Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Sep 17, 2013

Anele46 109 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels

hannahdefries said:
I am still so confused, I woke at 6:10am to go for a run, my BG was 4.6, I ran 2.5 miles (drank around 100ml lucozade before my run), when i got home I then went to have breakfast and my BG was 14!

Hi Hannah, sorry my post didn't help Sad

Warwick talks about Anaerobic exercise increasing your BGs after exercise and Aerobic exercise decreasing BGs after exercise. Not sure where your 2.5 mile run fits in between Anerobic and Aerobic but I guess it depends on how strenuous your run was...

I had a quick look on the web for the definitions (fitness19.com)

Anaerobic Exercise: Anaerobic exercise is very high intensity or at your maximum level of exertion. Examples include sprinting and weight lifting.

Aerobic Exercise: Common types of aerobic exercise include running at a comfortable pace (you should be able to talk without breathing too hard), swimming, and biking.

Sep 17, 2013

hannahdefries 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels

How much would you say a 'little' QA would be? I went swimming yesterday morning and was 9.1 before, then around 13 when i got home.. I did give myself 2 QA before my swim too.

Sep 17, 2013

hannahdefries 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels

I am still so confused, I woke at 6:10am to go for a run, my BG was 4.6, I ran 2.5 miles (drank around 100ml lucozade before my run), when i got home I then went to have breakfast and my BG was 14! Sad

Sep 17, 2013

Anele46 109 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels

Hello Hannah,
Looking at previous posts for similar issues I think you may need a little QA before exercising which seems totally wrong but I remember my Consultant discussing it my Annual DAFNE meet up a few months back and he said the same.

See comments from WARWICK in the previous post
Increased blood glucose after exercise

Hope this helps Very Happy

Anele.

Sep 17, 2013

hannahdefries 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels

HELP.. please Surprised

)
I exercise 5 out of 7 mornings each week and i can not get my levels to run okay.. I am following the dafne principles of 2-3 or 1-2 cp before exercising and when i come home from exercising and go to have my breakfast my levels are between 11 and 14.. Can anyone help or does anyone have any suggestions?

Sep 15, 2013

marke 681 posts

Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collab 2013

Hi, not at the moment since the hypo unawareness was a trial course to see what results they would get. The results I think suggested that people would benefit however they now have to work out the practicalities of making it available at DAFNE Centres. I will update you if and when I hear more news about the course.

Sep 14, 2013

Warwick 423 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Weekly readings

Just noticed the comment on the switch to Levemir. It is common to need a higher dose of Levemir than other types of basal insulin - up to 25% more is not uncommon. Just in case you find that that is required.

Sep 14, 2013

Warwick 423 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Weekly readings

Hello Hugh,

Overall it looks pretty good - you have very few extreme readings - above 10 or below 3.5. I'd suggest a few more readings on some of the days. Before breakfast, lunch, dinner and bed along with any hypos is the minimum readings that I'd want to see when looking for trends etc.

Still, based on what you have put, it looks like you have it largely under control. Well done.

Warwick.

Sep 13, 2013

Hugh campbell 2 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Weekly readings

Could you view and comment, just back to following dafne principles after a struggle with lack of motivation

Sep 13, 2013

jlyall 8 posts

Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer

thanks novrarapid and alturn
i have put on 7lbs,but i walk twice a day so more active
i guess everyone needs different amounts
so i will keep trying to get the amount right and not worry about taking too much insulin
i know everything affects your bg levels

Sep 13, 2013

Louise1988 69 posts

Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer

Alturn - I agree, if only life was simple!

Sep 13, 2013

alturn 78 posts

Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer

I have increased my Levemir several times since starting, initially daily, now split 13 am and 12 pm, though considering 14 am and 11 pm - depends on BG values, its a continuous process of monitoring. I started on quite small values.

I think its increased as my weight has gone up by over 2 st (now 10 st 8lb so not overweight) and I probably wasn't taking enough and correcting frequently, with too many highs and lows. Have you had any changes to life-style - less active, more stress Question

. And can insulin sensitivity change over time?.

