The Netball Show
S7 Ep86: National Diabetes Day 2024 (14th Nov 2024)
(upbeat music) - Hi, this is Nat Metcalf. Flyhawk have developed a unique 3D kit designer that's fully customizable. So if you're looking for a new kit for your team for the new season, visit flyhawk.com or email info@flyhawk.com with your ideas now. - Nation Player is the easy to use, one-stop radio and audio app. Download Nation Player now on the Apple App Store or Google Play. Nation Player, where on are you? - The net will show with flyhawk, raising the bar for netball and winning sports. - It's a netball show with flyhawk, diabetes special, Sarah Clow from the Diamonds, it's gonna be unaware shortly, but first let's have a word with Birmingham Panthers, Jess Shaw. And I wouldn't have imagined that you would have a headline before Sarah Clow, so how does that make you feel? - Yeah, it makes me feel quite like last week. (laughing) - You openly admit that you're a type on Twitter, so to some extent, do you still think there's a bit of a stigma attached to it? - I think I've only kind of just come out on Twitter and Instagram, just because there's quite a lot of young netballs at the moment that have kind of got in touch with me, just saying how I kind of manage it in Canada. And if there's any support and how I kind of go about it and still being able to play at the kind of high level and what they aspire to do. - Where were you when you found out? Was it something that you were born with? Were you with Jets maybe? - I was at York to Jets, and I was actually trialing for MPL. And when I was 14, when I got diagnosed, I was at a trial and actually tracing everyone was leading the trials. And I actually felt so well and kind of like really fit and really fit. You can't really like catch or throw, so we can do a bit like what's going on here. And then after that trial, I got rushed in hospital. And then from then, I haven't knew that I was diabetic. So that's why I wasn't quite good at that trial, but yeah. - That thirst you mentioned, that was quite similar to my diagnosis as well. And it's just knowing what some of the symptoms are, but almost not knowing what was happening at the time. - Yeah, 'cause I drank quite a lot of water, 'cause you're always quite safe, especially 'cause you look at the high. And then I was going to the toilet and ween it out constantly. I just felt a bit fatigued and didn't quite know what it was, but my cousin's obviously diabetic as well. So my mom obviously went to her sisters and kind of tested my sugars, and they came up and it just said, "Hi, on the machine." So then we knew it wasn't quite right, and then went straight to hospital. - Talk me a bit around the actual diagnosis itself. - So I obviously got rushed into hospital, and they did quite a lot of blood tests and things like that. And they said that I was actually quite lucky, 'cause they were that high at that point, and obviously I didn't know I had it for a while. I sort of got into a coma, 'cause it used to go so high, you can go into a coma. So it was quite scary at that time. I'd call it just at the right point. - I think that was quite similar for me. Mine were in the higher tens, almost like 20s. And you're just like, when you actually research things like that, you realize what kind of situation you were in, just at the time. How did you take it when you found out? - I think I found it quite hard just to start with, and just kind of getting to grips and all. Obviously there's quite a lot of different technologies that you can use nowadays with it. So it was quite exciting to kind of use them, and I was thinking it was a bit like, "Oh, I've got this, I've got that." And they were all like new fancy machines and stuff. Yeah, no, it's definitely challenging, just 'cause it's kind of a bit of life-changing. You can't just go pick up some sweets or chocolate and eat them. You kind of have to make sure what your sugars are in Jack. So yeah, it was quite challenging. - What's the routine like on match days and in and around training, that kind of thing? - So I need to make sure that I kind of be really like two hours before, like most people probably will eat. But with that safety challenges, so it depends on what kind of my sugars are, especially before games. If they are running a bit high, just because of the nerves and stuff, it's kind of hard to get that fuel in and, 'cause obviously they're gonna go a little bit higher before they then come back down. And so that can be a bit challenging at times, but then on the same side of that, sometimes it could be running a bit low. So it's kind of making sure you've got enough fuel on board that they're not gonna keep dropping. So it's just kind of trying to find that balance, but you do need to be really organized. And I guess what the difference is to all the net world is they can probably just grab whatever food they want and if they are a bit packaged before the game, grab a snack, but whereas I don't feel like I can kind of do that, 'cause if I do, they might go off and then it might affect my performance. So it's kind of just making sure that the level, and when they are level, I don't kind of wanna interrupt that. - Have you ever had to come off during the game to test? - No, I haven't. But I haven't had kinds where they have gone low before a game so I have kind of kept that between me and you'll probably be getting as many sweets in as possible, which can be quite hard and make you feel a bit sick. But for me to still get on there and perform, I try and not let people know until I kind of need to. So there'll be times where they have been running quite high and obviously when they are high, you get a bit fatigued, a bit of out of breath, a lot more quicker and cramp. But I try and just pretend that that's not happening and just still try and perform the best way. I know in my head, I know that I can perform better, but I don't think many people notice it as much. So yeah, it's challenging. - Thought when it's controlled, obviously, it's something really doesn't stop you, does it? - Yeah, like I would say that for everyone that kind of is diabetic and it's trying to play for any sport at the highest level, that you can manage it and it's not life controlling. As long as you've got a routine, you kind of stick to that and you know how to kind of adapt. Maybe they are running high or running a bit low and you've got all the fuel and stuff there. If you need it, you can achieve whatever you want and whatever you put your mind to it, but it's just making sure you follow a routine and you don't just turn up and pretend that you don't kind of apply it because you've got it, so it kind of just adapts in a little bit how you can still progress to the highest level in sport. - It's just a whole more education of the better really, isn't it? - I was diagnosed when I was 14. So I think for me, it's kind of just acknowledging that I do have it and it's nothing bad to be ashamed of. I think at the time, I kind of just pretended