Introductions

Alzibiff/Jennifer,

Yes, i agree that this could be a rebound from a night-time hypo. Setting the alarm at 3am to see what the reading is would be a good way to proceed.

I think this forum is all about advice. Describing personal experiences, what has happened to oneself, how problems were overcome is all advice of one sort or another. People will make their own decisions and i don't think there should be restrictions on what is said, within reason of course! However, as i said, it is always wise to discuss any concerns with a health professional and i think most people who have been on the DAFNE course would realise this.

Don't forget that the whole purpose of DAFNE is to put control back into the hands of the person who has diabetes! We are encouraged to make small, reasoned changes and to see how this affects or overall blood glucose levels. This all contributes to flexibility in our eating habits and the way we live our lives.

Widster

I agree with Widster. This forum is open to any DAFNE graduate and people will mean well and give different advice and that is good. It is far better to get advice and support from people who have lived with diabetes, than struggle alone with only a yearly visit to the doctor. I am sure as DAFNE grads we will all realise that before making big changes we should ask our doctor, and that everyone is different so what works for one won't work for another, but we also know how to alter out own insulin gradually in order to control our diabetes and there is nothing wrong with that. After all, that is all a doctor can really do, they are not on call 24/7, all they usually say is 'it could be so-and-so, try doing this and come back in a few weeks' and that is based on reading some books many years ago, not living every single day with diabetes. At the end of the day we are all responsible for our own diabetes, if we do not feel comfortable making changes we don't have to, but if we feel happy with making them responsibly then why not?

Hi Widster/Alzibiff,

I spent a couple of weeks a few months ago testing at 3am & 5am and found by BG levels to be ok, it just seems the 2 hours before I wake for the day that something is happening. I have now been advised by my doc to split my BI as they don't think it's lasting even 12 hours, although it should last 24 hours!! At the moment i've had to reduced my dose aswell but my readings are still in the very high teens & am having to correct every meal time. I think i'll just have to spend the next wee while experimenting with levels and discussing with the nurse about what to do next!

It's very frustrating as I feel I am working really hard, being good and getting nowhere.

Thanks for the advice. It's great for me to hear from other diabetics as I don't personally know anyone else that has type 1 diabetes. I also haven't had diabetes for that long so I am still learning all the time. If people are willing to share their experiences or offer me advice about what I can do then bring it on! I also feel the forums are great if people are seeking some help or guidance about their diabetes & want to talk to someone who is living through it and has experience every day of living with diabetes.

Oops! Hope I haven't offended anyone but I was expressing a personal opinion and please don't forget that this foum is open to the entire public of the world which includes people with diabetes who have and have NOT attended a DAFNE course, their relatives, parents and children.

Not everyone has the DAFNE experience to draw on, not everyone is aware of hypo rebounds, the "dawn phenomenon" and the need for careful monitoring of BG levels. (I have only just stared to take BG monitoring seriously after many many years). I stick to my view that I think it is best to describe experiences and explain reasons for various actions when it comes to dose adjustment rather than to suggest to someone that they "try this". Let others draw on these experiences and apply them to their regime by all means.

Still friends I hope <smiley thing>

Alan

p.s. My experience of the HCP people that ran my DAFNE course is definitely not the same as Lizzie's.

"...all they usually say is 'it could be so-and-so, try doing this and come back in a few weeks' and that is based on reading some books many years ago.."

I have had excellent support - EMails get answered within hours rather than days and they have experience of dealing with many people with diabetes rather than my experience which is dealing with just me!

I agree that the advice given here may well be useful - we are all living with diabetes, and anything that can help or make that situation more bearable/manageable is a good thing. We have purposefully put users 'levels' underneath their names on the forums so that you can see if the post has come from a Medical Professional (HCP) or DAFNE Graduate, or someone else. That way users can make informed decisions as to whether to follow advice given on the forums or not. It is true that adjustments made by one person with diabetes may not work the same for another person, but it is also true that the same adjustments may work for both people. My thoughts are this - give advice freely - be open about your experiences, that is what forums are about; but use it with care, if you do make changes do them gradually - as things which are too drastic may have severe effects. If something doesn't work for you, don't hold the advice-giver responsible, it's not their fault it didn't work for you - just try something else, or speak with your DAFNE Specialist. This site was created so Graduates could help each other.

Anyway, sermon over on to the topic in hand... I often find that if I've had a night-time hypo I'll have a headache - even if my BG is 8.3 or something. I remember also on our DAFNE course one of the guys had to do a 3AM test 3 nights out of the 4, and found that he was having night time hypos so reduced his background insulin.

Thanks,

Simon

Alzibiff - I wasn't thinking of the HCPs on my course when I said that. There were no doctors there - well one dropped in for about half an hour to answer a few questions, but the hard work was done by a dietitian and a nurse who were and are lovely and always respond to me if I need help. In contrast I have no relationship with any doctor, whether a GP or a diabetes doctor. I see a diabetes doctor for five minutes at my annual review and that's it really, and the next year it is a different doctor.

Hi,

I'm 39 and have had diabetes for 36 years; and was lucky enought to go on one of our PCT's first DAFNE courses back in January this year (2009).

I had heard about the existence of DAFNE about 2 1/2 years ago and had been working with my DSN on using some of the DAFNE principles whilst waiting for the local DAFNE Educators to receive their initial training and get funding so they could run these courses. Anyway, my point is that I wanted DAFNE, asked for DAFNE and was delighted with the enlightened approach to my care when the actual DAFNE course still wasn't quite available in my area.

DAFNE has given me a sound foundation of understanding of my condition and the tools that I craved to make informed choices about my own day to day care – and the changes this is bringing to my life are gradually revealing themselves as things “bed in”. [If you read my post on the development site about how useful the graphs are, you'll appreciate that I still have a lot of work to do to get where I want to be, but a least I now have something to work with!]

Crazy isn’t it that it’s taken 36 years to get to this point!

Good luck and good learning to everyone who's done or doing DAFNE.

Hi!!

My name is Stacey I am 29 and I have been a diabetic for 28yrs and am so grateful for the DAFNE course it gave
alot of answers to why I was having so many hypos for all those years. I still need alot of help trying to get my
HbA1c down I was doing sooooooooooo well but now it has gone up again:-(, but the hypos have stoppped I
have now not had one for a year!. It is so important for me to try take better control as we are trying for a baby
so any little tips or words of advice will be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

My name is Karen and I am 38 years old and have been diabetic for 28 years. I have recently completed a DAFNE course and cannot believe how much it has changed my life. I learnt more in 1 week about my diabetes than I have in the last 28 years. I have taken on board everything that I have learnt and seem to be getting much better results than previously so fingers crossed this will reflect in my next HBA1C.

Stacey, I totally agree that you need to get your HBA1C to a lower level before trying to conceive. I have had two successful pregnancies during my time as diabetic. I know it is really hard work getting your levels correct but it is well worth it. I think that you are lucky to have completed the DAFNE course prior to becoming pregnant as you have a lot more information at your finger tips now. If you were anything like me I felt like I had plodded along for the last 28 years doing lots of guess work. At least now I know that there is a proper formular that actually works!

Good luck

Hi,

Everyone keeps talking about how good these graphs are. Where do I find one to try it out?

I am finding dafne helpful but still having troubles mixing it in with shift work. Does anyone have any advise that might help?
Thanks
Sheila