Q&A with the Consultant

Windfal - Course content - Q&A with the Consultant - Introduction
Objective: To learn from questions raised by other Windfal graduates
 
On each Windfal course, patients are invited to set questions for the Diabetes Consultant to answer. The course has been running since September 2005 and there are now a large bank of questions. Windfal participants have told us they would like to know what questions other groups have set, to learn from the answers. This has been the inspiration for this page.
 
The questions are listed below. Please click on a question to take you to the answer.

List of questions

Will it affect my kids?

It is thought that type 1 diabetes occurs in people who are born with an inherited risk and are then exposed to some external factor that triggers the condition. It runs in families because of the shared genetics and shared exposure to environmental triggers.
The risk of getting type 1 diabetes in the general population is 1 in 300 - so in 300 people, one will get type 1 diabetes.
 
If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes, the risk of your children also getting type 1 diabetes is 1 in 50 - that means that if you suddenly have 50 children all at once (!), one of them will get diabetes.
 
If you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the risk of your children also getting type 1 diabetes is 1 in 15 - that means that if you suddenly have 15 chidlren all at once, one of them will get diabetes. No-one know why the risk is greater for fathers. But it is important to remember that if a child of yours does get diabetes, you will be able to help them cope better with it because you are an expert yourself - that's what the WIndfal course is all about. There is evidence that the diabetic children of people with good diabetes control also have good control themselves.
 
So keep learning!

Can you tell us a bit about insulin pump therapy?

Insulin pump therapy is also called CSII (Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion). It involves having a small electronic pump, about the size of a mobile phone, with insulin loaded into it. This is connected by thin plastic tubing to a small cannula (a plastic needle just a little wider than an insulin injection needle), which is inserted into the fat immediately below the skin on the abdomen.

The insulin is pumped in continuously and extra doses are given around meal times. It is like an intensive version of the basal bolus insulin regimen that all the Windfal graduates were on before doing the course. It needs a very good knowledge of how to adjust your insulin according to your carbohydrate intake and a very strong commitment to blood glucose monitoring to succeed.
 
In the UK, it is generally tried after the basal bolus regimen has failed or if there are still specific problems (particularly night-time hypos). It is used more often in the USA, but does not guarantee good blood glucose control. Research studies have shown an average improvement in HbA1c of 0.5% (the diabetes control marker). But how good or bad it is at improving blood glucose control really depends on the individual. It will suit some people well but not others.
 
If you would like to know more about insulin pump therapy or think it might be right for you, please contact our Diabetes Specialist Nurse, Cathy Jenkins.

Can stress or depression bring on diabetes?

There is no evidence that stress or depression can bring on diabetes. For example, diabetes does not occur more in the survivors of major disasters, such as an atomic bomb. But both stress and depression can destabilise your blood glucose control.

This can be for various reasons. If stressed or depressed, you might not look after yourself so well. So you might not be so careful with checking your blood glucose or getting your insulin doses right. You might eat or drink differently to usual. Also, during stressful times, the body produces "stress hormones". These have the opposite effect to insulin in the body - they increase the blood sugar. So during stressful times, you may find that you need to take a little more insulin.

Now go back to 'Q & A with the consultant' or another page or why not try the 'Quiz'.

Should I have kids by a certain age?

Dr Maria Barnard's answer will appear here.

Why don't pancreatic cells regenerate?

Dr Maria Barnard's answer will appear here.

Will there be a cure?

Dr Maria Barnard's answer will appear here.

Last updated06 Jun 2022
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