Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Aug 19, 2014

Warwick 434 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks

Hey Neville,

I'm finding that focusing on getting protein every meal is really cutting own on my desire for carbs. When I have sweet treats (caramel slices, sigh), I don't actually feel full afterwards and I keep wanting more. But with a meal of eggs, or lentil soup, or beans, I stay full until the next meal time.

Because I am eating less carbs, I need less insulin and it is far easier to avoid the highs and lows I was experiencing previously.

Al the best with your A1c.

Warwick.

Aug 18, 2014

Neville COL 23 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks

I was very impressed with my DAFNE course,completed in April, and have achieved a much more stable set of blood test results: my aim is to get my Hb1c down below 8 (old money), and looking at my records it may be possible! I m on a lot less insulin, for more or less similar amounts of food. At last after 40 odd years of diabetes I m achieving some kind of consistent control! I ve given up the crafty trips to the sweetie machine at work, so hopefully some weight loss will follow.....! I also recommend the course to any type 1 diabetics I meet,its been so good for me! Glad to know its worked for others as well! Very Happy

Aug 18, 2014

Warwick 434 posts

Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity

The season/temperature can change your insulin sensitivity. Your level of hydration too. Have you only just started walking the dog or is this something that you have been doing a long time? Often an increase in activity will lead to lows if basal insulin is not adjusted for that.

Aug 18, 2014

novorapidboi26 1,818 posts

Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity

I suppose insulin sensitivity can be described as how well/efficiently the cells of your body take up the glucose in the blood stream..........

it has been illustrated somewhere that each cell in the body has a door on it which takes in the glucose, on the door is a key hole, the key is the insulin.

As the body increases its activity and the muscles start to become more active, the number of doors which let in the glucose are increased in order to get more fuel in quicker.......

its a crude picture I am painting but over time at least, extra activity will mean that your body will need less insulin to get the same amount of glucose in a previously needed, this means you will have extra insulin swimming about which will send you low......

this effect though is different from a short term increase in activity, like a walk where the increased activity means the stores of fuel in your muscles are used up, and then the muscles try to replenish their stores, which again, takes glucose from the blood and send you low, then and possibly later in the day.....

it sound to me though, that you may need to adjust your insulin, do a basal check as your basal needs can change and will change all the time.....if that dose is good, you can change your bolus doses.......

Aug 18, 2014

Warwick 434 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks

Wow. Your stories beat mine :-)

And congratulations on the excellent weight, HbA1c and reduced pain. My mum suffered from RA, and I know from that how debilitating it can be.

I'm very pro-DAFNE too. I recommend it to every type 1 I meet. Certainly the amount of knowledge I have compared to pre-course is vast. And so helpful in knowing how to beat high or low BGs.

Take care,
Warwick.

Aug 17, 2014

Mairead 10 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks

Hi Warwick, I am really happy to say it has been going very well, especially in terms of controlling blood sugars and losing weight. So good, it has been terrific for my eyes, the retinopathy has stabalised. The Diabetes Centre and the Eye Dept. are very happy with my results.

Before I went on the DAFNE diet one of my favourite foods was cheese, I used to buy low fat cheddar mostly, but it wasn't really that low in fat. I didn't know that too much cheese can bring about gallstones. And sudden wight loss can aggrevate them. Had gallbladder removal surgery last November and nearly died - this had nothing to do with my diabetes or low carb diet. In fact, I am thankful to the Dafne diet for helping me be fit enough to withstand the surgery.

Now I eat Feta cheese and lots more varieties of low carb foods as well, and was very grateful for the Dafne course in not just helping me with my diabetes but also these other problems I have been dealing with. I am being encouraged to eat a bit more now and have occasional treats. I am now 9st 2lbs in weight - at 5'4" in height, and my Hba1c is 7.1.

Another thing Dafne has helped enormously with is my Rheumatoid Arthritis [RA]. Less fat - less swelling - less pain and damage. I always knew there was a link between sugar and RA control. Also, I take drugs for the RA, and they help, but are significantly helping more since the improved diet - thanks to DAFNE.

I am heartbroken to hear that the Dafne course is no longer available in some diabetes centres, it brings such a positive change to our lives. When we had the course I had hoped we would have a an annual, or even bi-annual, one-day refresher course for the following reasons;

Lifestyles: Our own lives can be busy with work and family commitments, travelling a lot with work, or in managing other illnesses and so on. It is not easy to remember everything we learned at the time of the course. I keep all the material we were given and refer back to that from time to time and it helps, but there are times I wish I could ask the medical staff more questions.and learn more about the latest thinking in controlling the condition.

Changes: Some things had changed in diabetes care over the years that I knew nothing about and Dafne was very beneficial in that regard as well.

