Welcome to our latest newsletter which is brought to you whilst the government are cautiously easing the lockdown restrictions.  The Easter break, longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures will hopefully give everyone a lift and we hope you are managing to stay safe and not finding things too difficult.  Your health, safety and wellbeing remains our main priority and whilst we continue being unable to hold face-to-face meetings we have included some information on virtual events and links to articles that will hopefully keep you informed. 

Diabetes Education available in North Hampshire

• In February the topic was Ramadan & Diabetes, the session presented by Dr Hala Alsafadi (Diabetes Consultant) was very informative, the Community Diabetes Team had positive feedback and intend to do this again.   

• In March the topic was Breathing Space which focused on teaching relaxation and mindfulness techniques.  The session was presented by Zoe Collier & Denis Selby, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners from italk.  One of our members who attended the event has kindly provided feedback on her experience of the event which you can find below under Local News.

• How diabetes affects the feet
• Neuropathy/nerve problems  
• Circulation problems
• Signs of infection/ foot problem
• What is a podiatrist?
• The diabetic foot check
• Top tips for looking after your feet

Updates on Coronavirus and Diabetes
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/coronavirus

The Diabetes UK website is continually being updated as more information from the government is made available on coronavirus.  The latest update on 26th March provided new information about changing government advice on shielding.

As governments begin to ease their lockdowns, the advice for clinically extremely vulnerable to shield will be coming to an end.  In England the government has said that the advice for clinically extremely vulnerable people to shield will stop after 31 March 2021.  Wherever you live, it’s still really important to keep following the coronavirus guidance in your area and to shield if you feel it’s right for you.
On 5th March the website was update to include booking your coronavirus vaccine in England.

Getting the coronavirus vaccine
The most important way people living with diabetes can lower their risk of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus is to avoid catching the virus in the first place. A vaccine is the most effective way to prevent infection, and that’s why we strongly encourage you to get the vaccine when you’re offered it.
People in group six, which includes people with diabetes, are now being invited to have their vaccine.  If you are in priority group six and live in England, you no longer have to wait to be invited for your vaccine. You can now also book an appointment online to receive your vaccine or call 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm seven days a week.
Get more information about the coronavirus vaccines, including who can get it and how safe it is for people with diabetes.

Living with Type 1 Diabetes Peer Support Group
Would you like to join a peer support sessions for those living with type 1 diabetes. This is a great opportunity to talk to others, get support and talk about different topics. Please see the attached flyer for more info.  The sessions will begin on Tuesday 6th April 6:30-7:30pm and will run for 6 sessions, over 7 weeks (1 week break in between).

To register your attendance, please sign up on: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/type-1-diabetes-online-peer-support-group-tickets-143778295753.

To find out more information, please contact Caroline Walker, who will be running the sessions at: caroline.walker@diabetes.org.uk



FUNDRAISING EVENTS with DIABETES UK
It’s important to move more when you have diabetes and whether you want to raise money for a cause close to your heart, or to push yourself to achieve a life-long goal and a healthier you, DiABETES UK have the perfect life-changing event for you.  See below for two of the challenges this summer, further details of other events can be found at https://www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/fundraising-events

UK Wide Cycle Ride


Cycle across the UK virtually, your way
1 – 30 April 2021

This April, take your fitness up a gear with our virtual coast to coast cycle ride.  From 1st to 30th April, take on our cross-country UK Wide Cycle Ride and pedal towards a stronger, healthier you.  Choose a coast to coast distance that suits you, from 120 to 950 miles, and complete it however and wherever you want over 30 days.  You can do it alone, with a friend or as a team.  Commute it, spin it or push yourself on those long weekend rides – indoors or out.  There’s five coast to coast routes to choose from:

Ride across the UK, whenever and however you can – and go the extra mile for people with diabetes.

How we'll support you
Register today and we'll support you every pedal of the way with training tips and fundraising advice.  You will get your very own UK Wide Cycle Ride online profile page, where you will log your miles to keep a running total, earn virtual trophy badges, collect your online fundraising and share your progress with everyone on Facebook and Twitter.
And, by raising £35 before the end of the challenge you’ll receive your own UK Wide Cycle Ride medal - with extra rewards, such as neck warmers and cycling jerseys, for higher fundraising amounts.  What’s not to like? Sign up today.

If you have questions, check out the UK Wide Cycle Ride FAQs page.
Contact the team at UKWideCycle@diabetes.org.uk or on 0345 123 2399

Sign up today


One Million Step Challenge


Step towards a healthier you  1 July – 30 September

This summer, challenge yourself to take on one million steps over three months, and it won’t be long before you notice improvements in how you’re feeling - both physically and mentally.
We know one million steps might sound like a lot - it’s about 10,000 steps a day - but we’re going to support you every step of the way.

