South Africans with Diabetes

Let's have an awkward conversation about diabetes stigma... It's so real.

Type 2 diabetes carries a stigma in South Africa - particularly because it has been portrayed as a ‘lifestyle disease’. What is it like to be diagnosed with a condition that some people believe you gave yourself by eating the wrong food and not exercising enough? We speak to health coach Helga Nefdt about her Type 2 diagnosis and how she deals with diabetes stigma.

We also speak to Type 1 diabetes advocate Thapi Semenya about her journey with diabetes and stigma, and what we can do to change the situation.

We need to talk about diabetes stigma. Let's start the conversation! Is there a stigma around living with diabetes? Our community responds. · Understanding the stigma of diabetes for children. · Thapi Semenya: the girl with dialigo.

Let's have an awkward conversation about diabetes stigma... It's so real.
Type 2 diabetes carries a stigma in South Africa - particularly because it has been portrayed as a ‘lifestyle disease’. What is it like to be diagnosed with a condition that some people believe you gave yourself by eating the wrong food and not exercising enough? We speak to health coach Helga Nefdt about her Type 2 diagnosis and how she deals with diabetes stigma.
We also speak to Type 1 diabetes advocate Thapi Semenya about her journey with diabetes and stigma, and what we can do to change the situation.
We need to talk about diabetes stigma. Let's start the conversation! Is there a stigma around living with diabetes? Our community responds. · Understanding the stigma of diabetes for children. · Thapi Semenya: the girl with dialigo. · Abbott FreeStyle Libre CGM · Sweet Life Diabetic South Africans Website · Connect with Sweet Life on LinkedIn · Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard · Follow Diabetic South Africans on Facebook · Twitter · Instagram

We need to look at what the future looks like if we don't do anything.
With 85% of South Africans accessing healthcare in the public sector, half of all people with diabetes undiagnosed and 2 in 3 South Africans on track to develop diabetes (in the prediabetes range), we should all be talking about diabetes. Add in the fact that it’s the leading killer of women in SA, and it should be front page news! And yet, it isn’t. We speak to Shivani Ranchod, a health actuary with a deep commitment to South Africa’s health sector, about the future cost if diabetes is ignored.
There are big, underlying systemic features that drive diabetes that we're not actively engaging with. What does this mean, and what can we do about it? We spell it out in plain English, and figure out what we - as people with diabetes - should be doing to help the situation.
This is an unmissable episode if you care about diabetes in South Africa. South Africa's first Diabetes Charter · The diabetes situation in South Africa: all the basics you need to know. · SA Diabetes Advocacy: please join us if you're passionate about advocacy. · Abbott FreeStyle Libre CGM · Sweet Life Diabetic South Africans Website · Connect with Sweet Life on LinkedIn · Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard · Follow Diabetic South Africans on Facebook · Twitter · Instagram

We need to look at what the future looks like if we don't do anything.

With 85% of South Africans accessing healthcare in the public sector, half of all people with diabetes undiagnosed and 2 in 3 South Africans on track to develop diabetes (in the prediabetes range), we should all be talking about diabetes. Add in the fact that it’s the leading killer of women in SA, and it should be front page news! And yet, it isn’t. We speak to Shivani Ranchod, a health actuary with a deep commitment to South Africa’s health sector, about the future cost if diabetes is ignored.

There are big, underlying systemic features that drive diabetes that we're not actively engaging with. What does this mean, and what can we do about it? We spell it out in plain English, and figure out what we - as people with diabetes - should be doing to help the situation.

This is an unmissable episode if you care about diabetes in South Africa. South Africa's first Diabetes Charter · The diabetes situation in South Africa: all the basics you need to know. · SA Diabetes Advocacy: please join us if you're passionate about advocacy.

We need to look at what the future looks like if we don't do anything.

With 85% of South Africans accessing healthcare in the public sector, half of all people with diabetes undiagnosed and 2 in 3 South Africans on track to develop diabetes (in the prediabetes range), we should all be talking about diabetes. Add in the fact that it’s the leading killer of women in SA, and it should be front page news! And yet, it isn’t. We speak to Shivani Ranchod, a health actuary with a deep commitment to South Africa’s health sector, about the future cost if diabetes is ignored.

There are big, underlying systemic features that drive diabetes that we're not actively engaging with. What does this mean, and what can we do about it? We spell it out in plain English, and figure out what we - as people with diabetes - should be doing to help the situation.

This is an unmissable episode if you care about diabetes in South Africa. South Africa's first Diabetes Charter · The diabetes situation in South Africa: all the basics you need to know. · SA Diabetes Advocacy: please join us if you're passionate about advocacy. · Abbott FreeStyle Libre CGM · Sweet Life Diabetic South Africans Website · Connect with Sweet Life on LinkedIn · Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard · Follow Diabetic South Africans on Facebook · Twitter · Instagram

Ultra-rapid acting insulin is coming to South Africa! Hallelujah.

