Earlier today, whilst sorting through some old files, I came across an edition of ‘Balance’, the magazine of Diabetes UK , from the end of 2004. I’d kept that particular issue because one of the columnists had written about tooth enamel. I’d meant to respond with a letter, but somehow never got around to it.
Flicking through, the magazine fell open at ‘Testing, Testing’, an article presenting the results of a survey carried out earlier that year on blood glucose testing practices of a sample of Diabetes UK members. The survey came about as a result of problems that came to light that year of many people with diabetes being denied adequate numbers of blood glucose testing strips on prescription, and therefore paid for by the NHS, a problem that rumbles on to this day. I’m not sure whether the survey was of any value in opposing the practice, given that much of the data suggested that many people were getting no value out of the tests they performed.
Some of the results were very disturbing. For example only 24% of respondents said they ever tested their blood glucose before driving. Admittedly a number of those in the survey were Type 2, but 34% had Type 1, and a proportion of those with Type 2 were on insulin. Why bother paying for car insurance if you potentially invalidate it each time you start the engine? If you have an accident due to hypo- or severe hyper- glycaemia and the insurance company aren’t satisfied that you’d taken reasonable steps to avoid the problem, they won’t honour their cover. And you could end up being arrested to boot. Or dead.
The one that I found perhaps the strangest of all was that less than half of all respondents at risk of hypoglycaemia said they tested when they felt low. What do the other half do? Ignore the symptoms and wait until they pass out perhaps? Or just eat anyway, and nevermind about whether they need to? If I did that, there would have been times in the past when I never stopped eating. They are probably the same people whose main reason for testing is simply to ‘monitor my condition’, as opposed to adjusting treatment, for tight control or for peace of mind. I guess you can monitor all you like, but if all you get are a string of 20s (360s) then it isn’t going to make the slightest bit of difference.
Sometimes, in this unrepresentational environment of the OC and other internet groups and mailing lists, where the vast majority of people are very proactive, highly motivated and want to achieve the best control possible whilst living life to the full, I need to be reminded that an overwhelming majority of people aren’t like that. If that is through choice it is sad enough, but if lack of education plays a part, it’s a tragedy.