Snow in New York. January 2015
Diabetogenic is a blog about real life with type 1 diabetes. I’m Renza Scibilia and I live in inner-Melbourne, Australia. I’ve lived with type 1 since 1998 and for the last eighteen years I’ve used an insulin pump. These days I’m all about automation, and am more than happily Looping. I work for a diabetes organisation.
I speak a lot about diabetes. I present at conferences both here in Australia and globally and am a proud member of the Diabetes Online Community (DOC). I’m a diabetes consumer representative and a vocal advocate for ensuring the voice of the ‘patient’ is heard loud and clear.
My life isn’t about diabetes – there is so very much more. I live with my husband of twenty years and our beautiful fourteen year old daughter in an Edwardian house filled with far too many books, CDs and guitars. We also live with our cat and two dogs.
I spend a lot of time thinking about food, even more time eating it and far too much time baking cupcakes and brownies. Coffee may be my first love, but I can’t really admit that (see previous paragraph for reference to husband and daughter). I blame the food and coffee thing on being Italian!
I’ve started this blog to put a voice to some of the ongoing issues of living with the life-long condition that is type 1 diabetes. I hope that anyone reading gets something out of it.
Right now, it’s highly likely that I am wearing stripes, have a coffee in one hand, a spoonful of Nutella in the other and am thinking about moving my family to New York. I consider all of these things to be #BolusWorthy.
DISCLAIMER – READ THIS PLEASE!
This blog does not provide medical information or advice. I write about my own experiences of living with diabetes but please don’t think that you should take on board what I’m doing and apply it to you. We’re all different and our diabetes varies. Significantly. Get thyself to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional to help yourself out with your own particular brand of diabetes.
Also, even though I may say otherwise, Nutella is not a food group. Neither is coffee.
Diabetogenic 
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July 17, 2012 at 10:00 pm
One Australian Diabetes Advocate is Making Waves : DiabetesMine: the all things diabetes blog
[…] about Simon’s October 2011 visit to the U.S. via Twitter and the blogosphere, a woman named Renza Scibilia was inspired a to create a D-Meetup of her […]
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October 29, 2012 at 10:00 pm
In the Land of Hypoglycemia Simulations! : DiabetesMine: the all things diabetes blog
[…] type 1 Renza Scibilia from Melbourne, Australia, who blogs at Diabetogenic, also attended EASD as part of the Blogger Summit and used the driving-scenario Hypo Simulator, but […]
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February 6, 2013 at 3:53 pm
Impressions. « Process Stories
[…] the OzDOC, in particular but not limited to, Ms Henshaw, Ms Indovino, Miss Peters, Mr Cameron and Ms Scibilia. It’s the Temptations. I love you […]
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February 25, 2013 at 2:12 pm
bruce
First time I have tried this.I am a 70 year male with type 2 diabetes. I have a needle phobia taking sugar readings is a big challenge for me.
Maybe you or someone has some tips I can use
Thank you Bruce P
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November 6, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Chris Tyler
Hi Renza!
Living with diabetes is like a challenge for me. I generally avoid foods that may increase the sugar level and make my diabetes worse. But surviving with diabetes in australia is becoming hard for me each day.
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April 29, 2014 at 7:18 pm
Priscilla Maxwell
Good luck with your research. I think it will be more successful if it can be framed carefully without inadvertently stigmatizing any other group, such as the-group-of-people-who-are-heavier-than-other-people-say-they-should-be. It is easy to fall into that trap, when you naturally want to distance yourselves as a group from other stigmatized groups. Many diabetic people are slender and/or fit. Some are not, and some who are heavier are so because diabetes made the road much harder. Heavier people are stigmatized, diabetic or not. Yes, Type 2 is confused with Type 1, and Type 2 people are stigmatized as a group who are accused of having caused their own problem (though I think this is doubtful at many levels) but so are heavier people who are not diabetic at all, and stigma of any kind aims to damage the self esteem of the target and induce feelings of superiority in the non-stig group. But being stigmatized never made anyone better able to move into a more constructive space. You are tempted to shout “You accuse us of being fat and lazy”, which can happen, but some diabetics are in fact heavier and it won’t help them if you distance yourself from them and marginalise them further, however unintentionally, in the process.