Many South Africans with Type 1 diabetes were told to inject as they sat down to eat. Once they saw the blood sugar spikes on CGM / flash glucose devices, the advice changed to injecting 15-30 minutes before you eat. But that depends on the individual, the time of day, what’s being eaten and a number of other factors.

Does insulin timing really make a difference, and are there any ways to make this less of a frustrating issue? We speak to endocrinologist Prof. David Segal, and Sane Mazibuko, who’s been living with Type 1 for 25 years.

We asked our community about insulin timing, and got pretty much every response under the sun. Not sure what you should be doing? Here's all you need to know. Prof. Segal's best tips for Type 1 diabetes. · Take your diabetes medication: all the medication tips you need to know. · Sweet Life on Instagram.

Ultra-rapid acting insulin is coming to South Africa! Hallelujah.

Many South Africans with Type 1 diabetes were told to inject as they sat down to eat. Once they saw the blood sugar spikes on CGM / flash glucose devices, the advice changed to injecting 15-30 minutes before you eat. But that depends on the individual, the time of day, what’s being eaten and a number of other factors.

Does insulin timing really make a difference, and are there any ways to make this less of a frustrating issue? We speak to endocrinologist Prof. David Segal, and Sane Mazibuko, who’s been living with Type 1 for 25 years.

We asked our community about insulin timing, and got pretty much every response under the sun. Not sure what you should be doing? Here's all you need to know. Prof. Segal's best tips for Type 1 diabetes. · Take your diabetes medication: all the medication tips you need to know. · Sweet Life on Instagram. · Abbott FreeStyle Libre CGM · Sweet Life Diabetic South Africans Website · Connect with Sweet Life on LinkedIn · Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard · Follow Diabetic South Africans on Facebook · Twitter

Ultra-rapid acting insulin is coming to South Africa! Hallelujah.
Many South Africans with Type 1 diabetes were told to inject as they sat down to eat. Once they saw the blood sugar spikes on CGM / flash glucose devices, the advice changed to injecting 15-30 minutes before you eat. But that depends on the individual, the time of day, what’s being eaten and a number of other factors.
Does insulin timing really make a difference, and are there any ways to make this less of a frustrating issue? We speak to endocrinologist Prof. David Segal, and Sane Mazibuko, who’s been living with Type 1 for 25 years.
We asked our community about insulin timing, and got pretty much every response under the sun. Not sure what you should be doing? Here's all you need to know. Prof. Segal's best tips for Type 1 diabetes. · Take your diabetes medication: all the medication tips you need to know. · Sweet Life on Instagram. · Abbott FreeStyle Libre CGM · Sweet Life Diabetic South Africans Website · Connect with Sweet Life on LinkedIn · Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard · Follow Diabetic South Africans on Facebook · Twitter

Let's dive in: do we need to be sensitive about diabetes and language?

There’s a growing movement toward changing the language of diabetes so that it can be more empowering for people living with diabetes. It’s time to move away from calling diabetes a disease, people with diabetes patients and those living with diabetes diabetics. But why is it so important? We ask Australian diabetes advocate and language champion Renza Scibilia to talk us through it.

As a person with diabetes, you can call yourself whatever you want - it's not about us. We can use whatever language we want. But when it comes to the media, government and healthcare providers, there are specific words and imagery that we need to change. This is a very entertaining, fast-paced conversation about why language is important. Renza Scibilia's blog: Diabetogenic - real life with diabetes. · Our Language Matters: Diabetes Australia position paper on language. · South Africans with Diabetes Facebook community. · Abbott FreeStyle Libre CGM · Sweet Life Diabetic South Africans Website · Connect with Sweet Life on LinkedIn · Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard · Follow Diabetic South Africans on Facebook · Twitter · Instagram

Let's dive in: do we need to be sensitive about diabetes and language?
There’s a growing movement toward changing the language of diabetes so that it can be more empowering for people living with diabetes. It’s time to move away from calling diabetes a disease, people with diabetes patients and those living with diabetes diabetics. But why is it so important? We ask Australian diabetes advocate and language champion Renza Scibilia to talk us through it.
As a person with diabetes, you can call yourself whatever you want - it's not about us. We can use whatever language we want. But when it comes to the media, government and healthcare providers, there are specific words and imagery that we need to change. This is a very entertaining, fast-paced conversation about why language is important. Renza Scibilia's blog: Diabetogenic - real life with diabetes. · Our Language Matters: Diabetes Australia position paper on language. · South Africans with Diabetes Facebook community. · Abbott FreeStyle Libre CGM · Sweet Life Diabetic South Africans Website · Connect with Sweet Life on LinkedIn · Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard · Follow Diabetic South Africans on Facebook · Twitter · Instagram