My Diabetes My Way: July 2023 Update

Welcome to the My Diabetes My Way Newsletter for July 2023.

What is HbA1c?
Glucose within your blood attaches to haemoglobin in red blood cells. Red blood cells live for around 8-12 weeks before being replaced, so the HbA1c test tells you how well controlled your blood glucose has been over the last 2-3 months. We know that high levels of glucose over a long period of time can damage the blood vessels, therefore increasing the risk of diabetes complications. Be aware of your HbA1c result by accessing your results on My Diabetes My Way.

Things to consider:
• Set goals and agree your HbA1c target with your healthcare team
• If your HbA1c is above your target, speak to your healthcare team to support your treatment plan. This may involve a review of your current medication.
• Consider lifestyle factors such as:
o Are you stressed?
o Do you need to change your physical activity routine?
o Are you sleeping well?
o Could your diet be improved?
o Are you drinking too much alcohol?
o If you smoke, stop.
More information on HbA1c can be found here: https://mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk/resources/internal/hba1c-explained

One Million Step Challenge
Diabetes UK have launched their "One Million Step Challenge". The aim is to get people active over the next three months with a target of reaching one million steps by the end of September. If you can, you’ll need to take an average of at least 10,000 steps a day to reach the target. How you do them and where you do them is completely up to you. Find out more at: https://step.diabetes.org.uk

To track your steps, we developed a link to Fitbit (www.fitbit.com) that allows you to add your activity tracker data to My Diabetes My Way. If you have a Fitbit device, log in to the My Diabetes My Way website and select “My Services”. You can then link your Fitbit account and connect your Fitbit records. When you do this, you will see a new section named “My Activity” where you can monitor your steps, heart rate and many other Fitbit measurements.

Even if you don't own a Fitbit device, you can still track your activity for free by downloading the Fitbit app on your smartphone and using Fitbit’s MobileTrack function. MobileTrack lets you use the Fitbit app without a Fitbit device by using your phone's sensors to track basic activity data including steps, distance, and calories burned. More information on MobileTrack can be found here: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1875

Free Online Diabetes Courses
Twelve free online courses are available for people with Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes at https://elearning.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk. These courses are provided by MyWay Digital Health and have been developed in collaboration with the University of Dundee and the University of Edinburgh. To brush up on your diabetes self-management, register a username and password to get going.

Please note, this service is not connected to myaccount, so you will be asked to create a new account to access eLearning. Your myaccount details will work as normal to allow you to access your diabetes records. We will be joining up this process during the coming weeks, so please use the same email address for both accounts to make it easier for us to link them up in future.


Facebook and Twitter
Please remember, you can keep up-to-date with the latest news and useful information on the My Diabetes My Way Facebook and Twitter pages.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mydiabetesmyway
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mydiabetesmyway

Help and Support
If you have not yet managed to gain access to your diabetes records on My Diabetes My Way, or would like an update on the status of your registration, please let us know. You can contact us regarding any problems or request further help and support by emailing: mydiabetes.myway@nhs.scot