World Diabetes Day, and the Forum’s 15th Birthday

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everydayupsanddowns

everydayupsanddowns

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Tomorrow, Nov 14th is World Diabetes Day, and also the 15th Birthday of this forum.

Huge thanks to all of you for making this place what it is, and providing such a helpful and friendly environment. Especially to all volunteers and staff - current, former, and sadly missed - for their huge amount of hard work in steering the ship and keeping the place friendly and welcoming. We have our wobbles from time to time, but aim to make the forum a safe, supportive, and positive environment for everyone.

We have literally centuries of lived diabetes experience on the forum, and it’s a real joy to see so many people’s experiences of living with diabetes completely transformed by the power of peer support.

Here’s to the next 15 years 🙂

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I joined in November 2010 after being diagnosed Type 2 on Metformin in the previous month. I felt lost and bewildered. I wrote about my operation to remove my pancreas and I got two replies from two members who understood as they’d gone through similar. . I could have cried, of course Type 3c was an unknown entity at that time and if I wasn’t a member of this forum I probably would have plodded on accepting I was Type 2, I might still be on mixed insulin and I definitely wouldn’t have a Libre. I’ve taught the nurses in my practice about my type of diabetes, I’ve fought for proper treatment and recognition, it took a while! All because of this forum.
I’ve lost count of the number of members I’ve actually met up with from all over the country. I’ve even met another real life Type 3c @zippyjojo my first in the wild!
Happy birthday and here’s to many more years.
 
I’ve learnt so much from the forum, information and expertise that I wouldn’t have got anywhere else.
Why Lantus didn’t suit me, and what to ask for instead.
How to get on the waiting list for a self funded Libre.
How to get the Libre prescribed.
Getting shorter needles.
Getting a Novopen that recorded doses.
I could probably think of a lot more..
 
A particular favourite of mine is watching the transition of a new arrival from anxious, bewildered, and overwhelmed when they first post, to posting calm and reassuring encouragement to other newcomers after just a little while on the forum.

That sense of shared experience is priceless!
 
I've found it a great resource. Thank you Diabetes UK!
Nick
 
Happy Birthday Forum
Thanks to everyone for their contributions. I have learnt so much from so many people on here, and very much value the support and safe space that this forum is.
 
I only joined last August, just when I had my diagnosis changed to T1 and prescribed the Libre 2. Despite having diabetes since 2002, using insulin since 2007, I have learned so much from the good folks on here. If it hadn’t been for you guys, I would still be fumbling along in the dark and unsure what to do. Shared experiences and knowledge are a powerful thing.
 
I was actually a founder member which was before this forum got DUK backing, but I had not long started another UK forum with a friend, so didn't post a lot. However when Northerner took over we often had chats about known spammers and warned each other about troublemakers. I was very glad it was here when I wound up DSF and came back into the community. It's a fantastic resource, a friendly and supportive place and I thank those who welcomed me back.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Tomorrow, Nov 14th is World Diabetes Day, and also the 15th Birthday of this forum.

Huge thanks to all of you for making this place what it is, and providing such a helpful and friendly environment. Especially to all volunteers and staff - current, former, and sadly missed - for their huge amount of hard work in steering the ship and keeping the place friendly and welcoming. We have our wobbles from time to time, but aim to make the forum a safe, supportive, and positive environment for everyone.

We have literally centuries of lived diabetes experience on the forum, and it’s a real joy to see so many people’s experiences of living with diabetes completely transformed by the power of peer support.

Here’s to the next 15 years 🙂

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Thanks to the forum, staff, volunteers and everyone else I have learnt so much about how to manage diabetes. A truely valuable and important resource.
 
Yes thank you all for your ongoing support. I hope to soon provide some support to others that you all have given me.
 
Happy World Diabetes Day to all and many thanks to Diabetes UK for hosting this wonderful resource which has helped me so much through my near 5 year journey with Diabetes from being overwhelmed and bewildered to confident and self assured with my diabetes, albeit occasionally frustrated too. 🙄 This is a really great community and I have gained so much from being part of it. Many thanks to the Mods/Admin and experienced members who keep it a safe, well balanced place to share knowledge and experience and learn from each other.
 
Hear Hear to what Patti said! We first 'met' on a UK diabetes forum called Diabetes Insight though she'd been a member of an international diabetes Newsgroup before that whereas I'd deliberately avoided the internet (such as it was last century!) for anything to do with health until everything started going base over apex for me (my statin saga that you lot have only been appraised of quite recently) and I'd joined the DUK forum to have a look around without posting anything on it and at that time there were very few T1 members, whereas DI had any number of T1 people who seemed to be really sensible folk and on much the same wavelength as me so I registered there with my true from childhood persona of Sedge rather than my later alter internet persona of TW which there's yet another story about.

Anyway as Patti said - I was glad of 'here' too - and we both already knew EDUAD cos he'd been assisting on the programing side for DSF for a while.
 
Found the Forum in July 2010. 2 months after Total Pancreatectomy. Was feeling totally lost as knew nothing about diabetes, insulin, carb counting, and my Diabetes Clinic had never had a patient without a pancreas come through there doors. My diabetes consultant treated me as a pet project and the first 12 to 24 months was a bit of a roller coaster as we experimented with various MDI regimes. The forum members (especially Northerner) were always a great source of information and encouragement supporting proposed changes and providing guidance. Its always good to be able to repay that support especially for anyone overwhelmed by a new reality as I was in 2010.
 
And THANK YOU from me to Diabetes UK and all those that do so much to keep us informed and guided in the oddities of managing Diabetes. This forum has been immensely helpful to since I joined just over 3 yes ago and I'm acutely aware that a lot goes on behind the scenes to keep this place well informed in addition to being a friendly and safe place.
 
As a relative newbie to the forum, it's a big thank you to you all on the forum and to those behind
the scenes keeping the forum up and running,,,,Thank you.

Happy 15th Birthday.
.
 
Happy 15th Birthday forum & all the amazing, inspirational people who run, moderate & post on here.

Joining this forum has been the best thing that’s happened to me & how I deal with my diabetes.
I never spoke or mentioned I had diabetes before joining, I was ashamed & felt guilty about the complications I’d developed. Being on here has reversed how I feel, I’m actually proud of dealing with my diabetes & have learned so much.

Diabetes is an absolute pain but it is also a great
bond. Thank you to everyone involved on here.
 
martindt1606 said:
Found the Forum in July 2010. 2 months after Total Pancreatectomy. Was feeling totally lost as knew nothing about diabetes, insulin, carb counting, and my Diabetes Clinic had never had a patient without a pancreas come through there doors. My diabetes consultant treated me as a pet project and the first 12 to 24 months was a bit of a roller coaster as we experimented with various MDI regimes. The forum members (especially Northerner) were always a great source of information and encouragement supporting proposed changes and providing guidance. Its always good to be able to repay that support especially for anyone overwhelmed by a new reality as I was in 2010.
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You were one of two people who responded to my first post in November 2010, the other was @twinnie she hasn’t posted for a very long time. I was so relieved to find out I wasn’t alone. Thanks for that.
 
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