Navigating life with Type 2 diabetes

Navigating life with Type 2 diabetes

After years of being overwhelmed by a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, Mark Tiller stabilised his health with the support of medical technology. He shares his story with This Is MedTech below.

"I went to the doctor because I was drinking and urinating a lot," Mark explains. "He did a finger prick blood test and my blood sugar was way outside the normal range, and that's how I got my diabetes diagnosis in 1996."

Type 2 diabetes is when your body doesn't make enough of a hormone called insulin, or the insulin it makes isn't working properly, causing high blood sugar (glucose) levels. Over time, this can lead to health complications including heart attacks and strokes, as well as problems with your eyes, kidneys and feet. Part of disease management can involve regularly checking your blood glucose levels and injecting insulin, as well as making certain lifestyle changes.

After his diagnosis, Mark spent three days in hospital, where he was taught how to check his blood sugar levels using a finger stick test and how to inject insulin when it was needed. "I was told that I'd have to do it for the rest of my life, that diabetes would only get worse, and then I was sent on my way," he remembers.

This had a huge impact on Mark's mental health. "I later moved from Australia to the UK, where I had an annual appointment with a diabetes healthcare provider. They told me that I needed to change my lifestyle, but nobody explained how to do it," he says. "By then, I was suffering from diabetic burnout. I didn't want to think about my disease. I was getting worse and had developed eye complications that required multiple laser surgeries."

By the time Mark was in his late 50s, he left his job and decided to prioritise his health. He had heard about technologies called flash glucose monitors (FGMs) and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), which would allow him to monitor his glucose levels without the need to prick his finger for a blood sample. "I got a flash glucose monitor, which helped me see how different foods were affecting my sugar levels," he comments. "I also changed the way I ate and started living a low-carb lifestyle." Within a few months, his blood sugar levels were stable.

About 16 months ago, he switched to a CGM, which gives him automatic readings of his sugar levels on his phone that are sent from a sensor on his arm. He can also set alarms to alert him if his glucose level goes outside of a set range. "It's been a total game changer. Not only have I been able to manage my blood glucose levels, but all my blood markers have improved, including my liver and kidney function," he says.

"You can't fix what you can't measure. The CGM gives you data to be able to make changes. It also helps with burnout because you're worrying less. As a result, my mental health has improved massively."

Now that Mark has got his life back on track, he's focussing on supporting other people with diabetes. He's passionate about getting people to talk about their Type 2 diabetes, ending the stigma and urging governments to change their policies so that patients have access to the information and treatment they need.