Living with type 1 -

Living with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (also known as insulin dependent diabetes) is a condition in which the body cannot make insulin because insulin producing cells in the pancreas have been destroyed. Taking insulin every day by injecting or inhaling is the only way people with type 1 diabetes can achieve normal blood sugar levels.

Whether you have had type 1 diabetes for some time, or if you are newly diagnosed, this section gives advice on how to eat healthily, manage the medication you may have to take and generally avoid the long term complications associated with having diabetes.

Your family and friends will also find this website useful, in particular the sections regarding hypoglycaemia (sometimes referred to in its more severe form as "diabetic coma"), when your blood sugars may fall dangerously low and hyperglycaemia, when the opposite happens and your blood sugars rise too high.

Having diabetes does not mean that you cannot live a normal life, but it does mean that you have to be more aware of your health and how it will affect work and social situations. You will also need to take your diabetes into consideration when you are travelling or if you plan to become pregnant.

We hope that you find this a useful guide to enable you to live a happy and healthy life with diabetes.

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Last updated: May 2007

What do you do to prevent hypoglycaemia?

Which type of diabetes do you have?

There are two main types of diabetes - type 1 and type 2 - which do you have?

Type 1

Type 2 (controlled by diet)

Type 2 (controlled by insulin)

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Diabetes dictionary

Many of the terms associated with diabetes can be confusing, especially for those newly diagnosed. Our diabetes dictionary gives explanations for the most common ones.

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