Living with Diabetes

There’s a Crack in Everything

how to manage depression and mental health in diabetes

Don’t ever think that you are a failure, or a bad person for what happens with your diabetes and especially your mental health. It is easy to feel broken when part of your body does not work, when you have to deal with the fact that something has gone wrong and will never be the…

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Saying It Out Loud

getting support in diabetes is very important and the diabetes online community is here to help you in managing every day life with diabetes

There are usually a few things in life that soothe and nurture you instantly. For me, this includes a cup of tea (any kind of tea), chocolate, flowers, walking in nature, especially in and around trees, or by the sea, and a good natter and cuddle with someone I love. Another big thing that helps…

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Choices and Language in Diabetes

I shared this Facebook Live video this week and it was very popular, so I am sharing it here in case you missed it. It is live streaming so not great quality but hopefully you will find it useful. Please share your comments and join the conversation Helen

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Climbing Up When You Feel Like it’s all Too Hard

This is a guest post by one of my favourite people, Mr Dave Barnes. Dave was a volunteer with our diabetes groups for many years. He has lived with type 1 diabetes a long time and recently suffered a significant hypo event that landed him unconscious and then into rehab. His stories are remarkable and…

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Despite Diabetes or Because of It?

The list of people I know living with diabetes who have achieved amazing things in their life is very long. I have often thought about why? I am not just talking about famous people. I am talking about all of the people I have met over the years, who have done outstanding things in their…

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It’s Written in the Stars

Human beings are such funny creatures. We become so tribal when it comes to our passions, our beliefs and our area of work. I have been in a number of different professional areas over the 30 odd years since finishing my Bachelor Degree in Social Work. I worked part time like many teenagers, as a…

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Ypsomed Insulin Pump launches in Australia

I have been on an insulin pump now since about 2001 – so that is around 17 years. I first went onto a pump because I was having a lot of issues with gastroparesis and tricky early morning blood glucose spikes. I was also planning our third baby. At that time in Australia there were…

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These Autumn Days

dealing with diagnosis of diabetes

Life with diabetes is a never ending learning curve. Just like the changing colours and the unpredictability of Autumn, diabetes dances around as the wind changes, brings a crescendo of colour and can make you crash to the ground like a falling leaf. This is never more true than at times of change, in your…

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Staying Out of The Loop

Lately I have been hearing a lot more about diabetes tech and in particular the work of companies who are developing closed loop insulin delivery systems, and the DIY version that has started to find its way to Australia. Essentially these systems enable automated basal insulin delivery, making multiple small adjustments constantly to keep your…

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A Little More Here, A Little Less There

I have a little update today because I have been taking a bit of a break from madly posting on the blog or social media when it comes to diabetes, for a few reasons. One is that I have been incredibly unwell since coming back from ADEA/ADS at the end of August. This started with…

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Like Putty in Your Hands

Sometimes I feel like it is groundhog day when I write a blog post here….you know, the same old same old. There are lots of wonderful bloggers in diabetes who share posts about things like the latest crisis within diabetes tech with the closing down of the Animas Pump production, or the latest on private…

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Surfing the Diabetes Waves

Sometimes I think diabetes and all of its ups and downs, is a reflection of the ebbs and flows of life. Just like the way that your thoughts and feelings can come and go like the tides, and the ways that you can feel like you are floating sometimes, and other times, like you are…

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When Your Body Lets You Down

Do you feel like your body has let you down sometimes? I know some people I have spoken with over the years felt that when they got diagnosed with diabetes, and some people continue to feel this at times as their health fluctuates. If you have been connected to me in some way over the…

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On Trends, Arrows & Alarms

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with an idea, where all sorts of thoughts came together? It happens to me all the time with writing ideas, and last night it happened with my wake up alarm to check my BGL…something I have not had to do since starting with CGM. …

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On Person Centred Diabetes Care & The Art of Collaboration

I have been attending the national Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators (ADS/ADEA) scientific meeting this week in Perth. This is my 16th year working in diabetes, with only about 3 years during that time where I have not attended one of these annual meetings.  I will never forget the first time I went,…

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