New to dafne

Hi I've just recently done the dafne . I've been an insulin dependent diabetic for 33years . Since I was 3 .ive had my ups and downs . Feeling a little down as changed from lantus to lev emir now twice daily . Can't seem to get my levels down from double figures . Feeling slightly frustrated is this normal . Thanks in advance

Feeling frustrated is very normal, for me double figures are also quite common

If you look at other posts here, the best bet is to do a fasting base level test to check Levemir is correct, go 24 - 48 hours with no carbs (not all together), overnight, then on a dif day miss breakfast and possibly lunch, then on another day miss diner. If levemir is correct it should hold you at roughly (with a few mmol) at the same level for the full 24 hours.

Hope this helps.

Phil

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on completing DAFNE......

As Phil says, getting your Levemir dose pinned down is priority at the moment, most people leave DAFNE with this dose not completely sorted, as it can take a few weeks........

Once this is done, you can tweak your QA doses and you should see results......

Remember, your body needs what it needs in terms of insulin, so don't worry if your dose is more than you were previously used to....

Welcome, hope you find the forums useful.

Try not be frustrated by your levels, it may take a while to adjust to DAFNE and split Levemir. I've just checked my units (keep them all in a spreadsheet as well as in DAFNE) and I increased my Levemir from 9am/7pm to 13am/11pm over about 4 months after DAFNE. BGs vary, had a lot in the 9-13 range recently which really dislike as feel out of control, but with DAFNE now avoiding (most of) very high levels and very low. So last HBA1C was spot-on - but next will probably be a bit higher. It's a continuous process of monitor and adjust.

Thanks for your advice . I know i will get there just so many changes and I feel awful when in double figures . I will stay positive and be patient . You know what it's like maybe it's just me expecting results straight away . I spoke with my nurse today and she has mentioned something called the dawn phenomina . She has also talked about me going on the pump which I'm not sure about . So much to think about

Hello,

Are you using the same doses for Levemir as you were for Lantus? It is quite common to need to increase doses of Levemir to get the same effect as Lantus - sometimes by up to 25%. So if for example, you were on 20 units of Lantus daily, and you have switched to 2 x 10-unit doses of Levemir per day, then you may need to be on as much as 12 or 13 units per Levemir dose.

As Phil says though, test your overnight levels, and if you do increase the dose, then only do it by 10% at a time, and leave for 2-3 days before any further increases.

Welcome and congrats on DAFNE. The best thing i ever done. Still have my ups and downs but compared to pre DAFNE i feel so much better. Getting your levemir sorted is the way to go. It frustrated me at the start but finally sorted that taking mine when i get up at 6am and when i go to bed at 10pm-11pm works best for me. Good luck.

Hi
I am a new dafne graduate I completed the course last week. I am just wondering how long roughly does it take to notice real changes to hba1c ? I am still adjusting my levemir at the moment as my morning and before lunch time readings are in double figures.
If anyone can give any advice I would really appreciate it

Welcome

I wouldn't be concerned about HBA1C (it's a long term test) but concentrate on BG and adjust according to DAFNE rules - if BG is within range and avoiding hights and lows, HBA1C should come within target. This may take several months - think my best HBA1C was a year after DAFNE (Sep 2012). After DAFNE my aim was to reduce the highs (causing blurred vision, not occurred since DAFNE) and lows (2.0 and less) and my HBA1C eventually came down to virtually perfect - but since then I've had a relapse. It's a bit of a game - me versus BG!

I also had to increase my Levemir after DAFNE (from 16 pre-DAFNE now at 24 per day split am and pm) which took some time to show up. The timing of Levemir may also affect BG.

BG/HBA1C may depend on external factors - stress, different regime, even getting used to DAFNE from what you did before, eating differently.

If your levels are reasonably consistent it's probably easier to fix.

If high am and lunch time, possibly need to adjust evening Levemir (assuming you are on on Levemir am and pm, and QA for meals). Remember BI changes can take a few days to show up in BG.

Hope this make sense and helps.

Hi
Thank you for your reply and advice. Yeah I am on am and pm levemir. My diabetes specialist nurse dropped my am from 26 units to 14 and 20 units to 14. All last week whilst on the course they were reading high. I've increased my pm BI to 16 and the am has come down slightly but still not within range. Would you also suggest increasing my am BI first before I increase QA to see if it had an affect on day time Bg? I am doing corrections with every meal I have but not having much affect. And these high readings make me feel a bit rubbish. I go back to work tomorrow and it's quite an active job so I will also have to consider how that has an effect on my BG. Trial and error. I suppose