Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Jul 21, 2013

legscrane 2 posts

Topic: General Discussion / batteries for the accu-chek

Interesting to read your comments on the accu chek. I've just changed my meter to an accu chek mobile. Anyone had any bad experiences with it?

Jul 21, 2013

NuMo 28 posts

Topic: General Discussion / batteries for the accu-chek

I gave up on my Accu-Chek meter as I found it bulky, heavy and temperamental. My Bayer meter is rechargable, so no batteries at all. My Optium Freestyle Lite I have been using now for well over a year and have never needed to change batteries. Interesting to hear different experiences with different meters. So often a meter can seem like a good design but turn out to be disappointing in practise.

Jul 21, 2013

Stew B 125 posts

Topic: General Discussion / batteries for the accu-chek

Interesting that Aviva will provide batteries. One Touch used to do this, but when I contacted them recently to request batteries for my One Touch Ultra they told me they no longer provide free batteries. Not sure how I feel about this - I assumed that providing free batteries was an incentive to encourage us to stay loyal to their meters. I must say that if Aviva are still providing them I'll have to have a think...

Jul 21, 2013

Stew B 125 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat

Like Jacqueline, my levels have been all over the shop during the hot spell, but mainly on the high side (9 - 11). Because of this I have usually had to correct at bedtime when I take my BI, but the last couple of nights I've managed to engineer a target reading at bedtime and have done a couple of overnight tests, which seem to suggest that my BI isn't affected. Also, I normally use a 2 - 3 correction ratio (i.e. 2 units of Novorapid to reduce levels by 3), but this seems too much in the hot weather, which has led to a few hypos when correcting. Having said all that, I'm loving the hot weather!

Stew

Jul 19, 2013

Jacqueline 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat

Evening all. The heat is seriously affecting my blood glucose levels. I am having the opposite to everyone else, my readings are averaging 15-17. I usually wake up with a reading of 6 or 7 and now its 15-17. At bedtime I am usually 7-9 and now it's 17. I am taking more insulin also. I usually have 8 units fast acting at breakfast. and after breakfast it goes up to about 9-10 then starts dropping back to 8-9. then before lunch I inject 8 -10 units and late afternoon I am about 7-9. I usually inject 6 -12 units at evening before dinner and at bedtime I am usually about 7-8. Now I am injecting almost twice as much as normal to try and keep my sugars lower. Also before bed last night I had an extra 6 units of fast acting which would normally bring me into a hypo, but I remained at 15 before bed and 15.2 when I woke up. This is NOT Normal!!! Now its either the weather or the insulin we are all using does NOT work so well in extreme temperatures. It could be one of both of these things. I would suggest trying to cool the insulin down where possible, but not always feasible in work hours etc... Diabetes UK sent out an info update last week about the insulin causing hypos or highs during hot weather. It could be we may have to work on "Sick Day" rules but if DAFNE don't know then we are stuffed!!

Jul 19, 2013

Jenny Spollen 13 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat

The extreme heat makes your insulin more effective so will result in more hypos/lows. The same way that if you load yourself full of insulin and soon after hop into a hot shower you are more prone to lows. The same is true of extreme cold. I was told from an early age that this happened but I had noticed the same tendency with the cold so queried it at the DAFNE course and was told that extremes of temperature, both hot and cold, will cause lower blood sugars (it was in the HCPs course ringbinder - they looked it up). The drop in the cold I was putting down to alot more energy being used to just keep yourself warm.

Jul 19, 2013

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat

I've never been sure about the claim that heat affects your levels directly since being told on the first day of my DAFNE course that it doesn't.

I haven't noticed anything like that and I've been boiling... Perhaps you're exercising more than you realise? Being low a lot generally suggests a dose needs dropping somewhere too.

Take care y'all.

Jul 19, 2013

Vickyp 137 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat

I am having the same issue, my BGs are under tight control so run quite low normally but they are dropping even more now...can only assume its the heat causing it!

Jul 18, 2013

Gari 17 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat

Can this extreme heat we are experiencing at the moment cause my blood sugars to drop regularly. I seem to be going low quite a lot throughout the day. I am obviously sweating a lot so i assume that this is the reason my levels keep dropping. Any help would be great.

