My friend was telling me that he saw a newspaper article this week that tried to make the point that patients living with diabetes, especially type II diabetes were solely responsible for bringing the disease upon themselves. He was very angry and so was I when he told me about the article.

Nobody really knows how diabetes starts and once diagnosed we know that for some people it can be liberating, for others it can be very, very worrying and the cause of much anguish and torment. Complications as a result of diabetes are severe and that is why the health care teams work with patients to help understand and manage each individual’s diabetes. It is the responsibility of patients to work with their diabetes educators as there are no quick fixes to diabetes.

We know that what we eat and how often we eat plays an important part of managing diabetes and patients do their best with the circumstances the information and the knowledge that they have available at the time.

“It’s not my fault and I’ve decided to get to grips with my health situation” was my friend’s response to the newspaper article. What has passed is in the past and the important message is to enjoy each day as best we can and add to the daily knowledge of our own circumstance and with the new information do our best.

The purpose of www. mydiabetes.com is for patients, family members, friends and healthcare professionals to provide support and encouragement to each other and to share their stories and experiences on the diabetes journey.

One of our new members asked if anybody has had any experience of a pancreatectomy and another member has asked if anybody has undergone a cataract operation. If you have any experience would you be kind enough to share it? If you do not feel comfortable writing a blog entry then you can write directly to me and I’ll pass the information on in confidence.

Membership of our community is growing rapidly and thank you all again for your support and encouragement.

Very best wishes enjoy your weekend and have a great week next week.

David