When it comes to helping other people understand what it’s like living with diabetes, Bethany is happy to be open about her experiences to those who are genuinely curious.

“I don’t think you can ever stop people being inquisitive and if people ask me about what I’m doing, for example if they see me injecting, I’m happy to talk to them. But when people are judging before they’ve even tried to understand – that’s a lot harder to deal with. I always say ‘ask me about it, don’t tell me about it.’

“Diabetes is different for everyone – if I have type 1 and you have type 1 it doesn’t mean our experiences will be the same and I think people forget that, even people who have diabetes.” 

Bethany’s final reflections are on how we can help more people to understand diabetes.

“A lot of what I read is either so simple that it’s made for people who have never heard of diabetes, or it’s so complicated that only people with diabetes will really understand it. That middle ground where you can give friends or family or people you work with something that tells what they really need to know to understand would be so helpful. They don’t need to know everything, but I think they need to know more than they do now.” 

I wish people knew about the mental burden of living with type 1 diabetes. People assume that you check your blood sugars now and then, and you inject insulin a couple of times a day and apart from that you’re fine.

But type 1 diabetes isn’t like that; it’s 24/7 and I’m constantly checking my blood sugars, and assessing, ‘can I go for that walk’ or ‘can I eat something’, or ‘how much insulin do I need now if I’m going to do some exercise later’ - it’s relentless. And because I may be reluctant to make a fuss, people just don’t understand the never-endingless of it.

What would help is if people listened more to people with type 1 diabetes and have that openness to understand, and not assume they know what it is and what we can or can’t do. Just take a step back and listen to the people who are living with diabetes on a daily basis and take their word for it, as we know what we’re living with.

Just because they may have read something about the condition or watched a few TikTok videos doesn’t mean they know how we’re feeling. Let us be the ones who decide how we deal with our diabetes.

To help me eat well and work towards a healthy weight, I started reading up on what makes up a healthy, balanced diet, and building my understanding of what, and how much, you consume can make a difference to your blood glucose levels and diabetes management. 

I also started looking at labels on pre-packed foods and drinks I was eating and drinking to get a better idea of what’s in certain products as the basis for cutting down on my sugar intake and making some swaps.  

What’s more, I started going on regular walks and joined a weight management programme. 

The diet plan I started through the programme has helped me with new eating habits and I’ve enjoyed the sense of community I get from talking to other people in the group that’s part of the programme. The team running the programme also encouraged me to keep in contact with my diabetes nurse, which I did. 

When I did get to meet my diabetes nurse, she measured my HbA1c, and started the checks my GP advised me about. My nurse was very encouraging and supportive, not just about diet, but emotionally as well which is important because the impact of being told you have types 2 diabetes is a big thing. 

It's so important to go regularly and have your HbA1c checked, and foot checks and stuff like that, because it gives you a view of how things are going. I think it's important you get the checks you need from the NHS even though it's stretched. We've got to make sure that those people in power give the NHS the money that it needs and that the money gets put into proper services that are helping people look after their diabetes better. 

We need to make sure we've got the people there with the knowledge and the skills and the resources so that everybody has the support they need.

Although I was keen to be part of the pilot scheme, my GP wanted me to think about it and discuss it with my family. She explained in a lot of detail what it would entail and mentioned the soups and shakes. A week and a half later I went to see her at the surgery still adamant that I wanted to take part. I discovered that at 65, I was at the age limit to be accepted for a place.
 
The next step was to have an interview with the doctor running the programme at the hospital, as well as a dietitian. I was also required to meet with a psychologist, which was important. We had a relaxed chat, just to see if I had the right character and commitment to see the course through. It was expensive for the NHS to support me on the programme, so they needed to know that I was serious.