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.

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“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.”

Marlee Silliker was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes the summer before she started university at the age of 17.

“I’m adopted, so I have no family history, so we didn’t even know that amongst Asian populations, diabetes is more prevalent,” she said.

“I now just use a sensor in my arm that sends to my phone what my levels are and alerts me if they’re too high, too low, which is great because I always hated the needle pricking.”

Silliker wants people to know diabetes might mean a lifestyle shift.

“It doesn’t limit anything I do or eat. It just means I have to be slightly more mindful of it,” she says.

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)