Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Nov 24, 2014

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Help - BG Levels

Moved to General Forum

Nov 24, 2014

Neville COL 23 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work

I work for the railways, office based, and the rule in that industry, on a 7hr 24 min shift, used to be a 20 min break between the 3rd and 5th hour.However since privatisation, and the fact that some companies now have a more flexible shift pattern for office based shift workers probably means that that principle has now fallen into disuse! I now work a 12 hour shift pattern 3 days a week, with no 'formal' breaks, which can be challenging especially on night shifts, but the nature of my job means that I can fit in injections, blood tests, and sandwiches as appropriate.....

Nov 24, 2014

Stew B 125 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work

I'm not an expert.. but there's something called the European Working Time Directive which concerns shift lengths and breaks etc. (I'm aware of this because it caused mayhem in the residential child-care sector when it was brought in), and in the disability side of things I believe that employers are required to make "reasonable adjustments" to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. Good luck!

Nov 24, 2014

marke 681 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle Libre

Hi, As Peter says there is a long discussion on the device where he said, a couple of things though. Despite what you may think, using NFC and allowing any app to access it will probably never happen. Not because companies are greed but because medical licensing authorities won't allow it. Some of your ire should be directed in their direction as they set the rules that Drug Companies follow. In an idea world they wouldn't need to set these rules, but we live in a litigation world were you can sue anyone for anything which is why they are so nervous.
On the otherhand I totally agree about Abbott's development and support, I have had several attempts to get them to explain the logic of holding all the data on the meter/reader only and they
don't see a problem. I think we may have to wait until a competitor comes on the market we might see a bit more pressure to produce a better and cheaper product then.

Nov 24, 2014

BeccyB 50 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work

It's possible there is something in the disability discrimination legislation that would cover it. I'd suggest contacting citizens advice as they will have people who know about those rules.

Good luck

Nov 24, 2014

CurlyWurly 15 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work

I'm fairly sure that a break is a legal requirement for any shift longer than 6 hours - diabetic or not.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/work_e/work_rights_at_work_e/basic_rights_at_work.htm#Health_and_safety

The links says that if you're working more than 6 hours then you're entitled to a 20 mins break.

Good luck with it.

Nov 23, 2014

greycat 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work

Hello everyone, this is my first post and I was wondering if anyone can help me with this problem.
I currently work 6 hours a day and my employer does not allow breaks unless you work 7 hours plus.
Does anyone know what the legal position is regarding time off for insulin dependant staff?

Thank you in advance

Nov 23, 2014

Peter 109 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle Libre

There's a whole discussion about the Libre, including personal experiences, here: http://www.dafneonline.co.uk/forums/1/topics/2586

Nov 23, 2014

David Rimmer 7 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle Libre

I see the UK have just got access to the Abbott Freestyle Libre. Is anyone using it yet as their main BGL monitor?
What are your impressions? It sounds like a great leap forward from doing 4-5 finger pricks a day.
The idea looks fantastic and I will probably be the 1st in line to get one when/if they come to Australia.
Unfortunately, it has had no publicity in Australia and I haven't seen Diabetes Australia mention it or do anything to get it here (what am i paying a membership for?).

I was at an "Advances in Diabetes" conference a few months ago and was talking to the Abbott rep about how the next generation of BGL monitors just need to take readings and transit them to a phone app. She was totally dismissive and uninterested in my views and said they wouldn't go down that path. She did not even mention the development of the Libre.

The only way to get decent meaningful diabetes info is to log insulin, bgls, diet and exercise. Just imagine how much easier and quicker it would be if the DAFNE app, or any other app, interfaced to your BGL patch, to your pen to get insulin dosage as well as other exercise info collected on your phone. It's all there now! it just has to be put together.

*soapbox warning*
This sounds like a fantastic bit of kit, but I think they have gone down the wrong path just to keep full control and try to maximise profits rather than giving diabetics the best result.
Why would they put vast resources into building a receiver and software, just to keep control of the whole process. Everyone already carries a receiver in their pocket, it has much better hardware and interface and there are 1000's of app developers around the world who would do a vastly better job with the software than Abbotts ex cobol programmers.
They should stop being so greedy, make it compatible with NFC and produce some APIs so developers can use it.
And finally, who is the turkey at Abbotts who decided it's a good idea to geo block 80% of their potential customers from the Freestyle Libre web site? insane.

