When Nada Al Ammari began potty training her firstborn son, she realised something was not right.
The 35-year-old Emirati mother of two suffers from type-1 diabetes and said she had a gut feeling that her son was also diabetic long before he showed any symptoms.
“Within 10 minutes he had passed urine more than three times,” Ms Al Ammari said.
She took her son to hospital, where doctors diagnosed diabetes.
Do not underestimate the effects of diabetes on your mental well-being
Nada Al Ammari
Ms Al Ammari is outspoken about her illness and advocates diabetes awareness.
Like her son, who is now 7, she had the condition diagnosed at an early age.
“When my son was diagnosed, I realised that I was not at peace with my diabetes. I was, like the saying goes, faking it until I made it. Nothing prepares you for this,” she said.
“I was giving lectures but I realised that, while I knew how diabetes affected me, I never realised how it affected the people around me.
"My son’s diagnosis hurt me more than me having diabetes. I knew that there was no affirmative reason for diabetes but I began blaming myself for his illness.”
But she said her son's situation has made her stronger.
“I realised that it was important to seek support. Do not underestimate the effects of diabetes on your mental well-being," she said.
"You have to have a psychologist or a support group or friends that you can talk to who are going through the same problems and most importantly educate yourself.
"There is a lot of information out there on diabetes and how to manage it.”
Dr Soha Saeed, consultant and chairwoman of obstetrics and gynaecology at Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi, said medics were able to monitor blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
“Corniche Hospital uses the latest blood glucose meters, which is applied to the mother’s arm and automatically measures and records blood glucose levels for a whole week while she is at her home," Dr Saeed said.
"Based on the readings, a tailored management plan is developed to control the mother’s blood sugar and to monitor the pregnancy on an ongoing basis, ensuring a healthy foetus and pregnancy.”
The World Health Organisation says diabetes was the ninth biggest cause of death in 2019, with an estimated 1.5 million fatalities directly caused by the disease.
About one in 10 of diabetics have type-1, which means the body cannot produce insulin and struggles to regulate blood sugar levels.
Type-2 diabetes is generally characterised by insulin resistance, when the body does not fully respond to insulin.
“Patients with diabetes should pay attention to their health condition, especially the feet, as diabetic foot syndrome (DFD) is one of the most common complications that diabetic patients suffer from," said Dr Muhammad Al-Hussein, an internal medicine specialist at Madinat Zayed Hospital.
"DFD can often develop from a simple inconvenience to complicated debilitations.
“There are three main factors that affect the feet of diabetic patients, the first of which is the lack of blood circulation in the main arteries of the feet; the second factor is diabetic neuropathy as a result of the peripheral nervous system being affected; and the third factor is that infections that occur as a result of all the previous factors.”
Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), which offers comprehensive treatment plans that allow patients to lead healthy and stable lives, encouraged the public to have regular screenings for the condition.
Diabetes in remission with a healthy lifestyle - in pictures
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Well Of Wisdom
7.05pm Summrghand
7.40pm Laser Show
8.15pm Angel Alexander
8.50pm Benbatl
9.25pm Art Du Val
10pm: Beyond Reason
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