Finding the chase and cutting to it

Like many, I am sitting here with a cold: the first nasty cold of the season. I get immunised against flu each year, so I know it’s just a cold. Viral, but limited in its impact to my upper respiratory system and of course my head. It’s not a pretty picture and from the look […]

If you discuss type 1 diabetes for the first time with a newbie to the area, there are two fears they discuss.  Injections/wearing a pump and hypos. Hypos have a bad press for good reasons: people do die from them, especially the young.  Of course your average non-diabetic has thousands of these a year because […]

This is a piece about what it’s like to be diabetic when nothing is working. “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something,” Wesley to Buttercup from the Princess Bride movie.  We all have those those when nothing seems to be going right, whatever we do doesn’t work and it just feels […]

I’m a night owl, have been ever since I was born. My peak part of the day (and when I have the lowest insulin requirements) is just after lunch. (Image from wikipedia, photographer is Thomas Roessler). This is not at all compatible with having a serious career and indeed as a young teenager, I felt […]

There are 67 days before I head down to London and do the Prudential ride for the JDRF. According to fitbit, I am now “good-excellent” in terms of my general fitness although I have put on a little weight the past few weeks (bad hay fever, so have been adjusting my basal rates rather than […]

As a type 1 diabetic, life can seem very unfair despite some fantistic legislation which should give us a fair playing field. I should be protected by law when my blood sugar impacts my behaviour: I keep good records and can demonstrate where my blood sugar varies outside the norm. However, in practice, this is […]

This is a quick update, not least because of cold/hay fever, I’ve had to take a couple of weeks out of the schedule. On paper at least, I’m ahead of the game.  I am up to 60miles in 5 hours 35 minutes and doing that pretty confidently.  I can actually cycle. The first hour sees […]

My name is Sam J Watkins and since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1977 at the age of four I have been bone crushingly tired. This phrase was used by a politician returning to the Scotish Parliament after the birth of her child. I had a baby in 2000 and the lowering […]

I’m trying to write this while I’m still hypo becasue I’m kinda interested in what comes out. My blood sugar measured 2.3 mmol/l on my freestyle libre about 3 minutes ago. I’ve had 2 mars bars and they are going to take a while to kick in. My head hurts – the pain is over […]

Food.  Boring for many but as a type 1, I need to understand what I eat when. I left home and believed that I knew what a portion looked like.  I got takeouts and shared rice or noodles and used that as my yard stick.  I bolused reasonably and had cerals in a similar manner. […]