Jul 17, 2013

youone 102 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / iPhone app redesign

Simon said:
Hi Youone,

It sounds like you work in app/web design? If you'd like to help out then we're always open to offers ;) Good idea though, I'd already thought about changing the home tab to have more information on. Regarding the calculation - the app already does this (see auto-calc in the settings) - is this what you mean or have I interpreted it wrongly?

SimonC/Garry - thanks for the feedback, some good ideas. I'll also take a look at the graphs on the site and see what we can do to make printing easier.

Simon

Hi Simon
I would like to help the site, I'll pm you to give my details regards game design and my graphics experience, hope I can help
Brian
Type1 42 yrs

Jul 17, 2013

youone 102 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / colonscopys

Hi HelenP
Thanks for your comments.
I've been on a. Test run today I've had no Cp or QA since 10.30am that's a good 12 hours, my BG has been constant .
The worry is a part,
I couldn't find any reason that you can't take QA, but again if your a Dafne graduate and your BI is set at the correct level going without shouldn't be an issue.
Brian
Type1 42 yrs

Jul 17, 2013

Kittycat789 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus - times

23 units at 9pm it works for me i tested this with a carb free day :-)

Jul 17, 2013

HelenP 218 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / colonscopys

Hi Brian... I have had one and the thinking about it i found worse than the actual event. If you are not eating would you normally take QA? I can not remember the insulin being an issue but I did find it difficult to get the goop down. I do not take QA if I am not eating. I think in these situations you manage it as best you can (and you have a lot of experience) and ask for help if you need it. The anaesthetist can check your BGs. Good luck. Helen

Jul 17, 2013

youone 102 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / colonscopys

I'm having a colonscopys next week. Just having a test run on the no QA from 1pm lunch to 6am the next day.
Seems OK so far with my BG been constant.
I've asked my Dafne nurse what's the reason you can't take QA, which she's looking into.
Has anyone else being through this procedure who has gained experience and knowledge which I could use to make this experience run smoothly
Thanks in advance
Brian
Type1 42 yrs

Jul 17, 2013

youone 102 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus - times

30u @ 5am, but depending on shift

Jul 17, 2013

JamesW 24 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Cycling and exercise

There is also a (UK) domestic cycling team based along similar principles, Team Diabetes UK. I think they only started up this year and their online presence is not massive but they have twitter and facebook pages that will turn up via the search engine of your choice.

Jul 16, 2013

BMuffs 6 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / How to upload diary from app to website

Hi,

I have just downloaded the Dafne app onto my smartphone. Can someone please tell me how to delete an entry as there doesn't appear to be a 'delete entry' option? Also, how do I upload my entries onto my online diary.? I have clicked for automatic upload in my settings but it still isn't uploading.

Jul 16, 2013

Jenny Spollen 13 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carb Free Foods

Howdy,

As previously mentioned 4-5 hour slots work best for this. I would recommend doing the same period for a few days on the trot so that you can get one portion of the day sorted then move on to the next, bearing in mind the impact one part of the day will have on the following one. Also doing a ten hour stint will bring on an impact that you may not have thought about. Extended periods of fasting/carb fee will induce a lower need for insulin. If you base your basal rates on this they may not be wholly accurate and those 10 never ending hours of carb cravings will be for nothing. Also at ten hours I personally would be checking for ketones whatever bg readings you are getting because your body may start to break down stores for those missing carbs.
Also as mentioned parsnips can def increase your bg.

All said, I hope it work out well for you. I found that this was the hardest part of it all when I started out but it is def worth the effort. Very Happy

Jul 16, 2013

Jenny Spollen 13 posts

Topic: General Discussion / My BG Diary - All Comments Welcomed

Before I was on my pump I used to split my lantus dose. I am allergic to levemir and the lantus used to run out when given in one shot so I had to split it. The really annoying thing about it is this. It can take three days for any changes to start taking effect and another 3 for them to settle down and take full effect. So basically after you make a change you may need to wait six days to see what it's really starting to do and then give it a few more to see how the change is working. The dates you have up would suggest that you changed back on the day after it was probably only taking effect. Now the six day thing may not be true for you but it's what I was told in the hospital and what I found reflected in my readings. Also the time of day that you do the split and the ratio are also important. Mine used to be a 9u/11u split and the time of day made a huge difference. Hope this is of some use. Good luck Smile

Jul 16, 2013

SA2010 69 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Higher CP value meal - Should higher than normal QA doses be split?

I don't know - i will reserve judgement on this Paul.

