The T2D Podcast - Tatiana

This is the  fifth episode in the T2D Podcast which aims to give you the answers to the questions that you have about type two diabetes.

In this episode, Tatiana who has been living with type two diabetes for two years will talk to us about her experiences. 

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to get involved in this study and helped make this important informational resource

If you have any questions about the information contained in podcast or would like a transcript of any of the episodes, please get in touch with me via the following email address: olivia.crinion2@mail.dcu.ie.

The educational courses mentioned in this episode are available at the links below:

Diabetes Ireland
 Website: https://www.diabetes.ie/
 Helpline: 01 8428118 (Mon - Fri, 9-5)
 Email: info@diabetes.ie
Courses:
CODE: https://www.diabetes.ie/living-with-diabetes/living-with-type-2/diabetes-ireland-education-programme/
Diabetes SMART: https://www.diabetes.ie/living-with-diabetes/living-with-type-2/diabetes-smart-free-interactive-online-education-course/
 
HSE
Talking about Weight leaflet -https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/cspd/ncps/obesity/programme-resources/hse-talking-about-weight-guide-final-6.pdf
Courses:
DESMOND: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/type-2-diabetes/courses-and-support/desmond/
DISCOVER: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/type-2-diabetes/courses-and-support/discover-diabetes/

If you have any questions about the information contained in podcast or would like a transcript of any of the episodes, please get in touch with me via the following email address: olivia.crinion2@mail.dcu.ie.

Ethics approval has been granted by DCU for this study.

If participants have concerns about this study and wish to contact an independent person, please contact:

The Chair, DCU Humanities & Social Science Faculty Research Ethics Committee, c/o Dublin City University, Dublin 9. Tel 01-7008000, e-mail hss-frec@dcu.ie

Transcript

Transcript - The T2D Podcast - Interview with  Tatiana

Interview - Mon, Sep 04, 2023 

SPEAKERS

Olivia C, Tatiana

Olivia C  00:00

Hello, and welcome to the T2D podcast,  Ireland's first patient-led type two diabetes podcast. And thank you to everyone who has completed questionnaires, volunteered for interviews and is listening now. My name is Olivia Crinion and this podcast is part of a dissertation to complete a master's degree in science and health communication in Dublin City University. But it's more than that, I would like to produce something with your help, that would make a difference in the lives of people with type two diabetes to try to ensure that you have the most up to date information you need to take charge of your own health and well being. Today's guest is Tatiana, who is living with type two diabetes, and she's is going to talk to us now about her experiences. Please remember to consult with your own health care professional before acting on any information that you may hear in this podcast, as general advice does not apply to specific individual cases.  Hello, Tatiana, you're very good. Thank you so much for talking to us today.

Tatiana  01:10

Well, thanks for having me.

Olivia C  01:11

You're very welcome. So first of all, can I ask you were you diagnosed with pre diabetes or type two diabetes?

Tatiana  01:21

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, like around two years ago when I was pregnant with my son.

Olivia C  01:29

And then did that go on to become type two diabetes, or is still classified as gestational diabetes. 

Tatiana  01:36

So usually, when you have diabetes, when you are pregnant, its  about your hormones, because your hormones are going up and down,. So they say usually, it goes away after you have the baby in a few weeks, six weeks, I guess. When you have your baby. But in my case, both of my parents had diabetes. So in my case  it stayed.

Olivia C  01:57

So you were were you in hospital when you were diagnosed?

Tatiana  02:02

Yes, I was actually, when I was around maybe seven to eight months pregnant, they usually do these glucose tests, where they test your body ability to process the sugars. So you, you go in, and they spend the whole morning doing the test. So and then I left maybe 20 minutes after I left, the maternity hospital, they call me and asked me to return immediately. And they said,  come back, you actually have to, to be admitted to the hospital. And I stayed there for four days where they went through, you know, the types of diabetes and what I should do in relation to the to the sugars to help you manage sugars. It's funny, because when I got the call from the maternity, the maternity hospital asking me to return to the hospital because my sugars were really high. I was feeling fantastic. I was feeling great that they like I wouldn't have any symptoms, even now, I don't have the symptoms. And it's like, Are you sure like you're calling the right person because they told me, you know, I was gonna do the test that morning and the results will come up like couple of days later. So I was like, Why are they calling me now? 20 minutes later?

Olivia C  03:15

And at the time, did they mention anything about body weight to you? I know you were pregnant. So it probably was quite difficult to to know what what was the pregnancy weight and what was your own weight.

Tatiana  03:28

No they do measure that, as it is actually important. But as I said I was pregnant at the time. So there wasn't a concern. Even  now that I do have  diabetes, I'm type two. So I do have to manage my bodyweight and what I eat and what I want to exercise and so on.

Olivia C  03:46

And since you were diagnosed, has somebody explained the importance of lifestyle, you know, like diet, exercise, and explained what difference changing that can make to your life.

Tatiana  04:02

Yeah, actually, the the diabetic clinic at the maternity hospital was very good to me. So they went to all these sort of things, you know, how to manage my weight, how to manage the sugars, and the consequences of not looking after yourself. But now I check my, my sugar levels with my GP. And she did mention the importance of exercising every day. It's like, you know, losing weight, pretty much you know, you know what to do. You just need to keep a track and keep an eye on it. Where it was mentioned to me, yes.

