Super People with Diabetes Summer Series 01 Crazy about Diabetes — Thriveabetes

The story for many people with diabetes begins with the initial diagnosis shock – “…you have diabetes!” Just when you’re overcoming the shock, you get a quick  introduction on how a pancreas works and how your pancreas does NOT work. Part  of your diabetes 101 briefing consists of managing your “new” diet (without much  detail) and injecting yourself with insulin. If you’re lucky, you meet with a dietitian to  learn about carb counting and insulin ratio (Huh?!). Finally, you are sent home to  handle this complex disease on your own with very little follow-up support. 

Quickly you realise there is more to diabetes than just testing your blood glucose.  What about – dealing with the daily stress of diabetes, accepting diabetes as part of  your life, or trying to cook “diabetic-friendly” meals? It would be great if your diabetes  consultant listened to you more, maybe asking you what you want or need. Instead  of telling you what to do, what if your consultant gave you guidance on how to get  there? There is a huge gap in diabetes healthcare with guiding diabetics to achieve  their goals. Additionally, emotional well-being and diabetes is often overlooked. So, I  became a health coach to bridge this gap and provide a 360o approach to diabetes  support. 

I have lived with type 1 diabetes for 30 years and have experienced the stress,  mental burnout and diet struggles from diabetes. During my first few years of  diabetes, I lacked confidence in myself trying to hide my diabetes from others and  just wanted to live a “normal” life. I have overcome these challenges, and it has  pushed me to achieve ambitious goals like cycling over 4,000 km across Central  America and backpacking through Europe and Asia. I learned to embrace my  diabetes while making my health and happiness a priority. It would have been great  if my healthcare team gave me the “real” diabetes crash course at the start. This  desire encouraged me to become a health coach and fulfil my passion for helping  people with diabetes lead a healthy and stress-free life.