I found out that I had diabetes in 1981. I had already had the shock of epilepsy, and had learned to live with it in 1971. So when I was told I had diabetes, it just felt like I had something else that needed to be taken care of and it made no difference whatsoever. I have since suffered from retinopathy and need laser treatment on my eyes, but my eyesight doesn't feel any different. I have also become impotent, which to me is the most significant drawback of all my disabilities.

Personally, I don't think that living with diabetes is any different from a person having to wear glasses for good eyesight or somebody wearing a hearing aid to hear better. It's something I need to do to keep my life as normal as possible and to prevent further deterioration of my body.

Living with diabetes on its own is a piece of cake, but I have other conditions that mean if one becomes poorly, all the others are affected. I have epilepsy, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, angina, high blood pressure - and I'm sure some of the latter have been caused by my diabetes.

Living with diabetes may sometimes involve seeing more than one type of specialist regularly, which is a bit of a bugbear! When I was married I didn't really have to make any changes, because if there were any problems my wife helped me with them. Now that I'm divorced I test my blood sugar levels more, and at night I ensure my reading is fairly high because twice I went into a coma while I was asleep. I also see a chiropodist on a regular basis.

I use a pen injector and I have an injection of human actrapid insulin before breakfast, dinner and tea, and then an injection of human insulatard insulin at night. Of all the different ways I have been told to treat myself, this one has given me the most freedom and confidence.

I feel everyone must learn to live with diabetes in their own way. Basically, they must do their own blood testing regularly, see their specialist or nurse, and keep to the advice given if it works. However, if they feel that there is a problem, they should resolve it straight away because it may mean less treatment is required. Also, remember that your doctor is committed to helping you, so don't be afraid or embarrassed to seek help.