Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

May 24, 2014

Joanne80 3 posts

Hi I'm new to all this but so desperate to lose weight aswell. I've just finished the DAFNE course and found it really helpful. Have really cut down on my eating but finding it hard to shift weight as at the min on high doses of insulin until we get it sorted. Any advice or tips would be helpful please Smile

May 24, 2014

natalie fitch 5 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Weight

I desperately need to loose weight. I need help with this.
My weight is 80.5kg, 12st 8.4lbs with a BMI of 32.66
I have high blood pressure, and feel exhausted all the time. It's got to where I cannot do trousers up. I feel very unwell with this.
All I've been told to do is to keep a food diary. I've done this before and been told they can't cut anything out as eat very healthily.
I've been taking 3 different slimming tablets without any improvement, so have just brought my fourth slimming tablet today. I'm going to start taking laxatives as well, I know they will help with the other, as am on 2 Ferrous Fumarate iron tablets a day.
Anyone who can help, please do

May 24, 2014

natalie fitch 5 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Weight

I desperately need to loose weight. I need help with this.
My weight is 80.5kg, 12st 8.4lbs with a BMI of 32.66
I have high blood pressure, and feel exhausted all the time. It's got to where I cannot do trousers up. I feel very unwell with this.
All I've been told to do is to keep a food diary. I've done this before and been told they can't cut anything out as eat very healthily.
I've been taking 3 different slimming tablets without any improvement, so have just brought my fourth slimming tablet today. I'm going to start taking laxatives as well, I know they will help with the other, as am on 2 Ferrous Fumarate iron tablets a day.
Anyone who can help, please do

May 23, 2014

marke 686 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Important DAFNE question

All, Simon and I are going to be doing a workshop on DAFNE Online at this years DAFNE Collaborative ( a conference for all DAFNE Educators). As part of it
we want to find out about HCP contributions to the site and the barriers for doing so. Related to this we agreed we would run a little survey to get your opinions so
that we can present these to the educators that come to the workshop. So as many answers as possible please Smile

Does your HCP use DAFNE Online ?

Do you think HCP's should be involved in/contribute to DAFNE Online or should it graduate led ?

What other apps / social media do you use / find useful with relation to your Diabetes ?

May 23, 2014

Rafa 99 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carbs n cals app

I find carbs n cals great myself.

May 23, 2014

Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pregnancy - what was HbA1c when you got the go-ahead

Here is a copy/paste from an old discussion:

A guide to the new values expressed as mmol/mol is:

Current DCCT aligned HbA1c(%) New IFCC HbA1c (mmol/mol)
4.0 - 20
5.0 - 31
6.0 - 42
6.5 - 48
7.0 - 53
7.5 - 58
8.0 - 64
9.0 - 75
10.0 - 86
What are the targets in new units?
The equivalent of the current DCCT HbA1c targets of 6.5% and 7.5% are 48mmol/mol and 58mmol/mol in the new units, with the non-diabetic reference range of 4.0% to 6.0% being 20 mmol/mol to 42 mmol/mol.

End of Quote from diabetes.org.uk

I would have thought that your HCPs would be talking to you and using the worldwide accepted IFCC HbA1c (mmol/mol) units now.

Regards
Garry

May 23, 2014

EPS 3 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Workplace Injections

Ole said:
I reckon you're being a tad over cautious with this one.
If your personal hygiene is good, each disposable needle is new & not re-used,
then the immediate surroundings are irrelevant.
I've discreetly injected in outdoor public places, restaurants, work places, lakeside shores & scrub while fishing,
& bushwalking without issue.
Each injection takes less than 10 seconds & it's never been an issue in almost 40 years as a diabetic.

I agree that with self-contained pens less attention to surroundings is necessary. However, I still use disposable syringes and larger, multi-dose phials on occasion and - because of fifty years of injections - my abdomen sites are not always ideal so a bit more attention is needed. Placing a phial and syringe on a filthy shelf or toilet cistern lid in a pub lavatory is not an option as far as I am concerned and the same goes for blood testing. The risk of contamination is not worth taking when that risk can be eliminated easily - and I'm no Howard Hughes! Soap and water still have their uses.

