Guest Column - Richard Horne: Happy to keep injecting new life into my professional career

WHEN I first found out I had diabetes it did come as a bit of a shock.

I spoke to a couple of people who had it and they struggled even to go to the gym so it did leave me worrying whether I'd be able to carry on as a professional.

But I soon adapted, got back into training earlier than usual, sorted out the blood sugar testing and, nearly a couple of years on, I'm going fine.

I've never had a 'hypo' – when sugar levels fall below what they should do – during a game but I have in training a few times.

I'll start to feel dizzy but Rich (Agar) understands and I'll go off and have a PowerAde or Lucozade. A few minutes later, I'm okay again and back in it.

Sean Long did wonder what was going on not long after he signed, though. I was rooming with him on a pre-season trip and one morning he said he'd heard me rustling around in the middle of the night. I had to explain my sugar had gone low and I was munching on a chocolate bar. He was laughing saying how he wouldn't mind an excuse to binge like that.

I check my sugar before a game, at half-time and straight after but it's more away from the game when I'm at home that I might get caught out.

When your sugar does go low it is like binge-eating. The feeling you get makes you need to eat and I'll be telling people to give me everything in sight. I find I lose some concentration and sweating is also an early sign. Sometimes my missus tells me I'm having a hypo as well. She picks up on it – she might notice if I'm being snappy which is another sign – and warn me before I go dangerously low.

The lads are all aware of it as well and will tell me if I'm not looking too good but sometimes I'm just grumpy anyway.

I have two injections each day but that can go up to four or five depending. I've just been on a Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating course in Hull last week which has been great and proved a real eye-opener.

There's not many diabetics I know of in Super League. Danny Sculthorpe at Bradford Bulls is one. I've not really discussed it with him but I've seen him after matches and he's asked how I'm going with it all. Maybe further down the line, if I do have any complications, we might have a chat but generally things are going well.

We've got Harlequins in Edinburgh on Saturday. I'm not really keen on the Magic Weekend but mainly because I'm not one for travelling. It's a five-hour bus journey. I'll end up playing cards and you can lose a lot of money in five hours!

Quins will be tough. They've just hit some form, winning two on the bounce including knocking over the (Wigan) Warriors. That was a shock result for everyone. Danny Orr's playing really well for them and he's looking good linking up with Luke Dorn now he's back, too, while Rob Purdham is a real strong, solid player.

He makes a big difference for Harlequins. Our form's not the best but it only takes one week to turn it around.

We won against Wakefield last Friday and we've prepared well for this one. We have got some bodies back ourselves so we're confident.

Interview by Dave Craven.