When someone lives
with Type 1 Diabetes, they are dependent on insulin. Not having insulin can
very quickly become deadly.
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| A vial and a pen-fill of insulin. |
I'll give the example of insulin pumps. Insulin pumps can be
unplugged for up to an hour. If you leave it off any longer, in the hours following not having any insulin, blood sugar will start to rise. The lack of
insulin in the body causes something called “ketones”. Ketones are acidic
molecules and having too many ketones in the body will become toxic. All of
this leads to something called Diabetes Ketoacidosis (DKA), which usually
develops over 24 hours.
The following is what happens to the body when no insulin is present, leading to DKA:
Stage 1 – The
lack of insulin means my blood sugar will start to rise. I start to have low
energy, feel thirsty and need the urinate more often.
Stage 2 – The
body starts to produce ketones in the blood stream due to lack of insulin (ketosis).
I feel thirstier and need to urinate more, fatigued and slightly nauseous.
Stage 3 – Ketones
end up in urine (ketonuria). I feel more significantly thirsty and fatigues,
very nauseous and have body aches and headaches.
Stage 4 –
Diabetic Ketoacidosis sets in. I start vomiting, becoming confused, dizzy, start
taking deep/laboured breaths and have a “fruity” smell to my breath. I am very
ill.
Stage 5 – I fall
into a coma due to severe Diabetic Ketoacidosis.
Stage 6 – Death.
I am very lucky to live in a country that provides me with
live-saving insulin free of charge. Not having insulin is extremely deadly, yet
the reality is that some people in the world living with Type 1 Diabetes have
very little access due to the cost of it. In countries such as Brazil, Ghana,
India and Zambia, the cost of living with diabetes is over 80% of their average
income, meaning it is near impossible for people with type 1 diabetes to afford
to manage their condition.
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [Article 25],
it says “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health
and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and
medical care”. Health is a
HUMAN RIGHT, and yet people all over the world are being denied that right.
Insulin was first used to treat a person with insulin in
1922, and the patent was sold for £1 to ensure that it was accessible to all.
There are 3 main insulin producers, which are Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and
Sanofi, who dominate over 90% of the insulin market in the UK, and since the
1990s, the cost of insulin has increased by over 1200% whilst under the rein of
these companies. This is a massive problem, because unlike people living in the
UK who have the NHS (National Health Service), individuals must get their own
health coverage. Stats show in the US that 8.8% of Americans are uninsured and
47% have high deductible plans, that 1 in 4 people living with diabetes have
rationed their insulin, and many people in the US have died due to lack of
insulin.
It is ABSOLUTELY ATROSIOUS that in a first world country
such as the US, people are still dying from lack of insulin, with is supposedly
a fundamental human right.
There are a few charities, such as T1International, that are
campaigning against this health discrepancy, trying to ensure that everyone
with type 1 diabetes has access to a life-saving drug that they are dependent
on. T1International run a campaign called #insulin4all with a charity called
The Pendsey Trust, which unites the diabetes community together to fight for
access to diabetes medicine and technology.
I’m writing this blog to show the stark reality of living
with type 1 diabetes. It is an expensive condition to manage, and although I am
lucky enough to live in Scotland where my medical expenses are covered, so many
people are not. We need to band together and continue to fight and raise
awareness of this issue!
Until Next Time,
Alyssa x
