Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Welcome to About Time

About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

Your browser window currently does not have enough height, or is zoomed in too far to view our website content correctly. Once the window reaches the minimum required height or zoom percentage, the content will display automatically.

Alternatively, you can learn more via the links below.

Donations via GiveNow

Email

Instagram

LinkedIn

ISSUE NO. 15

October 2025

Donate Here

Health

Ask the Doctor: Diabetes

A doctor explains what diabetes is, what to look for and how to treat it

By

Harley Stiebel

Harley Stiebel is a Resident Medical Officer at The Royal Children’s Hospital and Founder of Scrublets.

Font Size
Font Size
Line Height
Line Height
Dyslexia Friendly
Black & White
Hide Images
Night Mode

Hello! I’m Harley, a doctor working in Victoria. I hope to be able to answer some of your health questions and explain a bit about how our bodies work (and sometimes don’t work!) along the way. Please write to About Time with any questions you have or suggestions for future topics. Trust me, nothing is off limits – most of my day is spent asking whether people have opened their bowels or farted yet.

Today, inspired by a question from Jon in Victoria, we are talking about diabetes.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is an illness in which the body struggles to process sugar. Sugar comes in many forms – for example, from a soft drink, a piece of bread or an apple.

When you munch on an apple, the body breaks it down into smaller and smaller parts. The final breakdown leads to a type of sugar called glucose. Glucose is then used by each cell in our body for energy.

So the stomach breaks down the apple, and glucose makes its way through our intestinal wall into our bloodstream. Now, glucose needs to get into our cells, which isn’t so easy. Cells have many doors that each need keys – they aren’t just letting everyone in. There are different keys depending on what is trying to get through a particular door. For glucose the key is called insulin.

Insulin is a chemical made by your pancreas. The pancreas sits in your abdomen, behind your stomach. This is where things get interesting. The pancreas has a small factory of cells called beta cells. These cells are responsible for producing the insulin key that glucose needs.

In diabetes, these beta cell factories begin to fail.

Now, there are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 (10 per cent of diabetics)

Type 1 is an autoimmune process, where the body’s immune system gets confused and kills all the beta cell factories. We usually find this in people under the age of 30. People with type 1 diabetes need regular injections with the insulin key to get glucose into their cells and stop their bodies from shutting down.

Type 2 (90 per cent of diabetics)

Type 2 is much more common; we usually see this begin in people above the age of 40. As you might already be aware, type 2 is strongly linked to obesity. Our basic understanding is that being obese and having lots of fat and extra glucose in our blood overwhelms the doors of our cells. Instead of opening the doors and allowing a free-for-all, they close even tighter and start rejecting some of the insulin keys. The beta cell factory hears about this and starts making even more insulin keys, to help keep up with demand. Initially, this works – it helps get the glucose into the cells. But, after time, the beta cells in the factor begin to burn out; they are working too hard and slowly begin to die.

What’s so bad about having extra glucose in my blood?

Sweet blood – who wouldn’t want that?! Well, probably you. When our insulin key system becomes faulty, we are left with high levels of glucose in our blood. This begins to cause issues. Just like that jam you inexplicably got stuck on your elbow, glucose starts to stick to things in your blood. Initially, it’s a little here and a little there; you wouldn’t notice a thing. But, eventually, there’s so much jam that your elbows are stuck together – well, not really, but the sticky delights meet sticky ends!

These sticky patches are happening in your blood vessels, which means now your blood vessels start to have issues getting glucose energy to your cells. Because of this, your cells begin to die.

What are some of the issues that come from diabetes?

There are many parts of the body that are affected, but I’ll talk about two here.

The first is the blood vessels themselves. These sticky patches can get bigger and bigger, and eventually they can block the blood flow completely. When this happens in the heart, this is a heart attack, and, when it happens in the brain, it’s a stroke. Heart attacks are the biggest killer in diabetes.

Another issue is neuropathy. A neuropathy is a broad term for a dysfunction of your nerves. Diabetes first damages the nerves in your feet; this is because they are the furthest away from your heart and therefore most vulnerable to a poor blood supply caused by the sticky vessels. Slowly, you would begin to lose feeling in your feet. And, unfortunately, sometimes it’s not just numb feet but painful feet that can result.