Ahh, I feel better now, what's that done to my BGLs, pity I can't scan them with my phone.

Nov 22, 2014

Peter 109 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Parliamentary Inquiry into Education and Support for Self Management

mstarosta said:
Hi, is there any relevance to Australia for completing a submission or is this really only relevant to the UK?

This is an enquiry into Structured Education for diabetics in the UK. So any input you gave would not be directly relevant. However, if you'd like to respond on how the DAFNE course has been transferred and welcomed outside the UK it could be helpful. Who knows?

Nov 21, 2014

Tom_Sparrow 4 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Cyborg Times (new BG meter)

Hi Sarah,

Yes this is what I presumed. I actually received an email from Abbott the other day to explain that their current production levels haven't been able to meet the high demand for the Freestyle Libre, so it looks like it'll be in the new year before I can start trying it out Sad

Stephen - it seems like I was a month too late in ordering my test pack! Hopefully I will be able to start in the new year Smile

Nov 20, 2014

Simon 578 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / iPhone 6

Hi,

Thanks for bringing this to my attention and apologies for the inconvenience. The reason for changing the way you enter BG, QA, BI and CP was to use Apple system keyboards rather than the custom one I created for earlier versions of the app. This is because by using system keyboards they will handle rotation of the device and different screen sizes a bit nicely.

I'm currently out of the country with the day job but will take a look at fixing the issues when I get back at the weekend.

If you're having issues with the QA calc could you email me with what you entered, what you expect to see and what was actually calculated so I can try and reproduce this. [email protected]

Once again, apologies for the inconvenience.

Nov 20, 2014

marke 681 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Parliamentary Inquiry into Education and Support for Self Management

You can also get a copy of the form on this thread Case_study_guidance_form.docx which is hosted on this site and doesn't use tracking information. Not that I'm suspicious but I don't like Diabetes UK tracking my web movements, but hey maybe it's jsut me ;-)

Nov 20, 2014

AUSTEN74 4 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / iPhone 6

Annette Bell said:
Is anyone else having problems with the latest update? I have an iPhone 6 and occasionally, when I input my BG results it adds a load of 0's e.g. I put 8.3 in and it came up as 8.30000000001! Also I seem to have to tap QA at least twice to get it to calculate any corrections properly. They don't come up straight away like they used to. It also suggested a correction for the 8.3 result which was only just above my upper target & wouldn't normally correct for. It just doesn't seem to be right.

Hi Yes I have noticed these issues with the new update for the Iphone 6 - I also notice that when you enter the BM total it no longer gives you it in big numbers above the keyboard and only gives you the blue/green/red indicator when you have finished entering the total.

Nov 19, 2014

Annette Bell 72 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / iPhone 6

Is anyone else having problems with the latest update? I have an iPhone 6 and occasionally, when I input my BG results it adds a load of 0's e.g. I put 8.3 in and it came up as 8.30000000001! Also I seem to have to tap QA at least twice to get it to calculate any corrections properly. They don't come up straight away like they used to. It also suggested a correction for the 8.3 result which was only just above my upper target & wouldn't normally correct for. It just doesn't seem to be right.

Nov 19, 2014

mstarosta 5 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Parliamentary Inquiry into Education and Support for Self Management

Hi, is there any relevance to Australia for completing a submission or is this really only relevant to the UK?

