Site infections - Some sites are more prone to infection than others e.g. mouth, genitals and navel (belly button). This can cause redness, swelling and pain around the site. Navel piercing takes longer to heal because of sweat and clothes rubbing against it - so avoid tight clothing.

General infection - Infection throughout the body can result from a site infection that has been ignored. This can cause a general feeling of being unwell and fever. There are also risks of infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis if the equipment or techniques are not up to standard.

Problems with jewellery

• Mouth - jewellery can cause chipping or cracking to teeth
  
• Navel - can get caught on clothing
  
• Nipple - jewellery should be removed when breastfeeding
  
• Genitals - jewellery may break a condom and increase risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases

What to think about if you have diabetes!

Infection
Infection can cause blood glucose levels (BGLs) to go up and healing times can be longer. The last thing you want is for the piercing to be removed due to infection. Infection also will increase the scarring from piercing. To avoid infection make sure BGLs are mostly within the normal range to promote healing. If your BGLs are high to start with, the chance of infection will increase and will also push your levels even higher. So don’t have piercing done if your BGLs are high or you are unwell.

To prevent infection during the healing time:

• Follow the guidelines for cleaning
  
• Don’t keep touching the jewellery
  
• Avoid contact with other people’s body fluids (saliva, sweat)
  
• Don’t let other people touch the pierced part during the healing time
  
• Public swimming pools should be avoided
• For piercing on the face avoid make up

If infection occurs…go to the doctor early for treatment.

To be cool and stay safe, look into piercing very closely and choose wisely by asking lots of questions. Follow instructions to prevent infection and try to make sure your BGLs are well managed to promote healing.

Hypos
The tongue heals very fast but usually swells up afterwards, so it’s important to make sure that the bar inserted is long enough so it doesn’t become embedded in the tongue. Eating can be difficult and this may put you at risk of a hypo. Make sure you have soft and easy to chew carbohydrate foods and drinks, a bit like you would do after a visit to the dentist.

Thinking about it?

• Ask friends who’ve had it done - how long it took to heal and how painful it was. Ask them where they got it done and the how much it cost. Would they get it done again?
  
• Talk to the 'oldies' before you decide to go ahead - they'll probably yell less if they know beforehand!!

Thanks to - Angie Llewellyn, Diabetes Educator.

When things get serious in relationships, and you find yourself thinking about having sex, the most important thing is to make sure it’s the right thing for you - remember it’s your call. You need to think things through and stay safe…

STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)
STDs are one of the biggest risks of unplanned / unprotected sex. The scary thing is that your partner could have an STD without even knowing it! STDs can be dangerous, they can affect fertility and some may even be life threatening (eg. HIV).

Unwanted pregnancy
It you or your partner want to get pregnant – great! But if it’s unplanned it can stuff up your future plans and affect relationships. Think carefully and play it safe!

Getting wasted
Drugs and alcohol can make you do stuff you wouldn’t normally do. You might feel like nothing can go wrong, but it might – unplanned sex (and unplanned pregnancy) are a real possibility. Getting wasted can be ugly and hangovers are not fun – neither is wondering what you did last night?

There’s no going back but…
You can always say “no”, it’s never too late! Make sure it’s right for you and don’t regret it in the morning. Talk to your friends about it, but remember everyone’s different and deals with things in their own way.

Where does diabetes fit in?

When things are “hotting up”, the last thing on your mind is usually diabetes! There’s some other stuff you should think about like -

Telling your partner about diabetes…
You might not want to tell them that you’ve got diabetes - what if they think they can catch it or they won’t like you any more? If they think like that, don’t feel bad – they just don’t understand. You’ll probably find that once you explain it they’ll be fine with it. You may wonder “why should I bother telling them anyway??” It’s about staying safe.

Contraception Choices

Condoms
Condoms are the only way to protect yourself from STDs. No matter how well you know the other person or what other method of contraception you’re using, always use a condom.

The Pill
The oral contraceptive pill can be used by most females with type 1 diabetes unless there is a history of high blood pressure or blood clots. Talk to your diabetes doctor or educator about the best choice for you.

