Diabetes Type 2

Overview

In this section you can find out about the experience of living with diabetes type 2 by seeing and hearing people share their personal stories on film. Researchers travelled all around the UK to talk to 40 people in their own homes. Find out what people said about issues such as symptoms, diagnosis, controlling diabetes and impact on lifestyle. We hope you find the information helpful and reassuring.

For clips in Urdu please see Shahnaz.
You may also be interested in our section on ‘Diabetes type 1 in young people’.

Antony Worrall Thompson introduces Diabetes type 2 site

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Diabetes type 2 - site preview

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Gareth

I knew all the signs and symptoms of diabetes, I didn't recognise them in myself. Like drinking excessively, going to the toilet, and so on and so forth.

Gugu

I can't remember being told much about it, I was just told that, 'Okay, you're, you know.' They sort of went on to the medical jargon, you know, and telling me about the sort of like, the, the physics behind it all, or the biology behind it all and your pancreas - and I just didn't have a clue what they were talking about.

Tina

I mean, obviously you know, what you eat affects it a lot, and I wasn't so aware at the beginning about the hidden sugars in food. So, I was aware that I shouldn't have sugar in tea, and I shouldn't have treacle sponge pudding or whatever, but I wasn't so aware of the hidden sugars in food

Mike

I think it's caused me to think more deeply about myself and the future and I've realised the need for me to take better care of myself. So hopefully I will live a little longer.

This section is from research by the University of Oxford.

Supported by:
Elision Health

Publication date: March 2008
Last updated: March 2016