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January 28, 2015 at 7:35 pm
New Vs Experienced T1D ft Diabetogenic | Miss T1D
[…] not had the pleasure, let me introduce you to the brutally honest writer over at Diabetogenic, Renza Scibilia. Renza has been living the T1D life for going on 17 years, has used an insulin pump for over 12, […]
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November 2, 2015 at 8:39 pm
Kath
Hi Renza,
My name’s Kath. Im 32 and live in Hobart. Finding your blog has been a saviour. Two months ago I was diagnosed with type 1, and it’s been such weird path since. I was so optimistic to begin but recently I’m struggling to wrap my head around my new life. It’s fine and awful all in one. Reading about your journey has made me laugh, and be thankful for others who understand. I applaud your willingness to share, educate, and make others laugh about diabetes. I can only hope for your strength and voice. Keep it up. Thanks Renza, Kath x
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January 18, 2016 at 5:57 pm
Blood Sugar Monitor
Amazing blog posted. Thank you for sharing such a lovely blog.
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February 12, 2016 at 11:50 am
Rod
Great Blog Renza, I’m curious to know how many people officially follow your blog? I’m sure it is quite a few 🙂
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April 10, 2016 at 12:27 am
Sandra
Yeah I hear ya me coffee and doubnuts. Have had type 1 diabetes 25 yrs.
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July 13, 2016 at 7:06 pm
#T1D : Diabetes+ is a persistent pain! – abelspace
[…] Renza writes a chatty and informative blog about living with Type one Diabetes and this post entitled Confusion succinctly describes the tussle of living with vs suffering from this ‘condition/disease’. During my young adult years, the only people with diabetes that I met (not many) seemed to be super heroes with their management, unlike me who felt as if I was constantly fighting a losing battle with blood sugar levels, and hence, a very bad diabetic who deserved every complication that would inevitably catch up with me. Social networking and the internet has changed this – yes the good stories, and the bad stories, and every story in between is out there to share. Finally I began to feel like I was no better or worse than others in the way I ‘managed my condition’ (there we go again with that language). […]
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April 11, 2019 at 7:01 pm
thediabeticsurvivor
Hello Renza! Glad I found your blog. Very interesting that you spend a lot of time time baking being diabetic 😛 I also found such a good point of encounter DOC, a truly life changing.
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July 28, 2019 at 2:14 pm
KEN
I just saw you on House of Wellness playing down what Dr Mosley was shown saying about combatting diabetes through an 8-week 800 calories per day crash diet mainly omitting carbs( bread, potatoes, pasta, rice) and not eating anything with sugar in it. It worked for me having been diagnosed with being pre-diabetic.
Above you say that coffee is your favourite beverage. Do you add sugar to your coffee?
You also mention baking cupcakes and brownies. Do you add any sugar to them?
Do you eat all normal foods which have sugar in them?
Thanks,
Ken.
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July 28, 2019 at 2:36 pm
RenzaS / Diabetogenic
Hi Ken. Thanks for your comment. Firstly, I wasn’t talking down Michael Mosley. As I said, his strategies worked for him, and may work for others. And that’s great. I simply cautioned that we need to be careful about suggesting this is something that may work for everyone. I’m really pleased that you found something that worked for you.
As to my own personal food choices, I do what works for me. I certainly do add sugar to things at times, and as I am able to carb count, dose insulin accordingly.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
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May 24, 2020 at 7:18 pm
Quetta Serradura
Hi Renza!
I just saw a glimpse of you on the news and thought I know that girl! I hope you are keeping well and no doubt, living life to the fullest.
What a blast from the past!
Quetta
quetta.serradura@bigpond.com
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July 30, 2021 at 10:30 pm
Autour de la communauté en ligne sur le diabète : juillet 2021 - Maxystars
[…] Semaine nationale du diabète en Australie est revenue à la mi-juillet, et notre peep D-blogging Renza Scibilia a écrit cette pièce remarquable à propos de « la stigmatisation du diabète dans le monde du […]
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July 30, 2021 at 11:43 pm
Around the Diabetes Online Community: July 2021 - Diabetes
[…] Diabetes Week in Australia got here round once more in mid-July, and our D-blogging peep Renza Scibilia wrote this remarkable piece about “diabetes stigma from contained in the diabetes world.” […]
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August 31, 2021 at 12:10 am
Around the Diabetes Online Community: July 2021 – Healthline – gainfulhaorde
[…] Diabetes Week in Australia came around again in mid-July, and our D-blogging peep Renza Scibilia wrote this remarkable piece about “diabetes stigma from inside the diabetes world.” It’s an […]
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