Nov 19, 2014

sarahg 29 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Cyborg Times (new BG meter)

Hi guys I did manage to make an order today, but not for the year subscription, as not set up as yet. .however I was asked if I was already using the kit and a existing customer. It appears that new customers may have to wait. Which is a real shame for everyone wanting to try the super bit of kit. Hope the guys a Abbotts can sort supply out for everyone real soon

Nov 19, 2014

stephenbrowne 37 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Cyborg Times (new BG meter)

Hi Tom,
I suppose it must be about a month ago that I ordered my starter pack online and had to give Abbott my details of course. This gives you an "account". The starter pack lasts for 28 days and I will come to the end of this by next Monday 24 Nov. I managed to order another couple of sensors and will be able to start this next Monday. I have used Freestyle Lite blood glucose testing sticks before and still use their beta ketone testing sticks for which I can now use the Freestyle libre scanner/blood testing meter. However I'm still checking pre-meal sugars with Bayer Contour Next strips and meter as this "talks" to my Medtronic insulin pump by Wi-fi . Often the Freestyle libre result is the same or very close to the Contour Next finger prick result though if there have been rapid changes in blood sugar there may be perhaps 1 mmol/l difference - I'm so sensitive to insulin doses that I try to be as accurate as possible to get the insulin bolus right. The Freestyle libre has certainly helped me to anticipate and correct hypos in advance.
I do hope you are able to make some headway in your attempt to obtain a starter pack before Christmas.
Best wishes,
Stephen

Nov 19, 2014

Rafa 99 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Dawn Phenomenon

I have a struggle with morning readings myself. I decided to just try and cut out my carbs at night and so far it seems to have worked. I would now eat 2 or 3 max cps and leave it at that. So far it has worked out.

Nov 19, 2014

Tom_Sparrow 4 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Cyborg Times (new BG meter)

Hi Sarah and Stephen,

Thank you for your responses. It does seem strange that the website wouldn't let me order a starter pack just because I'm not an exisiting customer Confused

Have either of you used abbott's products before? (or have an online account with them?)

Stephen - when you say you have been on the system for 3 weeks, do you mean you've had an online account with them for 3 weeks, or you have been using the freestyle libre for 3 weeks?

Look forward to hearing how you get on Sarah.

Thanks, Tom Smile

Nov 18, 2014

Peter 109 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Parliamentary Inquiry into Education and Support for Self Management

Time is running out for submissions which must be made before the end of the month. Please take the time to tell the parliamentarians about the impact that DAFNE has had for you. Thanks.


Nov 24, 2014 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Help - BG Levels Moved to General Forum

Nov 24, 2014 Neville COL 23 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work I work for the railways, office based, and the rule in that industry, on a 7hr 24 min shift, used to be a 20 min break between the 3rd and 5th hour.However since privatisation, and the fact that some companies now have a more flexible shift pattern for office based shift workers probably means that that principle has now fallen into disuse! I now work a 12 hour shift pattern 3 days a week, with no 'formal' breaks, which can be challenging especially on night shifts, but the nature of my job means that I can fit in injections, blood tests, and sandwiches as appropriate.....

Nov 24, 2014 Stew B 125 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work I'm not an expert.. but there's something called the European Working Time Directive which concerns shift lengths and breaks etc. (I'm aware of this because it caused mayhem in the residential child-care sector when it was brought in), and in the disability side of things I believe that employers are required to make "reasonable adjustments" to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. Good luck!

Nov 24, 2014 marke 681 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle Libre Hi, As Peter says there is a long discussion on the device where he said, a couple of things though. Despite what you may think, using NFC and allowing any app to access it will probably never happen. Not because companies are greed but because medical licensing authorities won't allow it. Some of your ire should be directed in their direction as they set the rules that Drug Companies follow. In an idea world they wouldn't need to set these rules, but we live in a litigation world were you can sue anyone for anything which is why they are so nervous. On the otherhand I totally agree about Abbott's development and support, I have had several attempts to get them to explain the logic of holding all the data on the meter/reader only and they don't see a problem. I think we may have to wait until a competitor comes on the market we might see a bit more pressure to produce a better and cheaper product then.

Nov 24, 2014 BeccyB 50 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work It's possible there is something in the disability discrimination legislation that would cover it. I'd suggest contacting citizens advice as they will have people who know about those rules. Good luck

Nov 24, 2014 CurlyWurly 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work I'm fairly sure that a break is a legal requirement for any shift longer than 6 hours - diabetic or not. http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/work_e/work_rights_at_work_e/basic_rights_at_work.htm#Health_and_safety The links says that if you're working more than 6 hours then you're entitled to a 20 mins break. Good luck with it.

