Newsletter

Drop in for a Coffee at Waitrose - March 2011

It was great to meet so many new people at our Coffee and Chat events in March. We
received such positive feedback we will be hosting another session in July (see details
below). We received lots of emails following the events thanking us for organising it. One
of our attendees wrote "it was so good to chat to others whom were able to pass on their
experiences, help and advice!" If you would like to speak to others experiencing the
same situations as you, please come along to our next coffee afternoon for a chat.

 

In April we had a number of people stop for a chat at our stand in Tesco.  We were able to give out a lot of information and welcome new members to our group who signed up to receive our newsletter.  Many people wanted to make a donation of loose change following their shop and we appreciate their generosity.

On Wednesday 10 April 2019 our speaker, Peter Chambers, was invited by the Over
55's Forum to give a talk at the Carnival Hall in Basingstoke.  The meeting was well
attended with 200 people in the audience.
Peter explained the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.  A person is
diagnosed with diabetes every 2 minutes and the NHS spends 10% of the budget
dealing with this condition.
There is currently a lot of publicity and studies in the UK and America showing that with
diet and exercise Type 2 may be put into remission. There are people who will be unable
to achieve remission but they will improve their health.
On the downside, diabetes can cause complications in later life if blood sugars are not
controlled. However, there is lots of support out there to help avoid these conditions.
Diabetes UK has a lot of information for people to access that gives advice.
Basingstoke Diabetes Support Group, which was set up 3 years ago, is also there to
support the local community.
To lighten the mood Peter added a few jokes, observations and anecdotes, which
were received with laughter.
At the end of the talk Peter answered questions from the audience.
Don and David, members of Basingstoke Diabetes Support Group, were also there to
answer any questions and to hand out leaflets.

 

Our local healthcare professionals and diabetes experts held a Living with Diabetes Day on Wednesday 1st May at The Apollo Hotel. The aim of the day was helping you to achieve better control of your diabetes through better self management and it was a mixture of talks by healthcare professionals with a special interest in diabetes followed by three workshops focusing on diet, managing your diabetes day to day and Getting Active
The event was well attended and it was great to meet and chat with many of you.  A number of people signed up to join our support group and if you were one of those people I hope you enjoy receiving your first newsletter.

 

Anna Morris gave the group an update on how research funded by Diabetes UK  is used to fight diabetes on Tuesday 7th May.

Anna  is the Assistant Director of Research Strategy and Partnership at Diabetes UK. Anna has oversight of the Clinical Studies Groups,  which are tasked with setting out a roadmap for diabetes research, and she is responsible for establishing partnerships in the funding space. She also overseas the teams responsible for communicating outcomes of research.

Key Dates

The costs of untreated Diabetes:-





Some of the major projects being delivered currently by the charity are:

1. DiRECT study (Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial) -  Diabetes UK’s largest ever research grant - investigating whether a low-calorie diet, combined with weight management support, can put Type 2 diabetes into remission for the long-term. First year results  show that it’s possible for some people to put their Type 2 diabetes into remission with almost half (45.6%) of those who took part in the programme in remission after a year. Second year results show that, of these people, 70% were still in remission by the end of year two and two thirds (64%) of those who lost more than 10 kilos were in remission after two years.
2. Helping the immune system tackle Type 1
£274k Funding provided to Professor Federica Marelli-Berg at Queen Mary, University of London to investigate whether/how immune cells called Tregs  can reduce Type 1 diabetes and stop it from attacking healthy cells. So far the investigation has  found a drug that helps Tregs work better. This needs to be tested to  see if it can prevent or slow the progression of Type 1 diabetes. In  future this could lead to life-changing new treatments for Type 1 patients.
3. Turning stem cells into beta cells - Kingston University  Funding @  £280K. Aim: Produce fully working beta cells from stem cells. Transplant new beta cells into mice – test potential for treating diabetes. Impact: Opens up exciting ways to replace beta cells that have been destroyed or stopped working
4. Finally Anna highlighted ways in which everyone can support research that Diabetes UK undertakes. This includes adopting a research project, volunteering on a Diabetes UK Committee /Panel or  actually taking part in a research study.