Olivia C  04:35

Okay. And did anybody ever mentioned the possibility of remission or reversal to you?

Tatiana  04:41

Yes, it was mentioned, but again, when I was pregnant, they only they focus on the pregnancy only because when you have diabetes, and you're pregnant, it can be a quite risky pregnancy. So they focus on those months left, until the baby's born after that. So I was talking to my GP and she said, it is possible, but then you have to do like a dramatic life change. So you really need to look at what you're eating what you're doing, which can be quite hard for many people.

Olivia C  05:13

And were you ever referred to a dietitian? 

Tatiana  05:17

No, I haven't. Well, actually at the maternity. I was seeing a dietician every couple of weeks. But after that, no. 

Olivia C  05:24

And have you ever attended a diabetes course?

Tatiana  05:27

No, no, I haven't. I don't even know that exists. Actually. I know that the HSE do provides courses online. But I believe that's just for type one, diabetics. Yeah, as far as I know,

Olivia C  05:40

there are I think there are some for type two as well. And if you go on the Diabetes Ireland website, they have a free one as well.

Tatiana  05:47

Oh, I see. Okay. Well, that's, that's what I like, from my own experience. I feel like there's no much support for type two out there. If I might be, you know, confused here. But as far as I know, the type one has, you know, clinics, and they have group supports online. And so many things. I, as I say, like I've been diagnosed for over two years now. So I'm quite new to all this. So I still have to learn a lot. But I don't think there's much out there

Olivia C  06:14

When you were diagnosed and you did mention that lifestyle changes were discussed with you, and of course, you were pregnant. So it was very important to keep that on track. But since your pregnancy has ended, are you are you still on the same medication that you would have been on when you were diagnosed?

Tatiana  06:36

I was on insulin when I was pregnant, because I really needed to keep the sugars down. So right now I am just on pills medication, twice a day. And obviously, I always try to keep in order the sugars down, managing the weight and what I eat, pretty much.

Olivia C  06:54

And were low carbohydrate diets ever discussed with you? While you're

Tatiana  06:59

only when I was pregnant. Not at the moment.

Olivia C  07:02

And did you listen to the podcasts?

Tatiana  07:05

I did. I actually learned quite a lot from both of your first podcasts, one with the nurse, I don't remember their names, one with the nurse and the other one with the endocrinologist was very helpful. As I was saying to you earlier, it's quite hard to find information out there, especially for the type two diabetics. So thanks for that. Thanks for sharing.

Olivia C  07:25

Glad you found that useful. Do you normally listen to podcasts?

Tatiana  07:29

To be honest with you? I don't, because most of the free time I have will, be say when you're commuting. And I prefer to be quite alert when using public transports, especially nowadays. So by when I do work from home, for example, I do listen to podcasts.

Olivia C  07:46

So would you listen to health podcasts in the future? If you knew that something  was about diabetes or a health topic that you were interested in? Would you listen to it on a podcast?

Tatiana  08:02

Oh, yes, that way. That's how I have been getting all my information from now. Any time I have any questions just online, you go online and  search.

Olivia C  08:12

So generally do you think that podcasts are a good way to communicate health information?

Tatiana  08:17

Yeah, it's a great way to disseminate information for sure. As you share information, you're sharing experiences as well.

Olivia C  08:24

Yeah. So the the aim of the type two diabetes podcast was to be patient led, so to get patients voices into the questions that were asked. So do you think this is a good way to construct health podcasts?

Tatiana  08:42

For sure? Yes, definitely. Because, obviously, whatever you're going through, whether it's diabetes, or cancer, you can always find information out there, you can always go to your GP and discuss about it. But the most important is your mental health as well. So it's nice to share with someone who's going through the same situation as you. So I think talking to another patient is very important. Because they know how you feel they know how, what they're going through. So I think it's fantastic.

Olivia C  09:13

Do you think there's a lot that some information that's given to people, especially people with diabetes, is not what they need?

Tatiana  09:22

I thought what you're saying is that sometimes when you go online, like say, if you wake up in the morning, and you have a headache, you go to Google, and then you see the words you know, cancer. So it's too much information out there that you don't need, you know, there's not a triage of information for the patients.

Olivia C  09:39

Well, Tatiana, you're very good. Thank you so much for talking to us. And I hope that as you said, this podcast has helped you and I hope its helped lots of people. And I hope that you'll get some support, maybe Diabetes Ireland or go on to the HSE website and you'll find those educational courses and they are free. Thank you, Tatiana, for talking to us today and sharing your experience of type two diabetes. Thank you to everyone who has listened and I hope it will help you in managing your own health. If you have any concerns about the information that is contained in the podcast, you can get in touch with me, Olivia Crinion via email at following address. Olivia dot Crinion two@gmail.dcu.ie That's Olivia dot c r i n i o n number two at mail dot d c u dot ie also all the episodes in the TTD podcast are available wherever you get your podcasts or by emailing me at that same address. Thank you for listening