Type 1 Diabetes tech can advance pretty quickly. Even access to it, in some areas, has greatly improved in recent times and for that we have much to be grateful for. Of course, there is far more to do than has already been done. There are many who struggle to access some very basic things and, in the UK at least, a yawning disparity in care is obvious between areas. If the playing field will ever be levelled is debatable. With my most optimistic hat on, it seems certain to be a drawn process, as with many aspects of NHS care.
Yet! We continue to advance diabetes care in the UK (probably beyond) thanks to a little thing called "Peer support" Actually, it's not little at all. In terms of numbers, the peer support groups both online and in person, have grown enormously over the last few years. Indeed, you'll see diabetes-care-engaged HCPs communicating with these groups, recognising their importance, referring patients, etc.
For me, it's not little at all in terms of the impact on my health and life.
Back in 2017, I had recently reached a "milestone age" and after going through a great deal of diabetes related issues I thought it was time to get to grips with my T1D. The story is long and rather dull, in short it involved creating social media and forum accounts, sharing, learning and trying to be the best diabetic that I could be. I anticipated that I'd be largely on my own, that I'd pick up a few useful tips among the keto scams and cinnamon cures. I was wrong, I was definitely not on my own.
If you arrived here via Twitter, there is a great chance that you already know about #GBDoc. It is a tremendous community, run entirely by volunteers who just want to learn and stay well as much as everyone else. I mention the hashtag often and I do promote the community when the opportunity arises. I don't run it or have any influence in what happens. I'm a volunteer, learning, trying to stay well and hopefully assisting others in the same.
I try to give as much as possible to my peers within #GBDoc because since day one I have been inundated with kindness. Sure, as with any community, there will be disagreements and people will come and go. Yet, the core of #GBDoc has remained and from everything I've read and learned, I believe the community has evolved into a more inclusive, community driven, place rather than the individually run entity it once was.
In the last six and a half years, I have met hundreds of community members in person. I'm very likely to meet hundreds more. Each time, it was a delight. I love to learn about others, to talk, to laugh and to share experiences. From the hundreds, I have close bonds with many people who are now incredibly good friends. If you enjoy socialising then #GBDoc can certainly improve that aspect of your life!
Let's focus on the direct impact that peer support has had on my health. In 2017, I was finger pricking and injecting and that was the extent of my T1D management. Today, I write this blog post as somebody who is using Hybrid Closed Loop to manage my diabetes. Essentially, an insulin pump is communicating with a CGM to make frequent adjustments to my insulin dose without my input, aside from entering carb counts and other very minimal-effort engagements (see the photo used for this post). If you don't have T1D, your pancreas does a similar job, but this is not an artificial pancreas. I'll blog more about HCL in a week or two.
HCL is the latest development from my accessing of the peer support in #GBDoc. Before that, there have been many other examples of help from the community members. Items include:
- A donated insulin pump
- Many donated insulin pump consumables
- CGM transmitters
- CGM and Flash sensors
- Ketones test strips
- Glucose drinks
- Sweets, chocolates, lots of coffees!
The last one might not be hugely impactful on my diabetes management, but it helps and they were much appreciated! I didn't ask for any of those items. Various individuals took it upon themselves to offer their time, energy and money to help me. The physical items are one thing, the enormous amount of education is something else. There really is no better place to learn about T1D than from those who live with it. Every little snippet of info, every little trick, hack, guidance and signposting is a little bit more ammunition to go to war with. Over the years, I've absorbed it all. It feels like I've studied for a medical degree in some respects.
Of course, I do what I can to give back. "Pay it forward" is the often used term for a good deed. I won't list my involvements in diabetes related initiatives in this post. This post is about the others who do wonderful, kind, things for people without really realising the positive impact it can have. You are saving lives, prolonging lives, improving lives. I don't write that sentence flippantly. I truly believe it. You may never be officially recognised, but I see you. Thank you.
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