Comparing numbers with Mum

In Diabetes Prevention Week, Steven Thomas wonders whether blood sugar could become an online game…

I am a diabetic.  There, I said it.  I’m not one of those people who gets upset about my health condition turning me into a noun but, if you prefer, I have type 2 diabetes.

Last year my mum and I got almost simultaneous diagnoses of type 2 diabetes.  There is a hereditary factor, so I expect that if one of us had got a diagnosis even a few months earlier, the other would probably have rushed off for a blood sugar test for the first time in quite a few years.

When they get together, some families play card games or Cluedo.  Comparing HbA1c levels (probably the most common measure of blood sugar) has become the new pastime for us.

With the development of new health technologies, we often talk about “gamification” – that is, introducing competitive elements which turn processes into a game.  Online games are big business: whether it’s Angry Birds, Candy Crush or Scrabble, I expect everyone has had a go at some point, as shown by the profits their developers make.  That ping when you complete a level, or put down a word using all your tiles, is a massive dopamine rush, bringing us back time and again for another hit.

I don’t think there’s anything I would do any differently if I got a game-style response from the NHS App for reducing my blood sugar level.  Looking at the graph on my screen and knowing it’s falling, which it is (along with the risk of complications), is reward enough – but if comparing HbA1c numbers with Mum is a game then it’s one I’m losing.

It’s easy to assess your own risk of type 2 diabetes: there’s an online risk checker, which will set out steps you can take if it’s high.  This Diabetes Prevention Week, why not make time to look at your own risk?