Joe's Rough Guide – Diabetes Handbook

I wrote the 1st Edition of the diabetes handbook, “Joe’s Rough Guide to Diabetes” in 2005 and it was published in 2006. By that point in my life I had really taken control of my diabetes and understood how different foods would affect me depending upon various factors such as the food’s glycaemic index, my level of activity, and the climate. I tried to make the booklet truly useful by being as comprehensive as possible. There is a large range of advice from learning to count carbohydrates, to losing weight, and even on how to handle drugs and diabetes. In addition, there is a good deal of useful information about the biological nature of the disease, and tables on the carbohydrate levels and glycaemic index of foods.

 

The 2nd Edition builds upon the success of the first, but there are still over 3000 words of new material. This is all new information with hints and tips scattered throughout the book, as well as a new section at the end bringing all the advice together, “How to work out how much insulin to take”. The point of the booklet is to give you enough information and advice to learn how to live as independently as possible for an insulin dependent diabetic!

Summary of the Book

Introduction
I explain why I wrote the booklet and set out the issues involved in managing such a complex disease as Type 1 Diabetes.

So … you have Type 1 Diabetes
A simple biological explanation of the disease with a description of the most common problems of control – hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia.

Day-to-day living
A look at the practicalities of living with diabetes, from injections and testing techniques to forming a Routine, to dealing with hypos and hypers, to balancing insulin dosage and food intake.

Exercise
How to handle the complications and benefits that exercise brings. Includes sections on losing weight, sex, and how to work out your insulin: exercise ratio.

Drugs
This covers the effects of ‘mainstream’ drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol, on diabetes control including how to work out your insulin: alcohol ratio. It also touches on the effects of harder drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine.

Travelling
What to think about when going away, from how to prepare, what to take, and how to deal with new factors that effect control, such as heat and altitude. Includes a section on driving and diabetes.

Hospital, School and Work
What to expect from visits to diabetic clinic, and advice on dealing with the pressures of school and work upon your diabetic control.

How to work out how much insulin to take
A range of in-depth examples showing various insulin calculations worked out for different activities, such as exercise and drinking. Also includes example routines for normal living, weight loss, and illness.

 

 

Joe's Small-in-one and why I made it
A description of my carry case and why I think it’ll help you achieve a perfectbalance of having a flexible lifestyle with good diabetic control.

Helpful Information
This section has a range of Glycaemic Index and Carbohydrate tables, along with links to useful organisations.

 

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