A Lincoln resident suffering from a rare diabetes is now able to ditch the daily injections to cope with the illness and replace them with a single tablet.
Janet Locke (pictured) suffers from Maturity Onset Diabetes of Youth (MODY), a genetic form of diabetes, which affects the pancreas’ ability to store insulin.
MODY is a rarer type of diabetes from type one and two due to the change of a single gene and the way it runs in families.
Consultant Physician Rajagopalan Sriraman at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has a particular interest in MODY.
He said: “MODY is very rare compared with type one and type two diabetes. Experts estimate that only one to two percent of people with diabetes in the UK have it.
“Due to MODY being so rare, doctors may not be aware of it, so it is estimated that about 90% of people with it are mistakenly diagnosed with type one or type two diabetes first.”
Locke was diagnosed by Lincoln County Hospital, but prior to finding out about MODY she had to take insulin twice a day and regularly do finger prick testing.
She visited Dr Sriraman and Sarah Martin, a Diabetes Nurse Specialist, to discuss her MODY blood test results and treatment options.
She then chose to trial a new tablet called Gliclazide under Dr Sriraman’s supervision; the drug is typically used for type two diabetes.
Locke said: “Seventeen members of my family are diabetic including my son, daughter and grandson.
“When Dr Sriraman asked me to try a new form of treatment I was sceptical at first because my insulin is what I have been comfortable with taking for the last 54 years.
“I decided to try the tablet because I thought if it was to work for me it may work for my family members who are also affected by the same type of diabetes.
“I started taking the tablet shortly after my first meeting with Dr Sriraman last year. It’s still quite new to me but it has already made a big difference to my life and that of my family as a number of them have now tried the tablet too.
“My fingers used to get really sore with having to do my blood tests four-times-per-day. I don’t have to do this anymore.
“I just take a tablet with my breakfast and that’s it,” she said.
“A few years ago I never would have thought that I could manage without my insulin as it has been a part of my daily routine for such a long time.
“MODY has been passed down through my family tree and this could be the case for lots of other people as well.”
Sarah Martin, Diabetes Nurse Specialist at Lincoln County Hospital, said: “Janet has been closely monitored throughout the change of medication.
“Since stopping her insulin she no longer has to perform a regular daily finger prick test because her new treatment is less likely to cause her blood glucose levels to drop rapidly.
“If someone who has been diagnosed with type one diabetes suspects that they may have MODY, they should not try to stop their insulin themselves. Instead, they should discuss their concerns with their diabetes care team.”
To learn more about diabetes, symptoms, and the different types, visit NHS Choices.
Spotted an error? Please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
A local man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving after two pedestrians were injured in a collision with a car and three parked vehicles in Skegness.
Lincolnshire Police officers attended the scene after the collision between a blue Citroen Berlingo, the parked vehicles, and a man and a woman, who are both in their 60s, on Winthorpe Avenue shortly before 7pm on Friday, April 16.
The two pedestrians suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital. However, their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
A 63-year-old local man, who was driving the Berlingo, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving. He has since been released under investigation.
Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage and anyone with information should contact them on 101 or via email at [email protected] quoting incident number 389 of April 16.
Few people attended the second Kill the Bill protest in Lincoln on Saturday, as Extinction Rebellion activists stood alone on the High Street to campaign against a proposed policing bill that could make many protests illegal.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire gathered at Speakers’ Corner to oppose plans for the latest Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which could curtail protesting rights if passed through parliament.
Extinction Rebellion were the main representatives at the protest. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Under the proposed bill, police officers will be given greater powers to put a stop to any protests, as well as determining start and finish times for them, and controlling noise levels.
A few stopped to talk with the protestors, but most just went about their day walking down Lincoln High Street in the first weekend that non-essential shops and beer gardens reopened.
The Lincolnite spoke to one of the rebels at the protest, to find out the reasons behind the march.
They said: “This draconian bill cannot go ahead, it needs to be taken apart and re-evaluted completely.
“People have been walking past us shaking their heads, but they don’t realise that it’s their freedom we are fighting for.”
The Lincolnite photographer Steve Smailes captured some pictures from the protest.
Signs were put up by the works at Speakers’ Corner on Lincoln High Street. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A 19-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after a crash on the A52 on Friday evening.
The single-vehicle crash, involving a white Suzuki Splash, happened in the westbound lane of the A52 between Barrowby and Sedgebrook at around 7.20pm on Friday, April 16.
The driver of the car is now in hospital after suffering serious injuries, and police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Officers believe the driver had travelled from Grantham on the A52 at Barrowby before the crash.
Anyone who has dashcam footage or saw the vehicle before the incident is being asked to call 101, quoting incident 420 of April 16.
Alternatively, you can email [email protected], using the same reference in the subject box.