Managing type 2 and pre-diabetes can be a lot of work. But Barbara Richardson hopes her new support group will make things a little easier. It was “a bit of a shock” for Mrs Richardson, an active North Otago farmer, to find out she was pre-diabetic two years ago. She did not have any symptoms, but her doctor included an HbA1C test, a measure of someone’s average blood sugar over three months, in her annual health check. It revealed a higher than average blood glucose level, placing her in the pre-diabetic category. Pre-diabetes can often lead to type 2 diabetes.