Your Diabetes Hub is an archive of blog posts, articles & information, going back to 2001 when Helen Edwards founded the then Diabetes Counselling Online services and forums. 

We no longer provide services, but you can find our articles and information here. Thank you to everyone who was involved with our work, and the wonderful community xx Helen Edwards and Helen Wilde

Live Diabetes Chat 2: Dealing With Diabetes Burnout

By Helen Edwards

Life with diabetes can be very hard. Some days you can wonder how you will keep going. Diabetes burn out is a common experience. Connecting with each other is one of the most important things for staying well and happy with diabetes. I am running an ongoing series of live video chats in our Facebook…

When Everything is Not OK

By Helen Edwards

One thing I have learned in my almost 50 years of life, is that everyone feels pain, and most importantly, that is ok. We are all living through lives filled with a multitude of experiences, feelings, thoughts. Pain is an important part of living. Physical pain serves as a warning, to look out for danger…

More Than The Sum of Our Parts

By Helen Edwards

It’s the final day of the eighth annual Diabetes Blog Week, started by Karen from Bittersweet Diabetes The day one topic is here about expecting the unexpected and day two is here about the costs of diabetes and day three here, about the diabetes blame game and day four here about what brings me down. You can find the link to…

To the Top of The World: What Brings Me Down With Diabetes

By Helen Edwards

It is the eighth annual Diabetes Blog Week, started by Karen from Bittersweet Diabetes and today is day 4 –  The day one topic is here about expecting the unexpected and day two is here about the costs of diabetes and day three here, about the diabetes blame game. Today’s prompt is one I have lived and breathed since…

Live Diabetes Chat 1: Blood Glucose Checking & Management

By Helen Edwards

Connecting with each other is one of the most important things for staying well and happy with diabetes. When I first started Diabetes Counselling Online, there was no social media and so I created forums, chat rooms and email buddies, which meant people could communicate and connect – in fact that was the tagline of…

Know When to Hold’em: Playing the Diabetes Blame Game

By Helen Edwards

It is the eighth annual Diabetes Blog Week, started by Karen from Bittersweet Diabetes and today is day 3 –  The day one topic is here about expecting the unexpected and day two is here about the costs of diabetes. Today’s prompt is one I am very passionate about and have written, spoken and shouted about –…

Counting the Costs of Living with Diabetes

By Helen Edwards

It is the eighth annual Diabetes Blog Week, started by Karen from Bittersweet Diabetes and today is day 2 – well I just scraped in as it being day 2! The day one topic is here about expecting the unexpected and today the prompt is about the costs of living with a chronic condition (I prefer not to…

The Surety of Expecting the Unexpected

By Helen Edwards

It is the eighth annual Diabetes Blog Week, started by Karen from Bittersweet Diabetes I participated a while back now and given I am back on the D Blogging seat, thought I would hop on in and join. I am looking forward to reading and connecting with diabetes bloggers across the world this week. The day one…

A Life That Just Gets Better!

By Helen Edwards

Guest Post by Annabelle Leve Hi, let me introduce myself! I was diagnosed with T1 diabetes in 1977, at the age of 11 years. I was admitted to the Royal Children’s hospital (Melbourne) almost in a coma. I stayed in the hospital and was ‘trained’ to look after my condition over 2 weeks. I was embarrassed…

Why Living with Diabetes is Like Climbing Mountains

By Helen Edwards

It is totally normal to have up and down days, no matter who you are. Life is a multitude of feelings and emotional reactions and thoughts. You push yourself too hard, too little, into corners, and you come out fighting. You take paths that you later realise were not the best, you change tracks and…

diabetes and your wellbeing

Diabetes and Your Wellbeing

Did you know diabetes affects your wellbeing and mental health? People with diabetes have a higher risk of depression and many people experience diabetes related distress and diabetes burn out. Having good mental health requires you to focus just as much on looking after your emotional, psychological and social health, as your physical health. You need to do things that increase mental health and wellbeing – after all, wellbeing and health go hand-in-hand. Talking about how you are feeling is an important first step. Support is vital. You are not alone. Head here for our pages on diabetes and wellbeing.

stars in the night sky

Dealing with Diabetes

When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is like starting a journey on a road that is new and unfamiliar to you. At diagnosis you can experience, shock, denial, fear, grief, anger, worry, hopelessness, and many other things. Family members can also experience these things too. These are normal experiences and feelings. You will work through them in time and become more comfortable with your diabetes. Talking about how you are feeling, getting as much information as possible, at a pace that is right for you, and taking time to care for your physical and mental health, are all very important at this time. These things continue to be important as you get on with life with diabetes.