May 23, 2014

Vickyp 137 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pregnancy - what was HbA1c when you got the go-ahead

At my preconception clinic I have to keep HbA1c around 43...not sure what that is in %. I did get it to 40 once but was having about 3 hypos a day...a risk of a low HbA1c. The target range for BGs I was given is between 4-6 pre-parandial and below 7.5 post-parandial. It is hard work trying to keep to the tight targets...my insulin pump has helped loads with this!

May 23, 2014

Ole 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Workplace Injections

I reckon you're being a tad over cautious with this one.
If your personal hygiene is good, each disposable needle is new & not re-used,
then the immediate surroundings are irrelevant.
I've discreetly injected in outdoor public places, restaurants, work places, lakeside shores & scrub while fishing,
& bushwalking without issue.
Each injection takes less than 10 seconds & it's never been an issue in almost 40 years as a diabetic.

May 22, 2014

snow123 13 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carbs n cals app

I need to get a new phone and would like to get some apps for when I'm out and about as I'm sick of lugging books around any suggestions for good apps/phones that work well?. Thanks

May 22, 2014

kdg100 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Pregnancy - what was HbA1c when you got the go-ahead

Hi,

My husband and I are planning to start trying for a family later this year. I have an appointment at the end of June with the consultant to discuss this. My last HbA1c was 6.8%, but have read that the ideal for pregnancy is 6.1% or below. I'm worried then the hospital will not give me the 'go-ahead' with my levels as they are and am struggling to drive things down further.

Just wondering what other people's experiences were when they kicked off the pre-conception stage of having a baby with diabetes? Thanks!

May 20, 2014

joanne78 8 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

Ive never noticed increased pressure, ive had diabetes 18years so im all too aware that the needles get blunt however im sure you can safetly use the needles twice. Ive never had infections or the like so i think this is just paranoia, yes its not wise to use them for several times but like alan i think you should be able to use one needle for the day. This is the fault of the company that makes levimir, most insulin pens are very durable.

May 20, 2014

Sharon doodle 15 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Going walking

If you know you are going to be walking, You could reduce your QA a bit before. I have some strange reaction to exercise, so if I know I'm going on a long walk I halve my QA before.

May 20, 2014

Bananaman 34 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

Alan Constable said:
Until recently, I was on one daily dose of Levemir. This meant I used one needle for my QA (Humalog) and one needle for my Levemir each day (hopefully saving the NHS a bit of money - plus I don't like wasting things) and this worked well.

My HCP suggested that my control could be better and I should change to 2 daily doses of Levemir. I intended to continue using one needle for my QA and one needle for my BI. I found that that when it came to my second dose of Levemir, the needle that I had used for my morning dose was clogged, so I had to use a new one.

Has anybody else noticed this?

Always use a new needle, the needles go blunt after use which could create lumps and your vial of insulin is supposed to be kept sealed but you have a needle going through the seal it's not sealed also your needles will get clogged which could damage your pen (ever noticed the increased pressure when you try to inject) Embarassed

Not to mention your probably risking an infection

May 20, 2014

Bananaman 34 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Going walking

Can anyone tell me what to do if I want to go for a walk, up till now ive been eating carbohydrate before I walk and its hit or miss with blood sugars Mad

May 15, 2014

Stew B 125 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Workplace Injections

I guess we diabetics find ourselves injecting in some fairly unhygienic situations without really thinking about it (as a keen bird watcher I've spent time at various sewage farms, rubbish dumps, chemical factories etc. home and abroad and haven't thought twice about injecting). However if I went to my GP for an inoculation ('flu jab for instance) and he took me into the toilets to deliver the jab I'd raise my eyebrows quite high! Just saying..

May 15, 2014

Stew B 125 posts

Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection

I use an approach similar to alturn. I keep my Lantus disposable pen in a separate case and on Sunday evening I make sure there are seven needles in the case too. It's easy to check how many are left each day and tell if an injection has been missed..

May 15, 2014

Stew B 125 posts

Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection

I use an approach similar to alturn. I keep my Lantus disposable pen in a separate case and on Sunday evening I make sure there are seven needles in the case too. It's easy to check how many are left each day and tell if an injection has been missed..

May 15, 2014

mstarosta 5 posts

Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection

Hi, the NovoPen Echo can recall doses for up to 12 hours & can be used with Levemir penfill cartridges. Available in 2 colours & skins available too. You can record QA & BI & sites on the DAFNE online app if it is available to you. I was sure that there would be an app to help with this issue by now but I haven't been able to find one yet. Hope this helps...

