So June was a busy month for Diabetes.  I’ve compiled some DiaSnippets from the month gone by:

• In the USA, Roche held their 3rd annual diabetes blogger summit in San Diego.  Lots of chatter, and judging by the pics great times were had.  So go a check out some of the chatter by looking up the hashtag #dsummit and read some of the awesome posts that have circulated.

• The American Diabetes Association were also hosting an annual event, also in San Diego which was the 71st Scientific Sessions.

• Meanwhile in the UK, it was Diabetes Week (A Diabetes UK project) and was held from the 12th to the 18th June.  The initiatives focused on “talking about Diabetes” and included both a live Twitter Q & A and a Facebook Q & A, so congrats to them for organising that.

• DiabetesMine.com reported about a new/next-gen Ultrafast Insulin from these guys Halozyme.  A bit techy but worth checking out none the less!

• Kerri over at SixUntilMe found some Extreme (yet brave) Marketing for a Medtronic Pump.

• New data show Victoza(R) helped reduce blood sugar when patients with type 2 diabetes switched from sitagliptin or eventide. -

  http://goo.gl/XLAfx

• Investigational ultra-long-acting insulin degludec reduces hypoglycaemia and improves long-term control in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. – http://goo.gl/4W9OG

• Whilst in Spain, we are yet to hear anything regards to Victoza!

• In a rare occurrence the Daily Mail in the UK actually posted a story about Diabetes which was pretty much factually correct.  Titled “It’s Not Just Fat People“. Hurrah!

Stranded? Running out of medicine? What next and what can you do if you need emergency supplies!

The eruption of Iceland latest volcano may be causing mayhem around the globe with the travel industry grinding to a halt, but the problems some travellers will face will be an even greater eruption if they run out of their prescribed medication.

So what can you do here in Spain?

Well you can be reassured that access to medicine like insulin, strips for testing and tablets such as metformin are available over the counter at most Pharmacies (Farmacias) through out Spain without the need for a medical prescription.

Now Over the Counter charges apply and you will be charged full retail price for the items. As a guide only;

• Lantus Insulin = €75 (Pack of 5 pre-filled pens)
• Accu-Chek Aviva Test Strips = €44

You will be given a fully itemised receipt that hopefully enable you to claim the costs of purchasing essential medication from your travel insurance company! If you do not receive one, please ASK for one!

What if you don’t have travel insurance?
If you happen to have the EHIC (European Health Card) then it may be advisable to locate the nearest National Health Clinic (Centro de Salud) in your location. “They” may be able to help very short-term ie; 24/48 Hours but they do not usually carry medication in stock.

What if you have private travel insurance?
Again it may be worth contacting you insurers, asking for their advice? It would also be wise to contact if possible your health care team/gp for further instructions as they may be able to contact/speak with your insurers directly verifying you are need in of more medication.

Whilst the above advice is certainly not going to get you complimentary medicine, it is hoped that if circumstances determined that you are going to run out then at the very least you will be able to stay healthy!

Stay safe and stay healthy

Saludos

One in five hospital patients now suffers from diabetes, according to a national audit which reveals the devastating impact of changes in British lifestyles.Taken from the Daily Telegraph;

Soaring obesity levels have triggered record levels of the condition, which increases the risks of heart and kidney failure, and can result in blindness, nerve damage and amputations.

The first ever diabetes audit of NHS hospitals has found that 20 per cent of patients on hospital wards are now suffering from the disease – twice the proportion previously estimated.

Doctors said the figures, which will be published officially later this year, showed the “terrifying burden” the epidemic is placing on Britain’s population and the crippling effect it is having on NHS resources.

Reading the above causes me great concern, as many national health providers across the globe face serious levels of diabetes that will only continue to rise and rising at such a rate that will simply pull the service down at some stage unless health care providers, researchers, charities and society does not pull the finger out from the “you know what’s” and seriously target the people who are at most risk now but of those that are potential candidates for type 2 diabetes.

Forgive me for saying this, but our own society has created this monster and neither government’s nor health care providers reacted quick enough to the seriousness of the pandemic levels that they are now faced with!

For one, people are now pretty lazy.. We eat lazy, we learn lazy, and we even play lazy. Therefore teaching our younger generation to be lazy!

Now if you think we have problems now, fast forward another 15-20 years when this generation will be passing on there own ways to their young. The diets will have got worse I’m pretty sure about that, physical activity will pretty much become virtual together with over reliance on cars. Bad times.

If the various agencies wish to do anything about this then for starters they all need to work together, work with the various charities and communities that work there socks trying to raise awareness.

We as parents, friends, partners, colleagues need to help re-educate the younger generation. Helping them help themselves. Helping them to pursue better diets, more suitable physical activities and helping them lead better, healthier lives so that when it is their turn to become the educators then are in a prime position to pass on their experience and know how.

These are my own personal thoughts. I have not attributed any facts or figures to this post as I feel they are not required.

I would delighted to hear your opinions, concerns, points of view! Perhaps you have ideas to improve the way people are educated with regards to lifestyle.