Now to the question that brought us to this topic.

Jon from Victoria wrote to us asking for help with his diabetic neuropathy. He told us, “I have no feeling in my feet, and as the nerves have nothing to do they attack my feet 24/7.”

Well, firstly, I’m sorry to hear of your chronic nerve condition, Jon. It sounds unbearable. I imagine you’ve already tried a few things, so I’m sorry if I suggest things you’ve already tried. The first choice for most doctors would be medications, such as: pregabalin, gabapentin and duloxetine. Another option is capsaicin cream applied to the painful area.

If possible, you may also benefit from stretches and weight-bearing exercises which involve your legs.

Please discuss these suggestions with your doctor, as they are best placed to know what is right for you.

How do I stop myself from getting diabetes?

Well, for type 1 diabetes, you can’t. But if you’re over 30 then your likelihood of getting this illness is very low.

Type 2 is more avoidable, and prevention mostly comes down to weight loss.

That can be done by:

  • Changing diet: If swapping foods isn’t possible, smaller portions can still help.
  • Exercise: Activities like weights, push-ups or cardio burn calories and build muscle, which increases your body’s ability to burn energy even at rest.

How do I know if I have diabetes?

The most common symptoms are:

  • peeing more often
  • being more thirsty
  • being more tired.

Though all these symptoms can also be caused by other illnesses.

Hello! I’m Harley, a doctor working in Victoria. I hope to be able to answer some of your health questions and explain a bit about how our bodies work (and sometimes don’t work!) along the way. Please write to About Time with any questions you have or suggestions for future topics. Trust me, nothing is off limits – most of my day is spent asking whether people have opened their bowels or farted yet.

Today, inspired by a question from Jon in Victoria, we are talking about diabetes.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is an illness in which the body struggles to process sugar. Sugar comes in many forms – for example, from a soft drink, a piece of bread or an apple.

When you munch on an apple, the body breaks it down into smaller and smaller parts. The final breakdown leads to a type of sugar called glucose. Glucose is then used by each cell in our body for energy.

So the stomach breaks down the apple, and glucose makes its way through our intestinal wall into our bloodstream. Now, glucose needs to get into our cells, which isn’t so easy. Cells have many doors that each need keys – they aren’t just letting everyone in. There are different keys depending on what is trying to get through a particular door. For glucose the key is called insulin.

Insulin is a chemical made by your pancreas. The pancreas sits in your abdomen, behind your stomach. This is where things get interesting. The pancreas has a small factory of cells called beta cells. These cells are responsible for producing the insulin key that glucose needs.

In diabetes, these beta cell factories begin to fail.

Now, there are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 (10 per cent of diabetics)

Type 1 is an autoimmune process, where the body’s immune system gets confused and kills all the beta cell factories. We usually find this in people under the age of 30. People with type 1 diabetes need regular injections with the insulin key to get glucose into their cells and stop their bodies from shutting down.

Type 2 (90 per cent of diabetics)

Type 2 is much more common; we usually see this begin in people above the age of 40. As you might already be aware, type 2 is strongly linked to obesity. Our basic understanding is that being obese and having lots of fat and extra glucose in our blood overwhelms the doors of our cells. Instead of opening the doors and allowing a free-for-all, they close even tighter and start rejecting some of the insulin keys. The beta cell factory hears about this and starts making even more insulin keys, to help keep up with demand. Initially, this works – it helps get the glucose into the cells. But, after time, the beta cells in the factor begin to burn out; they are working too hard and slowly begin to die.

What’s so bad about having extra glucose in my blood?

Sweet blood – who wouldn’t want that?! Well, probably you. When our insulin key system becomes faulty, we are left with high levels of glucose in our blood. This begins to cause issues. Just like that jam you inexplicably got stuck on your elbow, glucose starts to stick to things in your blood. Initially, it’s a little here and a little there; you wouldn’t notice a thing. But, eventually, there’s so much jam that your elbows are stuck together – well, not really, but the sticky delights meet sticky ends!

