February Newsletter 2017

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017

St Helens & District Group

Welcome to the first meeting of 2017. We would like to wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year! We are delighted to welcome a new speaker to our meetings, Dr Gill Hunt, who will be talking to us about the emotional impact of living with diabetes. Dr Hunt is a Clinical Psychologist, who works in St Helens Hospital including the Diabetes Unit there.

Help yourself to leaflets about Diabetes, stress, anxiety and depression. These leaflets explain how the body handles them and what effect they have on our blood sugars.

Changes to our next few meetings, we have had to swap 2 of our meetings - our March meeting will now be Prof Sarah O`Brien on home blood glucose monitoring, and our April meeting will be Dr Niall Furlong on musculoskeletal problems in diabetes.

We desperately need your help! Our local group of DUK is organised by a very small committee. We really need at least one or more new members. If you feel that this would be of interest to you, and you would be able to attend one short evening meeting per month, PLEASE have a word with Cherry or another Comm member this evening.

We would like to extend our grateful thanks to Lindsey Pinder who donated £320 in memory of her mother Carol who died recently. We would also like to thank the residents of Raglan Court, St Helens, where she lived. Carol had Type1 Diabetes and was a member of Diabetes UK.

Nominate your local Health Heroes  It`s that time of year when we can acknowledge the dedication of staff at St Helens and Whiston Hospitals, by nominating an individual or team in the St Helens Star, Annual People’s Choice Awards. We are always commenting on the brilliant care and advice we get from the Diabetes Centre in St Helens Hospital. Now is our opportunity to do something about it! To nominate a person or team, email their details, and your reasons for nominating them, to www.sthk.nhs.uk/about/Pages/Annual-Staff-Awards.aspx Alternately you can send the details to:- Lynsey Thomas, Communications Dept, Whiston Hospital, Warrington Road, Prescot, L35, 5DR. Please remember to include your contact details. The closing date for nominations is 22nd Feb `17. This year’s winner will be honoured at the Annual Staff Awards Ceremony at the Liverpool Echo Arena in May.

Some excellent news from Prescot Walking Group! I received a phone call last week from one of their Committee members. For the last 10 years, their monthly walk in June has been a sponsored event to raise funds for a local charity. This year their members have chosen our group of Diabetes UK to be the beneficiary! The walk will be based on the Mersey riverfront at Otterspool, on sat 10 th June. The group organise a varied calendar of events across the NW including regular monthly walks of around 6 miles, occasional evening strolls of about 4 miles, and a variety of other social events at which walking is optional. Most of their events seem to involve a nice meal and a convivial drink in a suitably located hostelry! They would be delighted if any of our members would like to take part in the June walk, or would simply like further details of their group. Please contact Roy Taylor on 01744 816 806 for more information.

Diabetes UK Helpline can provide specialist information and advice on all aspects of living with diabetes. Get in touch for answers, support and advice, or just to talk to someone who knows about diabetes. To contact them, phone 0345 123 2399 between the hours of 9am and 7pm, or email them at helpline@diabetes.org.uk

Meeting suggestions It`s that time of year again when we need to start planning our new programme of meetings. Please help us by writing any ideas for topics you would like us to cover in the future, on the slips of paper on the chairs, and leave them on the table as you go out. Thanks!

Changes to Diabetes UK, The Head Office of Diabetes UK has recently moved to new premises. Their new address is:- DUK Head Office, Wells Lawrence House, 126, Back Church lane, London.E1,1FH. Their phone no is still 0345 123 2399.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the DUK Big Collection last September  Throughout the country Diabetes UK raised £216,000! This is a truly amazing amount of money, so many thanks to everyone who helped to make this the most successful Big Collection yet!

Warning! - Cold weather and diabetes. People with diabetes who have peripheral vascular disease can develop frost bite if their feet are not warmly protected. This can eventually lead to gangrene and amputation. Also, those injecting insulin need to be aware that it is absorbed more slowly from a cold injection site. Blood flow to the subcutaneous tissue is reduced with cold, and then increases when the site warms up, causing unexpected hypoglycaemia as the insulin is suddenly absorbed.

Giving the gift of blood This time of year blood stocks run very low. You can donate blood as long as you don`t treat your diabetes with insulin. For further details call The National Blood Service helpline on 0300 123 2323 or visit www.blood.co.uk

What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes? Many people are under the misapprehension that Type 1 diabetes is far more serious than Type 2, and that if you were diagnosed with Type 2 but start using insulin, then that means you have become Type1. Both these statements are Not true! Help yourself to a sheet from the front to find out the facts.

Taking part in a research trial can be good for you and other people with diabetes too  Synexis Clinical Research Centre in Waterloo, are looking for people with Type 2 diabetes aged 40+ and who also have cardiovascular problems. The trial would include taking part in a range of clinical studies designed to investigate diabetes or cardiac risk medications. Potential benefits to participating would be: health checks, blood tests, and support from friendly medical staff. You would also get transport to and from the clinic or reimbursement of travel costs. The centre is based on Crosby Road North, Waterloo, Liverpool. For more details call 0151 244 7883 and quote ref no134686, or contact christine.mcallister@synexus.com

Details of next meeting :

Date . . . . . . . Wednesday 1 st March 2017 at 7.30pm.

Subject . . . . . Home blood glucose monitoring

Speaker . . . . Sarah O`Brien, Chief Nurse, St Helens CCG.