As we settle back into post-holiday, covid-normality of sorts, and try to distract ourselves from our current reality, I thought it was fitting that our first blog post of 2021 is written by a member of our education community as we are all wondering what “back to school 2021” will look like or if they will open any time soon.
** I’ve also added a note below on the launch of the newest Medtronic insulin pump in Ireland the 780G.
Mairéad Parker who may be better known as @Type1_Muinteoir on Instagram, grew up in County Westmeath but lives in Dublin now where she works as a primary school teacher. Take it away Mairéad
Welcome Muinteoir Mairéad
Type One Diabetes is my superpower, and it has made me who I am today! Hi, I’m Mairéad Parker and I have been living with type one diabetes since I was four years of age.
The start of my story
Dehydration, lots of bathroom trips, constant tiredness, and weight loss. These were the symptoms that I had before the doctor explained that I had type one diabetes. My routine consisted of one injection a day, set mealtimes and painful finger pricks. I also recall an odd white lie about having low blood sugars to avoid Maths tests!
Teenage Years
In my teenage years I was in denial about being a type one diabetic. I did not understand the importance of controlling my blood sugar levels. I felt that if I ignored my diabetes and did not talk about it, it would somehow disappear and I would be like ‘everyone else’. I played lots of sports including GAA, basketball and badminton. I never worried about having low blood sugars. I took my insulin and did the bare minimum when it came to pricking my finger to check my glucose levels. Back then I took insulin in the morning and in the evening. Diabetic appointments were not something that I looked forward to as my average blood sugar readings were never in the correct range. The HBA1C is the average of your blood sugar levels for the last two – three months. If you have diabetes your ideal HbA1c is 48 mmol or 6.5% or below. Mine was about 11% in my teenage years.
Professional Life in Education
I completed an Arts degree in NUI Galway studying English and Psychology. After finishing this I went to St Mary’s University in Twickenham. This was where I started to realise the importance of having good control of my diabetes. It was tough being away from friends and family and undertaking an intense training course, but I would not change it for the world. I completed my PGCE and then completed my first year of teaching in a gorgeous school in Chiswick, teaching year 3. I often get asked if diabetes was ever a barrier to becoming a teacher. It never has been!
I returned to Ireland and became an outpatient in St. Vincent’s Hospital. The nurses and doctors are amazing. The diabetic nurses suggested that I did the Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating course (DAFNE). In this course I gained an understanding about carbohydrate counting and how different foods affect your glucose levels. I completed the training for this course, and it was life changing. If you are a diabetic and have not completed one, I would highly recommend it. It gave me a whole new knowledge and understanding about diabetes. I altered my injection sites more (including giving injections in my stomach) and I started to take my long acting insulin twice a day. I count the carbohydrates for each meal that I eat and give myself insulin according to this.
Another amazing thing in recent years is the freestyle libre sensor. This has changed my day to day life. I hated having to prick my finger with a needle countless times a day and it was often something that I avoided due to the pain and discomfort of it. The Freestyle Libre Sensor has given me great freedom and I can effortlessly scan my sensor using my mobile phone, quickly and discreetly whenever I want to. It costs me €60 every fortnight. My HBA1C has drastically improved and is now 6.5%.
* Editor’s note: Please see information under the "self-funding" section of this webpage you're still funding your own Freestyle Libre or CGM (Dexcom & Medtronic) about claiming the 20% VAT refund and income tax refund.
The Highs and Lows of it all
There have been high points and low points in relation to my health. I am an outpatient in the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear hospital. I have had a vitrectomy and different rounds of laser eye procedures and injections. The staff there are amazing. Thankfully things have started to stabilise and after my last check-up I was told that I don’t have to return for another four months. This is amazing news for me.
The Present and Future
I set up my diabetic Instagram teaching account in September 2019 (type1_muinteoir). I have met some of the most wonderful people and love sharing my journey as a type one diabetic teacher. I now embrace my diabetes as something to celebrate. I hope that after reading my blog post it might inspire people to see that there is no such thing as a perfect diabetic but that we are all just trying our best to replace our lazy pancreas. People with Diabetes make an additional 180-200 decisions each day and I have documented a diabetic day on my Instagram highlights. There are amazing supports out there and through talking to other type one diabetics and educating people about what type one diabetes is, each one of us is making a huge difference. I have a job that I love and am looking forward to getting married in January 2021. Diabetes has never been a barrier; it is my superpower and it gives me an inner strength I genuinely wouldn’t change.
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Thank you so much for sharing your story Mairéad and please do give @Type1_Muinteoir a follow on Instagram.
Do You Have A Story to Share?
We love to share peoples’ experiences living with diabetes on our Thriveabetes blog, so please do get in touch if you are interested in reaching out to others. My email is grainne@Thriveabetes.ie Find our list of diabetes support groups on our website if you would like to meet others like Mairéad or any of the thousands of people living with type 1 diabetes in Ireland.
Insulin Pump News
for those of you who don’t follow us on social media, I have updated the Insulin Pump information page to include the new addition of the Medtronic Minimed 780G Hybrid Closed Loop insulin pump which became available in Ireland on December 17th 2020. See here.
