November 14 is World Diabetes Day. We know there is no cure for it, but is there a way to adapt? We asked those who have known the disease for a long time about this. They were given back hope and a full life by an insulin pump, a progressive treatment.
Diabetes belongs to the group of chronic diseases: there is currently no cure. It is dangerous for its complications – diseases of the heart, kidneys, nervous system, disorders in the digestive tract, visual impairment.
Approximately 382 million people worldwide have diabetes, and this number could rise to 2025 million by 592*. In Russia, according to experts, there are about 10 million patients.
* More details on the website .
To prevent the progression of the disease, it is important to constantly maintain blood sugar levels at the proper level. For patients with type 1 diabetes, for this it is necessary to calculate the required dose of insulin (based on the results of measurements of blood sugar levels, for example, using a glucometer, and depending on what the person plans to do: eat, sleep, or actively move) and inject it with a syringe or syringe pen. As a rule, at least four such injections are needed per day. But it can be difficult to calculate the amount of insulin, injections often leave painful bumps, and each time you need to find an opportunity to give an injection.
November 14 is World Diabetes Day. It was established in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The reason is the scale of the threat posed by diabetes. The goal of World Diabetes Day is to raise awareness about diabetes – how many people get sick and how to prevent the disease from developing.
A modern device for continuous insulin therapy, an insulin pump, a kind of pancreas, allows avoiding many difficulties. In a healthy person, the body is constantly supplied with small portions of insulin, which allows you to maintain the necessary level of sugar in the blood, and while eating, the body produces an additional portion of insulin. The pump mimics the normal functioning of the body: insulin is injected continuously. For example, the Accu-Chek Combo (Roche) insulin pump supplies a person with insulin every three minutes, delivering 480 doses per day. At the same time, it is completely imperceptible not only for others, but also for the patient himself. With an insulin pump, you can eat, exercise, or rest whenever you want. That is, a person can control his illness himself, and not adjust himself and his life to the administration of insulin. Many say that after switching to insulin pump therapy, they gained freedom of action, improved the quality of life, and someone believes that his life has become similar to the previous one – without diabetes.
Get over your fear
Why not everyone decides on an insulin pump? Leaving aside the financial issue, as it turned out, even when it is possible to solve it, there are patients who do not want to install it. What scares the sick? Some talk about not wanting to be “chained” to a medical device, to feel attached and dependent on the pump (it is attached to the body with a needle and catheter). Others are afraid to entrust therapy to a device: sometimes it seems that this device is too complicated and difficult to understand. The third category does not want to flaunt the disease: the patient carries the pump with him (on himself) all the time. In addition, the need for regular needle replacement is scary. Consulting an endocrinologist or taking classes in diabetes schools will help to part with these fears.
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Stories
Inna, mother of 14-year-old Lena: “My daughter became ill with diabetes two years ago. I decided to measure her sugar on a friend’s glucometer, and once – 16,6! They called an ambulance, my daughter was taken to the hospital … The diagnosis was made immediately. The whole family is in shock. A feeling of hopelessness, a child rushing about in hysterics … Perhaps this was the most terrible period in my life. But gradually we reconciled ourselves, life began to improve. Lena continued to study at school, but she had to quit professional dance classes. We immediately suggested that our daughter install a pump, but she was categorically against it. There were many answers! My husband and I did not insist – in such matters the child must make his own decision. But a year ago, my daughter went to a diabetes camp – there were a lot of children with pumps. And Lena began to think – maybe she should try? She made up her mind, and she liked it: most importantly, she forgot about injections and syringes. Now Lena has moved to the gymnasium and no one, except for her closest friends, knows that she has diabetes.
Anastasia, mother of 12-year-old Zhenya: “We have been familiar with the diagnosis of diabetes for nine years. A year ago, when the doctor taught us how to set up the base and inject insulin, she showed us how to deliver an “extended” bolus** if, for example, our son decides to drink Fanta at a party… From Zhenya’s look, the doctor realized that he was Fanta. never tried. She winked and said that now you can! And then she congratulated him with the words: “All pumps are assembled in Switzerland by hand. Congratulations, now you will always have an expensive Swiss watch with you!”
** Additional dose of insulin.
Victoria, 15 years: “I have been diabetic for four years. At first it was scary. Several injections of insulin every day. It’s bad, it hurts. It is inconvenient to carry a glucometer and pens with you. Like any teenager, I did not want to stand out among the other guys, and I was constantly asked what it was and why. And then we found out about the pump … The first week was unusual, but then I adapted. I dress for school like everyone else, just put the pump in my pocket. And I began to feel better: blood sugar returned to normal and the need for insulin decreased.”
Natalia, mother of 13-year-old Sophia: “The insulin pump helps my daughter lead a normal teenage life: meet friends, go to cafes, play sports, travel. In the summer, Sophia traveled to the North Caucasus, to Essentuki. I saw Chegemsky and Honey waterfalls, rode horses. She does not hesitate to talk about her illness, if necessary, in public places she measures blood sugar levels. He does not have complexes, he leads a normal life.
Maria, 27 years: “Against the background of diabetes, I rapidly developed a severe complication – I began to lose my sight. The ophthalmologists talked about the operation, but I understood that the reason was diabetes, I hoped that if I made contact with him, my vision might improve. Endocrinologists recommended a pump. After some time, I managed to install it. A month later, I came for a consultation with an ophthalmologist, and it immediately became clear that I did not need the operation.
Victor, 33 of the year: “The pump has changed the quality of my life. In the very first days after the installation, I thought that now that the damage caused by diabetes to my body was minimized, I could go further. I was a heavy smoker, smoked for seventeen years and was sure that I would never quit. But then I realized that even an established life can be corrected, and for almost a year now I have not smoked. Six months ago, I went to the gym, although I hadn’t done sports since high school. The mood after a workout is something! But even more pleasant is to see your reflection in the mirror. And just recently, I decided to fulfill my old dream, and my wife and I went to learn ballroom dancing! It doesn’t turn out very well yet, but I believe that everything is ahead of me.”
Julia, 28 years: “In our city – Komsomolsk-on-Amur – I became a pioneer: the first to install a pump. And she didn’t regret it. First, I love sports. How would I snowboard if I didn’t have a pump? Secondly, I like to eat delicious food and now I can eat what I want, and, most importantly, when I want. Thirdly, I have always dreamed of children. In 2010 she got married, and in the spring of 2011 she gave birth to a son! I doubt that I could safely endure and give birth to a child on syringe pens, and even more so decide on a second one. We are waiting for it now!”
Read these and other stories here
Before making a decision on therapy, you should consult with your doctor.