As Novorapidboi26 says, you need to take what is required to maintain good BG as that is the ultimate goal for good life and avoiding side-effects - just wish it was as easy to do as to say. Very Happy

Sep 13, 2013

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer

not just up, but down..........

If you lose weight it will go down, it normally goes down as you get older also.......

colder climates can effect it also, some need more, some need less, I personally need more, this may be down to the body needing to work harder to keep warm..

Don't worry about it going up though. You will probably find that your lack of BI was being compensated with QA, and so your QA doses will come down once you have got your 2 BI doses right.....

Taking as little insulin as possible is appealing and advantageous to all diabetics but ultimately you need what you need and managing your blood sugar is the most important thing.....

Wink

Sep 12, 2013

jlyall 8 posts

Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer

thanks for your reply novorapid
not done carb free during day for a few weeks
will try tommorow
so will background amount keep going up during ones life

Sep 12, 2013

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer

Your background insulin requirement will change on a regular basis.........could be seasonal, weight related, illness etc........

you will get there with the right dose if you persevere.......

Have you done carb free tests during the day then?

Sep 12, 2013

jlyall 8 posts

Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer

has any one had problems with background insulin,i seem to have to increase mine every month
i only increase it when my night bg reading has gone up more than 3 in the morning
i do 3am readings so i am not having hypos
since july i have had to increase my levimer from 21units at 8pm to 29units
and its the same with the background in the morning from22 units to 27
at 8am
i feel that my body gets use to the amount then i have to put it up again

Sep 12, 2013

Anele46 109 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK

Louise1988 said:
Anele46 said:
I am not a &quot;typical&quot; Type 1 or Type 2. They thought I was Type 1 when I was first diagnosed in Feb 2010 but I never came out of my &quot;Honeymoon&quot; phase and have been on very small ratios of Novorapid and very little Lantus.

For the past month they have took me off my Insulin completely and have had me on Metformin but the side-affects are awful and my BGs haven&#x27;t been the best hence I&#x27;m going back to see my consultant soon.
I&#x27;m gradually coming back off the Metformin and would prefer to go back on Insulin as although it could be difficult to manage sometimes with very small ratios and doses it still beats the heck out of the side-effects I experience with Metformin.
I&#x27;ve spoke to my DSN and talked about a Pump and she said that could be a very good option as it can deliver very small amounts of Insulin which may be the best solution for me which brought me to asking about which one is best

Thanks for your advice, greatly appreciated

I'm type 1.5 too! They spent a year and a half treating me as a type 2, as my body is still producing a small amount of insulin. None of that worked, so they put me on insulin March this year. I'm trying to work up the courage to ask for the pump, as I'm finding it really difficult to control my sugars. The levels are so unpredictable, even if they start the same, I have the same food, and do the same amount of insulin. I also struggle with hypo unawareness. I'm hoping these are good enough reasons for me to be considered for the pump haha.

Hi Louise,
Sorry to hear you are struggling with Hypos and Hypo awareness. I struggled too with my Hypo awareness and Hypos after my daughter was born which is why they tried me off Insulin and using Metformin. I think the reason my Hypo awareness has never been great is due to my sugars were always so tight - close to normal so my "normal" level was set so low that it took my sugars to drop really low for me to feel anything. When my sugars have been running higher (above 7) I get the awareness back. I guess it must come hand in hand with us that are still producing some insulin but not enough to cover what we eat.
I see my consultant a week today and will be asking to go on a pump - hopefully the omnipod as this seems to best suit my lifestyle (working mum). Hopefully they can offer me this type.
Good luck with your BGs - hope they offer you a pump as sounds like the best way forward for you.

Thanks,
Anele.

Sep 12, 2013

Anele46 109 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK

Louise1988 said:
I'm all for pretty coloured pen haha. I have mentioned half unit pens before, but my dsn told me I didn't need it, as I should just round up or round down, depending on what my bg level is

Hi Louise,
I use the NovPen3 Demi which does half units. It takes cartridges as Vickyp says - I use Novorapid but not sure if other cartridges for other types of Insulin will fit/are available?
Thanks,
Anele.