May 15, 2014

DanielDixon1123 1 post

Topic: Questions for HCPs / "Not suitable for diabetics"

Hello. This topic is about certain medications which can be easily picked up in a chemist.

I would like to know that since we are DAFNE trained and our blood sugars are, generally accepted as better than your average diabetic. Are we OK to use products such as Verrucas wart cream?

Blood sugars have been very good since starting DAFNE. Is this warning because of the risk of infection while using treatment?

May 14, 2014

Teanosugar 25 posts

Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection

Much obliged everyone! It's all great feedback. The calendar idea is particularly useful because I have one right next to my fridge. I will also check the Insulcheck in Balance. That sounds like the greatest invention since the wheel... Very Happy

May 14, 2014

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection

Like Garry, I use the Lilly Humapen Memoir pen and find it invaluable. You have to be on Humalog QA insulin to use it,

There is something called Insulcheck, which tells you how much time has passed since your last injection. This could help and they claim it fits most disposable and re-usable pens.
See the advert on page 44 of the current Balance magazine or visit www.insulcheck.com

May 14, 2014

lizzy 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection

I had exactly the same problem as you and was driving me up the wall... until i got the Novopen Echo for my levimer and novorapid. I would speak to your diabetic clinic or whoever, to see if they can prescribe you something similar. The pens that tell you when you when you last injected are a must i say! x.

May 14, 2014

Warwick 425 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Need advise

Hi Avenella,

That looks pretty good so far. With only one evening where the BGs have gone high so far, I wouldn't want to advise you to change anything just yet. If you get a few higher readings each evening before bed, then it looks like the dose to change will be your evening QA dose with dinner. Your BI doses seem to be good, although three days of data probably isn't enough just yetto say one way or another.

Keep it up and post your diary again in a couple of days, and we should be able to help more.

Thanks,
Warwick.

May 14, 2014

Garry 328 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Need advise

Welcome

and well done avanella.
We will try and assist with the information supplied so far.
You can show your BI injection sites too. This gives you the opportunity to review your distribution of injection sites for both QA and BI to plan how you can efficiently move them about in an effort to help good insulin dose absorbtion.
Keep the results coming.
Regards
Garry

May 24, 2014 Joanne80 3 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Weight Hi I'm new to all this but so desperate to lose weight aswell. I've just finished the DAFNE course and found it really helpful. Have really cut down on my eating but finding it hard to shift weight as at the min on high doses of insulin until we get it sorted. Any advice or tips would be helpful please

May 24, 2014 natalie fitch 5 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Weight I desperately need to loose weight. I need help with this. My weight is 80.5kg, 12st 8.4lbs with a BMI of 32.66 I have high blood pressure, and feel exhausted all the time. It's got to where I cannot do trousers up. I feel very unwell with this. All I've been told to do is to keep a food diary. I've done this before and been told they can't cut anything out as eat very healthily. I've been taking 3 different slimming tablets without any improvement, so have just brought my fourth slimming tablet today. I'm going to start taking laxatives as well, I know they will help with the other, as am on 2 Ferrous Fumarate iron tablets a day. Anyone who can help, please do

May 24, 2014 natalie fitch 5 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Weight I desperately need to loose weight. I need help with this. My weight is 80.5kg, 12st 8.4lbs with a BMI of 32.66 I have high blood pressure, and feel exhausted all the time. It's got to where I cannot do trousers up. I feel very unwell with this. All I've been told to do is to keep a food diary. I've done this before and been told they can't cut anything out as eat very healthily. I've been taking 3 different slimming tablets without any improvement, so have just brought my fourth slimming tablet today. I'm going to start taking laxatives as well, I know they will help with the other, as am on 2 Ferrous Fumarate iron tablets a day. Anyone who can help, please do

May 23, 2014 marke 686 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Important DAFNE question All, Simon and I are going to be doing a workshop on DAFNE Online at this years DAFNE Collaborative ( a conference for all DAFNE Educators). As part of it we want to find out about HCP contributions to the site and the barriers for doing so. Related to this we agreed we would run a little survey to get your opinions so that we can present these to the educators that come to the workshop. So as many answers as possible please Does your HCP use DAFNE Online ? Do you think HCP's should be involved in/contribute to DAFNE Online or should it graduate led ? What other apps / social media do you use / find useful with relation to your Diabetes ?

