An Edinburgh student that received a shock diagnosis after losing a significant amount of weight in a short space of time has gone public with her story, as part of a new campaign.
Alyssa Faulkner, 24, went to doctors after she lost two stone for no reason. At the age of 14, she also found herself lightheaded, as well as constantly hungry or thirsty.
She was then told she had diabetes, and has struggled with balancing her condition with social life and studies since.
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Speaking to Edinburgh Live , she said: “They have something called the four T’s - toilet, thirsty, tired and thinner.
“If people are going to the toilet a lot, constantly thirsty, very tired and losing a lot weight these can be the most common symptoms to be aware of. I was only 14 when I was diagnosed with diabetes, and for the first year it didn’t really hit me.
“After a while, you realise it’s another full time job. I kept thinking it would get easier, but it doesn’t really - you just have to work hard at it.”
Alyssa’s condition means she has to figure out a lot of things ahead of time, if she’s walking a certain distance or has eaten certain foods this changes the amount of insulin she requires. The constant calculations mean her schedule is much harder to figure out than her fellow students.
She continued: “I wanted my life to be like everyone else's. In my first year of uni, I wanted to have the proper experience. I wasn’t able to balance my social life and studies. I took it too far.
“It’s an ongoing journey, you have to come to terms with the fact that it is hard and it’s always going to be hard.”
Ten years after her diagnosis, Alyssa is working with Diabetes UK on a new campaign, Diabetes Tech Can’t Wait. They’re pushing for ‘fair and equal’ access to diabetes technology for all.
Diabetes UK said: “Flash glucose monitoring, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), insulin pumps and hybrid closed loops - diabetes tech is life-changing.
“But only if you have access. We’ve seen progress in recent years, but we need to go further, faster. Access to diabetes tech must be based on your need, not on your postcode.”
Alyssa, who also has epilepsy often brought on by low blood sugar, says even though diabetes technology has helped her she’s concerned it could change as every area is different.
She said: “Technology plays a major part in many people’s control over their blood sugar levels. It has been really instrumental in making sure I can be independent, as I have diabetes and am prone to seizures. If I didn’t have this technology then I wouldn’t be able to live by myself.”
You can find out more about the Diabetes Tech Can’t Wait campaign here.
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