When I was first diagnosed, I was put on twice-a-day insulin injections. Doses were fixed and, no matter what, I had to eat a specific amount of carbs at each meal – it didn’t matter if I wasn’t hungry, or if I was still hungry after eating.

In my mid-teens I was switched to basal-bolus – one injection of long-acting insulin at night as a baseline and fast-acting whenever I needed it to cope with food or high blood sugar. It was a whole new world and, looking back, I can see what an amazing upgrade that must have been for little me. As I’ve spent most of my life on basal-bolus, I’ve noticed the ways in which it doesn’t quite mesh with my lifestyle. So many injections, so many finger-pricks…and I’m ADHD which makes it trickier to keep on top of taking my insulin. It’s a great system but I found it exhausting.

Nearly 20 years ago, I remember reading about specific pumps that would work alongside a continuous-glucose monitor (CGM). I wanted one desperately and I’d even offered to buy the pump myself – but the consumables like reservoirs and infusion sets wouldn’t have been covered by the NHS if they hadn’t provided the pump, and it would have worked out too expensive for me.

The impact of tech

In the early 2010s, I went on a carb counting course as I was told this could be the first step of my journey to getting on a pump waiting list…but unfortunately this didn’t happen. I was told the same thing just a couple of years ago. However, this course ended up being a real turning point.

I’d been using a CGM since 2018 which I’d self-funded for a period of time before it was then NHS funded. I’d struggled with my blood sugars, and was in range about 20% of the time. When I attended this carb counting course, I was determined to change this around. With their help, I managed to get to 80–90% time in range, but this process required lots of injections to micro adjust and correct my blood sugar and was quite exhausting for me.

"With that, I ended up on a waiting list and in April 2024, I received hybrid closed loop. I cannot possibly express in words exactly how much this little device has changed my life. To me, it almost feels like I can forget that I have diabetes until it’s almost time to eat."

I only wish I’d known how much keeping my Tamagotchi (throwback to the handheld digital pets!) alive as a kid was training for adulthood – except now it’s more high stakes, as that little creature I’m looking after is me.  
 

Understanding that you can put your diabetes into remission gave me hope and a target to work towards. I do have days where I maybe don't eat quite as well, but you know, I think life's about balance. Looking forwards and not backwards has kept me motivated and knowing I’m doing it for the good of my health has also kept me on track.   

In December 2023, my diabetes nurse contacted me to say that my type 2 diabetes was in remission, remission is when your HbA1c remains below the diabetes range for 3 months or more without diabetes medication. It was a very nice phone call to get. I had a few tears in my eyes. 

Thanks to making changes to my diet and being more active, I've lost quite a bit of weight. I feel so much healthier, both physically and mentally. It’s has given me renewed sense of life and I am motivated to keep up my new approach to diet and exercise. 

Our website has lots of information on the remission hub including what remission is, how people can try going into it, and what support is available from health services across the UK, and us here at Diabetes UK. We also have information on young adults and type 2 diabetes.

Following the diagnosis, I felt like I was left to my own devices to make lifestyle changes. This can be difficult if you don’t understand the condition or what you need to do to manage it. A lack of support can also mean you end up ignoring the situation or going into a state of denial. There’s so much stigma attached to type 2 diabetes, so I know people often feel too embarrassed to get the help they need.  

Then one morning, I was listening to BBC Radio Somerset and there was a feature on the breakfast show about the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme. If it wasn’t for this story, I’d never have been able to turn things around for myself. 

After being accepted onto the programme, I set myself three objectives: to lose weight, to lower my blood pressure and to put my type 2 diabetes into remission.

I’m not going to lie, it’s been really hard as you take on a 12-month programme which involves having only specially-formulated soups and shakes for three months, then with the support of a healthcare team you phase healthy normal food back into your diet. Setting myself goals has kept me motivated and knowing I’m doing it for the good of my health has also kept me on track.   

I found out about the Diabetes UK-funded DiRECT trial, which was in its early stages at the time.

DiRECT looks at using low-calorie diets for weight loss to help put diabetes into remission. I wasn’t in the right geographical area to take part in the study, but with the help of a book telling me how to follow an 800-calorie diet, I managed to start losing weight.

After a couple of weeks, I got the most amazing release of energy. I started running faster, and my swimming and cycling improved, too. Mentally, I had never felt so good. My GP supported me to reduce my medication as I started to lose weight, and a blood test shortly before my birthday confirmed that my diabetes was in remission.

Losing all that weight and being in remission felt great, both physically and mentally, and I can only describe my initial feelings as a positive regret that I didn’t address my weight years ago. We had moved from England back to Northern Ireland and my excuse was bringing up the kids and not having the best lifestyle in terms of work.   
 
When I lost that initial stone that was a huge lightbulb moment, as well as the feeling of not being breathless when walking. The target I wanted to achieve after three months on the programme was 15% weight loss. Both myself and a couple of other people had reached our 15% weight loss with about three weeks to go, but were encouraged to keep going until the end of the 12 weeks.

I think being part of the programme and in a team environment was really motivating. There were so many different characters, which worked really well for me. 
 
My target weight had been 15 stone 3, however I went down to 14 stone 5. It was visibly a lot of weight to lose and living in a small village I noticed people looking at me and thinking I might be seriously ill, so I would have to tell people not to worry and that I was on a managed NHS programme and feeling great.