May 23, 2014 Rafa 99 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carbs n cals app I find carbs n cals great myself.

May 23, 2014 Garry 328 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pregnancy - what was HbA1c when you got the go-ahead Here is a copy/paste from an old discussion: A guide to the new values expressed as mmol/mol is: Current DCCT aligned HbA1c(%) New IFCC HbA1c (mmol/mol) 4.0 - 20 5.0 - 31 6.0 - 42 6.5 - 48 7.0 - 53 7.5 - 58 8.0 - 64 9.0 - 75 10.0 - 86 What are the targets in new units? The equivalent of the current DCCT HbA1c targets of 6.5% and 7.5% are 48mmol/mol and 58mmol/mol in the new units, with the non-diabetic reference range of 4.0% to 6.0% being 20 mmol/mol to 42 mmol/mol. End of Quote from diabetes.org.uk I would have thought that your HCPs would be talking to you and using the worldwide accepted IFCC HbA1c (mmol/mol) units now. Regards Garry

May 23, 2014 EPS 3 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Workplace Injections Ole said: I reckon you're being a tad over cautious with this one. If your personal hygiene is good, each disposable needle is new & not re-used, then the immediate surroundings are irrelevant. I've discreetly injected in outdoor public places, restaurants, work places, lakeside shores & scrub while fishing, & bushwalking without issue. Each injection takes less than 10 seconds & it's never been an issue in almost 40 years as a diabetic. I agree that with self-contained pens less attention to surroundings is necessary. However, I still use disposable syringes and larger, multi-dose phials on occasion and - because of fifty years of injections - my abdomen sites are not always ideal so a bit more attention is needed. Placing a phial and syringe on a filthy shelf or toilet cistern lid in a pub lavatory is not an option as far as I am concerned and the same goes for blood testing. The risk of contamination is not worth taking when that risk can be eliminated easily - and I'm no Howard Hughes! Soap and water still have their uses.

May 23, 2014 Vickyp 137 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pregnancy - what was HbA1c when you got the go-ahead At my preconception clinic I have to keep HbA1c around 43...not sure what that is in %. I did get it to 40 once but was having about 3 hypos a day...a risk of a low HbA1c. The target range for BGs I was given is between 4-6 pre-parandial and below 7.5 post-parandial. It is hard work trying to keep to the tight targets...my insulin pump has helped loads with this!

May 23, 2014 Ole 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Workplace Injections I reckon you're being a tad over cautious with this one. If your personal hygiene is good, each disposable needle is new & not re-used, then the immediate surroundings are irrelevant. I've discreetly injected in outdoor public places, restaurants, work places, lakeside shores & scrub while fishing, & bushwalking without issue. Each injection takes less than 10 seconds & it's never been an issue in almost 40 years as a diabetic.

May 22, 2014 snow123 13 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carbs n cals app I need to get a new phone and would like to get some apps for when I'm out and about as I'm sick of lugging books around any suggestions for good apps/phones that work well?. Thanks

May 22, 2014 kdg100 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Pregnancy - what was HbA1c when you got the go-ahead Hi, My husband and I are planning to start trying for a family later this year. I have an appointment at the end of June with the consultant to discuss this. My last HbA1c was 6.8%, but have read that the ideal for pregnancy is 6.1% or below. I'm worried then the hospital will not give me the 'go-ahead' with my levels as they are and am struggling to drive things down further. Just wondering what other people's experiences were when they kicked off the pre-conception stage of having a baby with diabetes? Thanks!

May 20, 2014 joanne78 8 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles Ive never noticed increased pressure, ive had diabetes 18years so im all too aware that the needles get blunt however im sure you can safetly use the needles twice. Ive never had infections or the like so i think this is just paranoia, yes its not wise to use them for several times but like alan i think you should be able to use one needle for the day. This is the fault of the company that makes levimir, most insulin pens are very durable.

May 20, 2014 Sharon doodle 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Going walking If you know you are going to be walking, You could reduce your QA a bit before. I have some strange reaction to exercise, so if I know I'm going on a long walk I halve my QA before.

