How will having diabetes be different in 10 years time?

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Stefan Diabetes UK

Stefan Diabetes UK

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And here we are: the last of our weekly questions on what it's like to live with diabetes. All your answers are helping us build our new 'Future of Diabetes' report, so it makes sense that our last question is...

How do you think it will be different to have diabetes in ten years’ time?

We want to hear both your hopes and your fears, what you think might be better for people with diabetes in the near future and what you're worried might change for the worse.

Look forward to hearing from everyone and anyone on this- reading through the replies has been the most interesting part of my week so thanks to everyone who's got involved 🙂

And if you haven't heard about the Future of Diabetes project yet, there's a bit more information about it here on our website. But in short we want to hear your thoughts on living with diabetes for a new report called the 'Future of Diabetes' which will be published this autumn, and used to help us work towards a world where diabetes can do no harm.
 
My fears are further restrictions on test strips and pump funding. As I have diabetic gastroparesis the pump has saved my life, or at least, touch wood, prevented further complications so far and made my life much better than it would be. But as it took more than 20 years for me to go from MDI to pump (and more than 20 years from mixed insulin to MDI), and there were few other changes in between I don't hold out hope for there being any other significant improvements in the next 10 years - yes the closed loop "artificial pancreas" will probably will be available but as CGM's can be unreliable I wouldn't want CGM results to control how much insulin/glucagon I have.
 
I think the last 10 years has been fantastic for diabetics in terms of developing a better and wider range of treatment options. Especially in terms of things like CGMs, new insulins available etc. However, I fear that these significant advances will reduce the priority that is given to actually CURING the condition. Particularly type 1, as there are so few of us in relation to type 2s.

That being said, of course I hope this period of immense improvement continues, as we need it until a cure is found! I also hope that more is done to raise awareness of the condition generally, I'm a bit tired of people assuming I am a fat lazy slob just because I have diabetes. The blame of weight on causing diabetes, although it may be true in some cases, is certainly not the only factor involved and I'm sure diabetics everywhere have at some point faced people questioning their weight on revealing their diagnosis. I've been told several times I "can't possible be diabetic because I'm skinny". Tell that to my pancreas mate. More education is needed.

I'd also like to see less of the finger pointing re the cost burden of diabetics on the NHS, but I'm not hopeful we will ever see that.
 
My most sincere hope is that this pandemic will be reversed, not that we are likely to get a cure but in that peoples eating habits will change, getting back to how we used to eat. What this would entail is the health authorities stop pushing for us to eat more carbs & low fat; IMHO this is where the current crisis originated, along with the food industry encouraging us to eat more processed & convenience foods (all hail to the almighty profit). What we absolutely need to do is get people back to the basics of healthy eating.... Which is a balanced diet!!! As for myself, yes I have T2 in the family but I probably developed D due to my diet which was very high in carbs (albeit for the most part consisting of what would be considered "healthy" products)

My fear is that the current lack of education on D continues & people have no concept of any other way to manage D without constant medication. I don't know how it is in the UK anymore as I live in the States, but there is not an evening that goes by without drug companies pushing their products, suggesting that if your numbers are not good enough then try their product, There is more information bsites about Deing broadcast about D and alternative methods of control but you need to be interested & seek it out. On social Media I see many sites about D but unfortunately many of them give out misleading or bad information. I thank God for forums such as this where people can come and get pain honest advice & education; not all forums are created equal though.
 
Stefan Diabetes UK said:
And here we are: the last of our weekly questions on what it's like to live with diabetes. All your answers are helping us build our new 'Future of Diabetes' report, so it makes sense that our last question is...

How do you think it will be different to have diabetes in ten years’ time?

We want to hear both your hopes and your fears, what you think might be better for people with diabetes in the near future and what you're worried might change for the worse.

Look forward to hearing from everyone and anyone on this- reading through the replies has been the most interesting part of my week so thanks to everyone who's got involved 🙂

And if you haven't heard about the Future of Diabetes project yet, there's a bit more information about it here on our website. But in short we want to hear your thoughts on living with diabetes for a new report called the 'Future of Diabetes' which will be published this autumn, and used to help us work towards a world where diabetes can do no harm.
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My fear is that the small independent american company who are currently designing a cure will be bought out by one of the insulin companies and then shut down, esuring everyone will always require their insulin products, and thus, removing any chance of a cure for diabetics across the world. That said, there probably already is a cure but not released to the general public for financial reasons. Just a thought....that's "business" for you.
 
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Well there sure as h*ll wont be a cure, there wont be an NHS and no free prescriptions besides that doubt anything will change.
 
