It's World Diabetes Day!

A diagnosis of diabetes can bring about many emotions - shock, confusion, worry and even anger. Feeling none, some of or all of these emotions is normal and if you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed, the more you know about the condition, the better. Keep reading to find out more about your risk of diabetes, the signs to look out for and how a critical illness policy could be fundamental if you or your loved ones found yourselves faced with diabetes.

What is diabetes?

There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. If you have either type, it means you have too much glucose (a type of sugar) in your blood. The main difference between the two types is how this happens.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition - your body has attacked the cells that make insulin (a hormone) so your body can’t make it anymore. Insulin is something we all need as it helps take the glucose from our blood into our cells which helps give us energy. So without insulin, the glucose level in your blood will get too high.

Type 2 differs because it means your body doesn’t make enough insulin or your insulin isn’t working as it should, this is often known as insulin resistance.

Knowing your risk

One of the main ways you can help spot diabetes earlier is by knowing your risk and your risk is likely to be different depending on the type of diabetes.

Type 1 is not affected by your lifestyle and this is the main difference between the two types of diabetes. People up to the age of 40 are more likely to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and most children with diabetes have type 1.

Type 2 is much more heavily influenced by your lifestyle and eating healthily and being more active can lessen your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. There are other factors that can put your more at risk too, such as:

• Family history
• Your ethnic background
• Age
• Your weight
  
  

Spotting the signs

Although what can cause type 1 and type 2 diabetes differs, the symptoms are often the same, look out for:

• Going to the toilet a lot, especially at night
• Feeling more thirsty than usual
• Losing weight, without trying to
• Blurred vision
• Feeling more tired than usual
• Cuts and wounds taking longer to heal
• Genital thrush or itching

The symptoms for type 1 may come on very fast so you will likely notice the changes as they typically come all at once. Type 2 is different and can be easier to miss, this is because the symptoms tend to develop more slowly over time and some people can have diabetes for a long time (sometimes up to 10 years) without knowing!

Recently diagnosed?

Finding out you have diabetes can come as a shock, especially when you don’t really know much about it or you don’t really know anyone else who has it.

Being diagnosed with a long-term condition can take some getting used to, so if you have been recently diagnosed, remember you are not alone. Speaking to your loved ones about your diagnosis could help you work through your emotions more, plus it’s always good to have a heart-to-heart every once in a while anyway!

Likewise, if you know someone who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, showing your support is key at this time in their lives. You can help by simply being there and listening.

Finding out

Getting a diagnosis for diabetes is typically straightforward and is always confirmed by a blood test. If you go to the doctors to get your blood test, they should be able to give you the results back within a few days. But if you’re in hospital due to a symptom coming on very quickly, they will likely get the results back to you within an hour or two. The average age for being diagnosed for T1 diabetes is just 13 years old but children can be diagnosed when they are younger too.

Dionne, mother to two girls, Sky and Mia, was shocked after finding out her 8 year old daughter (Sky) had type 1 diabetes. Dionne first began noticing changes in her youngest daughter Sky (aged 9) when she needed to use the toilet more often, was thirsty all the time and frequently tired. A month before her diagnosis, Sky was off school sick on a Monday and then was sick again a week later. After seeing other changes in Sky over the course of a few weeks, enough was enough - she knew something wasn’t right with her little girl.

Luckily, Dionne had Smart Health included with her AIG life insurance policy so within a matter of minutes, she had booked an appointment on the Smart Health app. Managing to get an appointment the same day - later that evening a UK-based GP called Dionne back and her suspicions were confirmed when the online GP advised her that her daughter likely had type 1 diabetes and to book an appointment immediately with her own GP.

“If I hadn’t had the online consultation, things might not have developed so quickly. The online appointment helped me get the ball rolling with the doctors as I already had a provisional diagnosis - it got them to act quicker. If I had waited for my GP appointment, I would have been waiting for at least two weeks - I don’t know what might have happened in that time.”

The difference critical illness cover could make

Dionne had completely forgotten that her (now) 9 year old daughter Sky was covered under her critical illness policy. Dionne was in the process of re-mortgaging so was reviewing her cover, and this was the moment when Dionne found out she may be able to claim. “It was just a random comment I threw out there about Sky being ill and the lady on the line reminded me that my policy covered my children too.”

After a quick turn around, Dionne found herself with a lump sum of money and decided she was going to split it into three, “A third of it has gone towards savings for the children’s future and a third of it has gone onto the mortgage - it’s really helping, especially with the cost of living at the moment. The rest has gone towards helping us adjust to this new life.”

“The last year has been so tough on everyone so I have booked a once in a lifetime trip to Lapland for all of us, something I never dreamed I’d be able to do. Having this money has enabled me to do this and to give the girls a much needed and well deserved treat after such a difficult time. I am going to tell them a day before, it’s a total surprise for them!”

Summing up the importance of critical illness cover in one sentence, Dionne said, “Money is always something everyone worries about but with the pay-out, it has been one less thing to worry about throughout all of this”. To read Dionne and Sky’s full story, click the button below.

How you can support World Diabetes Day

Doing your bit for World Diabetes Day can be as simple as educating yourself on diabetes and knowing what the symptoms are so you can help spot the signs (mentioned above), whether this is for yourself, your family, friends or even colleagues.

If type 1 diabetes is left undiagnosed, it can make people seriously ill very quickly. Diabetes UK are asking people to help spread awareness through the hashtag #RewriteTheStory on social media. You can also support Diabetes UK through their online shop by clicking here, they have partnered with Tesco and have a range of items from T-shirts to nail varnish. The money raised will be donated to Diabetes UK to continue the plight of raising awareness and supporting those with this condition.

Additionally, you can also support Diabetes UK by getting behind Dionne and donating through her Just Giving page. She has been accepted onto the Diabetes UK team for the London Marathon next year - click the button below to donate.