February 2011 Where: Hellenic Club, Woden Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm Wollongong
When: Thursday 17 February 2011
Where: Oak Flats Bowling Club, David Ave
Time: 7pm |
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Quick shots
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Hot topics on the Reality Check online forum include:
On Munted Pancreas, Parents of Kids with D are discussing: |
Hope you enjoyed this edition of Yada Yada. As usual, if you have any suggestions, just hit reply to this email.
All the best,
Simone
The Type 1 Diabetes Network Inc.
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