Sep 11, 2013

louisecur 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Insulin and Side Effects

Hi I was put on lantus a few years ago and straight away I felt ill and I started to put weight on, I put on 10lbs in two weeks. The hospital and dieticans asked me if I was sure I hadn't changed my diet or exercising less etc. I took myself off the lantus on a Friday and on the Saturday I was feeling back to normal and the weight came off over a few weeks. The drs at hospital wouldn't say it was the lantus but to me it must have been, too much of a coincidence to feel pretty ill and put a lot of weight on in such a short space of time and then for it all to reverse once I went back to humulin I. I looked it up on the Internet and at that time I found things from America were people had reacted badly to lantus and from memory I think there were lots of different issues that people had.

Sep 11, 2013

Vickyp 137 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK

I had to do that even with half unit pen, and think all diabetics do (even now on pump i do but the pump works it out for me!)
The half unit pen makes it easier to do more accurate 0.5:1 ratios and then you can round by 0.5 rather than 1; which may be too much for you. Worth a try Smile

Sep 11, 2013

Louise1988 69 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK

I'm all for pretty coloured pen haha. I have mentioned half unit pens before, but my dsn told me I didn't need it, as I should just round up or round down, depending on what my bg level is Confused

Sep 11, 2013

Vickyp 137 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK

I got two from my DSN during DAFNE course...they are usually given to children so one came in a coloured case!!
They take insulin cartridges rather than being prefilled pens.

Sep 11, 2013

Louise1988 69 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK

Wow, tiny amounts! Thanks Vicky, will ask my dsn about this pen.

Sep 11, 2013

Vickyp 137 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK

I had a pen that dosed in half unit..a saviour before the pump. I had tiny amounts of insulin (6 levemir and 8or9 novo rapid a day,) ratios were all 0.5:1 except breakfast which was 0.5:1-0.5!!! Now on the pump am on even smaller amounts, and take no insulin with breakfast as I still produce insulin.
I went without pump/insulin for 3 weeks and sugars fine in morning but high from about lunchtime..this showed i am still producing some insulin a year after diagnosis but not enough so back on pump with minimal amounts. My basal is now 0.6u/day and average 3u of bolus (QA)!
Try a half unit pen as that reduced a lot of my hypos before I got the pump!

Sep 17, 2013 Anele46 109 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels hannahdefries said: I am still so confused, I woke at 6:10am to go for a run, my BG was 4.6, I ran 2.5 miles (drank around 100ml lucozade before my run), when i got home I then went to have breakfast and my BG was 14! Hi Hannah, sorry my post didn't help Warwick talks about Anaerobic exercise increasing your BGs after exercise and Aerobic exercise decreasing BGs after exercise. Not sure where your 2.5 mile run fits in between Anerobic and Aerobic but I guess it depends on how strenuous your run was... I had a quick look on the web for the definitions (fitness19.com) Anaerobic Exercise: Anaerobic exercise is very high intensity or at your maximum level of exertion. Examples include sprinting and weight lifting. Aerobic Exercise: Common types of aerobic exercise include running at a comfortable pace (you should be able to talk without breathing too hard), swimming, and biking.

Sep 17, 2013 hannahdefries 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels How much would you say a 'little' QA would be? I went swimming yesterday morning and was 9.1 before, then around 13 when i got home.. I did give myself 2 QA before my swim too.

Sep 17, 2013 hannahdefries 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels I am still so confused, I woke at 6:10am to go for a run, my BG was 4.6, I ran 2.5 miles (drank around 100ml lucozade before my run), when i got home I then went to have breakfast and my BG was 14!

Sep 17, 2013 Anele46 109 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels Hello Hannah, Looking at previous posts for similar issues I think you may need a little QA before exercising which seems totally wrong but I remember my Consultant discussing it my Annual DAFNE meet up a few months back and he said the same. See comments from WARWICK in the previous post Increased blood glucose after exercise Hope this helps Anele.

Sep 17, 2013 hannahdefries 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Exercise & BG levels HELP.. please ) I exercise 5 out of 7 mornings each week and i can not get my levels to run okay.. I am following the dafne principles of 2-3 or 1-2 cp before exercising and when i come home from exercising and go to have my breakfast my levels are between 11 and 14.. Can anyone help or does anyone have any suggestions?

