Living well with Type 2 Diabetes

It's not always that easy to make the changes that you need to make. Maybe you know what you need to do but “how” you do it is quite difficult. Psychologist Dr Bethan Lloyd recognises the challenge involved and talks about ways of moving forward.

Dr Jane Gilbert describes the symptoms and causes of type 2 diabetes.

Jill talks about how she manages her weight, diet and medication.

Dietitian Claire Chaudhry was finding that many of her patients struggled to get their heads around the meaning of HbA1c. Claire contacted us to say that she had come up with a great way of explaining it and would we be interested in sharing it on PocketMedic? Well of course we said yes! The rest… as they say… is history!!.

We need to look after our kidneys as well as we look after our eyes and feet. Kidneys can sometimes be a bit neglected and this film is trying to redress that balance, because diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure in the world. When you have your tests for kidney function try not to eat too much protein or do any vigorous exercise the night before otherwise your kidney assessment may look worse than it actually is.

Diabetes UK has information about your kidneys and links to pages where you can understand the meaning of your test results http://www.medic.video/kid-neph

DUK also produces an information prescription to use when you go for your diabetes review. You can ask your diabetes nurse or GP to fill it out with you http://www.medic.video/kid-pre
Look at it in combination with your care plan http://www.medic.video/kid-careplan

Dr Jane Gilbert talks us through the concept of putting type 2 diabetes into “remission.” If you have heard about it and wondered what it means and whether it is right for you then this is the first of a series of films all about it. Keith and June are a few weeks in and happy to share their experiences with you.  You can find out whether there are programmes running in your area by speaking to your GP or Diabetes team. Counterweight is behind this particular programme and we give their contact details at the end of the film in case your medical team can’t help you access a weight management programme. They are a commercial organisation but please note that we have not received any funding from them to make this film. All our films about remission have been funded through the Diabetes Network in NHS Wales.

Ian lives in Caernarvon, North Wales and is just starting his journey towards putting type 2 diabetes into remission under the watchful eye of dietitian Marion Cliffe. He started just before the COVID-19 lockdown.

Please note that in these initial pilot schemes in Wales the shakes are provided at no cost through the NHS. This funding is now under review as of May 2021 and we will update you as soon as more places and more funding are available. If you are not able to access a scheme locally then you can contact Counterweight directly (their web address is at the end of the film) but you are likely to have to pay for the shakes yourself. The people we are following in England are buying the shakes at a discounted price. Please note that Counterweight has not been involved with the funding of these films - they have been paid for by the Diabetes Network in NHS Wales.

Deborah lives in Caernarvon, North Wales and is just starting her journey towards putting type 2 diabetes into remission under the watchful eye of dietitian Marion Cliffe. Marion started her clinic just before the COVID-19 lockdown.

Please note that in these initial pilot schemes in Wales the shakes are provided at no cost through the NHS. This funding is now under review as of May 2021 and we will update you as soon as more places and more funding are available. If you are not able to access a scheme locally then you can contact Counterweight directly (their web address is at the end of the film) but you are likely to have to pay for the shakes yourself. The people we are following in England are buying the shakes at a discounted price. Please note that Counterweight has not been involved with the funding of these films - they have been paid for by the NHS Wales Diabetes Network.

Not everyone goes straight onto the shakes at 800 calories a day when they start their remission programme. Simon has been having some problems with his eyes so he is starting with 1200 calories and stepping down to 800 over a couple of weeks. This is a good example of how the remission programme works to support people as individuals, taking account of their health needs. It is also a reminder about why it is best to do it with proper support from a health care professional rather than trying to go it alone.

Please note that in these initial pilot schemes in Wales the shakes are provided at no cost through the NHS. This funding is now under review as of May 2021 and we will update you as soon as more places and more funding are available. If you are not able to access a scheme locally then you can contact Counterweight directly (their web address is at the end of the film) but you are likely to have to pay for the shakes yourself. The people we are following in England are buying the shakes at a discounted price. Please note that Counterweight has not been involved with the funding of these films - they have been paid for by the NHS Wales Diabetes Network.

In this film we meet a group of people as they cross the finish line at the Hackney Diabetes Centre after a year of working hard to control their type 2 diabetes. Some have achieved remission and all have made considerable improvements to their health.