The running of the Dafne courses may be expensive, however, the returns in terms of improved health must surely far outweigh such expenses.

Aug 17, 2014

Warwick 434 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks

How are you going with this Mairead?

I attended an exercise conference last weekend, and an unintended consequence (well, the organisers of the conference didn't expect this) was that a number of diabetics attending the conference have been experimenting with low-carb diets and almost all have been uniformly positive as to how much easier it has been to control BGs. I have been trying this out this week, and instead of a BG diary resembling massive peaks and troughs, I have seen very smooth looking graphs for the most part and I'm really encouraged by that.

Aug 16, 2014

DebbieB 3 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Ratio

Thanks Warwick, yes 1CP =10g of carb

Aug 16, 2014

Warwick 434 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Ratio

If you are referring to the DAFNE diary, then it goes the other way - QA:CP, so you would put 1.5:1. By 1 carb, do you mean 1 CP which equals 10g of carb?

Aug 15, 2014

DebbieB 3 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Ratio

My ratio for my insulin is 1carb for 1 1/2 units of insulin, how do I display this when adding my ratio. Is it 1:1.5??

Aug 14, 2014

Rafa 99 posts

Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity

I am the same as Phil. When i exercise i need a lot less insulin.

Aug 14, 2014

Trish Skidmore 18 posts

Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity

Nothing has really changed, dont understand it myself, i have changed to half doses and see how i get on. Thanks for replys

Aug 13, 2014

Vickyp 135 posts

Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity

I always been insulin sensitive and used to hypo loads too, essentially sensitivity is that a small amount of insulin will drop your sugars by a significant amount. I do still drop but generally catch it before gets to hypo stage. This was one of the reasons I went on the pump, so much easier to control insulin delivery and can get tiny doses not possible with injections.

Not sure why suddenly it would happen, unless exercise regime has increased or weight has decreased? Try half doses but remember to give it a few days after a change to see pattern and don't make too many changes at once (ie maybe change breakfast ratio. But no others, then reassess 3 days later etc)

Aug 13, 2014

Phil Maskell 194 posts

Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity

Not sure why you would suddenly become more sensitive? Has anything changed? Maybe someone else can shed some light on this?

I have become a lot more sensitive to insulin since I have taken up cycling in a big way, the increase in exercise means I need a lot less insulin anyway, but ratios have also halved.

Phil

Aug 13, 2014

Trish Skidmore 18 posts

Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity

Can anyone tell me what insulin sensitivity is, for the past month I have had hypos nearly everyday even just walking the dog and it goes low, I have just started to halve my doses so hope this works, I've been told I may be sensitive to insulin, don't understand it after 20 years, has anyone else experienced this problem.

Aug 13, 2014

Warwick 434 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Split & Overnight Basal Testing

Yes. Lantus is largely peak-less, (depends on the individual). All you are doing when you splitting is ensuring that it doesn't run out before the next dose.

Aug 13, 2014

Rafa 99 posts

Topic: General Discussion / no food but blood sugar still increase

I find this as well myself so even if i am not that hungry i eat something small like 2cps and inject and i am fine then for the rest of the morning/day.

Aug 13, 2014

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Split & Overnight Basal Testing

Can overnight basal testing still be done if your Lantus is a split dose?

Aug 12, 2014

Warwick 434 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus - Splitting

Yes, and yes. You have it exactly right.

Aug 12, 2014

Warwick 434 posts

Topic: General Discussion / no food but blood sugar still increase

Whether you should increase your Levemir or not depends on what happens later in the day. If you continue having to take correctional doses of QA in the afternoon, then that would indicate that your Levemir dose in the morning is too low. If it stays stable through the afternoon, then your Levemir dose is probably fine.

If this happens every time that you miss breakfast, then it could be worth having a small amount (1-2 units) of QA with the Levemir in the morning on days that you miss breakfast. There are lots of reasons that your BGs could rise even without food unfortunately. Stress, dawn phenomenon, excitement, climate temperature, illness, menstrual cycle, level of hydration...

Aug 12, 2014

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus - Splitting

Oh, and when you split, what you do is drop a unit at night, and add a unit in the morning each day until you get your 50/50 split. Don't just drop half your evening basal at night and add it in the morning or you will have wicked highs. If you are on 18 units, then it will take 9 days to get to the split, and a couple of more days after than before things stabilise so don't panic too much if you find your BGs are a little out of control over that period.

So to clarify I'm on 18u at the moment then
1st night take 17u & just 1u the following morning
2nd night take 16u & 2u the following morning
3rd night take 15u & 3u the following morning
4th night 14u & 4u........
5th night 13u & 5u.......
6th night 12u & 6u......
7th night 11u & 7u........
8th night 10u & 8u.......
9th night 9u & 9u ?