that I don't have it and still trying to just go about my life, tending it's not there. I think that's where, if you don't acknowledge it, you can have a bit of struggle for that. I think kind of going out there and obviously telling people that I do have it, you can kind of get a bit more help and it's quite nice to hear over people's stories and how they've handled it, especially like some of the young netballers that have gotten contact to me and said that I am kind of like that role model. It's really nice to hear in that you can kind of help over people as well and the struggles that you go through. They've probably gone through at some point. - And come on, Jess, it hasn't stopped you representing England as well. - No, it hasn't, which is really good actually. I mean, I have had shorts and gowns with it during my career with England still, but the support that you get from then, especially like the doctors and stuff and I have very England I have seen specially that kind of give you a bit more information and which helps you manage it. And at the moment, I obviously wear the Libra patch on the back of my arm. So that's even better because I can just scan it instead of trying to finger prick it half time and it kind of shows you sugars every second so you can kind of see if they're going up or down which is really helps manage it and gets to that next level. - That sounds fascinating because obviously being part of that big method is going to set up as well. They'll have the access to newer methods of testing. - Yeah, and I think that's why it has really helped me over like the last few years and just kind of knowing that you can get that support. Like the technology and stuff for it is just growing and growing, which is really quite exciting. And hopefully it'll continue to grow and help people manage it a lot better. - I think I'll stick to finger prick and things as I'm nowhere near a athlete. But maybe a quick thought to people who have got diabetes or any kind, type one or type two and just maybe don't let it stop you. - Yeah, I think like no matter what you can achieve, whatever you want in life and even with obviously type one diabetes, I think there's so much support and so much knowledge about it at this time and there's always something a bit newer or anything and it just kind of you can do whatever you want as long as you've got control, structure and you kind of stick to a routine. I think, yeah, there's nothing stopping you and I think that's quite exciting 'cause I think probably in the past, it probably has stopped people and obviously exercise helps you control them sugars. Keep letting it open down a little bit but exercise does help. - Well, a rare chance for you now to introduce Sarah Cloud's thoughts at one. - And now let's hear a little bit more and Sarah Cloud is going to tell her story about type one diabetes. I grew up in a small town called Yorktown and I guess, you know, as a child, I was always active, loved my sports and I guess that's where I kind of, you know, grew my love for netball and, you know, I moved up the ranks and then I also had a huge passion in music and I guess that was a bit of a stepping stone for me because I was able to go to boarding school with my music. So that was super exciting but also that led to, you know, more access to training environments and programs in Adelaide. So I guess without that, I probably wouldn't be here today. So it's a huge credit to that school. So I guess with netball, we do, you know, like yearly screenings, like a physio screening, blood tests, checking with the doctor, you know, just the usual. So I think it was, yeah, 2016, start of the year, I kind of, I worked up for my blood appointment, got it done. And then a couple of days later, my doctor called me and said, "Hey, like Sarah, did you have like something sweet before you went in?" And I was like, "Oh, yeah, like I'm usually bi, I think." So I think that was the first indicator 'cause it was slightly elevated. So I got it redone, but fasting and it still came back slightly higher. So I think I was borderline. So I think I was sitting in that pre-diabetes kind of period. And then I met with the endocrinologist and the doctor ended some tests. So I think I did the glucose tolerance test. We had to drink that really sugary drink. It was horrible, but good or fun. And I guess that was the indicator of the antibodies not working properly. And so it was still sitting too high after that, you know, to our period. So after that, it was kind of a period of limbo. I met with a diabetes educator and they gave me, you know, the, where's my little, like this little, so, you know, just check it here and there. And if you can't get a reading under, I can't remember what it was now. But I think fasting reading below is a certain number, I can't remember what it was now. Like, just let us know. And we might have to make some adjustments. So I kind of did that for maybe six months. And then eventually it was getting too high and then went back in. And then that's when I got the diagnosis of the moddy, which we're on, yeah, that diagnosis. So sugar levels were going a bit crazy. And I was actually exercising at pretty high levels. So, you know, 15 or, you know, around 15. So obviously that's not ideal. And it's not great for my body. So I think there was a period of where I was like, oh, like it's never going to develop. Like I'm never going to have to, you know, inject myself. Like what a joke. Like I can't be healthy. Like, and I guess before all of this, like I'm studying occupational therapy and health science. So I guess that kind of gave me a bit of background into what it was, but mainly type two. So, yeah, I guess I didn't realize the extent of what type one was. And I was like, oh, like, whatever. And then I guess, yeah, I booked in with my endocrinologist and shown him the data. And he's like, oh, look, it's probably a good idea that we get you started on insulin. And you know, like that two, three year build up, you think you'd be prepared for it, but going in there, I was like, oh God, like this is quite scary. And it wasn't until, you know, he tried to comfort me and give me tissues. I was like, wait, what? Like, am I supposed to cry? Like, and then it wasn't until I walked out of the office and I was like, oh my God, like, I think it all hit me. And, you know, had a few tears, like anyone, can be quite scary. But yes, I met with my diabetes educator and they gave me some education around the use of insulin and dosages. And I remember walking at, so overwhelmed, felt a little bit to spend for yourself. I remember going home and too scared to eat because I was like, oh God, how many units I injects? Like, I have no idea what I'm doing, but it was like a huge trial and error period for me. The netball show is now also available via SkyQ and Sky Glass. Select sport and we're on the podcast's rail.
Birmingham Panthers Jess Shaw and Diamond Sarah Klau on being an elite netballer performing with Diabetes