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Greetings!
Hello and welcome to the April edition of Yada Yada.
You may have noticed that last week T1DN's website www.d1.org.au suffered a rather massive, unexplained failure. We've managed to get our forums back up and running, but our website appears irretrievable.
Given our formerly trusty website is now a few years old (which is elderly in internet years), we figure it's time to look at developing a new one. If you have any ideas on what you would like to see on a new Type 1 Diabetes Network site please:
- email us (natasha@d1.org.au)
- tweet us (@T1DN).
As you know, T1DN is managed by volunteers and website development is a pretty big project, but we are keen to take this opportunity to develop something awesome.
In this month's newsletter, we update what's been happening with our driving with diabetes advocacy work - some changes have been made to the guidelines, which we think are definitely steps in the right direction. Results from a survey about online health forums that we advertised on Reality Check last year have been released and we feature Sir Steven Redgrave in our ongoing 'Type 1s in the spotlight' series.
Remember you can always keep up to date throughout the month by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter @T1DN.
Enjoy!
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Driving and diabetes update
| You may remember that last year T1DN did some advocacy around the updated Assessing Fitness to Drive guidelines. The issue was 'satisfactory control' of diabetes to be fit to drive was defined as an HbA1c under 9.0%. There was some robust discussion about this on Reality Check, and T1DN wrote several letters requesting more information from the Driving and Diabetes Working Party who reviewed the guidelines. Diabetes Australia and several of the state associations, especially DA Vic, were also involved and had meetings with the National Transport Commission (NTC) who implement the guidelines.
In late 2012, we spoke to endocrinologist Maarten Kamp, co-chair of the Driving and Diabetes Working Party. He clarified for us that HbA1c < 9.0% was never meant to be an absolute requirement for being considered 'fit' to drive and that the issue is not high blood sugar. Rather, the guidelines state, as does the Above 5 to Drive campaign, that people with diabetes need to check blood sugar before driving to be safe. The Working Party considered that in some cases an HbA1c above 9.0% could suggest the person wasn't testing enough to drive safely, and that assessment of fitness to drive would be better done by an endo than a GP.
The NTC agreed to change the wording of the guidelines to make it clearer that HbA1c < 9.0% is not an absolute requirement, and this new wording has been released. The changes are described here, and you can download the updated pages from the Austroads website. This is a great improvement! However, we still have some concerns about any reference to HbA1c in the guidelines, and we're unsure whether the revised wording adequately conveys that high HbA1c by itself is not a marker of being unsafe to drive.
What do you think? Have your say on Reality Check.
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How do we use online health forums?
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Last October, some of you may have participated in a survey posted on Reality Check by PhD student Hanmei Fan about how people with different medical conditions use online health forums. Hanmei has just reported a summary of the results (Study 2 on her website).
The research looked at whether people use forums with a people-centred (seeking social support) or an information-centred (seeking data, advice) approach depending on whether they have a major, chronic disease (such as type 1) or not. However, no difference was found in how forums are used.
The survey also asked how people determine the credibility of information on forums. For scientific information, people generally judge based on the credibility of the source; for personal experiences, credibility is assessed by how many within the group agree. Grammar, punctuation and logic in the posts were also important for credibility.
Supportive and understanding communities allow people to talk more deeply about their stories with a level of detail they may not be comfortable sharing elsewhere. We're always grateful for our wonderful members on Reality Check and Munted Pancreas who create this atmosphere!
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| *****************Sponsored Announcement***************** |
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T1s in the spotlight - Sir Steven Redgrave
|  One of the greatest Olympic athletes of all time, Sir Steven Redgrave (that's right, he's a knight) won his first Olympic rowing gold medal in 1984 at the age of 22. He went on to win four more gold medals in consecutive Olympics from 1984 through to Sydney in 2000.
Steve was diagnosed with type 1 right in the middle of his sporting career in 1997 - after which he won two more world championships and his fifth Olympic gold.
A three-part BBC documentary called Gold Fever followed the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics for Redgrave and his three rowing partners, including an interview with Steve the day after being diagnosed. It showed how an elite athlete like Steve dealt with adjusting his training regime, insulin levels and diet to fit in with diabetes while under pressure to get it under control or be dropped from the team. His frustration with how it affected him is obvious, and he openly struggled with whether the Olympics was worth all the effort. It is amazing and inspirational to see how he got through it and went on to win another Olympic gold medal in such a gruelling endurance event.
Gold Fever can be found on YouTube. (There's an official version on the BBC website, but the YouTube version is much better quality.)
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Recalls and safety alerts on diabetes products
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Johnson & Johnson has issued a recall for its OneTouch Verio IQ meter. The problem is rare - the meter shuts down instead of giving a high warning at blood glucose levels over 56.8 mmol/L! If you have a OneTouch Verio IQ, you can call the OneTouch Customer Care Line on 1800 543 372 for more information. The official recall notice is here.
BGLs over 56.8 mmol/L also cause the FreeStyle InsuLinx meter to display incorrect readings. As a consequence, Abbott Diabetes Care has issued a software update that fixes the problem. Step-by-step instructions on how to update the software are available or you can contact Abbott Diabetes Care Customer Service on 1800 639 505 during office hours. More information about the problem can be found here.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has issued a safety alert for the Medtronic Paradigm Insulin Pump. The issues raised occur rarely, with one being a possible loose support cap that holds the pump motor in place. Do not try to push the cap back into place while you are still connected to the pump! This could cause insulin to be delivered unintentionally. You can view the alert at the TGA website.
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Interesting diabetes science
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- Research from the Australasian Paediatric Endocrinology Group (who produce national evidence-based clinical care guidelines for people with type 1) reported that there aren't enough health professionals for people with type 1 in Australia and New Zealand. This trend is expected to get worse given the increasing number of cases of type 1. Mental health support levels were also reported to be inadequate. Abstract.
- A study of 28 children and teenagers with T1 at Monash Medical Centre did not support the theory that going on a pump allows type 1s to be complacent about their diet and develop bad eating habits. Snacking actually decreased and quality of life did not change 6-18 months after starting on a pump. Abstract.
- Young people who took two internet-based psycho-educational programs designed to help with the transition to adolescence with type 1 were found to have higher quality of life and lower HbA1c. Abstract.
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| Quick shots | | Hot topics on the Reality Check online forum include:
You can keep up to date with what's going on in the diabetes world by following us on Facebook or Twitter.
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Thanks for reading, and don't forget you can always send us your feedback and comments by replying to this email. We'll see you next time!
From everyone at
The Type 1 Diabetes Network |
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