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| 01 Born Bexley,1935. Dad heating engineer. Mother housewife. 2 sisters. Moved to Birmingham… | |
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| 02 …1950. Diagnosed aged 13. GP said eat cabbage. (Rationing still on.) Lost half stone before admitted to hospital. | |
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| 03 Dr. Lawrence at King’s College Hospital. Passed out. Given injection & felt better quickly. Ate first meal for days. | |
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04 Nurse said insulin forever. Gave me syringe - no practice. Allowed to walk about. Saw diabetic baby. Discharged after 3 or 4 weeks. Returned fortnightly until left school at 15.
Lawrence big man, one eye. At Christmas party he commented on carbohydrates. | |
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05 Brilliant man.
Everything weighed. Top cut off slice bread. Book of food values. Rations allowed extra meat & cheese, no sugar. | |
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| 06 Little fruit. When sweets came into shop in war, queues formed. | |
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| 07 Food values taught to me & parents. Mother weighed. She & sister later got diabetes, also aunt on father’s side. Different diet in past - no ready meals, no freezers… | |
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08 …either grew food or bought in season. Swapped rations e.g. soap for tea. Clothing rationed.
Diabetes started suddenly. Had rubella… | |
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09 …6 months after measles. Weakened immune system?
Urine testing. Later, doctor at Birmingham General Hospital found no point in testing my urine because low threshold meant always positive. | |
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10 Gave up urine testing. Relied on feelings. Blood tests only at hospital - long queues.
Twice daily injections (zinc protamine) at Kings & ever since. Don’t let diabetes rule you. | |
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11 Products labelled now: avoid sugar or eat less. Diabetic foods unnecessary.
Family adjusted to diet. No supermarkets. | |
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12 No large stores.
Ate less of what family eating: strict.
People didn’t understand. Aged 14, teacher taught class re diabetes. (No sex lessons.) | |
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| 13 At school, sugars high. (Checked at hospital – visits more frequent then.) Father wrote to say I could eat in lessons. Home for lunch. Sports. Some GPs ignorant. I have to tell them… | |
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| 14 …GPs learnt from patients. Hospital staff didn’t forbid things. Dieticians saw new patients. Didn’t smoke or drink. Didn’t talk re diabetes. Hate people who talk re illness. Did tell employers - might need time off… | |
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| 15 …collapsed twice when building machine tools, early ‘70s: nurse needed to know. Diabetes affected choice of work because wanted to be active to keep fit. | |
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16 After left school, watch-repairing, instrument-making, then maintenance work until retirement.
Married 1968. Wife panicked. Now copes & knows when sugars low. | |
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| 17 Couldn’t tolerate human insulin – no warnings. Passed out. Doctor explained how human differs from animal insulin. | |
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| 18 Company threatened to withdraw animal. Human insulin suits most, but not all. I tried human, 1980s, but no warnings. (Sister feels hungry when low.) On present insulin… | |
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| 19 …feel shaky when sugar low. Blood test. Always eat before going out & carry food & insulin: don’t let diabetes govern you. | |
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20 Hospital doctor fine re abandoning human insulin.
Specialist nurse explained should change injection site. Hadn’t been told. Changed. Needed less insulin. | |
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| 21 Insulin worked better: I was around 50. I’d been to hospital, but GPs not responsible. System changing: Primary Care Trust allocates money, foundation hospitals owned privately, fewer acute beds. | |
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22 Foundation hospitals built over budget.
For long time, had no way of testing blood sugar. Bought meter when became cheaper. | |
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23 Most people can afford them. Hospital gives them to those on low income.
Medical staff never asked if I changed injection site… | |
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| 24 …probably thought someone had told me. Consultants mostly good: many have diabetes. Nurses good: trained re diabetes. | |
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| 25 Waiting times shorter. I’m member of NHS Concern & West Midlands Pensioners Convention. (No stigma attached to mental health problems.) | |
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26 I’m laid back.
Charity collections – put something back into society.
Life with diabetes easier. More food choice. I’ve no complications.
Porridge for breakfast… | |
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27 …fruit & vegetables.
Inject morning & evening. Increase insulin if ill. Actrapid & Insulatard. Plastic syringes. Before used glass syringe with surgical spirit – harmful. | |
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| 28 Boiled syringe & used 6-12 months. Used disposable syringes up to a week. Replace more often now. Asked re pen & nurse said not available for my type insulin. Not true, but stay with syringe - used to it. | |
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29 Pen better but don’t want to cause health service extra expense.
I walk, garden, attend meetings. Diabetes hasn’t stopped me. | |
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| 30 Pensions low. Used to be allowance for diabetics, stopped because food now lower proportion of income. But food still high proportion of pensioner’s income. | |
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| 31 MPs don’t know re National Insurance fund. Should be free travel for pensioners, as in Birmingham – idea from me and my father c.1958 – members of Labour Party. | |
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32 Not frightened of diabetes. Life interesting – lots to do to improve it.
Advice: check sugar, follow treatment. Advice to medics – listen. Don’t force people - persuade them. | |
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| 33 Not member of Diabetes UK. Stopped getting “Balance” - repeated things & I was short of money. Don’t believe in medals – don’t deserve them. | |
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