What’s the point?
Ouch!
Posted by Hello
I’ve been reading reports all day about a 61 yr old man who is the first person in the UK to be cured of type 1 diabetes.
I’ve been diabetic for around 25 years, so this is of immediate interest to me, and anything that mentions a cure gets extra attention. I’m no scientist, but in layman’s terms, the “cure” involves the transplant of islet cells from a dead donor, which are injected into the diabetic’s liver, where they develop their own blood supply & begin to produce insulin.
I hope you can understand what an exciting development this is. It could mean an end to the multiple injections & blood tests that diabetics have to go through on a daily basis. Now before you get excited, I don’t want anyone’s pity or sympathy, because I know that there are million’s of people out there with problems a lot worse than mine. Just be safe in the knowledge that I’ve never let diabetes rule my life, I’ve just lived my life and dealt with the diabetes along the way (rightly or wrongly, but who knows?). Think about it, if I wanted everyone’s sympathy, this would be a blog about my life as a diabetic, and that’s just not me! (Apologies to anyone who has a blog like that, no offence meant!).
I feel pretty optimistic about this development, and even though you could be on a cocktail of anti-rejection drugs, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
Now for the public broadcast section: If you know nothing about diabetes, or you’re just remotely interested, have a look at the following links (they're interesting, honest):
Cure report 1
Cure report 2
Transplant Q & A
