Experience of Being Diabetic

In order to gain a deeper understanding of how to manage diabetes successfully, interviews with 20 well‐adapted insulin‐dependent diabetic patients, with long duration of the disease and with no vascular complications, were performed as a first step of a major long‐term study. The data were analysed qualitatively in line with “grounded theory”. The results are presented in five conceptual categories, as an account of the patients' experiences in dealing with diabetes: 1. Up to oneself. 2. Walking a fine line. 3. The days are numbered. 4. Not ill, but having a disease. 5. Being dependently independent. To maintain effective self‐management it is important for the patients to recognise and understand difficulties, and to get support. Disaccordance concerning e.g. the way patients are treated within the health care system may be depressing and confusing. Knowledge derived from well‐adapted diabetic patients might be of great value when caring for diabetic patients in general and in particular when taking care of newly diagnosed diabetic patients.