May 20, 2014 Bananaman 34 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles Alan Constable said: Until recently, I was on one daily dose of Levemir. This meant I used one needle for my QA (Humalog) and one needle for my Levemir each day (hopefully saving the NHS a bit of money - plus I don't like wasting things) and this worked well. My HCP suggested that my control could be better and I should change to 2 daily doses of Levemir. I intended to continue using one needle for my QA and one needle for my BI. I found that that when it came to my second dose of Levemir, the needle that I had used for my morning dose was clogged, so I had to use a new one. Has anybody else noticed this? Always use a new needle, the needles go blunt after use which could create lumps and your vial of insulin is supposed to be kept sealed but you have a needle going through the seal it's not sealed also your needles will get clogged which could damage your pen (ever noticed the increased pressure when you try to inject) Not to mention your probably risking an infection

May 20, 2014 Bananaman 34 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Going walking Can anyone tell me what to do if I want to go for a walk, up till now ive been eating carbohydrate before I walk and its hit or miss with blood sugars

May 15, 2014 Stew B 125 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Workplace Injections I guess we diabetics find ourselves injecting in some fairly unhygienic situations without really thinking about it (as a keen bird watcher I've spent time at various sewage farms, rubbish dumps, chemical factories etc. home and abroad and haven't thought twice about injecting). However if I went to my GP for an inoculation ('flu jab for instance) and he took me into the toilets to deliver the jab I'd raise my eyebrows quite high! Just saying..

May 15, 2014 Stew B 125 posts	Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection I use an approach similar to alturn. I keep my Lantus disposable pen in a separate case and on Sunday evening I make sure there are seven needles in the case too. It's easy to check how many are left each day and tell if an injection has been missed..

May 15, 2014 Stew B 125 posts	Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection I use an approach similar to alturn. I keep my Lantus disposable pen in a separate case and on Sunday evening I make sure there are seven needles in the case too. It's easy to check how many are left each day and tell if an injection has been missed..

May 15, 2014 mstarosta 5 posts	Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection Hi, the NovoPen Echo can recall doses for up to 12 hours & can be used with Levemir penfill cartridges. Available in 2 colours & skins available too. You can record QA & BI & sites on the DAFNE online app if it is available to you. I was sure that there would be an app to help with this issue by now but I haven't been able to find one yet. Hope this helps...

May 15, 2014 DanielDixon1123 1 post	Topic: Questions for HCPs / "Not suitable for diabetics" Hello. This topic is about certain medications which can be easily picked up in a chemist. I would like to know that since we are DAFNE trained and our blood sugars are, generally accepted as better than your average diabetic. Are we OK to use products such as Verrucas wart cream? Blood sugars have been very good since starting DAFNE. Is this warning because of the risk of infection while using treatment?

May 14, 2014 Teanosugar 25 posts	Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection Much obliged everyone! It's all great feedback. The calendar idea is particularly useful because I have one right next to my fridge. I will also check the Insulcheck in Balance. That sounds like the greatest invention since the wheel...

May 14, 2014 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection Like Garry, I use the Lilly Humapen Memoir pen and find it invaluable. You have to be on Humalog QA insulin to use it, There is something called Insulcheck, which tells you how much time has passed since your last injection. This could help and they claim it fits most disposable and re-usable pens. See the advert on page 44 of the current Balance magazine or visit www.insulcheck.com

May 14, 2014 lizzy 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / How to Remember If You've Done an Injection I had exactly the same problem as you and was driving me up the wall... until i got the Novopen Echo for my levimer and novorapid. I would speak to your diabetic clinic or whoever, to see if they can prescribe you something similar. The pens that tell you when you when you last injected are a must i say! x.

May 14, 2014 Warwick 425 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Need advise Hi Avenella, That looks pretty good so far. With only one evening where the BGs have gone high so far, I wouldn't want to advise you to change anything just yet. If you get a few higher readings each evening before bed, then it looks like the dose to change will be your evening QA dose with dinner. Your BI doses seem to be good, although three days of data probably isn't enough just yetto say one way or another. Keep it up and post your diary again in a couple of days, and we should be able to help more. Thanks, Warwick.

May 14, 2014 Garry 328 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Need advise Welcome and well done avanella. We will try and assist with the information supplied so far. You can show your BI injection sites too. This gives you the opportunity to review your distribution of injection sites for both QA and BI to plan how you can efficiently move them about in an effort to help good insulin dose absorbtion. Keep the results coming. Regards Garry