Diabetics Doing Miss Galaxy

[00:00:00] Rob Howe: Welcome to the Diabetics Doing Things podcast, where we explore the amazing stories of type 1 diabetics around the world. I'm your host, Rob Howe, Diabetics Doing Things founder and 11-year type 1 diabetic. Help raise awareness for diabetics doing things by sharing this with your diabetic friends. We're also on Facebook and Instagram. Tag a type 1 friend today. This week's guest is Zara Ramsay-Nortley, a type 1 diabetic and current Miss Galaxy, England. We talk about the struggles of doing things for yourself, the improvements in diabetes care in the last 25 years, and she even teaches me a new abbreviation for the word brilliant in our interview. Hello and welcome to Diabetics Doing Things. We're here episode 10 and my special guest today is Zara Ramsay-Nortley from all the way in the UK. Welcome.

[00:00:53] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Hi, thanks for having me.

[00:00:55] Rob Howe: Yeah, thanks for joining us today on this great Sunday afternoon, early evening for you. Zara, you are a dental surgeon, but not only that, you took it a step further and you are the current Miss Galaxy England. And you'll be for 2016, so congratulations.

[00:01:15] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Thank you.

[00:01:16] Rob Howe: And we're super excited to have you on the show.

[00:01:19] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: I'm excited to be here. No, it's a fantastic, I'm so happy to have heard about diabetics doing things. It's a fantastic project and glad to be part of it.

[00:01:27] Rob Howe: And so you, you know, just going back to a little bit of the background on you, you've been a type 1 diabetic since you were three years old. And you mentioned that, you know, for most diabetics, they have that moment where they've been diagnosed and they weren't diabetic before but are now. Talk a little bit about what it's like to sort of be a lifelong diabetic.

[00:01:50] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: well um yeah so i was diagnosed when i was three um so as you said i wasn't really aware of kind of life before diabetes so to speak um most people would expect that that would make things a lot easier um not having to have any drastic or dramatic change in life um but i think to an extent i've maybe struggled a little bit um with things being that way because i've never had to think of it as anything serious um and while diabetes is well it's far easier to control and to manage nowadays um with eating to match your or injecting to match your carbohydrates rather than having to chase your insulin um but yeah stuffing stuffing your face with cereal etc as i did as a kid um i don't think i've ever taken taken my diabetes as seriously as i needed to and And because of that, I've had a few difficulties with getting things back under control at times.

[00:02:46] Rob Howe: Well, and I think there's a challenge, obviously, when you're so young. Nobody could expect a regular three-year-old to monitor the amount of carbohydrates that they're taking and counteract that with the right dosage of their medication. So early on, I mean, as early as you may remember, what was it like for you and your family sort of adjusting to that time period?

[00:03:13] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Well, from what my parents have said, I seem to have got on with it quite well from the beginning. I mean, I was doing my own blood tests and taking my own insulin from the age of about four. My mom does say, though, it did affect our relationship for a little while because she was with me more of the time at that age, and she was the one having to test my blood sugars and to do the injections. and I couldn't understand why she was doing something that wasn't so pleasant. Whereas, yeah, so it was a stressful time for, I suppose, for myself, which I don't remember, but for my mum as well, having to suddenly, yeah, have to take control of a condition that isn't all that well known, I suppose. Everyone knows about type 2 diabetes, but not so much about the ins and outs of type 1. So, yeah, it was a big learning curve for all of us, I think.

[00:04:04] Rob Howe: Yeah, and I think, you know, especially in the United States and the UK, I mean, the numbers on people with type 2 diabetes compared to type 1 are obviously drastically different. But I think, you know, that's part of what we are trying to do here with diabetics doing things is to say, hey, these are two very different diseases. And even though they have virtually the same name and affect the same part of the body, the treatment is totally different. and the circumstances by which you're diagnosed are totally different. And, you know, the people are obviously different too. So I think those stories of, you know, when you don't know a whole lot about diabetes until you're forced to know a whole lot about it, it's a very interesting dynamic, I think.