Sep 15, 2013 marke 681 posts	Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collab 2013 Hi, not at the moment since the hypo unawareness was a trial course to see what results they would get. The results I think suggested that people would benefit however they now have to work out the practicalities of making it available at DAFNE Centres. I will update you if and when I hear more news about the course.

Sep 14, 2013 Warwick 423 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Weekly readings Just noticed the comment on the switch to Levemir. It is common to need a higher dose of Levemir than other types of basal insulin - up to 25% more is not uncommon. Just in case you find that that is required.

Sep 14, 2013 Warwick 423 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Weekly readings Hello Hugh, Overall it looks pretty good - you have very few extreme readings - above 10 or below 3.5. I'd suggest a few more readings on some of the days. Before breakfast, lunch, dinner and bed along with any hypos is the minimum readings that I'd want to see when looking for trends etc. Still, based on what you have put, it looks like you have it largely under control. Well done. Warwick.

Sep 13, 2013 Hugh campbell 2 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Weekly readings Could you view and comment, just back to following dafne principles after a struggle with lack of motivation

Sep 13, 2013 jlyall 8 posts	Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer thanks novrarapid and alturn i have put on 7lbs,but i walk twice a day so more active i guess everyone needs different amounts so i will keep trying to get the amount right and not worry about taking too much insulin i know everything affects your bg levels

Sep 13, 2013 Louise1988 69 posts	Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer Alturn - I agree, if only life was simple!

Sep 13, 2013 alturn 78 posts	Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer I have increased my Levemir several times since starting, initially daily, now split 13 am and 12 pm, though considering 14 am and 11 pm - depends on BG values, its a continuous process of monitoring. I started on quite small values. I think its increased as my weight has gone up by over 2 st (now 10 st 8lb so not overweight) and I probably wasn't taking enough and correcting frequently, with too many highs and lows. Have you had any changes to life-style - less active, more stress . And can insulin sensitivity change over time?. As Novorapidboi26 says, you need to take what is required to maintain good BG as that is the ultimate goal for good life and avoiding side-effects - just wish it was as easy to do as to say.

Sep 13, 2013 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer not just up, but down.......... If you lose weight it will go down, it normally goes down as you get older also....... colder climates can effect it also, some need more, some need less, I personally need more, this may be down to the body needing to work harder to keep warm.. Don't worry about it going up though. You will probably find that your lack of BI was being compensated with QA, and so your QA doses will come down once you have got your 2 BI doses right..... Taking as little insulin as possible is appealing and advantageous to all diabetics but ultimately you need what you need and managing your blood sugar is the most important thing.....

Sep 12, 2013 jlyall 8 posts	Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer thanks for your reply novorapid not done carb free during day for a few weeks will try tommorow so will background amount keep going up during ones life

Sep 12, 2013 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer Your background insulin requirement will change on a regular basis.........could be seasonal, weight related, illness etc........ you will get there with the right dose if you persevere....... Have you done carb free tests during the day then?

Sep 12, 2013 jlyall 8 posts	Topic: General Discussion / background insulin levimer has any one had problems with background insulin,i seem to have to increase mine every month i only increase it when my night bg reading has gone up more than 3 in the morning i do 3am readings so i am not having hypos since july i have had to increase my levimer from 21units at 8pm to 29units and its the same with the background in the morning from22 units to 27 at 8am i feel that my body gets use to the amount then i have to put it up again

