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

Comparing, Deciding & Letting Go

By Helen Edwards

Having worked on the interwebs now since 2001, a verrrry long time ago in the lifetime of the interwebs, but not that long ago in the lifetime of the world, I have seen a lot. A bit like the way the management of diabetes has changed so much since I was first diagnosed in 1979,…

Diabetes Australia Announces Research Grants Into Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes

By Helen Edwards

I have been waiting for a cure for type 1 diabetes since being diagnosed in 1979….I was told it would be 20 years to a cure, and here I am 37 years later still waiting…I have heard many of you out there with similar stories. I guess it is a case of giving us hope at…

How to Handle Easter with Diabetes

By Helen Edwards

What does Easter mean to you? For me, this time of year is full of my memories of many years, stretching way back to before I had type 1 diabetes, down along the pathways of my life and out again, snaking over hills filled with images of family, seaweed fights at our beach shack, hunting…

Bells, Buzzers, Beeps and Whistles

By Helen Edwards

Sometimes I feel like my life is a series of bells, buzzers, beeps and whistles….the constant beeps of the blood glucose machine as it tells me it is on, and then that it is ok to add a drop of my blood. The beeps of my insulin pump as I take a bolus, and the…

The Wonderfulness of Being Broken

By Helen Edwards

Do you sometimes feel broken? Or have you been told you are? And how does that make your feel? The definition of broken includes “reduced to fragments; fragmented; ruptured; torn; fractured; not functioning properly; out of working order”. The word broken presumes the existence of a whole. And the expectation that a whole is far better…

Eating Low Carb For Type 1 Diabetes

By Helen Edwards

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1979, the dietary rules (yes they were RULES) had a “forbidden foods” list of all the things that contained sugar – (all the best stuff for a 12 year old) and then there was a “free list” ALL the meat and cheese and fat, oh and…

Finding My Voice

By Helen Edwards

Welcome to the new chapter of my diabetes journey and hopefully, ours together. This is the first blog post on the new version of my diabetes blog – Diabetes Can’t Stop Me. I have lived with type 1 diabetes since 1979, when the extreme weight loss I had been experiencing, shifted from delight at being…

Time for change – new logo, new name!

By Helen Edwards

As we have now closed the Diabetes Counselling Online charity and counselling services, I have decided that it was also time to rebrand! This website is now my personal blog and business and Diabetes Counselling is a big part of where we have come from. However from here on, the site is called – Diabetes…

Why People With Diabetes Are a Bit Like Ducks

By Helen Edwards

You would think that after 37 years of life with type 1 diabetes, I would have it all sorted. It is something you get, learn about and manage, right? (cue injecting into oranges here). In some ways that is true. Once you get the basics of managing diabetes, once you understand how it works, what…

A Final Hurrah! Time For Change

By Helen Edwards

Hello there diabetes friends. A lot has been happening around these parts. As you may remember, our last grant for our online counselling services ended in July last year. For the past 12 months we have once again operated solely as volunteers, as we have done many times in the past 15 years, since I started Diabetes…

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.