Living well with diabetes takes emotional strength.  Why? Because this is a tough disease.  Diabetes is more than just a simple matter of eating right and taking your medications.

Staying strong emotionally is the key to keeping stress and your blood glucose levels where they belong.  Unfortunately, people with diabetes as well as doctors often neglect these “real life” aspects of the disease.

How can you manage diabetes while also giving proper attention to your own thoughts and feelings?  What follows are the most important things you need to know about the emotional features of diabetes, including:

The Emotional Side of diabetes.

• the personal side
• the social side
• the behavioural side

A small brochure provided courtesy of the Behavioural Diabetes Institute (BDI), the world’s first organisation dedicated to tackling the unmet psychological needs of people with diabetes.

[download id="1"]

This is a short Question & Answer session from Dr. Anne Peters = www.conqueringdiabetes.com

You can also download the text/transcript from the Video here…

Diabetes: Diabetes Patient Basics

This article was written by Sarah Scrafford for Nueva Andalucia Life.

We hope you find it useful.

Pregnancy and Diabetes – How to Protect Yourself and Your Baby

Life is not easy when you’re a diabetic or even if you’re prone to this disease because of hereditary reasons. You need to maintain strict control over your diet, ensure that your blood sugar levels stay within the allowed range and don’t fluctuate wildly, and follow a systematic and regular exercise routine that will keep your weight down. You also need to get your eyes, kidneys and liver tested on a regular basis to ensure that there are no untoward problems. In short, life with diabetes is a test in control – you are as healthy as you want to be.

It’s not easy for diabetic women to conceive because their periods may be irregular and they may have other associated problems. And when you do conceive, you must be twice as careful throughout the course of your pregnancy. Fortunately, the advances in medicine and technology have made this disease manageable when you’re pregnant, unlike a few decades ago when it was a curse that could result in an abortion, a child with congenital malformations or other complications.

Today, if you’re a diabetic and are planning a pregnancy or find yourself testing positive, here’s what you need to do to ensure that you’re healthy and that your child is born without any complications and difficulties:

• Monitor your blood sugar levels regularly, once or twice a day, and ensure that they’re within accepted levels.
• Take your medication and/or insulin injections as directed by your doctor.
• Eat food that does not make your blood sugar level swing wildly.
• Adopt an exercise routine after consultations with your medical practitioner that will keep you healthy and safe throughout the pregnancy. Walking and swimming are generally considered safe activities when you’re pregnant.
• Undergo regular ultrasounds to ensure that your child is developing as it should.
• Quit smoking and drinking.
• Get yourself tested regularly because you may need to change medication and insulin amounts according to the hormonal changes your body goes through at each stage of the pregnancy.
• Supplement your diet with prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid. This prevents your baby from being born with deformities.

Glucose Testing

Even if you’re not a diabetic, you could develop gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) once you conceive. If you’re at risk because of genetic and lifestyle factors, if you faced complications in an earlier pregnancy or suffered a miscarriage, it’s best to get yourself tested during the early stages so that you can manage the disease properly.

If you’re careless, you’re at the risk of:

• Miscarrying or giving birth to a stillborn.
• Giving birth to a baby with congenital malformations.
• Giving birth to a large baby because of the extra insulin that’s formed by its pancreas when your excess blood sugar goes to the baby through the placenta.
• Giving birth to a baby that’s hypoglycemic because of high insulin production.
• Developing high blood pressure that could lead to more serious complications like preeclampsia.
• Developing complications in the eye, liver and kidney.

Worry is something that’s best left at the door when you’re pregnant; so ensure yourself a safe and healthy pregnancy by sticking to a good diet, a regular exercise routine and by following your doctor’s orders to the letter when you’re a diabetic.

By-line:
This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of career in radiography. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

Would you like to simply download the results from your blood glucose meter or insulin pump and see results displayed as clear images that are easy to understand and act on?The Accu-Chek Smart Pix is a small wireless device that imports and displays results from Accu-Chek blood glucose meters and insulin pumps in an instant and easy to use format.

The Accu-Chek Smart Pix helps both people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals to view and understand results. It is simply plugged into a PC to give an instant picture.

A recent survey has shown that Accu-Chek Smart Pix can help improve the quality of your consultation by giving you a clear understanding of your results.*

Download a leaflet with more information about the latest version of Accu-Chek Smart Pix and how it can benefit you.

View Video Demostration

Get in touch with the Diabetes Healthcare Team to see if this device will be beneficial to your heath circumstances.

Here’s what you need for Accu-Chek Smart Pix

• A PC with a free USB port
• Operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000 or above
• An installed internet browser (although an internet connection is not required)
• A monitor set to a screen resolution of 1024×768 or higher
• A printer connected to a PC (if you wish to print reports)

*Accu-Chek Smart Pix UK Market Research 2006

Interview: Type 1 Diabetes Cure Trial from David Edelman on Vimeo.

The Importance of Communities for People Touched By Diabetes from Tu Diabetes on Vimeo.