Angel Moreiro has lived with diabetes for nearly 30 years, but a new monitoring system has revolutionised how he manages the condition.
Mr Moreiro has Type 1 diabetes and this year has started using an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring.
“I started using the pump about four months ago and it’s getting better every day,” he said. “Before I used the pump, my control levels were okay for only 55 per cent of the time; now I’m 85-86 per cent which is very good.”
Before using the pump, Mr Moreiro used a needle prick to test his blood sugar levels.
“I’m almost 72 and was a bit concerned about having something stuck on my belly but it’s much better like this,” he said.
Mr Moreiro was diagnosed with diabetes in 1994. “It runs in the family; it’s genetic- I knew it was coming,” he said.
Now he checks himself before breakfast, lunch and dinner and the pump adjusts how much insulin it needs to give.
“I know exactly how much insulin I need for the carbohydrates that I eat,” he said. “I also have a sensor and transmitter and it tells me if I am going up or down and sometimes gives me little doses of insulin as a correction.”
“New technology helps so much.”
Mr Moreiro was born in Spain but came to Australia in 1974 and first came to Portland in 1982 working on powerlines to the smelter and returned in 1985 for construction of the smelter and has been living locally since then and continues to work one day a week in horticulture.
He learnt about the new technology from PDH credentialled diabetes educator Vicki Barbary.
Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented as is autoimmune related. Type 2 diabetes can often be delayed or prevented through lifestyle with healthy diet, exercise and weight management.