[00:04:47] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Definitely, definitely. I mean, one thing that still gets me is when someone says, oh, but you don't look like a diabetic. And you think, well, what on earth is a diabetic supposed to look like? Well, a type 1 diabetic supposed to look like. So, yeah, I'm glad that we can just keep raising awareness of the condition and what it means and also letting people know that it's something that we can control. It's not something that you need to kind of feel sorry for us or pity us about. It's just one of those things.

[00:05:15] Rob Howe: Right. And I think, you know, almost everyone that I've encountered, you know, they say that they get the similar reactions from people. Whenever they're at a birthday party and eating a piece of cake, someone's always like, oh, are you allowed to have that? or you don't look like a diabetic or you don't seem like a diabetic or you're not like any diabetic I've ever met before. So it's very interesting, that education piece. And I think even extends into people in the medical profession, obviously. Not every diagnosis is a peak experience with a top-notch doctor or endocrinologist. It just largely depends on where you're located. So I don't know, what was that like for you as a kid, growing up and having to check your blood sugar and give yourself a shot and, like you said, do some rather unpleasant things that you wouldn't have done otherwise?

[00:06:13] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: um i have to say i'm so glad that control or taking control of type 1 diabetes has changed so much over the past i don't know 10 maybe 15 years because i was diagnosed almost 25 years ago where um you would take a set um it was a mixed insulin there was some half long acting and half short acting so those doses didn't really change much day to day and you're almost constantly paying a catch-up game whereas now there's so much more freedom and you can literally eat whatever you want as long as you're paying attention to how much yeah to your carb counting and making sure you're matching your dose to that I mean um in the morning I would have the same breakfast every single day and before bed I would have a bowl of cereal just in case there was any excess insulin um in my evening dose it was it was very regimental but at the same time I suppose my control um was a lot a lot better then um because I I didn't have that I mean where I struggled was through my teens and I had a lot more freedom and then I had to really take control and make sure I was taking um counting everything very carefully and matching that insulin up but you get there

[00:07:26] Rob Howe: it becomes second nature doesn't it it does and I think you know you're not alone in that um you know, very similar with myself, you know, as you move out of the house and you go to college or, you know, start to make your own choices as a teen, you sort of go through that learning curve anyway. And then you're just adding on, you know, diabetic control with that. It's just an extra layer of a challenge. But I think, you know, the more I've talked to diabetics and like the extra things that we think about, I think just ultimately makes us better prepared for adult life in the

[00:08:00] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: long run. Absolutely. I completely agree. Completely. So you are a dental surgeon.

[00:08:07] Rob Howe: How did your diabetes play any part into you pursuing a field, helping people or in the

[00:08:16] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: medical industry? I come from a family of doctors, actually. My dad, my sister, all of them, they're all medics. And I always assumed that that would be the path I would go into. I was quite interested in endocrinology as well um but then I realized realistically I enjoyed having a social life um and the the extent the training with the nights and the um very long shifts I I find it difficult to put myself first at times and I think um a career such as medicine would have probably affected my my diabetic control possibly for the worst um because yeah I end up putting everyone else first and I find that I'd probably end up missing my insulin or um or not eating quite when I want to so I think dentistry I enjoy that it's still very flexible you're helping people um and your help or the effects that you have on someone's um health um slumps often are often a lot more immediate which I really enjoy you kind of build a long-term rapport with your patients rather than just getting them out of issues for a short amount of time.

[00:09:28] Rob Howe: Yeah, absolutely. And you can sort of build those relationships over time.

[00:09:32] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Definitely.

[00:09:33] Rob Howe: You said something really interesting about sometimes you find it difficult to put yourself first. That's something that I definitely echo that sentiment a lot. I think it's so much easier for me to get motivated for a project if I'm helping someone else out. But I find like the minute that I'm working on a project for myself, there's a TV show that needs to be watched or there's a nap that needs to be taken. And, you know, I don't know if that's, I'm sure that has nothing to do with my diabetes, but that's an interesting place to be and an interesting place

[00:10:04] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: to find motivation. Yes. I'm glad you've said that because sometimes I think, is that a normal way to feel? But yes, when you, you find that when you are helping someone else or motivating someone else, you do stay much more focused than when it's for your own benefit. Why is that?

