Diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease and the Diabetes Australia website estimates that 275 Australians develop diabetes every day. At present, nearly 1 million Australians have been diagnosed with diabetes but the total figure runs closer to 3.2 million* when you add in approximately 700,000 suspected undiagnosed, plus those with pre-diabetes. That’s a staggering 14% of Australia’s population.
Diabetes has affected my immediate and extended family significantly.
My husband’s uncle has Type 1 Diabetes and has suffered numerous health complications later in life as a result. My husband’s nephew was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was just 8. Both my father and my paternal grandfather have Type 2 Diabetes, plus we strongly suspect that my father’s sister was also a sufferer.
My grandfather is an interesting case study: a heavy smoker and drinker all his life, he led a very sedentary lifestyle, was overweight and ate too many sugary, fatty foods. Although he lived to see 85, his last years were not pleasant, mainly as a result of complications from his unmanaged diabetes. To some degree, this can be blamed on the diet prevalent in post-war Britain together with a poor understanding of general nutritional requirements.
Before my grandfather died he had a foot amputated. One of the side-effects of diabetes is reduced circulation which, in extreme cases, can lead to gangrene. He was due to have his other food amputated but the doctors decided that the operation would almost certainly over-strain his already weak heart (coronary heart disease and heart failure are common in those suffering from diabetes). When he finally died in 1988, the cause of death was listed as “heart failure” but we know that the side-effects of his diabetes greatly contributed.
You couldn’t find a more disparate example than my father. When he found out from his doctor, five years ago, that his body was producing pre-diabetes markers, my dad took a stand. His lifestyle was already very healthy but he has taken additional steps to ensure that the worst of the side-effects can be held at bay for as long as possible. A healthy 73, he walks every day, plays tennis twice a week, watches his diet very carefully and has only recently needed to take capsule medication to stabilise his blood sugars.
