My Diabetes My Way: April 2024 Update

Welcome to the My Diabetes My Way Newsletter for April 2024.

Preparing for Appointments

It is important to prepare for any appointments you may have booked with your healthcare team. Here are some tips to make the most of your time for both you and your healthcare professional:

Read your appointment letter thoroughly
Is it a telephone, virtual or face-to-face appointment?
Have you been advised to attend a screening clinic for bloods/urine/blood pressure check prior to this appointment?
Contact the number on your appointment letter if you have any questions beforehand

If appropriate to you, think about;

how often you experience low glucose levels
how often you experience above target glucose levels
recording your glucose levels to share with your clinic
your last eye screening - do you have any concerns about your vision?
your last foot check - do you have any foot issues?
any other symptoms or changes in your health you wish to discuss

Write down your questions and make the most of your appointment. In between appointments you can access free online learning courses at: https://elearning.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk

 

Join Up Your Fitbit Data

My Diabetes My Way contains a link to Fitbit (www.fitbit.com) that allows you to add your activity tracker data to My Diabetes My Way. If you have a Fitbit device, log in to My Diabetes My Way and select “My Services”. You can then link your Fitbit account and connect your Fitbit records. When you do this, you will see a section named “My Activity” where you can monitor your steps, heart rate and many other Fitbit measurements.

 

Even if you don't own a Fitbit device, you can still track your activity for free by downloading the Fitbit app on your smartphone and using Fitbit’s MobileTrack function. MobileTrack lets you use the Fitbit app without a Fitbit device by using your phone's sensors to track basic activity data including steps, distance, and calories burned. More information on MobileTrack can be found here: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1875

 

Diabetes Research Needs Your Help

Diabetes affects one in 20 people in Scotland. We need to improve our understanding of the condition to develop new treatments. To do this, we need to carry out research with the help of volunteers like you.

You can help improve diabetes care by signing up to the Scottish Health Research Register (SHARE). SHARE has been created to establish a register of people, aged 11 and over, interested in participating in health research. If a suitable study becomes available, SHARE will contact you to let you know about the study and what it involves. If you are contacted, you will be given all the information you need, and it will ALWAYS be your choice whether you wish to take part. Even if you don’t have diabetes or any other disease, you can still register with SHARE. Please invite your friends and family to take part as well.

Please sign up today to be contacted for future research. It will only take a minute to sign up at www.registerforshare.org or scan the QR code. If you would like to find out more, please call 01382 384282/383471 or email enquiries@registerforshare.org

Free Online Diabetes Course on Type 1 Diabetes and Technology

MyWay Digital Health are hosting a free online course on 'Type 1 and Tech', starting on 24th April. It is a free course dedicated to providing you with all the information you need to know about Type 1 technology including continuous glucose monitoring, insulin pump therapy, hybrid closed loop and more.

 

Complete the course in your own time, with interactive content and attend live Q&A sessions over ZOOM with a panel of diabetes experts on 24th and 25th April at 6pm (BST) to have any questions answered (details upon registration). The course will remain open until Monday 29th April at 5pm and it is ideal for those diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, as well as healthcare professionals, friends, family & carers.

 

Register today at: https://understandingtype1.mydiabetes.com/

 

Facebook and X (formerly Twitter)
Please remember, you can keep up-to-date with the latest news and useful information on the My Diabetes My Way Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) pages.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mydiabetesmyway
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mydiabetesmyway

Help and Support

If you have not yet managed to gain access to your diabetes records on My Diabetes My Way, or would like an update on the status of your registration, please let us know. You can contact us regarding any problems or request further help and support by emailing: mydiabetes.myway@nhs.scot

Thank you for your continued support.