World Diabetes Day: Commemoration at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals

Group photo

On the 23rd of November 2023, we had a special World Diabetes Day commemoration. Under the directive of the diabetes clinic at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH), we had an extraordinary workshop, in the presence of over 30 participants with support from brilliant speakers from PGH, Sally Mugabe Children’s Hospitals, and our international friends working in the field of diabetes, despite the short notice.

Firstly, we had an overview of diabetes mellitus from our own Endocrinologist, Dr. Prisca Mureriwa-Matyanga. She asked the audience to participate, in order to build a rapport and in the process, getting the depth of how much they understood about their chronic condition. Dr. Prisca delved into the subject matter exquisitely, she spoke about how to begin to understand and or deal with diabetes in an effective way, goals for managing diabetes, ways to achieve such goals, and lastly, she shared the importance of exercise to people with diabetes. It is no secret that people living with diabetes, especially, children have been and are strongly discouraged from participating in sporting activities, due to a lack of awareness. If you have diabetes, being active makes your body more sensitive to insulin, which helps manage your diabetes. Additionally, physical activity helps control blood sugar levels and lowers your risk of heart disease and nerve damage.

Dr. P. Matyanga-Mureriwa

Furthermore, we were privileged to have had a dietician in our midst, Thandeka Angela Sibanda. She covered an extremely delicate topic, “low glycemic index versus high glycemic index and the impact on blood glucose, on people living with diabetes. The subject was of greater interest to the audience because of how uncommon such discussions have been had between people with diabetes and dieticians. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 based on how quickly and how much they raise blood sugar levels after eating. It was brought to the attention of the audience that foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, are rapidly digested and cause substantial fluctuations in blood sugar, whereas, foods with a low glycemic index, like whole grains, are digested more slowly, prompting a more gradual rise in blood sugar. Lastly, people were encouraged to pay attention to food labeling and remember that Low-glycemic foods have a rating of 55 or less, and foods rated 70-100 are considered high-glycemic foods. Medium-level foods have a glycemic index of 56-69.

Dietician T. A. Sibanda

Further, Dr. Christina Rambanapasi. Paediatrician helped us by presenting about sick-day management and the management of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. It should be noted that, like everyone, people with diabetes can get sick even when trying their best to prevent it. So being prepared and knowing what to do if you get sick is very important. Usually, if people living with diabetes do get sick, their blood glucose can be hard to manage, and they may not be able to eat or drink as much as usual, which can affect blood glucose levels. The audience was reminded that, when their bodies release hormones to fight the illness, those hormones can also raise their blood sugar levels and increase how much insulin they need. This is especially important for people with type 1 diabetes since they depend on insulin to live. Unfortunately, when their body doesn’t have enough insulin, it starts breaking down fat as fuel, which produces ketones and when too many ketones are produced too fast, they can cause diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA. Lastly, the audience was instructed to call their doctors, in case they suspect DKA or they can test for ketones in their urine (with an over-the-counter kit) of ketones right away. You’ll probably need to go to the hospital for treatment.

Dr. C. Rambanapasi

More so, we had the utmost and most intense sessions on ‘Diabetes and Substance abuse’ and Mental health issues in diabetes from our Sociologist, Mary Munetsi, from the Friendship bench. It goes without saying that, Diabetes and alcohol can be a bit of a balancing act. It was suggested that drugs and alcohol can make it more difficult to manage diabetes in many ways, which can over time lead to diabetes complications or hypoglycemic episode(s). Whilst, living with diabetes can be burdensome and can provoke anxiety, with the constant demands taking a toll on people’s mental health. The audience was reminded that stress can also make following a diabetes maintenance routine more difficult. Experts suggest that people should look for patterns; being aware of their stress levels, each time they log their blood glucose levels and see if a pattern emerges. Like with many other chronic conditions, the sooner you get help, the better.

Sociologist. M. Munetsi

It’s a well-known fact that, even if you are managing your diabetes well, there is still a lot that you can gain from being part of a Peer Support group, suggested Diabetes UK. Meaningful engagement of individuals with lived experience in a range of processes and activities within an enabling environment where power is transferred to people; valuing lived experience as a form of expertise and applying it to improve health outcomes, has been appreciated globally. In that regard, Heather Koga, spoke about the importance of Peer Support in diabetes care. She believes, peer support groups, help in humanizing the condition and act as a source of inspiration and motivation. Further, Heather suggested that “Peer support offers the healing touch that is needed to transition from a depressive state of mind to acceptance of the condition and the audience could relate with the fact that, knowing such other people have lived with such a condition like diabetes, and overcame the same challenges is a source of mental and emotional support”. That being the case, Heather’s presentation was meant to encourage the audience to belong to a group who possess/share principles such as: being driven by the shared experiences of diabetes; person-centered; complimentary; reciprocal; and encouraging.

Heather Koga

“Nothing of significance is ever accomplished alone”, alluded John C. Maxwell. Hence, we greatly appreciate our friends from the global diabetes community for their contribution towards our diabetes workshop, though at extremely short notice. Belinda Moore (directly involved in the preparation of the programme and shared significant tools & resources); Apporva Gomber and Dawn Adams (shared powerful testimonies for the impact of menarche on blood glucose, how insulin resistance can be a factor, important things to keep track and what people need to know about periods and diabetes); and Renza Scibilia (spoke about, the ‘international consensus recommendations to bring an end to diabetes stigma and discrimination’, as a significant figure in its development).

It was great to host a diabetes workshop, which was meant for everyone/anyone worried about their risk of diabetes or who already had diabetes. At the end of the day, we managed to reinforce building empathy and supporting the required care to deal with the unrelenting nature of diabetes; building individual and community capacity and capability through education so people with diabetes can live without limits; and creating awareness about accelerating life-changing innovations so people have the tools and technology to manage their diabetes without shame and with support.