In Blog, Interviews, Living with Diabetes

Diabetes Dialogue: Dr. Drummond Mansbridge Tells His Story

166404536Sharing our personal stories about diabetes is important as it helps us feel connected with other people who understand the daily challenges that we face in managing our health and our life. To hear more personal stories, we reached out to Timesulin users and the DOC to find out more about who they are, what issues they face, and how they manage their T1D.

Meet Dr. Drummond Mansbridge:

I was a third year Medical Student at Glasgow University. I did not think there was anything wrong with me until I went for a free medical check up at the Student Health Service, in the New Year of 1962. I had bloods taken, as a routine, discovered that I was Red/Green Colour Blind, but not from the blood tests  and thought nothing more about it. That afternoon, as luck would have it we were scheduled to work on blood sugars in the lab. I volunteered to give the blood for the experiment for my group as I had given blood in the morning.

Without my knowledge the lab went into pandemonium as the results from my group could not be believed. Results were checked several times but still could not be believed.  Eventually I was told the results of my blood sugar and discovered it was 400mgs/Litre which in old money was VERY HIGH!

Without delay I was whisked away to a hospital bed and pumped full of insulin.

Thus began my initiation into the world of Diabetes. I was in hospital for a week  to get me stabilised, as I lived in digs. Then I was on my own, more or less with check ups at the diabetic clinic from time to time.

I have been very lucky, not withstanding a wobbly start. I did find it difficult controlling my diabetes and adopted the DAPHNE diet before anyone else had even thought about it; eat what you like,more or less, and just add a little more insulin to keep things going!

I am now 74 and have had diabetes for 52 years. Nowadays I am  very much more careful about what I eat and check my blood sugar every night, just in case. I have never been admitted to hospital because of my diabetes and I mean to keep it that way.

My problems now are more age related and so I just have to live with them and thank my lucky stars I can move about, see, hear and still enjoy life as much as possible.

The strange thing is, I had told my Dad, a GP , that I was a bit tired and was running to the toilet a lot, the previous Christmas. He tested my urine  and told me it was negative for sugar. Unfortunately, or perhaps not, he had mixed up a Clinitest result (blue is negative) and a Clinistix result (blue is positive). He had used a Clinistix for my test! So I was diagnosed in Glasgow and have spent the rest of my life here. I had a very good Physician  to look after my Diabetes and an excellent Ophthalmologist to look after my eyes.

To my mind Diabetes Mellitus, to give its Sunday name, is a condition and not a disease as some would call it. A disease is caused by an agent like a virus or bacterium or a fly or a bug and can in most cases be cured. We are not in that position. We MUST learn to live with a condition which is in our remit to be as benign or as severe as we make it. Do YOUR bit to be as healthy as you can. You will also be less of a strain on our Health Service, and that will help all of us.

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