[00:10:19] Rob Howe: I don't know. I think for me, sometimes it's like I don't want to let anybody down. So maybe that's, you know, I know if they're counting on me for something, you know, I want to make sure that I do a really good job for them. But at the same time, you know, I really maybe a year ago, a year and a half ago, I just I had looked at all the things that I had been doing. And, you know, when I was most efficient, I was like, wow, when I'm helping other people with their own projects, I'm very efficient and very and I deliver, you know, really good results. but as soon as I have something for myself to do, I just put it off and procrastinate. So really over the last year and a half, it's been sort of a personal project, just working on, hey, work on your own stuff and treat yourself like you would treat somebody else.

[00:11:01] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Definitely. As they say, you can't pour from an empty cup, can you?

[00:11:05] Rob Howe: That's right. You can't.

[00:11:06] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: You've got to make sure that you're looking after yourself as well.

[00:11:12] Rob Howe: So let's shift gears a little bit. Let's talk about Miss Galaxy. I know you are the current Miss Galaxy England. So tell us a little bit about that competition and sort of where that came from and that motivation. And what's the next step for you?

[00:11:31] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Right. So the grand final for the Miss England competition was February last month. And the preparations, honestly, I think I was preparing for about four months solid. what's interesting or what a lot of people don't realise about beauty pageants or pageantry is it's not simply just walking onto stage in a pretty dress and having your hair done and smiling with the judges there is so much preparation that goes into it preparing for the interview portion you're required to make a number of appearances beforehand and of course it helps especially for interview if you have a platform and goals for if you do end up taking the title um my specific platform of course is raising awareness of type 1 diabetes simply because not enough people know um what the condition actually involves and automatically as you said before yeah you'll be a party and someone will be asking if you should have that slice of cake or saying oh but you you don't look like a type like like a diabetic at all and um i think raising awareness of the condition firstly um for also for health and safety reasons um and also to um raise awareness of the juvenile diabetes research foundation um which i know there's a branch in the states as well as in the uk and the work they do because they are working so hard on on coming up with um ways of treating and ultimately curing type 1 diabetes so So, yeah, something very close to my heart.

[00:13:06] Rob Howe: And the JDRF does awesome work. I actually have been more involved lately with the Dallas chapter here in Texas and sort of getting involved in some of those events as well. So definitely want to give a big shout out to them. So your platform is Type 1 Diabetes Awareness. What are some of the things, you know, as you went through that process that either people asked you or some people that you've been involved with and sort of the response from both maybe the diabetic community as well as just the community overall?

[00:13:41] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Pageantry in the UK isn't nearly what it is in the States. So it still has, well, society still has a very funny view of it. And I think me being a dental surgeon and competing in pageants raises plenty of questions in its own right. right yeah um but what's nice about it i just love um i love that it gives you a kind of a reason to get on with things that you would want to be involved with such as charity work um that you usually don't find time to get involved with um so i do enjoy the yeah i enjoy that side of the competition as well as meeting all the cool people that you meet along the way either through appearances and actually at the competition final as well. Yeah, just really, really amazing girls who are really motivated in whichever branch it is that they've taken an interest to.

[00:14:35] Rob Howe: Yeah, absolutely. Did you have a moment where you found and met a person that you got kind of starstruck? Or who's been your most exciting person that you've met throughout this process?

[00:14:49] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Oh, gosh.

[00:14:50] Rob Howe: I'm sorry, that's a loaded question maybe.

[00:14:53] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Do I have to say you?

[00:14:55] Rob Howe: Oh, no, no, no, no, please don't.

[00:14:57] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: No, I'm saying. That's the thing. It just, if you put yourself out there enough, you really do meet some really interesting characters. And as we've said, I think I found your Instagram account through one of the hashtags that I'd added to one of my pageant things. And yeah, it's just the more effort and attention you put in, the more you get out from the experience. In terms of actual people, goodness, I was interviewed by BBC Radio Manchester. The BBC is our big broadcasting company, the British Broadcasting Company. And that was a fantastic opportunity to speak to a wide audience in the northwest of England about pageantry and also about type 1 diabetes.

