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LIVING
advertorial
as I can about what I'm eating and
watch what it does to my glucose
levels. Through all of this, and the
support of my diabetes team, my
diabetes management is more where
it should be."
At one point in her care, Marlow
had been told by her physician that
she had what gets referred to as
'brittle diabetes', where an individual
may quickly move from a low blood
sugar level to a high blood sugar level
or vice versa. Even though Marlow
believes this is what has led to some
complications, she remains positive
and says, "I truly believe that your
mindset matters. Having diabetes
did not stop me having the family I
wanted. The way I see it, I control
my diabetes; diabetes does not
control me. But also, I think it's very
important to educate yourself and
work closely with your healthcare
professionals, so you can manage
your diabetes as best as possible."
Once taking better care of her
diabetes, Marlow continued to learn.
She says, "Over the last few years I
have studied to be a health coach and
I am also learning to be a diabetes life
coach too. As part of that studying,
I've learnt a lot about nutrition and
different diets. For my personal blog,
my philosophy is that you should do
the things you want to but at your
own pace - there's no one size fits all;
we are all different."
Curve ball
As part of the learning curve, Marlow
recalls a particular event that she
attended: a sports day hosted by a
device company. "I attended a sports
day several years ago, at which point
I met hundreds of other people with
diabetes, doing things like group
exercise and a track event with
different exercises on the route. I
kept having hypos, but I did learn
about how the muscles use glucose,
and so on. As a result, I now use
these learnings to help manage my
post-meal glucose levels."
Suitability for the Omnipod DASH® Insulin Management System should be discussed
with a qualified Healthcare Professional
This advertorial may contain general information and discussions about health and
related subjects. The information and other content provided in this advertorial, are
not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is the information
a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. If you or any other
person has a medical question or concern, you should consult with your healthcare
professional. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because
of something that have read on this advertorial. If you think you may have a medical
emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately. The opinions and
views expressed on this advertorial have no relation to those of any academic, hospital,
health practice or other institution.
This article was supported by Insulet. www.omnipod.com/en-gb
These days she says, "I've now
been on Omnipod® for 12 years,
upgrading to Omnipod DASH® in
2020, and I still love it. When I first
started on Omnipod®, I felt a bit odd
about having something on my body.
For the first few years I wore it on my
stomach, so it was not seen. When
it's on my arm sometimes people
ask, 'what is it?', which is a good
opportunity to educate people.
Even though I was reluctant for
so long, diabetes technology has
really helped me - it's given me a
real sense of freedom. I love that the
Pod is tubeless and I use the bolus
calculator on the personal diabetes
manager (PDM) for bolus advice."
Having gone down the road of
her own improved health learning,
Marlow is trying to spread the
knowledge she has gained through
health coaching. She says, "Health
coaching is about helping others to
figure out their own way."*
Marlow believes that there are
many things out there that help her
with her diabetes management and
is an active member of the diabetes
online community, "What I value
about social media is that I have
found a peer group who help me to
have a better perspective on what's
going on. People joke if you're getting
a bit tense about something, saying
'are you having a hypo again?', which I
find quite funny."
*Before making any changes in
your diabetes management, please
consult with your diabetes team.