Chat – 01 August 2019

I trytolook

aftermybody

Thesedays

I feelgreat!

I was

making

constant

tripsto

theloo

Healt

h

HEALTHYFACTS +++33%don’tknowthateyetestscandetectdiabetes,accordingtoVisionof Britain +++ Half of women wee when sneezing, coughing or laughing

No meat,

please

Aftermy diagnosis,

I changedmy diet

for thebetter

VanessaAbreu,35,HerneHill

PATIENT CASEBOOK

True

life

P

irouettingacross

thehardwooden

floors,I expectedto

feeloutof breath.

ButI didn’t.

EvenasI cameto

theendof a two-hourballet

classI feltabsolutelyfine.

Grabbingmyglucose

readerfrommybag,I decided

to checkmybloodsugars.

Alltotallynormal.

Somaybethedoctorwas

wrong, I thought.

MaybeI didn’thave

diabetesafterall.

I’dbeenjust 16 when

I gotthediagnosis.

It cameasa totalshock.

I’dalwaysbeena healthy

child,anaviddancer,too.

Butinthemonthsleading

upto mydiagnosis,I knew

somethingwasn’tright.

Firstlytherehadbeenthe

rapidweightloss.

‘Areyoueatingproperly?’

mydadCarlos,then47,had

askedme,concerned.

‘Ofcourse!’I insisted.

I trulywas.

Butthentherewerethe

constanttripsto theloo.

Nothelpedbythefact

I feltthirstyallthetime.

WhenI spoketo theGP,

shesaidit couldbediabetes.

ButthatwaswhyI’d

decidedto testmyinsulin

levelsafterdanceclass.

Seeingtheywerefineon

18

WORDS:

EMMA

ROSSITER.

PHOTOS:

CANDOCO

DANCE

COMPANY

the monitor

gave me hope

that maybe it

had all been

a mistake.

But, the next

morning, my

blood sugar

levels rocketed

• dangerously high.
  So my mum Isabella, then
  43, rushed me to hospital.
  A quick blood test later, and
  doctors confirmed the result.
  ‘You have type-1 diabetes,’
  they’d said.
  Devastating.
  But not too
  surprising now.
  Dad had the
  disease too, but
  his was type-2.
  The difference
  between us was
  that my diabetes
  caused the level
  of glucose in
  my blood to
  become too high.
  It meant my
  body didn’t produce enough
  insulin, so I’d need medication
  for the rest of my life.
  ‘You’ll have daily injections
  of insulin to keep your blood
  glucose levels under control,’
  my doctor explained.
  It didn’t seem fair.
  But I knew then there was
  no denying it.
  I had diabetes and I just had

to learn to live with it.

Mum was adamant I would

stick to a strict diet.

And I had to be careful when

it came to exercise, too.

But it was so much harder

than I’d first imagined.

Injections every single day.

I stopped going

out for dinner

because I could

no longer order

what I wanted.

It felt easier

to hide away.

Sadly, my dad

passed away in

April 2013 at

the age of 58.

We don’t know

if it was because

of his diabetes, but it definitely

scared me into action.

In August 2013, while

I attended a yoga weekend in

London, I decided I was going

to become a vegetarian.

To my surprise, I loved it

and, before I knew it, I’d been

veggie for a whole year.

And when a friend dragged

me to a Vegan Food Festival

soon afterwards, I thought

I would make the leap.

No more dairy, eggs or any

animal products for me. But

I could have wholefoods, like

avocados, nuts and seeds and

healthy carbohydrates, such

as fruit and wholegrains, too.

Better still...

When I checked my glucose

levels, I realised I didn’t need

to take half as much insulin

to regulate my blood sugar.

My GP was thrilled with my

progress and my dietician has

helped me adapt my insulin

as my diet has changed.

Now, I’m still a vegan.

My skin is clearer, my energy

levels are up and I’m not so

dependent on my medication.

I’m studying towards a

degree in Nutrition and work

with organisations like The

Vegan Society to speak about

the benefits of veganism.

I know it won’t be for

everyone. All I can say is that

I’m feeling great!

l For more information, visit

vegansociety.com