[00:15:47] Rob Howe: I'm a big fan of the BBC and especially with their Netflix collaborations I've been waiting for season 3 of Peaky Blinders for like a year and a half I'm losing hope

[00:16:00] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: That's a while to wait I hope they do make a season 3 for you

[00:16:04] Rob Howe: I know, I'm keeping my fingers crossed over here it's a candlelight vigil at this point

[00:16:08] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Oh dear

[00:16:11] Rob Howe: You mentioned Instagram and the use of hashtags to kind of get involved with the community. Personally, and speaking from personal experience, I found so many people in so many different accounts just through Instagram to sort of organically of a lot of type 1 diabetics worldwide going through the same things or trying to build a community and trying to meet other diabetics who are going through the same things as they are. What's that experience been like for you?

[00:16:42] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: I have to say it's been a good one. For years and years and years, I shied away from anything diabetic related. I mean, there were DAFNE. Do you call it DAFNE in the States, the dose adjustment for normal eating?

[00:16:57] Rob Howe: We might, but I've never heard it. So I can't speak for everyone, but I've never heard of DAFNE.

[00:17:04] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Yeah, so that was the program that I went on to learn how to adjust my insulin for my meals. and I've always avoided going up going to the the meetings for that because I just felt I don't know in a way they those kind of meetings made me feel a little bit like a failure the people that would always turn up were the ones who were struggling to get their a1c's from six seven to six point five and I was there um with an a1c of something like nine at the time and um it made me feel awful and it was just so off-putting um but through instagram and twitter um you really do discover people who are just getting on with type 1 diabetes and they have their highs and they have their lows but that's not who they are they don't define their lives by by diabetes um there's one particular girl that i follow on on instagram and we've yeah we had a good good few chats now um and she's very much into her sports she does some I think she's a pole fitness instructor. So she has got muscles for days and she just wouldn't ever let anything to do with her diabetes get in the way of her life and her hobbies. And I love that. And it's great to meet inspirational people like that. And I hope that I can be an inspiration to others as well.

[00:18:28] Rob Howe: Oh, absolutely. And you're absolutely well on your way to doing that. And I think like what you said, you know, people have their highs and their lows and they're not trying to hide behind an A1C number. You know, they're just real people out there who are trying to do what they love to do and also have diabetes on top of that. And I think, you know, when we talk about the, you know, when I think about the idea behind what I'm trying to do with diabetics, doing things is sort of that exact thing. It's like these are they're amazing people out there who maybe like a regular day to a normal person might not seem that interesting. But to somebody with diabetes, like making it through a day where you just have to run a bunch of errands and go to your job and maybe go to the gym and you're keeping your blood sugar in balance and making sure you're eating at the right time. That's a victory. and those can be exciting and I think that's trying to get away from that feeling of oh well you have to have this perfect A1C for you to be a really quote good diabetic yeah

[00:19:32] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: as you said being a good diabetic is managing the highs and the lows literally and still living a normal life that's what it's all about sorry you've just reminded me of something um one thing that I uh I learned through my pageant prep I mean I I was at the gym almost every night and I kept hypoing and no matter what I did I adjusted my insulin I'd have a big bowl of cereal before bed and I was really struggling so um that's just it's one of the my small victories I suppose over the last few months was learning how to completely readjust everything to my new found healthy active lifestyle. So yeah, something I've put on my blog,

[00:20:16] Rob Howe: a memory for myself. Well, isn't that interesting? You know, sometimes, you know, a lot so much about being a diabetic is about routine. But as you know, you know, in different phases of your life, you have different routines. So you have to change not only, you know, your approach to those different tasks, but also the way that you're,

[00:20:35] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: I'm not sure if you use a pump no it's something I'm literally um it's something I'm having I'm starting next month due to meet with the nurse because I've been injecting yeah my whole my whole life now and um I think using a pump will really benefit me just give me a little

[00:20:54] Rob Howe: bit more freedom um oh I'm a big fan of mine I have a I have a Medtronic MiniMed and um I know there are so many different kinds of them out there. But I, you know, for example, when you were talking about, you know, changing your routine and working out at night, I recently did, and I'm doing right now, a very strict, very clean diet. So, you know, almost no carbs, no sugars, you know, no grains. So just a lot of meat and vegetables and water. And it's been great. My blood sugars are super great and I don't spike hardly ever and I use way less insulin. But part of that was, you know, going through and adjusting my basal rates. So the drip that I get all day because I was dropping into my hypos all the time because I wasn't, you know, those spikes that my body had gotten used to weren't there anymore. So, you know, it was cool to see. It's like, oh, well, this is having a real impact on, you know, the way that I'm controlling my diabetes just from what I'm eating.