We were also privileged to hear from Aurelia Loveridge, Diabetes Specialist & Research Nurse from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.  Aurelia outlined some of the projects/studies being coordinated in Hampshire where volunteers are required to help with the research:-
1. Quality of life injectables - whether injectable therapies for Type 2 diabetes have any effect on health related quality of life & treatment satisfatcion in patients.
2. StartRight - study aims to improve the initial diagnosis by doctors for Type 1/Type 2 - establishing which type of diabetes a person has is difficult and needs earlier /more accurate identification.
3. Address 2 - aimed at newly diagnosed Type 1 patients - collect information and blood samples to understand the development and progression of Type 1 and to help find suitable trials of new treatments.

Further information can be obtained via - research@southernhealth.nhs.uk or 02380 475943.



To view more photos taken at this event please see our website here.

 

The Acorn diabetic challenge took place in the spring with a group of diabetic patients attending meetings on topics such as diet, wellbeing, understanding diabetes and fitness. The course finished in April with a celebration event and all the participants who attended this event said that they had benefitted from the course, losing weight and feeling fitter and more confident about diabetic control.

If you are interested in learning more then please do come along to one our sessions - see details below.

Tadley Treacle Fair - Sunday 2nd June 2019
Saunders Fields, Tadley, RG26 4FF

The Tadley Treacle Fayre (Fair) is the annual Summer fair organised by Loddon Valley Lions. It allows Loddon Valley Lions the opportunity to raise many thousands of pounds to support their humanitarian activities in the local community and, the wider world. The Main beneficiaries from this year's events will be Tadley Citizens Advice, Seeability and Diabetes UK.

There are currently about 1.5 million people in the UK who have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. More worryingly, it is estimated that there are another 1.5 million people in the country who are suffering this condition but don't know it. At this year's Treacle Fair, Diabetes UK will have a stand with a number of fully trained personnel, able to assess YOUR risk of having diabetes. Those at highest risk, will be given free advice and will also be advised to see their GP promptly, for a full screening and assessment. Members of the Diabetes UK Basingstoke Support group will also be there to meet with you.

Rotary Club Family Festival - Sunday 23rd June 2019
Basingstoke Cricket Club, Fairfields Road, Basingstoke RG21 3DR

There will be live music from the Clive Fortune Big Band, the ever popular falconry display and the John Searle Funfair. It is planned to have a varied program of entertainment over two days. We are attending on the Sunday with other local charities promoting their causes and look forward to seeing you there.

Hatch Warren Festival – Saturday 13th July
Hatch Warren Community Centre, Long Cross Lane, Basingstoke, RG22 4XF
 

We will be attending the Hatch Warren Summer Festival again this year. We will send further details nearer the time and look forward to seeing you all there!

             

Would you like to meet other people who are living with diabetes and have a coffee and chat?  Join us on Monday 15th July between 2:30pm and 3:30pm at the Waitrose cafe in Basingstoke.

Members of the committee will be there and we welcome the opportunity to hear your ideas and views on what you would like the Basingstoke Diabetes UK Support Group to consider for future activities.

             

 

We have been invited by the Community Champion at Asda to have a stand at the local store in Brighton Hill to share information on diabetes and make people aware of the things our local diabetes support group have planned for our members.  If you are shopping in Asda that day please pop over to have a chat and let us know what things you are interested in our group arranging.

We are looking forward to meeting both new and old acquaintances on Saturday 14th September.

             

 

Hold the date for this talk on Diabetic Eye Screening!
For more information see
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/retinopathy
More details will follow in our next newsletter.

The Future of Healthcare in your Community

























Wednesday 12 June, 6.30pm-8.30pm
at The Hampshire Court Hotel in Chineham.
          

This event is hosted by the North Hampshire CCG, in partnership with local GP practices. They are putting on a free community event with your local GP practices to explore what's happening in healthcare in the area. With a growing and ageing population they need to be flexible and adaptable to change, and they'd really value your input in the conversation about how they can do that.

