‘When you have diabetes you have to think about it 100 times’ a day’

A TALLAGHT man has spoken out about living with type one diabetes, ahead of volunteering at a conference about the condition next month.

Ken Barkley, 42, who is originally from Aylesbury and now lives in Templeogue, was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition after experiencing an unquenchable thirst and rapid weight loss at age 10.

In one instance, when he was staying in his aunty and uncle’s house in Killinarden, he drank a full three-litre bottle of lemonade and kept drinking more – which led his parents to take him to their GP.

“I had the classic signs: an incredible thirst and a huge amount of weight loss,” Ken told The Echo.

“The thirst was unquenchable. I was drinking litres of whatever I could get and my weight was dropping like nobody’s business.”

Ken’s concerned parents quickly took him to the doctor after his symptoms developed, and he was then sent to Crumlin Children’s Hospital where he received his diagnosis.

“It was very scary, I didn’t know what was going on,” Ken recalled. “I got the diagnosis of type one diabetes, and it was a lot to take in.

“When you have diabetes, you have to think about it 100 times a day. When I was diagnosed, it was a very different regime to what they have now.

“I had to take injections at exactly the same time every day and eat at exactly the same time every day, and eat the same things.

“I had to have two digestives and a glass of milk whether I wanted to or not.

“But the treatment has evolved significantly in the last 30 years, there’s new technology and systems.”

Now Ken manages his condition with the use of an insulin pump, which means he no longer has to inject himself several times a day and allows him to plan his days around the condition more easily.

“I’ve been using an insulin pump for the last ten years, which has been a game changer,” he said.

However, he still has to carefully track his meals, what he eats and his level of physical activity to effectively manage his condition on a daily basis.

“If I sit down to eat a meal, I need to look at it and see how many carbohydrates are in it, if I’ve been physically active in the last two hours, and if my blood sugar is too high or low,” explained Ken.

“Sometimes you just want to sit down and eat the chicken curry that you ordered.”

Ken’s struggles with the condition are shared by others who have type one diabetes, who all attend a monthly support group called the Type One Dublin Diabetic Support Group.

Many members of the group will also be attending a conference in the Crowne Plaza Hotel Blanchardstown on Saturday, May 6, called Thriveabetes.

The conference is specifically for type one diabetics and will feature speakers and peer support for those who attend, while Ken will be there in a volunteer capacity.

“I’ve been involved in Thriveabetes since 2015 and I can’t describe the level of comfort that comes with being in a room with other people with diabetes,” he said.

He added that comfort comes about as they understand the condition, and they all have alarms on their phones that notify them if their blood sugar is dropping and don’t have to feel self-conscious.

“I was in my 30s before I sat down with someone else with type one,” said Ken. “But the speakers we will have at the conference will be very focused on living with type one diabetes.”

Tickets for Thriveabetes are €45 each and available at thriveabetes.ie, and spouses or parents of those with the condition are also welcome to attend.

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