A specialist support group has been praised by patients for making them realise they are not alone in managing a condition that impacts their lives round the clock.
The Type 1 diabetes support group at the Friarage Hospital is a group for patients who would benefit from meeting individuals with the same diagnosis.
The sessions take place once every three months and the group recently celebrated its two-year anniversary since it was set up in September 2024.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body stops producing insulin, a hormone needed to help glucose (sugar) enter cells and be used for energy.
Without insulin, blood sugar levels become dangerously high, meaning people with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin treatment and ongoing monitoring to manage the condition.
For patients like Julia Brown, 68, this has meant she has had to manage her condition 24-hours-a-day, since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 20.
But ever since Julia started attending the support group at the Friarage, she has realised she is not alone.
She said: “The support group has been great as chatting to other people makes you realise you are not alone. People who are going through similar things and are trying their hardest to manage their diabetes just like you instil a sense of confidence in you.
“The diabetes specialist nurses who run this group are wonderful. We are lucky to have them, they are so supportive and nothing is too much trouble. They are so patient and understanding.”
Julia is not alone in praising the group; Anne Denise Fisher, 74, has also commended it for being supportive.
Anne was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was just 26, following a period where she was battling excessive thirst and weight loss.
Ever since then, Anne says that her sleep is affected almost daily as she always needs to be aware of high or low glucose levels and the ping from her monitor.
The South Otterington resident said: “For a long time after diagnosis I did not tell anyone about it but this got better with time. It is hard for people to understand that you need to eat regularly and as I also have peripheral arterial problems, which means I cannot trek for miles without my legs aching.
Anne regularly attends the support groups and feels the sessions have made a difference in her life.
She added: “The nurses and consultants are wonderful and supportive whatever problems you have, I cannot speak more highly of them. I would like to say an enormous thank you to them all.”
Diabetes and endocrine specialist nurse Michelle Watson and the team run the successful support groups, which they organise outside their working hours.
Michelle said: “We decided to start the diabetes cafe specifically for Type 1 diabetes for the patients to meet with people who are dealing with the same things every day. It’s like a buddy system where they can talk freely and without judgment.
This cafe is for them, and we never use it like a clinical setting. We find that this has been beneficial not only for their diabetes but their mental health too. We love doing this for our type 1 community and will continue as long as the patients want to come.”