Now could the same be done like this if you were going back onto a single dose?

Aug 19, 2014 Warwick 434 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks Hey Neville, I'm finding that focusing on getting protein every meal is really cutting own on my desire for carbs. When I have sweet treats (caramel slices, sigh), I don't actually feel full afterwards and I keep wanting more. But with a meal of eggs, or lentil soup, or beans, I stay full until the next meal time. Because I am eating less carbs, I need less insulin and it is far easier to avoid the highs and lows I was experiencing previously. Al the best with your A1c. Warwick.

Aug 18, 2014 Neville COL 23 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks I was very impressed with my DAFNE course,completed in April, and have achieved a much more stable set of blood test results: my aim is to get my Hb1c down below 8 (old money), and looking at my records it may be possible! I m on a lot less insulin, for more or less similar amounts of food. At last after 40 odd years of diabetes I m achieving some kind of consistent control! I ve given up the crafty trips to the sweetie machine at work, so hopefully some weight loss will follow.....! I also recommend the course to any type 1 diabetics I meet,its been so good for me! Glad to know its worked for others as well!

Aug 18, 2014 Warwick 434 posts	Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity The season/temperature can change your insulin sensitivity. Your level of hydration too. Have you only just started walking the dog or is this something that you have been doing a long time? Often an increase in activity will lead to lows if basal insulin is not adjusted for that.

Aug 18, 2014 novorapidboi26 1,818 posts	Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity I suppose insulin sensitivity can be described as how well/efficiently the cells of your body take up the glucose in the blood stream.......... it has been illustrated somewhere that each cell in the body has a door on it which takes in the glucose, on the door is a key hole, the key is the insulin. As the body increases its activity and the muscles start to become more active, the number of doors which let in the glucose are increased in order to get more fuel in quicker....... its a crude picture I am painting but over time at least, extra activity will mean that your body will need less insulin to get the same amount of glucose in a previously needed, this means you will have extra insulin swimming about which will send you low...... this effect though is different from a short term increase in activity, like a walk where the increased activity means the stores of fuel in your muscles are used up, and then the muscles try to replenish their stores, which again, takes glucose from the blood and send you low, then and possibly later in the day..... it sound to me though, that you may need to adjust your insulin, do a basal check as your basal needs can change and will change all the time.....if that dose is good, you can change your bolus doses.......

Aug 18, 2014 Warwick 434 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks Wow. Your stories beat mine :-) And congratulations on the excellent weight, HbA1c and reduced pain. My mum suffered from RA, and I know from that how debilitating it can be. I'm very pro-DAFNE too. I recommend it to every type 1 I meet. Certainly the amount of knowledge I have compared to pre-course is vast. And so helpful in knowing how to beat high or low BGs. Take care, Warwick.

Aug 17, 2014 Mairead 10 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks Hi Warwick, I am really happy to say it has been going very well, especially in terms of controlling blood sugars and losing weight. So good, it has been terrific for my eyes, the retinopathy has stabalised. The Diabetes Centre and the Eye Dept. are very happy with my results. Before I went on the DAFNE diet one of my favourite foods was cheese, I used to buy low fat cheddar mostly, but it wasn't really that low in fat. I didn't know that too much cheese can bring about gallstones. And sudden wight loss can aggrevate them. Had gallbladder removal surgery last November and nearly died - this had nothing to do with my diabetes or low carb diet. In fact, I am thankful to the Dafne diet for helping me be fit enough to withstand the surgery. Now I eat Feta cheese and lots more varieties of low carb foods as well, and was very grateful for the Dafne course in not just helping me with my diabetes but also these other problems I have been dealing with. I am being encouraged to eat a bit more now and have occasional treats. I am now 9st 2lbs in weight - at 5'4" in height, and my Hba1c is 7.1. Another thing Dafne has helped enormously with is my Rheumatoid Arthritis [RA]. Less fat - less swelling - less pain and damage. I always knew there was a link between sugar and RA control. Also, I take drugs for the RA, and they help, but are significantly helping more since the improved diet - thanks to DAFNE. I am heartbroken to hear that the Dafne course is no longer available in some diabetes centres, it brings such a positive change to our lives. When we had the course I had hoped we would have a an annual, or even bi-annual, one-day refresher course for the following reasons; Lifestyles: Our own lives can be busy with work and family commitments, travelling a lot with work, or in managing other illnesses and so on. It is not easy to remember everything we learned at the time of the course. I keep all the material we were given and refer back to that from time to time and it helps, but there are times I wish I could ask the medical staff more questions.and learn more about the latest thinking in controlling the condition. Changes: Some things had changed in diabetes care over the years that I knew nothing about and Dafne was very beneficial in that regard as well. The running of the Dafne courses may be expensive, however, the returns in terms of improved health must surely far outweigh such expenses.

