A decade ago, Christopher Biggins, 71, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. At the time, he’d been performing at Edinburgh Festival. “I was doing a play, almost a one handed play for Edinburgh Festival, and I found it very difficult to concentrate, very difficult to learn the lines,” he told My Weekly.
“I was nodding off, I just wasn’t myself. And so, in desperation, I went to the doctor and she carried out some tests.
“When I went back for the results, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which was a shock.”
Biggins continued: “My body had been telling me that there was something wrong but I just thought I was tired!
“My diagnosis might be different from others. There are other symptoms that could be a sign of type 2 diabetes; including needing to go to the toilet, being really thirsty, losing weight without trying to or blurred vision to name a few.”
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high, according to the NHS.
Many people have the condition without realising because symptoms don’t necessarily make you feel unwell.
But symptoms include:
- Peeing more than usual, particularly at night
- Feeling thirsty all the time
- Feeling very tired
- Losing weight without trying to
- Itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
- Cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
- Blurred vision
As type 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition that affects your everyday life it’s important to make changes to your diet, to take medicines and have regular check-ups.
At the age of 69, Biggins admitted he hadn’t made as many changes to his lifestyle as he should have.
But he vowed to “get himself together” for “however many more years he’s got left”.
He said: “I feel very healthy but I do know that I have to improve things.
“So, I want to do something about it. I have started to eat much less recently and I don’t drink as much as I used to when I was younger. But I know I could do more.”
A healthy diet and keeping active are the best ways to manage your blood sugar levels.
It can also help you control your weight – being overweight is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
The NHS advises: “There’s nothing you cannot eat if you have type 2 diabetes, but you’ll have to limit certain foods.
“You should eat a wide range of foods – including fruit, vegetables and some starchy foods like pasta, keep sugar, fat and salt to a minimum, and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day – do not skip meals.”
The health body also recommends doing 2.5 hours of activity a week to help lower blood sugar.
It says: “You can be active anywhere as long as what you’re doing gets you out of breath.
“This could be fast walking, climbing stairs, or doing more strenuous housework or gardening.”
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