These sticky patches are happening in your blood vessels, which means now your blood vessels start to have issues getting glucose energy to your cells. Because of this, your cells begin to die.

What are some of the issues that come from diabetes?

There are many parts of the body that are affected, but I’ll talk about two here.

The first is the blood vessels themselves. These sticky patches can get bigger and bigger, and eventually they can block the blood flow completely. When this happens in the heart, this is a heart attack, and, when it happens in the brain, it’s a stroke. Heart attacks are the biggest killer in diabetes.

Another issue is neuropathy. A neuropathy is a broad term for a dysfunction of your nerves. Diabetes first damages the nerves in your feet; this is because they are the furthest away from your heart and therefore most vulnerable to a poor blood supply caused by the sticky vessels. Slowly, you would begin to lose feeling in your feet. And, unfortunately, sometimes it’s not just numb feet but painful feet that can result.

Now to the question that brought us to this topic.

Jon from Victoria wrote to us asking for help with his diabetic neuropathy. He told us, “I have no feeling in my feet, and as the nerves have nothing to do they attack my feet 24/7.”

Well, firstly, I’m sorry to hear of your chronic nerve condition, Jon. It sounds unbearable. I imagine you’ve already tried a few things, so I’m sorry if I suggest things you’ve already tried. The first choice for most doctors would be medications, such as: pregabalin, gabapentin and duloxetine. Another option is capsaicin cream applied to the painful area.

If possible, you may also benefit from stretches and weight-bearing exercises which involve your legs.

Please discuss these suggestions with your doctor, as they are best placed to know what is right for you.

How do I stop myself from getting diabetes?

Well, for type 1 diabetes, you can’t. But if you’re over 30 then your likelihood of getting this illness is very low.

Type 2 is more avoidable, and prevention mostly comes down to weight loss.

That can be done by:

  • Changing diet: If swapping foods isn’t possible, smaller portions can still help.
  • Exercise: Activities like weights, push-ups or cardio burn calories and build muscle, which increases your body’s ability to burn energy even at rest.

How do I know if I have diabetes?

The most common symptoms are:

  • peeing more often
  • being more thirsty
  • being more tired.

Though all these symptoms can also be caused by other illnesses.

It’s best to speak to your doctor. They can check your blood glucose level and give you advice.

Leave a Comment

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
0 Comments
Author Name
Comment Time

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Anti Anxiety Yoga

By The Prison Phoenix Trust

All of us have times in our lives when we feel tense, nervous, worried and frightened. We might feel overwhelmed by the thoughts that keep going around in our head or by events in our lives that are facing us.

Health

ISSUE NO. 9

4 MIN READ

The Necessity of Sadness

By Annalise de Groot

It is a common misconception that sadness is ‘weakness’ and that to feel sad somehow undermines one’s ‘toughness.

Health

ISSUE NO. 9

4 MIN READ

Hepatitis C and Harm Reduction

By Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL)

The Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL) caught up for a yarn with Esha, a Peer Harm Reduction Coordinator at QuIHN. QuIHN is a service that supports people who use drugs and alcohol in Queensland.

Health

ISSUE NO. 9

6 MIN READ

“But No One Died.” Why We Feel Grief in Response to Life Changes

By Annalise de Groot

Grief does not discriminate as to whether the loss is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for you; it is about the absence of something you have held close for a long time.

Health

ISSUE NO. 8

6 MIN READ

Newsletter

Be the first to learn about our monthly stories, plus new initiatives and live events

You've successfully registered!
Something went wrong when we tried to register your details. Please try again.

Support Australia's First National Prison Newspaper

A place for news and education, expression and hope

Help keep the momentum going. All donations will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. If you would like to pay directly into our bank account to avoid the processing fee, please contact donate@abouttime.org.au. ABN 67 667 331 106.

It's
About Time.

A place for news and education, expression and hope.

Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

Donate Here

Newsletter

Be the first to learn about our monthly stories, plus new initiatives and live events

You've successfully registered!
Something went wrong when we tried to register your details. Please try again.