Diabetes Awareness Month: Man living with disease says it’s important everyone knows the common signs
Friday marks the first day of National Diabetes Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise awareness and take action to tackle the diabetes epidemic.
In Nova Scotia, diabetes or pre-diabetes affects 33 per cent of the population and approximately one in two adults will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
Malcolm Campbell was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes about seven years ago.
“I wasn’t sure if I could be a chef anymore to be honest with you. I knew about it but I didn’t really know the particulars,” said Campbell during an interview on CTV Morning Live Atlantic.
“So, it was a big learning curve. The first year was very difficult, and it’s very difficult to this day.”
Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin – an important hormone that helps your body to control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood.
Roughly 10 per cent of people living with diabetes in Canada have Type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes, according to Diabetes Canada.
In many cases, Type 1 diabetes develops in childhood or adolescence, but can also develop in adulthood, which was the case for Campbell.
Today, Campbell uses two pieces of technology to help manage his diabetes.
“I have the Omnipod – which is an insulin pump – and I have a constant glucose monitoring system called the Dexcom G7, which shows you what your glucose levels are in real-time,” Campbell said.
Campbell says the Dexcom G7 connects to an app that can be monitored on his phone all the time. He says it allows him to live life more comfortably, especially when he’s trying to get some rest.
“Not too many people think about that. It’s peace of mind, you can switch off and get a nice sleep, whereas before you’re constantly waking up nervous, checking everything. So, it’s great.”
Campbell says his technology helps enhance his life and make it a lot easier.
“It allows me to focus on my daily tasks at hand instead of thinking about constantly what’s going on with my glucose levels, where I’m at. What if I’m high? Am I low? What am I eating next? When did I eat last?” he said.
“Everything affects these decisions, so it allows you to switch off a little bit.”
Campbell says the technology is also helpful when it comes to his children when they’re away from home.
“If they’re at school, I can see on my phone on the app where they’re at, if any alarms go off, so it’s good. It’s a peace of mind for sure.”
For Campbell, he follows a low-carb diet to help manage his diagnosis, however he admits everyone has their own ways of managing the disease.
“And what I say too, you can eat the same thing every single day and get different results. So, what works for me would not work for you, but I follow a low carb diet because it makes it easier. The less carbohydrates you eat, the less insulin you require and the less highs and lows that you go through.”
As for Type 2 diabetes, it’s a condition where your body can’t make enough insulin or does not properly use the insulin it makes. Type 2 diabetes is caused by several different risk factors and accounts for 90 per cent of diabetes in Canada, according to Diabetes Canada’s website.
People over the age of 40 with a parent or sibling with diabetes are at a higher risk of having Type 2.
“It (Type 2) is (preventable). It’s on the rise too as well,” said Campbell. “I think the way the food is changing these days, it’s more easy to go off track with what you eat. You need to eat healthy food, lots of vegetables and stuff like that. Exercise is a big thing too.”
Campbell says it’s important everyone knows the signs of diabetes.
“A couple years ago, a colleague of mine, I kind of knew the signs and kind of sent him to the hospital. And it actually turned out that he did have Type 1 diabetes and didn’t know,” said Campbell. “So, just become aware.”
There are several symptoms associated with Type 1 diabetes which can develop quickly and range in severity.
Common symptoms and signs provided by Diabetes Canada include:
- unusual thirst
- frequent urination
- weight change (gain or loss)
- extreme fatigue or lack of energy
- blurred vision
- frequent or recurring infections
- cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
- tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
- trouble getting or maintaining an erection
- diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than half of human trafficking incidents in Canada remain unsolved
More than half of human trafficking incidents remained unsolved in Canada by police as the number of incidents increased over the past decade, according to new data released Friday.
Human remains found in Markham, Ont. in 1980 belonged to prison escapee: police
More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.
WATCH 'It's mind-boggling': Drought reveals U.S. town submerged in the 1940s
Hundreds of people are flocking to see a rare site in Pennsylvania: remnants of a historic town that is usually underwater.
Manitoba RCMP identify infant human remains, asking public for help with investigation
Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.
Those typing monkeys will never produce Shakespeare's works, mathematicians say
Talented though they may be, monkeys will never type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, or even a short book, a new study suggests.
Auto theft probe leads to arrest of 59 suspects, recovery of more than 300 stolen vehicles: Toronto police
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
'I couldn't stay home': Canadian with no prior military training joins Ukrainian forces
In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Adam Oake, a Canadian with no prior military training, sold all of his Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia to buy a plane ticket.
Children's doctors reporting unusual increase in walking pneumonia cases in Canada
Children's hospitals across the country are seeing an unusual increase in the number of serious and more complicated cases of walking pneumonia affecting much younger patients, according to medical experts.
Video falsely depicting voter fraud in Georgia linked to 'Russian influence actors,' U.S. officials say
A video that purports to show election fraud in Georgia by a man who claims to be from Haiti is fake and the work of "Russian influence actors," U.S. intelligence officials said Friday.