KITLIVING
does bring with it some anxieties, but it
looks like I could have had the diabetes for
up to six months by the point of diagnosis,
long enough that the panic attack could
well have been a low blood sugar event.
The way I see it, the diagnosis of diabetes
actually helped me - at least I knew what
was wrong with me."
Many people are dismayed by such
a diagnosis, but certainly after a period
of feeling dreadful, the knowledge of a
specific diagnosis with tools, information
and support to deal with it, means that
things can only get better. Longley did
have some regrets though. He admits,
"The only downside was that I was told
not to ride my bike for three weeks, nor
to drive for two weeks. I saw the diabetes
nurse a week or so afterwards, and she
was very helpful and supportive - she kept
me straight - helped me get a perspective
on it. She was fabulous, everything from
the big picture to details. She told me
I had been using the lancing device
incorrectly. I had been taking the cap off,
which I should not have been doing, so
blood testing had been a bit grim! She
showed me how I was doing it wrong -
the cap needed to stay on ¬- and then
it wasn't so bad. But getting back on my
bike was harder to solve."
On his bike
Cycling had been important for Longley,
continued over
Longley uses the Medtrum TouchCare A6 CGM sensor as
well as the Accu-Chek Aviva Expert blood test meter.