Take part in our One Million Step Challenge at your own pace, wherever you are - for your body and everybody affected by diabetes. And if you sign up before 31 March 2021, you’ll be entered into our prize draw to win one of four Fitbit devices!

Steps to get fit. Steps to lose weight. Steps for your own body, and steps to raise funds that will change the lives of everybody affected by diabetes.  Stepping each day is a great way to get fit, feel stronger, or lose weight – and it’s just as important for our emotional well-being too.
 
Sign up today

Local News

Living with Type 2 Diabetes Peer Support Group

One of our members Don Hilton recently joined a Diabetes Peer Support Group for a six week course for people living with Type 2 Diabetes and has kindly provided us with his feedback on his experience -

I have been attending this peer group led by Diabetes UK on Zoom for the last few weeks The group was led by Caroline Walker of Diabetes UK and we had 8 participants including myself. Four were recently diagnosed whilst others had been diagnosed some time ago and at over twenty years I was the senior member.  Caroline would lead the weekly sessions, but all members joined in to discuss how items affected them.  All participant contributions are confidential within the group, so whilst I will mention the general topics I will not discuss individual contributions.

The group have had a series of 6 meetings of about an hour each.

The first meeting was largely a Getting to know you discussion with people telling when they were diagnosed and what medication they were on – this varied from control by diet through tablets and some on insulin.

The next meeting was entitled Getting medical support during the pandemic.  We discussed our individual experiences which varied considerably. Also it was stressed that you have to take responsibility for chasing important matters particularly any damage to feet. It may seem trivial while we are in the grip of a pandemic, but foot damage in diabetics can rapidly get very serious, so if in doubt ring 111 and stress that you are diabetic.  It is also important that you still attend regular diabetic check-ups and make sure that you get any concerns addressed.

Our third meeting was about Food.  We discussed healthier options and the importance of portion control.  The participants discussed their preferences and how their diets had changed since diagnosis.  We also discussed the fat and glucose content of various common foods.  The viability of crash diets to produce rapid weight loss which could reverse  Diabetes was discussed but it was stressed that anything of that nature should only be done under medical supervision

Meeting 4 was about Activity.  This has been a problem with Covid restrictions.  Personally I have not felt comfortable going to the Gym even when it has been open, I usually play golf a couple of times a week and that has been severely restricted.  Most of the group did a fair bit of walking, some enjoyed gardening and some did running or cycling.  The more energetic pursuits could result in dangerously low blood sugar so have to be monitored carefully.  There is also evidence that physical activity can affect blood sugars one or two days later and that lack of sleep adversely affects blood sugars.

Meeting 5 was about the Emotional impacts of Diabetes. This is a two way issue as people can struggle with the emotional side of being diagnosed and also emotional matters including stress can affect sugar levels. The majority of diabetic consultations are unlikely to raise this as an issue unless you raise it yourself.  It is important that you are aware of the possibilities as ignoring it could lead to a downward spiral, becoming depressed about being diabetic and that making the diabetes worse.  The group generally agreed that we were the favoured ones, because knowing our diagnosis we were in a position to take action to avoid the worst outcomes, whereas a lot of people have undiagnosed diabetes which can cause long term damage.

The final meeting was mainly about Complications that can be caused by diabetes.  Some of these are very unpleasant, but most will only arise if diabetes is not controlled.  We discussed warning signs so that action can be taken before things get too serious.  We also discussed problems caused by lack of sleep which can make diabetes control worse and which in turn can make sleep worse.  We discussed ways in which sleep patterns can be improved.

It is a credit to Caroline that all participants attended nearly all sessions, and whilst newly diagnosed people probably learnt more, I certainly learned a few useful things and was also reminded of some bad habits that have slipped in over the years.

The committee are considering running a similar scheme for our Basingstoke members if there is enough interest to make it viable for us to set one up.  Please let us have your thoughts by emailing us at  diabetesuk.basingstokegroup@gmail.com

• Deep breathing
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Mindfulness

Coffee and Chat – Monday 26th April 2021 at 2pm

 

Following recent Coffee and Chat Zoom calls we have decided to hold another call on Monday 26th April at 2pm.  It will be great if you could join us and we would love to hear your ideas and views on what you would like the Basingstoke Diabetes UK Support Group to consider for future activities when we are able to meet in person once again. You will need to have access to the Zoom app and details of joining the meeting can be found below –

Topic: Basingstoke Diabetes UK Support Group Coffee & Chat Zoom Meeting Time: Apr 26, 2021 02:00 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77602980136?pwd=WU9SRmNWSGE0OEhwLy83VU9MSmMvQT09
Meeting ID: 776 0298 0136
Passcode: 0csTs7