Come along and you'll get the chance to meet with GPs and other healthcare professionals to get your questions answered. You can also chat to representatives from all kinds of different local organisations that can help you stay well, and find out all about the NHS's long-term plans. All with free parking and tea and coffee!

Basingstoke Diabetes UK Support Group will have a stall at this event and we hope to see you there.

How to delay or prevent Complications? 

Diabetes can cause problems with eyes, feet, gums, kidneys, heart and nerves. That can seem frightening but you can prevent or delay these complications of diabetes. So you need to take action and it’s all about managing your diabetes well.

Stopping smoking and lowering your HbA1c levels, blood fats and blood pressure will prevent or slow down these complications. Giving up smoking is the best thing you can do if you have diabetes because smoking makes it even harder for blood to flow around your body. Keeping a close eye on these levels and understanding your numbers will help you take control of your health.
A good place to start is knowing what essential diabetes health checks you should be getting. Did you know there are 15, the Diabetes UK 15 Healthcare Essentials? You’re entitled to all of these checks at least once a year. Knowing what these checks are and what to do between appointments will help reduce your risk of developing complications.

Make the One Million Steps challenge your mission  

Get signed up

Research Request from Dr Chioma Izzy-Engbeaya

If you are not already signed up we recommend subscribing to the Diabetes UK Newsletter so you do not miss out on valuable information. You can do that here.

My LCHF Story
by Elizabeth LePla
 

I am 66 and had been overweight my entire life.  Fat baby, chubby toddler, plump adolescent, and overweight adult.  On and off I had dieted, done a couple of periods of Weight Watchers – each time losing a stone or so…and then lapsing and the weight creeping up again. 
 
About 10 years ago I was sent for a glucose tolerance test, as a routine blood result showed raised glucose levels, but the test came back “normal”.  However, around the same time, I heard a radio programme about healthy eating to avoid developing diabetes.  The suggestion was to eat a low GI diet, and from then on, I made sure I ate my 5 a day (something I hadn’t really bothered about much previously).  I ate seeded bread, had pasta, whole grain cereals, avoided ready meals (always made my own pasta sauces) and on the whole followed the government Eatwell guidelines.  Ok, so I ate the odd pork pie, and had an ice-cream a couple of times a week, but on the whole I felt I ate a fairly healthy diet.
 
Then in September 2017 I was diagnosed as having Type 2 diabetes, with a fasting glucose of 8.6 and Hba1c of 68.  Given my “healthy” diet, the GP prescribed Metformin.  However, over the previous few months, we had seen a TV programme and read a couple of newspaper articles suggesting it was possible to reverse T2D by diet.  I looked into it and bought Michael Moseley’s 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet book.  800 calories a day sounded a bit drastic, but for 8 weeks, I was determined to do it, in the hope it would indeed reverse the diagnosis.  I decided not to take the Metformin, but change my way of eating.
 
By Christmas, I had lost 3 stone, going from 14 stone 2lbs to 11 stone. My Hba1c was 35, and my long-standing high triglycerides had reduced to such an extent I was able to come off the medication I had been on for 25 years.  And on top of this, I wasn’t hungry!
 
Since then, I have lost another stone in weight, have gone down a total of four dress sizes, and now maintain my weight by following a LCHF (Low Carb, Healthy Fat) way of eating.  And whereas previously I had never thrown out clothes that had become too big, because a little voice inside said (quite rightly) that sooner or later I would need them again, this time, I know I am never going to put the weight back on.  My diabetes is in full remission, and I don’t want a future worrying whether I am going to lose a leg or my eyesight.  But above all, I really enjoy what I eat!  Unlike standard “diets”, where there is a sense of constant denial, with LCHF there are no such feelings.  We just eat good quality real food.

 

Photo on the left June 2017. 

Photo on the right July 2018

Have you done something you are proud of which would like to share in our newsletter? Please contact us at diabetesuk.basingstokegroup@gmail.com