Other choices

Pregnancy
Pregnancy in females with diabetes should be planned. It’s important that blood glucose levels are well managed both before and during pregnancy. The pregnancy should be closely monitored by your diabetes team along with an obstetrician (baby doctor).

Hypos
Sex is a form of physical activity and when you’ve got diabetes, this means you can be at risk of having a hypo. Have some hypo treatment handy.

Erectile Dysfunction
Lots of guys worry about not being able to get an erection. This may occur in adults who have had diabetes for a long time but may happen for other reasons, often psychological. Good diabetes management is the way to go to reduce the risk.

Want more info? Check out: FPA Health
http://www.fpahealth.org.au/

Smoking sucks and is really bad for everyone's health, especially if you've got diabetes. The nicotine in cigarettes damages blood vessels and can increase the risk of long term diabetes complications, like damage to the kidneys, eyes, heart and feet. It can even cause erection problems in males down the track. Smoking is also linked to poor blood glucose control, mouth and dental problems and has extra risks in pregnancy. Smoking causes about one-fifth of all cancer deaths in Australia (especially lungs, throat, mouth), as well as heaps of other diseases.

If you smoke, stop NOW before it's too late! If you need help to quit smoking, contact your local GP, community health centre, diabetes team or Diabetes Australia.

As soon as you're old enough, you'll probably be keen to start driving and if you manage your diabetes responsibly there's no reason why diabetes should stop you. As long as you play it safe, research shows that people with diabetes don't have more car accidents than anyone else. Extra things you need to think about are:

Applying for a licence
When you apply for a licence you must tell the traffic authority in your state that you have type 1 diabetes. Each State and Territory has its own regulations regarding the allocation of licences to people with diabetes, but it's likely that you'll need a doctors report stating that your diabetes is well managed. You'll probably need a new letter from your doctor every two years. Your doctor will want to support you to get your licence and renewals, but remember that they are only able to do so, if you are making an effort to care for your diabetes.

Hypos
Hypos (low BGLs) are the major risk for anyone driving who has diabetes. It's really important that you have a good knowledge about hypos - your symptoms, treatment and prevention. You always need to check your blood glucose level (BGL) before getting in the car and to have hypo treatment at hand. If your BGL is low before you drive, treat the hypo and wait until your BGL has come back up and you're feeling better. If you have a hypo while you're driving, pull over immediately and check your BGL. Don't think "I'll stop later" - it might be too late. Driving while having a hypo can slow your reaction time and put you, your passengers, other drivers and pedestrians in danger.

If you have hypo unawareness (that is, you don't feel your hypos coming on) it's important that you discuss this with your doctor, as driving in this situation is very dangerous.

Alcohol & Drugs
Driving, alcohol and drugs are not a good mix and are illegal. Alcohol and drugs can make you feel overconfident which can make you take risks and be more prone to an accident. Like a hypo, alcohol and drugs can also slow your reaction time while driving.

If you plan on drinking or taking drugs, don't drive - organise a designated driver or another way to get home. Remember, if you've got type 1 diabetes you're also at increased risk of delayed hypos from alcohol. If you've had a big night keep this in mind before you get in the car the next day.

Diabetes Complications
Complications such as those affecting the eyes or feet can impact on your ability to drive safely. If you have any diabetes related complications, discuss this with your doctor before you drive.

For further information on driving and type 1 diabetes visit: www.austroads.com.au

Drugs can be harmful to the health of everyone and they’re just not cool, especially if you've got diabetes. When you've got diabetes, drugs can also cause problems like:

• Changes in awareness, consciousness and understanding which means that you may not recognise your hypo symptoms and forget to look after your diabetes
  
• Affect your ability to make good judgements
  
• Make you forget about routines, injections, meal times and the stuff you need to do to look after your diabetes
  
• Poor appetite and lack of interest in food, increasing the risk of hypos
  
• Increased appetite (marijuana) leading to high BGLs
  
• Nausea and vomiting, which means you might be at risk of high or low BGLs
  
• Changes to the way you feel, like faster heart beat or sweating that may be mistaken for a hypo
  
• 'Hangover' effects after the drugs have worn off like depression or sleep problems which can make you lose interest in looking after your diabetes

Many drugs can have long term effects on your health, such as damage to the body's major organs - liver, heart and brain. Combined with diabetes the damage can be even worse. There's also the risk of over dose and bad reactions to drugs that can make you extremely unwell and in some cases cause death. Mixing drugs or combining drugs and alcohol can further increase these risks.

