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Hello from Petro, Ukraine

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Petro

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello everyone.

I am Petro, I came from Ukraine in September and currently living in London, West part.

I have diabetes for 17 years and struggle with managing it, the glucose levels are sometimes very high..

What is the way to get the pomp from NHS?

Are there any meetings happening for diabetics in London?

It would be great to connect and share information.

My English is not very good, so I ask for help with translation 🙂

All the best 🙂
Petro
 
Petro said:
As I understand it - with type 1 insulin is not being produced by the organism at all?
Click to expand...
Yes you are right, your immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin in Type 1 so people need insulin to enable their body to use the carbohydrates in what they eat.
Type 2 is a very different condition where the pancreas does produce insulin but the body cannot use it efficiently so many will be able to manage the condition by a combination of reducing the amount of carbohydrates they eat and oral medication. Sometimes that is not sufficient and they also will need to take insulin.
It is not just people who are Type 1 that take insulin but it is important to realise that the two conditions are different.
Have a look at the Learning Zone (orange tab at the top) for explanation of the conditions.
You may be able to cut and paste the text into your translator if that helps.
 
Most people with Type 1 do not have a pump. To get a pump on the NHS, you must fulfil certain criteria. You could ask your hospital team if you would qualify to get a pump.
 
Hello and welcome @Petro 🙂
How do you treat your diabetes? Is it by tablets or insulin?
I ask because if you are type2 then there is no chance of you having an insulin pump in the UK.
 
Pumper_Sue said:
Hello and welcome @Petro 🙂
How do you treat your diabetes? Is it by tablets or insulin?
I ask because if you are type2 then there is no chance of you having an insulin pump in the UK.
Click to expand...
Hello @Pumper_Sue
I am on insulin for 15 years and my C-peptide is zero, which means pancreas doesn't produce any insulin. Thus I assume it is type 1 diabetes.
Let's see what the doctors say after additional analysis taken.
 
Petro said:
Hello @Pumper_Sue
I am on insulin for 15 years and my C-peptide is zero, which means pancreas doesn't produce any insulin. Thus I assume it is type 1 diabetes.
Let's see what the doctors say after additional analysis taken.
Click to expand...
Sounds like type 1, so hopefully you will be able to have a pump 🙂
 
Hi @Petro and welcome.

If you're type1 then set your type in account settings here as it's currently set to type2 (it helps to contextualise answers to questions you may have, if people know the type.)
 
Petro said:
I have diabetes for 17 years and struggle with managing it, the glucose levels are sometimes very high..

What is the way to get the pomp from NHS?
Click to expand...
Hi Petro, and welcome!

If your C-peptide is zero, you are probably Type 1. If your diabetes unit at St Thomas's are doing additional tests, they are probably doing two:

1) An HbA1c test: this shows what your average blood-glucose levels have been over the past 3 months.

2) Autoantibody tests: if you are positive for particular autoantibodies, this will confirm the diagnosis of Type 1. (Unfortunately, the other way round is not necessarily true-- a small minority of people with Type 1 will test negative for autoantibodies.)

Also unfortunately, many people with Type 1 are not offered pumps on the NHS. The NHS in England is supposed to follow guidelines set by NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). The NICE guidelines for pumps say that you should be offered a pump if either of the following apply to you:

"attempts to achieve target haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels with multiple daily injections (MDIs) result in the person experiencing disabling hypoglycaemia. For the purpose of this guidance, disabling hypoglycaemia is defined as the repeated and unpredictable occurrence of hypoglycaemia that results in persistent anxiety about recurrence and is associated with a significant adverse effect on quality of life

or

HbA1c levels have remained high (that is, at 8.5% [69 mmol/mol] or above) on MDI therapy ... despite a high level of care."

(See https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/TA151/chapter/1-Guidance )

The 'target HbA1c levels' they mention are also set by NICE: the aim is an HbA1c level of 48 mmol/mol or less. (Shockingly, less than 10% of Type 1 diabetics in the UK achieve this; but that's another story!)

So, if you're confirmed as having Type 1: You say you've had diabetes for 17 years and struggle with managing it? Even if your HbA1c levels are not 69 mmol/mol or more, you can still qualify for a pump if you have 'persistent anxiety' about hypos and this has 'a significant adverse effect on your quality of life'.

I hope this helps! And, if you are confirmed as Type 1, definitely talk to your diabetes team about a pump. All best wishes!
 
Welcome.

Sad sad situation in your country & feel for people there, can only hope peace comes sooner rather than later.
 
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