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LIVING LIFE TO THE MAX
 

Mr Ho Lye Hon, now 70, found out that he had diabetes 20 years ago. Feisty with a razor sharp mind, Mr Ho is ridden with diabetes, one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in Singapore. Terrifying though it may be, Mr Ho is not one to take setbacks lying down. He says with vivacity, "When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I had to change my mindset. It is really pointless to say I am sick and to get depressed."

His advice to diabetic patients is, " Gear your minds that diabetes is going to be with you for life and something has to be done. It is also important to register yourself early with a diabetes centre and get yourself in a diabetes support group."

Mr Ho is a walking testimony that even with diabetes, one can still have a full and meaningful life with the right management. This is what CGH's Diabetes VCD sets out to teach patients to do.

"Gear your minds that diabetes is going to be with you for life and something has to be done. It is also important to register yourself early with a diabetes centre and get yourself in a diabetes support group"
CGH's patients Ho Lye Hon(R) and David Federick Patrick(L) are walking testimonies that one can live a full life even with diabetes.
 
The Diabetes Video CD was launched by Mr Charles Chong, MP for Pasir Ris GRC (far left) and CGH CEO T K Udairam (far right).

THE LAUNCH OF LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES: INSULIN TREATMENT

On 19 November 2000, Mr Charles Chong, Chairman of Northeast CDC and MP for Pasir Ris GRC together with Changi General Hospital's CEO T K Udairam, launched the Diabetes Video CD, an educational tool for diabetic patients. Together, they released the Tower of Balloons at Tampines Sports Complex, which symbolises the hopes of CGH's diabetic patients and their families.

Two patients, Mr David Federick Patrick and Mr Ho, went on stage to share their hopes with the public and other patients present on that day. For Mr Ho, his hope was simple and heartfelt. " I want to live like any other person. I want to eat anything that you can eat. And hopefully, a cure to HELP those afflicted with diabetes can be found.''

At the same time, the balloons also carry CGH's hope that people will pay attention to their lifestyle and understand the importance of early detection. As Dr Lee Chung Horn, Consultant at CGH Diabetes Centre said, " My hope is for people whose lives have been touched by diabetes (patients, families, doctors, nurses) to realise that we are stronger together and not apart."
     

"Although we have no cure yet, there is so much we now know, and can do collectively to fight diabetes," he added.

The Video CD acts as a visual guide that focuses on insulin treatment and demonstrates how insulin injections are administered. It features insulin pens, the insulin pumps, and how home blood glucose monitoring is done. It also explains what the right diabetes targets are.

It also teaches a diabetic person to match insulin injections with meals. The are demonstrations of giving Insulin through Single Insulin Injections, Mixed Insulin Injections, Insulin Pens or Insulin Pumps.

The Video CD is developed by Changi General Hospital's team of diabetes specialists. They include Consultant Endocrinologist Dr Lee Chung Horn, Pharmacy Manager Joanna Wong and Nursing Officer Grace Chang.
 
TRUE GRIT

Now coming close to 80-year-old, David Frederick Patrick carried on living a full life despite being diagnosed with diabetes. Hale and hearty, he continued to ride on a scooter for many years after his illness, travelling the world over, following the prescribed treatment and cutting back on sweet food.

A diabetic who has lost his leg to gangrene while on a tour in Christchurch, Mr Patrick wants to remind other patients that making assumptions about one's state of diabetes is not good enough. He urged all diabetic patients to listen to the doctor's advice and not be presumptuous.

There are two targets that diabetic patients must watch out for. Target one is a Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA 1c) Test. This is done every three or four months to see if average blood glucose levels over the period is at an acceptable level. Target two is a Home Blood Glucose Monitoring, which is crucial to achieving effective diabetes control. This can be done with the use of a blood glucose meter.

" Eating a healthy diet and watching what you eat is very important. In that way, no matter who you are, you can still live a full life even with diabetes ", Mr Patrick said.