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| SHERINGHAM
EVENING W.I. |
| The two speakers at our March meeting
illustrated different aspects of the life of a Prison Governor, a job which requires,
among other things, total dedication and a willingness to be ‘on call’ at all
times. First Pauline Nearney gave us various statistics about the Prison Service, which
she had joined as a 20-year old at Holloway Prison in London. Conditions have undoubtedly
improved for both prison officers and prisoners over the years, though security and drug
usage still present problems. With a current prison population of 75,000,a Prison
Officer’s job is now a more caring one, helping them not to re-offend, and restoring
their confidence to enable them to re-join society.
Stevie Pratt told us of her experiences with lifers and sex offenders, describing the
difficulties some prisoners have in coming to terms with their sentences, and how prison
staff use their experience to determine when they can safely be released into the
community.
Members showed their crafty side in the competition for a hand-made Easter card, which
was won by Helena Beresford, with Edna Seeley second and Pam Akiens third.
Our May meeting, on Thursday 13 May at 7.30 in St Andrews Church Hall, will be our
annual Resolution Meeting, when members will put forward their views on the topics to be
discussed at the National A.G.M. in Sheffield in June. Subjects this year are Trafficking
in Women and Children, GM Foods, and the Funding of Air Ambulances. Following these
discussions supper will be served. Visitors and new members are always welcome. |
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Diabetes
The object of this article is not to scare you, but to make you aware of the service out
there which costs you nothing but time, but could potentially save your life. I
developed diabetes four years ago very suddenly. I was not obese, ate a fairly healthy
diet (most of the time!) and was very active. Not being a person who ‘bothers’
the doctor for what seemed to be trivial things, I put my tiredness down to being a busy
person, my thirst to the weather and my passing water almost constantly to the amount I
was drinking! It was a chance remark by a friend that sent me to the well-woman clinic
where my diabetes was discovered. I am now and will be an Insulin Dependant Diabetic for
the rest of my life. Looking back I realise in hindsight that I had mild symptoms for
several years and if diagnosed earlier, my current situation and long term health may have
been drastically different.
Diabetes Mellitus, often just called diabetes, is a condition in which the amount of
glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body is unable to use it properly.
Glucose provides the body with energy and we obtain most from the digestion of starchy
foods such as bread, rice and potatoes, from sugar and other sweet foods. After eating,
the level of glucose in the blood increases and the pancreas releases a hormone called
insulin. Insulin regulates your glucose level to prevent it becoming too high or too low.
If you have diabetes, the body either produces too little insulin, or resists its effects.
The body then uses other sources of energy, and unused glucose in the blood builds up,
often causing thirst and frequent passing of water.
Over 1.4 million people in the UK are diagnosed as having diabetes. However, it is
suspected that there are at least another one million people who have the condition but
are unaware.
There are two types of diabetes:
Type 1 usually effects people under 40 and occurs if the body is unable to produce any
insulin. The symptoms are obvious and develop suddenly. This type of diabetes is treated
with insulin injections, diet and physical activity.
Type 2 usually effects people aged over 40 but may develop at any age. The vast majority
of people with diabetes have type 2. The symptoms are usually less obvious and develop
relatively slowly. Some people may not notice any symptoms at all for many years. This
type of diabetes can often be treated very successfully with a healthy balanced diet and
physical activity, or with the addition of tablets or insulin injections.
Lloydspharmacy in Sheringham is one of the Lloydspharmacy branches helping people
to discover whether they are diabetic or your risk of becoming diabetic, by holding a free
screening service. Lloydspharmacy nationally are screening an average of 25,000 people a
week, and locally have detected 15 type 2 diabetics since October 2003.
To use this excellent service it is best to book an appointment at Lloydspharmacy, it
takes around 20-30 min and a brief medical history will be taken, you will be asked
relevant questions to see if you have any signs or symptoms and about your lifestyle.
Blood pressure and a finger prick test are both carried out. If your blood glucose
level is slightly high, you will be invited to return when you have fasted for between 8
– 12 hours. At this stage your BMI & waist circumference will be measured as
recent research shows correlation between waist measurement and cardiac/diabetes risk.
The pharmacy will not diagnose diabetes but if there is a significant risk they will refer
you to the diabetes nurse or doctor at your own medical practice. Early
identification of diabetes is essential, as unfortunately, by the time that many people
are diagnosed with diabetes they have already developed serious complications. Long term
complications associated with diabetes include: High Blood Pressure, Coronary Heart
Disease, High Cholesterol, Eye Damage and even Blindness, Kidney Failure, Nerve Damage,
Leg Ulcers.
For more information, please call 01263 823128 |
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