When it comes to diabetes, no place is safe. We have featured folks with diabetes from Spain to Germany to Canada and now we’re traveling across the globe to Australia to hear from Simon, a 35-year-old with LADA.
Simon lives in South Australia where he works in antiques, and despite living in the sixth largest country in the world (and an entire continent!), he’s found that the Australian Diabetes Online Community is pretty small compared to the US. Not that it stops him: Simon is a popular tweeter and blogs about his life with diabetes at Simon from the 70s. Today, Simon takes us on a quick tour of what diabetes looks like Down Under…
A Guest Post by Simon (last name undisclosed)
Despite the mystique that surrounds our wonderful nation, diabetes has the same feel as it does anywhere in the world. It is unpredictable, hard to manage and inconvenient.
Having enjoyed a childhood free from diabetes, I was initially misdiagnosed as a type 2 diabetic in my early 20s, in the mid 1990s. Like many other late diagnosed type 1s, my diagnosis also proved to be incorrect and following an episode of DKA, I was finally correctly diagnosed with LADA several years later. I currently manage the condition with multiple daily injections of NovoRapid and Lantus.
Like the remainder of the Western world, Australia is also in the middle of a type 2 diabetes epidemic. It is currently estimated that well over 5% of the Australian population (a total of over 1 million people) have diabetes, with roughly 10% of that number living with type 1 diabetes.
Unlike our American counterparts, type 1 diabetes treatment is a little more old fashioned here. It is estimated that less than 10% of type 1 patients use insulin pumps, and CGMS (Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems) are only just beginning to make an appearance amongst the general population.
Unlike many overseas services, the Australian public healthcare model is easily accessible to all and sundry {editor’s note: that’s Aussie for ‘everybody, collectively and individually’}. Our government affords universal access to free public healthcare and has recently introduced a diabetes-specific program called NDSS (National Diabetes Services Scheme). The goal is to provide greater access to allied health services to diabetic patients including podiatry, dentistry, physiotherapy and diabetic educators. The Public Medicare scheme is funded via a levy imposed on all taxpayers according to their income.
Private healthcare is available through a number of different funds, on an individual choice basis. These funds offer quicker and heavily subsidized treatments. However, they also involve out-of-pocket expenses which are not a part of the Public system. Whilst the take up of private care is ever increasing, the availability of the Public system means that in general, healthcare is within reach of all the population regardless of income or social status.
The Diabetes Online Community is much smaller here in Australia than in the United States. Whilst there are a few diabetes-specific forums, there are fewer bloggers and less of an online presence of diabetics in general. That being said, I have been lucky to have had limited involvement with the main type 1 specific Australian forum Reality Check, and have found their voluntary work second to none in helping to connect and educate those, like myself, living with insulin-dependent diabetes.
My involvement with the diabetes online community as a blogger and on Twitter has brought home to me the universal nature of the struggles facing many diabetics. Regardless of location, age or creed, all of us require help managing the illness either professionally or through personal interaction at some time. Fortunately, here in Australia, the professional side of treatment is easily accessible. However, there is little advertised provision of social services like those we enjoy online.
All things considered, I count myself very lucky to live in a country with universally accessible healthcare. Whilst there are always negative stories, our national model makes living with diabetes that little bit easier than it might otherwise be.
We envy you, Simon — also for your formal writing style. A relic of the ’70s? Or just a better national use of the English language? 
I am such a Simon fan!
Simon I enjoy your writing your tweeting, your knowledge sharing, your humor….I could go on and on.
Signed overtly mommish,
Lorraine
Nice post, Simon!
Hi, Simon. As always, it’s great to have your Aussie LADA #dsma-ing (Diabetes Social Media Advocacy), music-loving, vegemite-eating perspective on life with diabetes! For those who don’t already know, Simon also is the frontman for Blünt Lancet.
Ah… count me in as an Aussie with LADA, a pump wearer, a DOC blogger (www.ladalife.com) and an occasional #bgnow tweeter, who is desperate for the appearance of the Dexcom 7+ here.
What I wouldn’t give right now for some fresh white bread, covered in cold butter and Vegemite! Yummm! (White bread missing from my pantry at the moment.)
We so have a good medical system in Australia with affordable insulin for everyone, but especially for those on low incomes (under $10 for several vials). We also have free access to Diabetes Educators, and the program that Simon described, which, as far as I know, is through Medicare. There are several chronic conditions that qualify for this program of allied therapies, not just diabetes.
The NDSS has been around for many years – I’ve been a member for as long as I can remember – and they administer supplies for diabetes, including test strips, pens and syringes (free), insulin pump supplies (subsidised for T1s) and more.
Almost everyone here has access to doctors who “bulk bill” (unless you’re in a small town and have no choice). This means no money changes hands and the doctor bills directly to Medicare – our public health organisation. Other doctors do charge but you can usually get about 75% of it back from Medicare. Although it has its failing, the failing of our system is not one of affordability.
We have some of the best fresh fruit and vegetables (even better at Farmer’s Markets) and lamb, the likes of which people in the USA have probably never tasted. We also have some the strangest and deadliest critters on the planet. But diabetes is diabetes – same old, same old. What I particularly appreciate is how the world is getting smaller and smaller, and the D-friends I have from the DOC, come from all over the planet. Learning and participating in a world-wide community is rather awesome!
How hilarious, one of the CAPTCHA words below for me is ‘dingo’ (an Australian wild dog) – now who organised that one?
I too am a HUGE Simon fan! So excited to see his post here, and a great post it is!
Thanks for sharing Simon with us.
I think Many are a fan of his.
Hi Simon. I live in South Africa and can relate when you refer to a small Diabetes online community. The medical healthcare here is great though, if you are a member of a medical aid scheme. I’m not a diabetic as such, however, my 7 year old daughter is. She was diagnosed Type 1 at 20 months of age and is also currently on Novorapid. Great post. Thanks.