Get a diagnosis to avoid complications
Over two million people in the UK suffer with diabetes and alarmingly half a million sufferers remain undiagnosed.
Whilst an inability to produce sufficient insulin is responsible for the development of Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes is caused, for the most part, by lifestyle.Clare Mehmet suffers from this common strain of the illness.
Describing her reaction to the diagnosis Clare says that 'I was shell shocked.' Her decision to get checked came after she found herself identifying with the symptoms as listed on an awareness poster,'it said, are you always thirsty? Are you always going to the toilet? And is your eyesight changing?' Clare had in fact been carrying her diabetes around for ten years, unaware that she had it.
Sara Spiers from Diabetes UK highlights the risks associated with diabetes if left undiagnosed, saying that sufferers are 'putting themselves at risk of developing serious complications, heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and eye disease with the possibility of going blind.'
Clare's diagnosis was vital in that it forced her to assess her eating habits. Spiers highlights the importance of diet, suggesting that it has played a huge part in the increase of sufferers of Type 2 Diabetes like Clare. 'For those that do have Type 2 the best way for them to manage their diabetes and get it under control and reduce the risks of developing complications is to lose weight by doing exercise and eating a healthy, well balanced diet and for those who are at risk of developing diabetes, they need to be doing the same.'
Taking on board this advice, Clare now makes sure she eats all the right foods and says that having diabetes has encouraged her to learn more about the condition, 'I have gone along and called the Careline and diabetes UK, spoken to family and friends, spoken to diabetes groups and healthcare professionals and tried to fit what I have to do into my daily life.'