Nov 23, 2014 greycat 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Breaks at work Hello everyone, this is my first post and I was wondering if anyone can help me with this problem. I currently work 6 hours a day and my employer does not allow breaks unless you work 7 hours plus. Does anyone know what the legal position is regarding time off for insulin dependant staff? Thank you in advance

Nov 23, 2014 Peter 109 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle Libre There's a whole discussion about the Libre, including personal experiences, here: http://www.dafneonline.co.uk/forums/1/topics/2586

Nov 23, 2014 David Rimmer 7 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle Libre I see the UK have just got access to the Abbott Freestyle Libre. Is anyone using it yet as their main BGL monitor? What are your impressions? It sounds like a great leap forward from doing 4-5 finger pricks a day. The idea looks fantastic and I will probably be the 1st in line to get one when/if they come to Australia. Unfortunately, it has had no publicity in Australia and I haven't seen Diabetes Australia mention it or do anything to get it here (what am i paying a membership for?). I was at an "Advances in Diabetes" conference a few months ago and was talking to the Abbott rep about how the next generation of BGL monitors just need to take readings and transit them to a phone app. She was totally dismissive and uninterested in my views and said they wouldn't go down that path. She did not even mention the development of the Libre. The only way to get decent meaningful diabetes info is to log insulin, bgls, diet and exercise. Just imagine how much easier and quicker it would be if the DAFNE app, or any other app, interfaced to your BGL patch, to your pen to get insulin dosage as well as other exercise info collected on your phone. It's all there now! it just has to be put together. soapbox warning This sounds like a fantastic bit of kit, but I think they have gone down the wrong path just to keep full control and try to maximise profits rather than giving diabetics the best result. Why would they put vast resources into building a receiver and software, just to keep control of the whole process. Everyone already carries a receiver in their pocket, it has much better hardware and interface and there are 1000's of app developers around the world who would do a vastly better job with the software than Abbotts ex cobol programmers. They should stop being so greedy, make it compatible with NFC and produce some APIs so developers can use it. And finally, who is the turkey at Abbotts who decided it's a good idea to geo block 80% of their potential customers from the Freestyle Libre web site? insane. Ahh, I feel better now, what's that done to my BGLs, pity I can't scan them with my phone.

Nov 22, 2014 Peter 109 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Parliamentary Inquiry into Education and Support for Self Management mstarosta said: Hi, is there any relevance to Australia for completing a submission or is this really only relevant to the UK? This is an enquiry into Structured Education for diabetics in the UK. So any input you gave would not be directly relevant. However, if you'd like to respond on how the DAFNE course has been transferred and welcomed outside the UK it could be helpful. Who knows?

Nov 21, 2014 Tom_Sparrow 4 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Cyborg Times (new BG meter) Hi Sarah, Yes this is what I presumed. I actually received an email from Abbott the other day to explain that their current production levels haven't been able to meet the high demand for the Freestyle Libre, so it looks like it'll be in the new year before I can start trying it out Stephen - it seems like I was a month too late in ordering my test pack! Hopefully I will be able to start in the new year

Nov 20, 2014 Simon 578 posts	Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / iPhone 6 Hi, Thanks for bringing this to my attention and apologies for the inconvenience. The reason for changing the way you enter BG, QA, BI and CP was to use Apple system keyboards rather than the custom one I created for earlier versions of the app. This is because by using system keyboards they will handle rotation of the device and different screen sizes a bit nicely. I'm currently out of the country with the day job but will take a look at fixing the issues when I get back at the weekend. If you're having issues with the QA calc could you email me with what you entered, what you expect to see and what was actually calculated so I can try and reproduce this. [email protected] Once again, apologies for the inconvenience.