I do know though that I am very sensitive to small changes in insulin dose - 1u out and there is an impact - so I would never dream of injecting 21u - anyway not with my current insulin sensitivity and to just go to bed without measuring - at the moment I do not risk that - whilst I am still able to stay awake 5 hours after dinner, Maybe when I get older I will not be able to do that but now i can and I am doing it,. By the way the 5 hours went past 2 and half hours ago - i just carried away doing things ! But definitely going to bed now

Biggest fear is getting a hypo whilst a sleep so I make sure I am close to 8.0mmol/l before bedtime (for me 7.0 to 8.5 at bed time I take no action for)

Obviously I am not benefiting from all the freedoms following DAFNE but what is the point in doing a bedtiime measure when the QA is still working and active,

Jul 15, 2013

paulj 36 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Higher CP value meal - Should higher than normal QA doses be split?

I think after reading the above comments it is whatever works for that individual. I have just had my tea which consisted of a frozen pizza and a magnum ice cream. I find that when I eat a pizza I have to increase my ratio from one and a half to one and two thirds because if I don't the next morning I am normally higher than usual.my total q/a dose for the above was 21.5 units of which I took all at once. rightly or wrongly I don't concern myself with my bedtime bg reading because 5 hours have not elapsed by then i.e. if it is to high.it is the breakfast bg reading that I tend to refer to.as we all realise DAFNE is great because it gives us more freedom to eat what we want. for me personally by splitting q/a doses for large cp meals just makes the whole thing a bit more complicated and its not easy to get right at the best of times. Very Happy

I remember a old saying from my previous job

K.I.S.S.-KEEP IT SIMPLEY SIMPLE

Jul 15, 2013

Warwick 423 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / dafne sports camps?

That would be nice. I'd love to use a CGM and know my trends, but the consumables are so expensive currently. Perhaps they will come down in price soon. My notes from the course are here if you are interested:

http://needcarbs.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/tips-from-act1vate/

Cheers,
Warwick.

Jul 15, 2013

JennyNZ 29 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / dafne sports camps?

Warwick thanks so much! Yup - Melbourne's 4 hr. travel time compared to Boulders 18 hours is worth thinking about. will certainly look in to it. we also got to trial CGM's while at camp and they were great!

Jul 21, 2013 legscrane 2 posts	Topic: General Discussion / batteries for the accu-chek Interesting to read your comments on the accu chek. I've just changed my meter to an accu chek mobile. Anyone had any bad experiences with it?

Jul 21, 2013 NuMo 28 posts	Topic: General Discussion / batteries for the accu-chek I gave up on my Accu-Chek meter as I found it bulky, heavy and temperamental. My Bayer meter is rechargable, so no batteries at all. My Optium Freestyle Lite I have been using now for well over a year and have never needed to change batteries. Interesting to hear different experiences with different meters. So often a meter can seem like a good design but turn out to be disappointing in practise.

Jul 21, 2013 Stew B 125 posts	Topic: General Discussion / batteries for the accu-chek Interesting that Aviva will provide batteries. One Touch used to do this, but when I contacted them recently to request batteries for my One Touch Ultra they told me they no longer provide free batteries. Not sure how I feel about this - I assumed that providing free batteries was an incentive to encourage us to stay loyal to their meters. I must say that if Aviva are still providing them I'll have to have a think...

Jul 21, 2013 Stew B 125 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat Like Jacqueline, my levels have been all over the shop during the hot spell, but mainly on the high side (9 - 11). Because of this I have usually had to correct at bedtime when I take my BI, but the last couple of nights I've managed to engineer a target reading at bedtime and have done a couple of overnight tests, which seem to suggest that my BI isn't affected. Also, I normally use a 2 - 3 correction ratio (i.e. 2 units of Novorapid to reduce levels by 3), but this seems too much in the hot weather, which has led to a few hypos when correcting. Having said all that, I'm loving the hot weather! Stew