If you think you have a drug problem you need to tell someone and get some help. Contact your local drug and alcohol counselling service for advice on where to get help or you can call one of the following help lines:
Lifeline: 131 114 (cost of a local call)
Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800 (free call, for people under 18)

Check out these links for more info:
www.adf.org.au
www.reachout.com.au

Parties and big nights out can be heaps of fun. When you've got diabetes, you can still go out and enjoy yourself as much as everyone else, but don't forget about:

Insulin
It's a good idea to eat dinner or a snack before you go out - don't forget to take your insulin. If it's going to be a long or active night, you might need to reduce your evening insulin - talk to your doctor or diabetes educator.

Testing
It might sound boring, but it's a good idea to take your meter with you in case you're not feeling great and need to check your BGL. Meters these days are pretty small and most will fit in your pocket, bag or handbag.

Munchies
Lots of parties don't have lots of food! So plan ahead and grab some munchies on the way to take with you (you'll be very popular!). Try to eat regularly during the night, especially if you're dancing.

Hypos
Don't forget to take some hypo food with you. Jelly beans and glucose tablets are easy to throw in your pocket or take a bottle of juice with you. If you forget, grab some soft drink to treat a hypo. It's important not to ignore a hypo, it might be annoying to stop what you're doing, but it could be embarrassing and dangerous if you don't treat it. Don't forget about follow up carbohydrates and re-treating your hypo if you don't feel better.

Make sure that one of the friends that you are out with (one who isn't drinking) knows about your diabetes and knows what to do if you have a hypo. Remember tell them not to try and make you eat if you are unconscious and to call for an ambulance. Wear some ID so that if anything happens, the ambulance or hospital knows what to do.

Dancing
If you're in to dancing remember that extra activity can cause your BGLs to drop, even later that night or overnight. Make sure you eat extra carbohydrate foods over the night and carry hypo food with you. Talk to your doctor or diabetes educator about reducing your insulin dose.

Alcohol
If you've got diabetes it's important to know about the extra dangers of drinking, click here for more info.

Drugs
Drugs are dangerous, even more so if you've got diabetes - they're not worth the risk. Click here to find out more.

Smoking
If you've got diabetes it's important to know about the extra dangers of smoking, click here for more info.

Sex
Sometimes at a party, things can go too far. Remember no matter what you do, play it safe. Click here to find out more.

Driving
It's important to plan how you're going to get to the party and how you're going to get home. If you're the designated driver don't drink or take drugs and remember to check your BGL before you get in the car - driving when you're hypo is dangerous for you, your passengers and everyone else. Click here to find out more about driving and diabetes.

Getting to bed
You might not feel like testing when you're looking good on the dance floor, but a test before bed is really smart. If you're low treat the hypo and then have some extra carbohydrate foods to keep your levels up. Even if you're not low some extra carbohydrates before bed can stop a bad overnight hypo. Don't forget to take your long acting insulin before bed - if you're really late home, you may need to take less. Plan ahead and talk to your diabetes educator or doctor about how to adjust your insulin when you have a big night out.

The day after
OK, so you might not be feeling great, but it's still important to drag yourself out of bed, check your BGL, take your insulin and have something to eat. Getting a friend to check on you is a good idea.

You might find that you're more prone to hypos after a big night out - so make sure that you eat enough the next day (even if it's dry toast & vegemite). If you forgot your evening insulin or you've been vomiting - remember to check for ketones. If your BGL is high and you have ketones - treat it like you would a sick day click here for more info . Don't forget, ask for help if you need it!