[00:21:57] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Definitely. That's what I found over the last few months. It was the basal rate that I really had. Honestly, I think I almost halved it by the end of it. And it's just crazy learning about yourself, really, isn't it?

[00:22:12] Rob Howe: Yeah, it is. And it's sort of like you become your own science experiment just to see sort of what your balance is going to be. And then also you feel good about, I mean, it feels good to like win or like figure something out or solve a problem. So, you know, you get to have that kind of on a daily basis, you know, because ultimately it's just guessing with a little bit of research and then, hey, it's like you're right within the number that you should be in and then you feel good about it.

[00:22:38] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Definitely. Mini victories all the way.

[00:22:41] Rob Howe: So you've had diabetes for 25 years. I imagine that you've got some funny, crazy high blood sugar, low blood sugar stories in there somewhere.

[00:22:51] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Yes. Um, oh goodness, which one? Um, I'm quite fortunate in that in terms of severe hypos, I've had very few, um, over the 25 years. Um, my fiance, we, um, we traveled to Italy last year and, um, I think we'd been together just over a year by then. And he hadn't, I mean, he knew I was diabetic, of course, but I don't think I'd ever had a proper hypo around him. And we'd wonder, yeah, we'd been doing a touristy day and we must've walked goodness about, I don't know, six miles by the end of this day and at one point I stopped and I was desperate to see this building and he'd carried on walking I was like Andrew come back come and see this thing and um and I ended up calling it some really awful names out of nowhere and he was looking at me as if I was absolutely crazy and I realized I was having a really bad hypo because I was absolutely fuming I was so angry about almost nothing um so we sat down and we got the skittle sweets out and just chilled out for a bit and since then he's always called me the blood sugar badger um for moments like that i don't know why but that's become the nickname that is a hilarious nickname um

[00:24:02] Rob Howe: i know i know in particular a few of uh our listeners are gonna really love that name so

[00:24:08] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: i can't wait to talk to them about it yeah it's funny though because i don't think he'd realized how much a hypo could affect your mood. And out of nowhere, I was just the angriest person ever from a really nice walk.

[00:24:27] Rob Howe: Just on vacation, just very, very upset.

[00:24:31] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Yeah. The only thing is, the problem is now, is that if I am genuinely upset about something, he thinks I'm having a hypo. And it's like, no, I'm just a little bit annoyed with you right now.

[00:24:41] Rob Howe: A classic man reaction, you know, just blaming it on the blood sugar.

[00:24:46] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Definitely.

[00:24:48] Rob Howe: It's interesting that you mentioned, you know, being abroad. I was traveling in Japan last fall alone and a similar situation. I had been walking a whole lot more than I normally had. I think I had walked five or six miles in the day already. And I was kind of in the middle of this very long hike up a shrine that was just beautiful. And fortunately, in Japan, they have vending machines everywhere. so I probably I was probably two miles into this hike up this shrine and there was a vending machine up there but I remember like I was sweating and I was like oh well is am I just working out it's kind of hot outside and then and then I like took a step and I was like whoa uh just uh you just felt that you know that hypo kind of but I was there was a vending machine right there so it's always interesting you know when you're traveling uh some of those interesting quirks that you may not get if you're in the U.S. or U.K. or wherever you're from.

[00:25:44] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Yeah. Oh, goodness. That's lucky. Always good to carry a little snack on you, though, eh?

[00:25:50] Rob Howe: Yeah. Oh, and I certainly had like a granola bar, but I think I was just right then an ice cold Coca-Cola was kind of what the doctor ordered.

[00:25:59] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Yeah. Oh, good.

[00:26:02] Rob Howe: So you bring up a good point as well. What are the things that you always carry with you, either when you're traveling or when you've got a long workday or you're going from, I imagine it's a pretty busy schedule going from dental surgeon to training for pageants. I imagine you don't have a whole lot of free time to just sit around, so probably have to leave the house every day with all of your stuff in tow.