Jul 19, 2013 Jacqueline 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat Evening all. The heat is seriously affecting my blood glucose levels. I am having the opposite to everyone else, my readings are averaging 15-17. I usually wake up with a reading of 6 or 7 and now its 15-17. At bedtime I am usually 7-9 and now it's 17. I am taking more insulin also. I usually have 8 units fast acting at breakfast. and after breakfast it goes up to about 9-10 then starts dropping back to 8-9. then before lunch I inject 8 -10 units and late afternoon I am about 7-9. I usually inject 6 -12 units at evening before dinner and at bedtime I am usually about 7-8. Now I am injecting almost twice as much as normal to try and keep my sugars lower. Also before bed last night I had an extra 6 units of fast acting which would normally bring me into a hypo, but I remained at 15 before bed and 15.2 when I woke up. This is NOT Normal!!! Now its either the weather or the insulin we are all using does NOT work so well in extreme temperatures. It could be one of both of these things. I would suggest trying to cool the insulin down where possible, but not always feasible in work hours etc... Diabetes UK sent out an info update last week about the insulin causing hypos or highs during hot weather. It could be we may have to work on "Sick Day" rules but if DAFNE don't know then we are stuffed!!

Jul 19, 2013 Jenny Spollen 13 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat The extreme heat makes your insulin more effective so will result in more hypos/lows. The same way that if you load yourself full of insulin and soon after hop into a hot shower you are more prone to lows. The same is true of extreme cold. I was told from an early age that this happened but I had noticed the same tendency with the cold so queried it at the DAFNE course and was told that extremes of temperature, both hot and cold, will cause lower blood sugars (it was in the HCPs course ringbinder - they looked it up). The drop in the cold I was putting down to alot more energy being used to just keep yourself warm.

Jul 19, 2013 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat I've never been sure about the claim that heat affects your levels directly since being told on the first day of my DAFNE course that it doesn't. I haven't noticed anything like that and I've been boiling... Perhaps you're exercising more than you realise? Being low a lot generally suggests a dose needs dropping somewhere too. Take care y'all.

Jul 19, 2013 Vickyp 137 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat I am having the same issue, my BGs are under tight control so run quite low normally but they are dropping even more now...can only assume its the heat causing it!

Jul 18, 2013 Gari 17 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Extreme heat Can this extreme heat we are experiencing at the moment cause my blood sugars to drop regularly. I seem to be going low quite a lot throughout the day. I am obviously sweating a lot so i assume that this is the reason my levels keep dropping. Any help would be great.

Jul 17, 2013 youone 102 posts	Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / iPhone app redesign Simon said: Hi Youone, It sounds like you work in app/web design? If you'd like to help out then we're always open to offers ;) Good idea though, I'd already thought about changing the home tab to have more information on. Regarding the calculation - the app already does this (see auto-calc in the settings) - is this what you mean or have I interpreted it wrongly? SimonC/Garry - thanks for the feedback, some good ideas. I'll also take a look at the graphs on the site and see what we can do to make printing easier. Simon Hi Simon I would like to help the site, I'll pm you to give my details regards game design and my graphics experience, hope I can help Brian Type1 42 yrs

Jul 17, 2013 youone 102 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / colonscopys Hi HelenP Thanks for your comments. I've been on a. Test run today I've had no Cp or QA since 10.30am that's a good 12 hours, my BG has been constant . The worry is a part, I couldn't find any reason that you can't take QA, but again if your a Dafne graduate and your BI is set at the correct level going without shouldn't be an issue. Brian Type1 42 yrs

Jul 17, 2013 Kittycat789 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus - times 23 units at 9pm it works for me i tested this with a carb free day :-)

Jul 17, 2013 HelenP 218 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / colonscopys Hi Brian... I have had one and the thinking about it i found worse than the actual event. If you are not eating would you normally take QA? I can not remember the insulin being an issue but I did find it difficult to get the goop down. I do not take QA if I am not eating. I think in these situations you manage it as best you can (and you have a lot of experience) and ask for help if you need it. The anaesthetist can check your BGs. Good luck. Helen

Jul 17, 2013 youone 102 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / colonscopys I'm having a colonscopys next week. Just having a test run on the no QA from 1pm lunch to 6am the next day. Seems OK so far with my BG been constant. I've asked my Dafne nurse what's the reason you can't take QA, which she's looking into. Has anyone else being through this procedure who has gained experience and knowledge which I could use to make this experience run smoothly Thanks in advance Brian Type1 42 yrs

Jul 17, 2013 youone 102 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus - times 30u @ 5am, but depending on shift

Jul 17, 2013 JamesW 24 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Cycling and exercise There is also a (UK) domestic cycling team based along similar principles, Team Diabetes UK. I think they only started up this year and their online presence is not massive but they have twitter and facebook pages that will turn up via the search engine of your choice.

