I’ve volunteered to volunteer!

[eggyg]

Last week I saw a post on a local FB group asking for volunteers for a Befriending circle for diabetics in Cumbria. I emailed them and had a reply yesterday and a phone call with a lovely girl called Emma. Diabetes UK runs it. She ran through what it entails, ie emails or phone calls and we talked about my diabetes and how uncommon it is. They will do a DB check, I’m not worried, send me an application form, do some training via Zoom( better put some makeup on and do my hair for the first time in three weeks!) and if all goes well I will be paired up with someone. I’m quite excited really, it seems to me it has come at a perfect time as I’m sure lots of us are more anxious than usual and talking to someone in the same boat could help, I hope. Will keep you up to date on my progress.

 

[missclb]

Ah, well done @eggyg – you'll be a brilliant volunteer!

 

[eggyg]

Ah, well done @eggyg – you'll be a brilliant volunteer!

Thank you. That’s very kind.

 

[mikeyB]

Congrats on volunteering, Elaine I'm sure you'll do well.🙂

The only flaw in your volunteering is in how uncommon your diabetes is. Type 3c is now more common than Type 1, something which seems to have been studiously ignored by Diabetes UK. It didn't used to be uncommon - post pancreatitis diabetes used to be be treated like a Type 2 until they noticed it didn't work. Arthur Smith, the comedian who used to contribute to Balance magazine, always described himself as Type 2, though he ends up on Insulin. Go figure.

Now the NICE recommendation is to treat post pancreatitis diabetes with insulin, just like T1, and call it 3c, all the 3cs are coming out of the woodwork, proudly brandishing their insulin. There's quite a few of them hiding on the pancreatitis forum. I do keep advising folk to come over here, but their erroneous thinking that 3c is a curse visited on them by the pancreatitis witch, so they go there for advice. I only know one other who regularly appears on both, like me. I think they look on insulin in the same way they look on Creon.

It doesn't help that even with the upgrade there isn't an option to describe yourself as 3c. It's as though it's an inferior sort of Diabetes, not to be troubling us saints who acquired our T1 the proper way, and Diabetes UK should be ashamed that it never gets a regular mention in Balance, while the rarer T1 gets all the glory.

 

[eggyg]

Congrats on volunteering, Elaine I'm sure you'll do well.🙂

The only flaw in your volunteering is in how uncommon your diabetes is. Type 3c is now more common than Type 1, something which seems to have been studiously ignored by Diabetes UK. It didn't used to be uncommon - post pancreatitis diabetes used to be be treated like a Type 2 until they noticed it didn't work. Arthur Smith, the comedian who used to contribute to Balance magazine, always described himself as Type 2, though he ends up on Insulin. Go figure.

Now the NICE recommendation is to treat post pancreatitis diabetes with insulin, just like T1, and call it 3c, all the 3cs are coming out of the woodwork, proudly brandishing their insulin. There's quite a few of them hiding on the pancreatitis forum. I do keep advising folk to come over here, but their erroneous thinking that 3c is a curse visited on them by the pancreatitis witch, so they go there for advice. I only know one other who regularly appears on both, like me. I think they look on insulin in the same way they look on Creon.

It doesn't help that even with the upgrade there isn't an option to describe yourself as 3c. It's as though it's an inferior sort of Diabetes, not to be troubling us saints who acquired our T1 the proper way, and Diabetes UK should be ashamed that it never gets a regular mention in Balance, while the rarer T1 gets all the glory.

Firstly, thanks for your congratulations. Secondly, I did tell the volunteering co ordinator I would speak to any type of diabetic otherwise I would still be sitting waiting by the phone this time next year! She did concede that a lot of Type 3c Diabetes were initially misdiagnosed and she did sort of know about about it. Thirdly. Look at my signature! It was changed a few weeks ago. You’re slacking Mike!

 

[SB2015]

Firstly, thanks for your congratulations. Secondly, I did tell the volunteering co ordinator I would speak to any type as diabetic otherwise I would still be sitting waiting by the phone this time next year! She did concede that a lot of Type 3c Diabetes were initially misdiagnosed and she did sort of know about about it. Thirdly. Look at my signature! It was changed a few weeks ago. You’re slacking Mike!

Years ago I used to work on the peer support telephone system. The idea was that T2 would support T2 and T1 would Support T1 (this was before other types were considered). It never worked like that as virtually all the volunteers were T1 and most calls came from T2 (because that is a much larger population). I quickly learnt a lot about T2, but the main thing people wanted was someone to talk to.

 

[eggyg]

Years ago I used to work on the peer support telephone system. The idea was that T2 would support T2 and T1 would Support T1 (this was before other types were considered). It never worked like that as virtually all the volunteers were T1 and most calls came from T2 (because that is a much larger population). I quickly learnt a lot about T2, but the main thing people wanted was someone to talk to.

That’s what I thought. I won’t be offering medical advice, but as I was initially diagnosed as type 2, I do have a working understanding of it and also through this forum I’ve learnt a lot. There’s a training session this afternoon I’ve been invited to, via Zoom!

 

[Hepato-pancreato]

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Well done @eggyg!

Hope it goes really well and the training helps you in your new role.

They are lucky to have you!