FRIENDS FOREVER SEPTEMBER 2023 MEET UP

The September meeting of the Friends Forever Peer Support Group for Type 1 Diabetes was conducted on 30.9.2023. As we all are aware, Nutrition Month is celebrated in September in order to improve awareness of Nutrition among the general public as well as individuals living with chronic diseases. Thus, we focused on nutrition related activities in this month’s meet.

The programme started with formal introductions, followed by Doctor’s talk on self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), open discussion, discussions on insulin dose adjustments, fireless cooking competition and storytelling.

Dr. Uthra, Consultant Diabetologist at our centre, delivered a talk on the importance of SMBG and its pivotal role in controlling blood sugars. Despite repeated emphasis on this topic during consultations and previous meetings, there is still little consistency and frequency in monitoring. Dr. Uthra delved into the technical aspects of why monitoring is crucial and discussed its impact on sugar control, citing insights from various published papers. She also shed light on the lacunae in India concerning blood sugar monitoring.This was followed by an open discussion on challenges in doing SMBG likepain, cost, and consistency.

Dr. Jagdish, Consultant Diabetologist at our centre, was also present at the meeting to provide support and encouragement to the children. He added points on the importance of SMBG.

Following these informative sessions, we conducted an open discussion, and different case scenarios from the daily lives of the children were raised. Explanations and modifications were provided, allowing other parents and children facing similar scenarios to gain clarity.

We appreciated the children who had monitored their blood sugars regularly and has brought down their hba1c under control.

Children and parents actively participating in fireless cooking

Fireless cooking competition was conducted with active participation from both children and parents. Numerous delicious and healthy recipes were demonstrated, and evaluated by a panel of judges, including Dr. Uthra, Dr. Jagdish, Mr. Gopal Menon (COO of our hospital), and Ms. Bhuvaneswari, Senior Dietitian. Prizes were awarded to the best recipes.

Prize distribution for Fireless Cooking Competition done by Mr Gopal Menon, Dr  Jagdish and Dr. Shanthirani

In addition to the competition, we addressed topics such as healthy eating habits, the importance of eating together, the order of eating, and meal planning. Ms. Aiswarya, Senior Dietitian and Certified Type 1 Diabetes Educator, discussed the consequences of overfeeding.We also had a small story session led by Ms. Vidyulatha (Psychologist), which elaborated on the change in perspective when viewing problems.The event concluded with a group picture, with everyone giving a thumbs up and children grinning from ear to ear.

Ms. Aiswarya and Ms Vidyulatha during their interaction

A cheerful picture with our warriors