Aug 17, 2014 Warwick 434 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Low Carb Cookbooks How are you going with this Mairead? I attended an exercise conference last weekend, and an unintended consequence (well, the organisers of the conference didn't expect this) was that a number of diabetics attending the conference have been experimenting with low-carb diets and almost all have been uniformly positive as to how much easier it has been to control BGs. I have been trying this out this week, and instead of a BG diary resembling massive peaks and troughs, I have seen very smooth looking graphs for the most part and I'm really encouraged by that.

Aug 16, 2014 DebbieB 3 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Ratio Thanks Warwick, yes 1CP =10g of carb

Aug 16, 2014 Warwick 434 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Ratio If you are referring to the DAFNE diary, then it goes the other way - QA:CP, so you would put 1.5:1. By 1 carb, do you mean 1 CP which equals 10g of carb?

Aug 15, 2014 DebbieB 3 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Ratio My ratio for my insulin is 1carb for 1 1/2 units of insulin, how do I display this when adding my ratio. Is it 1:1.5??

Aug 14, 2014 Rafa 99 posts	Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity I am the same as Phil. When i exercise i need a lot less insulin.

Aug 14, 2014 Trish Skidmore 18 posts	Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity Nothing has really changed, dont understand it myself, i have changed to half doses and see how i get on. Thanks for replys

Aug 13, 2014 Vickyp 135 posts	Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity I always been insulin sensitive and used to hypo loads too, essentially sensitivity is that a small amount of insulin will drop your sugars by a significant amount. I do still drop but generally catch it before gets to hypo stage. This was one of the reasons I went on the pump, so much easier to control insulin delivery and can get tiny doses not possible with injections. Not sure why suddenly it would happen, unless exercise regime has increased or weight has decreased? Try half doses but remember to give it a few days after a change to see pattern and don't make too many changes at once (ie maybe change breakfast ratio. But no others, then reassess 3 days later etc)

Aug 13, 2014 Phil Maskell 194 posts	Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity Not sure why you would suddenly become more sensitive? Has anything changed? Maybe someone else can shed some light on this? I have become a lot more sensitive to insulin since I have taken up cycling in a big way, the increase in exercise means I need a lot less insulin anyway, but ratios have also halved. Phil

Aug 13, 2014 Trish Skidmore 18 posts	Topic: General Discussion / sensitivity Can anyone tell me what insulin sensitivity is, for the past month I have had hypos nearly everyday even just walking the dog and it goes low, I have just started to halve my doses so hope this works, I've been told I may be sensitive to insulin, don't understand it after 20 years, has anyone else experienced this problem.

Aug 13, 2014 Warwick 434 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Split & Overnight Basal Testing Yes. Lantus is largely peak-less, (depends on the individual). All you are doing when you splitting is ensuring that it doesn't run out before the next dose.

Aug 13, 2014 Rafa 99 posts	Topic: General Discussion / no food but blood sugar still increase I find this as well myself so even if i am not that hungry i eat something small like 2cps and inject and i am fine then for the rest of the morning/day.

Aug 13, 2014 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Split & Overnight Basal Testing Can overnight basal testing still be done if your Lantus is a split dose?

Aug 12, 2014 Warwick 434 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus - Splitting Yes, and yes. You have it exactly right.

Aug 12, 2014 Warwick 434 posts	Topic: General Discussion / no food but blood sugar still increase Whether you should increase your Levemir or not depends on what happens later in the day. If you continue having to take correctional doses of QA in the afternoon, then that would indicate that your Levemir dose in the morning is too low. If it stays stable through the afternoon, then your Levemir dose is probably fine. If this happens every time that you miss breakfast, then it could be worth having a small amount (1-2 units) of QA with the Levemir in the morning on days that you miss breakfast. There are lots of reasons that your BGs could rise even without food unfortunately. Stress, dawn phenomenon, excitement, climate temperature, illness, menstrual cycle, level of hydration...

Aug 12, 2014 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus - Splitting Oh, and when you split, what you do is drop a unit at night, and add a unit in the morning each day until you get your 50/50 split. Don't just drop half your evening basal at night and add it in the morning or you will have wicked highs. If you are on 18 units, then it will take 9 days to get to the split, and a couple of more days after than before things stabilise so don't panic too much if you find your BGs are a little out of control over that period. So to clarify I'm on 18u at the moment then 1st night take 17u & just 1u the following morning 2nd night take 16u & 2u the following morning 3rd night take 15u & 3u the following morning 4th night 14u & 4u........ 5th night 13u & 5u....... 6th night 12u & 6u...... 7th night 11u & 7u........ 8th night 10u & 8u....... 9th night 9u & 9u ? Now could the same be done like this if you were going back onto a single dose?