[00:26:26] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Yes. Yeah, I've always got a spare pair of high heels in the car as well. Always prepared. um in terms yeah i'll always um have a snack on me as you said a granola bar usually does the job um i always try and carry just a tube of sweets as well just in case although it's sometimes a bit tempting having them there

[00:26:48] Rob Howe: oh totally uh that's always the catch-22 right is you don't want to put a candy bar in your gym bag uh because then you'll just eat it

[00:26:59] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: um but anything oh i'm sorry go ahead sorry i'm just i'm glad i'm not the only one honestly

[00:27:06] Rob Howe: oh definitely not um i could think of four or five uh more diabetics off the top of my head right now who would echo that sentiment so we're definitely not alone and that's super important to realize right um we're all kind of going through the same things and as you know our behaviors change and as technology starts to increase and we start shifting over to pumps, I'm sure everyone has had the same questions about their medication or about how to prepare or how to train for something or how to adjust their diet. And I think that's where we have to kind of join together as a community and share what we've learned so that somebody who maybe just recently diagnosed can come on and find that and use it as a resource or people who maybe just had been afraid to make a change or maybe someone had told them that it wouldn't be safe or it wouldn't be a good idea, that they'll be able to find inspiration from that.

[00:28:02] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Definitely. I meant to say actually something that, what are your consultants like? What are your endocrinologists like? Are they very supportive or do you find, do you struggle to kind of convey your message to them ever? Mine are extremely supportive. And I think

[00:28:19] Rob Howe: that's something that I didn't really, maybe I took for granted or I didn't really realize was so drastically different than some other people's experience because I was diagnosed at age 16 at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, which is a top five children's hospital in the world. And they have, I think the best or the number one endocrine wing in the United States. So I had the best experience you can get. And I didn't know that. So my naivete, I assume that everybody had the similar experience. But, for example, in small towns with not as many resources or not as many doctors or as many hospitals, I know, for example, some guests have come on and said that they didn't have a very good diagnosis experience and that their doctor really didn't know, didn't have as good education on type 1 diabetes and what was possible. Oh, wow. So I think it really just depends. And that's what, when I kind of set out to start this, something that I had in mind is like, if someone didn't have a good diabetic diagnosis experience, at least we can put out a lot of stories about people who are you know showing that even if someone told you that you can't do something that there are people out there that are actually doing it and so I think that was you know a huge part of what we're trying to do here definitely I am

[00:29:50] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: I've I have to admit in over the past maybe two or three years I've had some I've struggled with my control a fair bit and at one point um I went to see a clinical psychologist um just to have a chat about why I was finding things so difficult and because I've been competing in pageants for a long time one of their first questions was are you not controlling your um your diabetes so that you can stay thin I just I mean there are ways of saying things but um it's it's not actually the first time that that um a medical professional has suggested that i am deliberately not looking after my diabetes um yeah for for uh aesthetic i suppose reasons and i just find that unfortunately sometimes i mean i've met some really fantastic consultants but i've also met some some who who really don't seem to understand the kind of emotional part of of being diabetic which is sad

[00:30:53] Rob Howe: it is and i think you know first of all that uh what a terrible question to ask someone um

[00:30:59] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: right um so um i just looked at him as if he was i just couldn't believe he even asked me that

[00:31:06] Rob Howe: oh yeah and and yeah you know that's um i think that right that right there is in is a microcosm of the problem right um that you know this that they that either someone would discount the, you know, control issues that you were having or, you know, thinking that it's so easy or that because other people are doing it, it's not unique to everyone's problems. I think like everyone deals with type 1 diabetes in their own way. Everyone's body is different. And every day for that matter, no matter how well you plan it. And I know you can speak to this from your childhood experience where you're eating the same thing at the same time every day. your numbers were still different because it's there is no perfect template you know so I think trying to find that balance and really show people that you know this isn't it's not an exact science all the time you know that you have to have a little variance and sometimes you know you're trying your best or you just want to find whatever the best solution is and really need help not

[00:32:08] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: judgment you know what I mean yeah definitely definitely that's a really good point help not judgment it's so different but yeah some people just really don't get that and um you know i'm

[00:32:23] Rob Howe: sure you have other you know type 1 diabetic friends in the uk um and you know how i spoke with uh someone from T1International uh recently um and talking about you know different health care and different insulin uh you know sort of costs of insulin and diabetic supplies throughout the

[00:32:42] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: world. What's that like in the UK? Well, in the UK, we're really fortunate to have the National Health Service. So no diabetic pays for any of their insulin, any of their needles, blood testing equipment. No, all of it is covered by the NHS. The only things that aren't covered are the continuous glucose monitors. If you want one permanently, you can have one for a few weeks on the NHS just to get things back under control. Diabetic pumps, if your control has been poor for a while or you're really struggling with highs or lows, that's also available on the NHS. So we are really, really fortunate when it comes to treatment and care.