Nov 20, 2014 marke 681 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Parliamentary Inquiry into Education and Support for Self Management You can also get a copy of the form on this thread Case_study_guidance_form.docx which is hosted on this site and doesn't use tracking information. Not that I'm suspicious but I don't like Diabetes UK tracking my web movements, but hey maybe it's jsut me ;-)

Nov 20, 2014 AUSTEN74 4 posts	Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / iPhone 6 Annette Bell said: Is anyone else having problems with the latest update? I have an iPhone 6 and occasionally, when I input my BG results it adds a load of 0's e.g. I put 8.3 in and it came up as 8.30000000001! Also I seem to have to tap QA at least twice to get it to calculate any corrections properly. They don't come up straight away like they used to. It also suggested a correction for the 8.3 result which was only just above my upper target & wouldn't normally correct for. It just doesn't seem to be right. Hi Yes I have noticed these issues with the new update for the Iphone 6 - I also notice that when you enter the BM total it no longer gives you it in big numbers above the keyboard and only gives you the blue/green/red indicator when you have finished entering the total.

Nov 19, 2014 Annette Bell 72 posts	Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / iPhone 6 Is anyone else having problems with the latest update? I have an iPhone 6 and occasionally, when I input my BG results it adds a load of 0's e.g. I put 8.3 in and it came up as 8.30000000001! Also I seem to have to tap QA at least twice to get it to calculate any corrections properly. They don't come up straight away like they used to. It also suggested a correction for the 8.3 result which was only just above my upper target & wouldn't normally correct for. It just doesn't seem to be right.

Nov 19, 2014 mstarosta 5 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Parliamentary Inquiry into Education and Support for Self Management Hi, is there any relevance to Australia for completing a submission or is this really only relevant to the UK?

Nov 19, 2014 sarahg 29 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Cyborg Times (new BG meter) Hi guys I did manage to make an order today, but not for the year subscription, as not set up as yet. .however I was asked if I was already using the kit and a existing customer. It appears that new customers may have to wait. Which is a real shame for everyone wanting to try the super bit of kit. Hope the guys a Abbotts can sort supply out for everyone real soon

Nov 19, 2014 stephenbrowne 37 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Cyborg Times (new BG meter) Hi Tom, I suppose it must be about a month ago that I ordered my starter pack online and had to give Abbott my details of course. This gives you an "account". The starter pack lasts for 28 days and I will come to the end of this by next Monday 24 Nov. I managed to order another couple of sensors and will be able to start this next Monday. I have used Freestyle Lite blood glucose testing sticks before and still use their beta ketone testing sticks for which I can now use the Freestyle libre scanner/blood testing meter. However I'm still checking pre-meal sugars with Bayer Contour Next strips and meter as this "talks" to my Medtronic insulin pump by Wi-fi . Often the Freestyle libre result is the same or very close to the Contour Next finger prick result though if there have been rapid changes in blood sugar there may be perhaps 1 mmol/l difference - I'm so sensitive to insulin doses that I try to be as accurate as possible to get the insulin bolus right. The Freestyle libre has certainly helped me to anticipate and correct hypos in advance. I do hope you are able to make some headway in your attempt to obtain a starter pack before Christmas. Best wishes, Stephen

Nov 19, 2014 Rafa 99 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Dawn Phenomenon I have a struggle with morning readings myself. I decided to just try and cut out my carbs at night and so far it seems to have worked. I would now eat 2 or 3 max cps and leave it at that. So far it has worked out.

Nov 19, 2014 Tom_Sparrow 4 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Cyborg Times (new BG meter) Hi Sarah and Stephen, Thank you for your responses. It does seem strange that the website wouldn't let me order a starter pack just because I'm not an exisiting customer Have either of you used abbott's products before? (or have an online account with them?) Stephen - when you say you have been on the system for 3 weeks, do you mean you've had an online account with them for 3 weeks, or you have been using the freestyle libre for 3 weeks? Look forward to hearing how you get on Sarah. Thanks, Tom

Nov 18, 2014 Peter 109 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Parliamentary Inquiry into Education and Support for Self Management Time is running out for submissions which must be made before the end of the month. Please take the time to tell the parliamentarians about the impact that DAFNE has had for you. Thanks.