Jul 16, 2013 BMuffs 6 posts	Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / How to upload diary from app to website Hi, I have just downloaded the Dafne app onto my smartphone. Can someone please tell me how to delete an entry as there doesn't appear to be a 'delete entry' option? Also, how do I upload my entries onto my online diary.? I have clicked for automatic upload in my settings but it still isn't uploading.

Jul 16, 2013 Jenny Spollen 13 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carb Free Foods Howdy, As previously mentioned 4-5 hour slots work best for this. I would recommend doing the same period for a few days on the trot so that you can get one portion of the day sorted then move on to the next, bearing in mind the impact one part of the day will have on the following one. Also doing a ten hour stint will bring on an impact that you may not have thought about. Extended periods of fasting/carb fee will induce a lower need for insulin. If you base your basal rates on this they may not be wholly accurate and those 10 never ending hours of carb cravings will be for nothing. Also at ten hours I personally would be checking for ketones whatever bg readings you are getting because your body may start to break down stores for those missing carbs. Also as mentioned parsnips can def increase your bg. All said, I hope it work out well for you. I found that this was the hardest part of it all when I started out but it is def worth the effort.

Jul 16, 2013 Jenny Spollen 13 posts	Topic: General Discussion / My BG Diary - All Comments Welcomed Before I was on my pump I used to split my lantus dose. I am allergic to levemir and the lantus used to run out when given in one shot so I had to split it. The really annoying thing about it is this. It can take three days for any changes to start taking effect and another 3 for them to settle down and take full effect. So basically after you make a change you may need to wait six days to see what it's really starting to do and then give it a few more to see how the change is working. The dates you have up would suggest that you changed back on the day after it was probably only taking effect. Now the six day thing may not be true for you but it's what I was told in the hospital and what I found reflected in my readings. Also the time of day that you do the split and the ratio are also important. Mine used to be a 9u/11u split and the time of day made a huge difference. Hope this is of some use. Good luck

Jul 16, 2013 SA2010 69 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Higher CP value meal - Should higher than normal QA doses be split? I don't know - i will reserve judgement on this Paul. I do know though that I am very sensitive to small changes in insulin dose - 1u out and there is an impact - so I would never dream of injecting 21u - anyway not with my current insulin sensitivity and to just go to bed without measuring - at the moment I do not risk that - whilst I am still able to stay awake 5 hours after dinner, Maybe when I get older I will not be able to do that but now i can and I am doing it,. By the way the 5 hours went past 2 and half hours ago - i just carried away doing things ! But definitely going to bed now Biggest fear is getting a hypo whilst a sleep so I make sure I am close to 8.0mmol/l before bedtime (for me 7.0 to 8.5 at bed time I take no action for) Obviously I am not benefiting from all the freedoms following DAFNE but what is the point in doing a bedtiime measure when the QA is still working and active,

Jul 15, 2013 paulj 36 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Higher CP value meal - Should higher than normal QA doses be split? I think after reading the above comments it is whatever works for that individual. I have just had my tea which consisted of a frozen pizza and a magnum ice cream. I find that when I eat a pizza I have to increase my ratio from one and a half to one and two thirds because if I don't the next morning I am normally higher than usual.my total q/a dose for the above was 21.5 units of which I took all at once. rightly or wrongly I don't concern myself with my bedtime bg reading because 5 hours have not elapsed by then i.e. if it is to high.it is the breakfast bg reading that I tend to refer to.as we all realise DAFNE is great because it gives us more freedom to eat what we want. for me personally by splitting q/a doses for large cp meals just makes the whole thing a bit more complicated and its not easy to get right at the best of times. I remember a old saying from my previous job K.I.S.S.-KEEP IT SIMPLEY SIMPLE

Jul 15, 2013 Warwick 423 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / dafne sports camps? That would be nice. I'd love to use a CGM and know my trends, but the consumables are so expensive currently. Perhaps they will come down in price soon. My notes from the course are here if you are interested: http://needcarbs.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/tips-from-act1vate/ Cheers, Warwick.

Jul 15, 2013 JennyNZ 29 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / dafne sports camps? Warwick thanks so much! Yup - Melbourne's 4 hr. travel time compared to Boulders 18 hours is worth thinking about. will certainly look in to it. we also got to trial CGM's while at camp and they were great!