not ARTIFICIALLY Sweetened - Episode 45 - with Lytle Johnson

Welcome to Episode 45 of 'not ARTIFICIALLY Sweetened'!

You can find us on our top streaming platforms, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts and the LiSTN Audio App!

This Episode is brought to you in support of diabetes awareness and care by the CDE Online Pharmacy (https://cdeonline.co.za/), the online store of choice for people living with diabetes.

If you're living with diabetes or a health professional that facilitates diabetes care, you're in the right place!

Join our journey, as we grow together in understanding, insight, and self-awareness to change lives for the better. Our deliberations are always honest, challenging and thought provoking. Nothing is off the table as we meet real people, discuss their real issues and stories, and together discover real answers to many vexing practical issues in diabetes and its care.

This week Stan and Michael reflect on nerve symptoms in the context of diabetes and some important caveats to remember. They also discuss foetal alcohol syndrome and reasons why preparing for any pregnancy, especially with diabetes, is vital to avoid the loss of any opportunities to prevent possible birth defects.

In our weekly SA Diabetes Advocacy message, Kirsten discusses the fourth of five important Diabetes Advocacy Projects they will focus on in 2024. This week, the focus is on the use of long-acting metformin in the public service.

Lytle Johnson joins us as our studio guest for this week - Lytle is an Industrial Engineer from Sunninghill who currently consults on some exciting automotive manufacturing projects. Lytle spends his weekends outdoors to race enduro, watch his fiancé compete in horse riding events, or to sail. He enjoys training every day after work and then finishes the evening off by cooking exciting meals. Lytle has some amazing friends from his years of study in Pretoria, and looking ahead, he is excited to strive for some podium places in dirt-bike racing, possibly at this year’s Roof of Africa in Lesotho. Lytle also has to manage type 1 diabetes, but his optimism and enthusiasm for everything he does is truly inspirational!

Lytle tells us about:

• His slow road to diagnosis of diabetes in 2022 and how his quality of life improved as a result
• The joy of racing a motor bike off-road and his fear of losing this ability
• The stigma he experienced once diagnosed especially when buying insulin and when trying to enter enduro races again
• His vastly differing experiences with health professional caregivers
• His optimism and excitement for life
• ‘Over-monitoring’ his blood glucose levels and the blessing of continuous glucose monitoring
• His comfort in advocating for diabetes
• His love for experimental cooking and how his balanced lifestyle helps him to maintain good diabetes management

We want to hear from you! If you have any questions, suggestions, comments or contributions for future episodes, or if you'd like to advertise on this podcast, email us @ Podcast@CDEDiabetes.co.za

For health professionals working in diabetes

The CDE Academy Foundation Course in Diabetes Care for Health Professionals is a real-world-applicable online learning experience at one’s own pace. Access it 24/7/365 & earn 30 CPD points: https://academy.cdeonline.co.za/

Learna/University of South Wales offer a one-year, online, part-time, distance learning Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes Care. Sign up for a second year to earn an MSc in Diabetes. Gain a competitive edge and enhance your client care! Register @ https://my.learna.ac.uk/l/diabetes-ambassador-cde