Living With Diabetes Day

I have been diagnosed with diabetes since 1998, and do my best to manage it, with appropriate help. Within a few weeks of that I joined The British Diabetic Association, now renamed Diabetes UK

A couple of days ago I went to one of their Education & Advice sessions, known as 'Living With Diabetes Day' - It was excellent!

Advice on food, diet, nutrition, medication, blood glucose control, complications, and so on

There were about 90 to 100 attendees; food was excellent; everyone was pleasant & friendly

I thought I knew quite enough, but I learned more, and it was a good refresher for the stuff I already knew
Yet I was surprised that some people knew or understood hardly anything

I thoroughly recommend this, and similar events to everyone

One thing I did notice though, was this

Asians are more susceptible to diabetes than most other peoples.

The event was held in Burnley, and all that area of north east Lancashire - Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Accrington, and other old mill towns has a large ex - Pakistani population, yet I think the attendees were all white British, and all the organisers but one were too.

I mentioned this to one of the organisers, and she said this was very common. They are very reluctant, to the point of refusal or denial, to take any control or responsibility on their own behalf.

Re: Living With Diabetes Day

I am also a member of the Diabetes.uk site Geoff. It does have a lot of useful information and loads of recipes.

Re: Living With Diabetes Day

My Dad joined the Diabetic Association when it first started.

They have a museum somewhere with Dads original syringe and enamel sterilizing mug .
He was diagnosed with type one in 1928 when insulin was first used and lived to the age of 89, he was something of a celebrity with the organisation having been an insulin dependant diabetic for 68 years when he died.