Sep 12, 2013 Anele46 109 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK Louise1988 said: Anele46 said: I am not a &quot;typical&quot; Type 1 or Type 2. They thought I was Type 1 when I was first diagnosed in Feb 2010 but I never came out of my &quot;Honeymoon&quot; phase and have been on very small ratios of Novorapid and very little Lantus. For the past month they have took me off my Insulin completely and have had me on Metformin but the side-affects are awful and my BGs haven&#x27;t been the best hence I&#x27;m going back to see my consultant soon. I&#x27;m gradually coming back off the Metformin and would prefer to go back on Insulin as although it could be difficult to manage sometimes with very small ratios and doses it still beats the heck out of the side-effects I experience with Metformin. I&#x27;ve spoke to my DSN and talked about a Pump and she said that could be a very good option as it can deliver very small amounts of Insulin which may be the best solution for me which brought me to asking about which one is best Thanks for your advice, greatly appreciated I'm type 1.5 too! They spent a year and a half treating me as a type 2, as my body is still producing a small amount of insulin. None of that worked, so they put me on insulin March this year. I'm trying to work up the courage to ask for the pump, as I'm finding it really difficult to control my sugars. The levels are so unpredictable, even if they start the same, I have the same food, and do the same amount of insulin. I also struggle with hypo unawareness. I'm hoping these are good enough reasons for me to be considered for the pump haha. Hi Louise, Sorry to hear you are struggling with Hypos and Hypo awareness. I struggled too with my Hypo awareness and Hypos after my daughter was born which is why they tried me off Insulin and using Metformin. I think the reason my Hypo awareness has never been great is due to my sugars were always so tight - close to normal so my "normal" level was set so low that it took my sugars to drop really low for me to feel anything. When my sugars have been running higher (above 7) I get the awareness back. I guess it must come hand in hand with us that are still producing some insulin but not enough to cover what we eat. I see my consultant a week today and will be asking to go on a pump - hopefully the omnipod as this seems to best suit my lifestyle (working mum). Hopefully they can offer me this type. Good luck with your BGs - hope they offer you a pump as sounds like the best way forward for you. Thanks, Anele.

Sep 12, 2013 Anele46 109 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK Louise1988 said: I'm all for pretty coloured pen haha. I have mentioned half unit pens before, but my dsn told me I didn't need it, as I should just round up or round down, depending on what my bg level is Hi Louise, I use the NovPen3 Demi which does half units. It takes cartridges as Vickyp says - I use Novorapid but not sure if other cartridges for other types of Insulin will fit/are available? Thanks, Anele.

Sep 11, 2013 louisecur 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Insulin and Side Effects Hi I was put on lantus a few years ago and straight away I felt ill and I started to put weight on, I put on 10lbs in two weeks. The hospital and dieticans asked me if I was sure I hadn't changed my diet or exercising less etc. I took myself off the lantus on a Friday and on the Saturday I was feeling back to normal and the weight came off over a few weeks. The drs at hospital wouldn't say it was the lantus but to me it must have been, too much of a coincidence to feel pretty ill and put a lot of weight on in such a short space of time and then for it all to reverse once I went back to humulin I. I looked it up on the Internet and at that time I found things from America were people had reacted badly to lantus and from memory I think there were lots of different issues that people had.

Sep 11, 2013 Vickyp 137 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK I had to do that even with half unit pen, and think all diabetics do (even now on pump i do but the pump works it out for me!) The half unit pen makes it easier to do more accurate 0.5:1 ratios and then you can round by 0.5 rather than 1; which may be too much for you. Worth a try

Sep 11, 2013 Louise1988 69 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK I'm all for pretty coloured pen haha. I have mentioned half unit pens before, but my dsn told me I didn't need it, as I should just round up or round down, depending on what my bg level is

Sep 11, 2013 Vickyp 137 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK I got two from my DSN during DAFNE course...they are usually given to children so one came in a coloured case!! They take insulin cartridges rather than being prefilled pens.

Sep 11, 2013 Louise1988 69 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK Wow, tiny amounts! Thanks Vicky, will ask my dsn about this pen.

Sep 11, 2013 Vickyp 137 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pumps in the UK I had a pen that dosed in half unit..a saviour before the pump. I had tiny amounts of insulin (6 levemir and 8or9 novo rapid a day,) ratios were all 0.5:1 except breakfast which was 0.5:1-0.5!!! Now on the pump am on even smaller amounts, and take no insulin with breakfast as I still produce insulin. I went without pump/insulin for 3 weeks and sugars fine in morning but high from about lunchtime..this showed i am still producing some insulin a year after diagnosis but not enough so back on pump with minimal amounts. My basal is now 0.6u/day and average 3u of bolus (QA)! Try a half unit pen as that reduced a lot of my hypos before I got the pump!