My Diabetes My Way: February 2025 update

Welcome to the My Diabetes My Way Newsletter for February 2025.

Hearth Month 2025
February is designated as Heart Month and this year’s theme is knowing your cholesterol level and adjusting your lifestyle for a healthy heart. As a person living with diabetes, your cholesterol and sub fractions (HDL and LDL) should be checked annually and there is a target level of less than 4mmol. Cholesterol is usually divided into HDL (high density lipoprotein), which is required for healthy blood vessels and LDL (low density lipoprotein) which is the particles which clog up blood vessels and can increase the rate of heart attacks and strokes. You can learn more about Heart Month 2025 at the following link: https://www.heartuk.org.uk/get-involved/Heart-Month-2025

There is more information about cholesterol and diabetes here:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/living-with-diabetes/eating/managing-other-medical-conditions/cholesterol-and-diabetes

The target level of total cholesterol of less than 4mmol is often quite hard for patients with diabetes to reach by diet and lifestyle alone and many will require the use of cholesterol -lowering drugs such as statins or fibrates. There is more information about cholesterol -lowering medication in the link below. Ther best time of day to take statins is at bedtime so that they can work undisturbed during the night.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/looking-after-diabetes/treatments/tablets-and-medication/statins

Eating Disorder Awareness Week
The last week in February is also Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Right now, at least 1.25 million people in the UK are living with an eating disorder. That’s more than 1 in 50 people – but the real number could be even higher. Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder are complex mental health conditions which are often misunderstood, mislabelled or undiagnosed which can prevent people from reaching out for help.

Eating disorders don’t just affect the person with the condition, friends and family often become carers – feeling helpless and heartbroken, as they watch their loved one struggle. Eating disorders are one of the biggest mental health challenges of our time and they can affect anyone at any time.

As a person with diabetes, thinking about what you are eating is central to controlling your blood sugar so it can make someone more vulnerable to developing an eating disorder. If you think you, or a family member or friend with diabetes is developing an eating disorder, you can find lots of support and help at:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/for-professionals/improving-care/good-practice/psychological-care/emotional-health-professionals-guide/chapter-8-eating-problems

https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

Update on Insulin Supplies
You may be aware that an insulin manufacturing company called Novo Nordisk are making some changes to the insulins they supply. We have summarised the changes below, but they should not make a difference to most newsletter readers.
• Insulin Levemir is being discontinued at the end of December 2026. This does not affect supplies of Tresiba.
• Insulatard will be discontinued in Penfill (cartridge) form and will only be available in vial form from the end of March 2025. If the district nurse comes to give you or a relative Insulatard, they normally use a vial and syringe, and these supplies will not be affected.
• NovoRapid FlexTouch will no longer be available after the end of March 2025. Please note that most patients who have NovoRapid in a prefilled pen use NovoRapid FlexPen and this is not affected by this discontinuation. We would ask that you check your repeat prescription carefully to avoid any disruption to your insulin supply.
You can find more information here:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-us/news-and-views/what-you-need-know-about-insulin-supply-issues-uk

If you have any more questions about your insulin, please contact your local healthcare team.

Free Course for Ramadan
February 28th is the start of Ramadan when many of our patients fast during daylight hours and eat once it is dark. If you observe Ramadan, please speak to your healthcare team regarding the timing of your diabetes medication, particularly if you are on insulin. We are currently running an online course for both healthcare professionals and patients on coping with diabetes during Ramadan. The course for patients is available in several languages and can be accessed at the following link: https://ramadan.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
X (formerly 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.