If you are not able to access a scheme locally then you can contact Counterweight directly www.couterweight.org but you are likely to have to pay for the shakes yourself. The people we are following in England are buying the shakes at a discounted price but in the pilot projects in NHS Wales the funding of places and shakes on remission programmes is currently under review as of May 2021. We will update you as soon as more funding and more places are available. Please note that Counterweight has not been involved with the funding of these films - they have been paid for by the NHS Wales Diabetes Network.

June and Keith are 6 weeks in to their pursuit of putting their type 2 diabetes into remission. There are ups and downs to be shared with the group as the subject of introducing food back into their diets is addressed for the first time.

If you are not able to access a scheme locally then you can contact Counterweight directly (their web address is at the end of the film) but you are likely to have to pay for the shakes yourself. The people we are following in England are buying the shakes at a discounted price but in the pilot projects in NHS Wales the funding of places and shakes on remission programmes is currently under review as of May 2021. We will update you as soon as more funding and more places are available. Please note that Counterweight has not been involved with the funding of these films - they have been paid for by the NHS Wales Diabetes Network.

The process of putting type 2 diabetes is challenging enough. Trying to do it whilst in lockdown seems to be even more of a challenge for some of our valiant contributors. We hear from North Wales and North London about the trials and tribulations and how the support of dietitians can really help.

If you are interested in finding out more about putting your type 2 diabetes into remission but you are not able to access a scheme locally then you can contact Counterweight directly www.counterweight.org but you are likely to have to pay for the shakes yourself. The people we are following in England are buying the shakes at a discounted price but in the pilot projects in NHS Wales the funding of places and shakes on remission programmes is currently under review as of May 2021. We will update you as soon as more funding and more places are available. Please note that Counterweight has not been involved with the funding of these films - they have been paid for by the NHS Wales Diabetes Network.

There are no good or bad foods... the message is, everything in moderation.

Broken down into food groups, the film navigates healthy eating along the supermarket aisles and delivers some memorable nuggets of advice!

A gorgeous group of ladies from the local community in Nuneaton cook up a storm with dietitian Angela and diabetes champion Suman. We shop, we cook and we try to reduce the amount of salt and oil without anyone noticing!

The key messages are "Everything in moderation" and "No foods are forbidden"

Dr Jane Gilbert talks about the effect of exercise and good diet, looks at food labelling and food groups, and reminds us about foot care.

Diabetes can damage to the back of your eyes and, left untreated, can cause blindness. It's absolutely crucial to attend eye screenings so that damage can be detected and treated in time.  For further information please visit: www.eyecare.wales.nhs.uk/diabetic-retinopathy-screening-service-w

Practical advice and a reminder of when to seek help. For further information please visit: www.diabetes.org.uk/putting-feet-first

This film looks at how to understand about risk to your foot (and feet!) and what to do about it. For more information you can click on this link www. diabetes.org.uk/putting-feet-first

Foot care is of the utmost importance whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. Step this way for some crucial advice.

Having good diabetes control is really important - particularly if you are going into hospital for an operation. If it is out of control your operation is likely to be delayed. Ron and Denis share their experiences.

4 people share their stories about living with type 2 diabetes

This film is about planned as well as unplanned admissions to hospital. If you know you are going it will encourage you to get your diabetes under control and for unplanned admissions there’s advice and tips on being prepared.  Nobody is an expert in mind reading so carrying an insulin passport and wearing an identity bracelet can be really important.

It can be difficult to talk about obesity. We hear about someone with experience of obesity and diabetes.

Tony and Michelle both live with diabetes, one controls it with diet and one with insulin. For more information please visit: www.diabetes.org.uk

Jeff uses insulin to manage his diabetes. For more information please visit: www.diabetes.org.uk

Having the odd hypo is part and parcel of having diabetes but there's a lot you can do to manage how frequent or severe they are.
For more information please visit: www.diabetes.org.uk

A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes doesn’t mean you have to stop driving but it does mean that you have to start planning ahead.

You are 4 times more likely to be successful with expert help than going it alone.

A new mum and dad share their experience of planning for their first child and managing type 1 diabetes.