I would like to think that pumps and cgms would become more widely available, but I'm not very hopeful.

Wider recognition of the 'other' sorts of diabetes would help us 'oddballs' - an ever increasing part of the diabetes community.
 
Preferably I'd like to not have diabetes in ten years time...But hey, one day :D
I'd like pumps to become more available - particularly pumps like omnipods which are harder to get hold of but are smaller, discrete and insert their own cannula!
Also I hope diabetes is more understood in general, in and out of the lab. Awareness is still very low and it makes things very difficult
Looking forward to seeing what next ten years holds for diabetes research!🙂
 
My main concern is for the integrity of the NHS as a provider of healthcare. The gps/clinics are struggling to cope now and if the same pattern continues I worry where/how chronic diseases will be managed in the future.

On a diabetes front, I hope technology becomes more readily available as it really is a massive step forward in dealing with diabetes management. The uptake of the Libre has shown how proactive people are in wanting to give themselves the best possible chance even though having to self fund the system. My hope is there will be a seismic shift from 20% treatment costs v 80% complications costs for diabetes as that is so blatantly wrong and such a massive imbalance. Funding test strips and accessible education for all types is fundamental in trying to address the imbalance and to give everyone diagnosed the best grounding for a healthy future.

Personally I don't think there'll be a cure for T1 in my lifetime, there will be ever improving treatment and technology as the changes in the past decade have shown but having been promised a cure by 1988 I don't hold my breath for a cure by 2027.
 
Personally I'm not holding my breath for a cure to appear. I would like to see something like a smart insulin being available.
 
The NHS will be gone, I can't get a meter/strips even now...the pandemic will continue and all the western world will end up like Bahrain. I like to look on the bright side. :D
 
Ten years wiser, probably need glasses but that's nowt to do with the big D! Being serious I would say tech to help monitor control etc, I print out my monthly testing graphs and barely look at them!
 
I'd like to see some kind of automatic pump/cgm system so that kids who develop type one don't have to test so regularly and don't go hypo/hyper so much.

I'd also like to see more awareness so that when we have a hypo where we need help, people are more understanding, and informed. I've had many times when people tried to give me insulin when I'm hypoing. That includes people who are supposedly first aid trained.
 
Cookiemonster2017 said:
That's legitimately my worst fear, being unconscious and someone giving me insulin...😱
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My worst fear is having a hypo and the police just thinking I'm drunk and locking me away. Genuinely happened to a friend of mine.
 
Amberzak said:
My worst fear is having a hypo and the police just thinking I'm drunk and locking me away. Genuinely happened to a friend of mine.
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That genuinely horrifies me...I can be a little confused when I hypo and I can never walk in a straight line anyway.
I've taught my friends how to take my blood sugar just in case I am not in the position to and also how to check my last blood sugar reading on my monitor because it sounds terrible but I don't trust 100% that someone will do the right thing. I've also emphasised that they are to repeat to a medical person that I am type 1 and my last reading was high/low just in case.
I definitely agree, more hypo awareness is crucial.
Although on the bright side, I'm very lucky with my friends and I know they wouldn't leave me alone if I went hypo 🙂
 
I'll just be grateful to be still alive in ten years time🙄

One thing that will happen in the next 5 years is the automatic pancreas - CGM plus pump interacting, using ultra fast acting insulins. And everything just needing calibrated once, after which it is just plug in and play. Calibration won't be needed if the system can learn how much insulin it takes to keep you reasonably level.
 
mikeyB said:
I'll just be grateful to be still alive in ten years time🙄

One thing that will happen in the next 5 years is the automatic pancreas - CGM plus pump interacting, using ultra fast acting insulins. And everything just needing calibrated once, after which it is just plug in and play. Calibration won't be needed if the system can learn how much insulin it takes to keep you reasonably level.
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Wake up Mike you are dreaming again :D
 
I'd like to see a stop to the stigmatisation of diabetics as having brought it all on themselves and costing the NHS millions as others have said. Education of all, and I include medical staff in that, of the types of diabetes, causes, how to try and avoid if possible, and that carb intake plays a role.
If there is a cure, I'll have died from shock before I ever get it 🙂, but technology to test BG accurately and to administer insulin, without having a pump or a device attached externally, to stop the endless finger pricking/swiping and injecting would be great.
 
Amity Island said:
My fear is that the small independent american company who are currently designing a cure will be bought out by one of the insulin companies and then shut down, esuring everyone will always require their insulin products, and thus, removing any chance of a cure for diabetics across the world. That said, there probably already is a cure but not released to the general public for financial reasons. Just a thought....thats's "business" for you.
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Brilliant post.

Trump will be President of Russia.
 
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