[00:33:33] Rob Howe: That's great. And I think, you know, I'm just now that I've, you know, become more exposed to the diabetic community, just realizing the different struggles that diabetics go through all over the world. I think, for example, the example that they used at T1International was people in Kenya, where the average household income is about $450 American dollars a month, and diabetic supplies cost at minimum $150 a month. So just a dramatic portion of their income that just debilitates them. And that $150 isn't 10 test strips a day and enough insulin for the month that's fresh and great meters and pumps. It's often expired insulin and one test strip a day. So it's just, it's an extreme challenge globally. And so we're trying to, the work that they're doing at T1 International is really great to try to create awareness and institute global insulin reform.

[00:34:37] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Oh my, I had no idea of that. That's incredible.

[00:34:41] Rob Howe: And neither did I. And I honestly hadn't even thought about it. And much like you said earlier in our chat, I went through most of my life with diabetes not really wanting to be a part of the diabetic community or not necessarily that I didn't want to, but I just saw myself as wanting to be normal. and I also had diabetes. I didn't want to highlight it in myself.

[00:35:07] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: Yeah. Sorry.

[00:35:10] Rob Howe: No, no, go ahead.

[00:35:12] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: My dad, as I said, he's a doctor. Over the years, he's been encouraging and encouraging and encouraging me to just try the pump. But I always had this, as you just said, I always had this thing of not wanting to feel ill. and in my head wearing a pump would mean that I had a condition um but it's a bit counterproductive in that yeah if I wear a pump my my health would be a lot better um so yeah I'm less likely to have any problems and the way he uh eventually put it forward to me is Zara, if you can't see properly you wear some glasses if your pancreas isn't working you should wear a pump and it's so true it's so true it's about adjusting your life so that it can be as normal as possible not trying to be normal and and meaning that yeah you're not looking after yourself and and developing

[00:36:06] Rob Howe: complications right well Zara, thank you so much for coming and joining us today um i know you said that you have the uh you know the next round the sort of the global portion of the miss galaxy competitions on US oil when does that happen and how can we find you on social media and get in touch with you if our listeners want to find you

[00:36:31] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: oh well yes so the international final of Miss Galaxy will be held in Orlando Florida and it will be on the August the 13th so really looking forward to that if you'd like to follow my journey and just my adventures and preparations for the final um please have a look on facebook www.facebook.com forward slash miss galaxy england 2016 thank you great yeah and we will obviously

[00:37:04] Rob Howe: um you know publish links to that when we uh when we finish our write-up um if you were going to tell uh one thing to a diabetic um what would it be someone who's either recently diagnosed or who

[00:37:16] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: may be struggling what would you tell them it's not all bad just stay strong get on with it and it will be okay i love it it's brill oh i'm glad you like our words i do i'm definitely going to

[00:37:34] Rob Howe: steal that one i'm going to be using it and making people uh uncomfortable with it it's going to be great well thank you so much for making the time um i really appreciate it i know this is going to be a great interview uh and best of luck to you in the Miss Galaxy competition and I can't wait to hear about it we'll have to have you on again after uh the competition in Orlando yeah that'll be brilliant thank you now I feel self-conscious saying it no don't yeah just keep using it it's

[00:38:00] Zara Ramsay-Nortley: important yeah that'll be brilliant thanks Rob I really appreciate it nice to have um spoken to you

[00:38:07] Rob Howe: want to get involved with diabetics doing things but don't know where to start how about sending an email to rob at diabeticsdoingthings.com. Thanks for listening to Diabetics Doing Things. Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly emails and behind the scenes content. And if you or someone you know has an amazing story to share, send an email to rob at diabeticsdoingthings.com.