Recent Posts
Search the DAFNE Online Forums
15,847 posts found
|
May 11, 2013
taniahealy
9 posts
|
Normally I go hypo before 3am so don't bother testing after that. About a week ago I done 8 units of lantus in the evening. I was 6 before bed and 8 when I woke. Oh and 6.2 at 3am. I thought that was great but through the day I was high. I consulted my diabetes nurse( not dafne trained) and she told me to increase my pm lantus cos it wasn't enough through the day, although I explained that I would hypo at night if I did. Followed her advice and that is exactly what happened. So going to try the 8 again and slowly increase my am lantus. I don't think I am injecting into muscle as it is not painful. I always do lantus in my thigh and novo rapid in my belly. |
|
May 11, 2013
youone
102 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle glucose strips
Hi Lois Get straight onto your Dafne nurse They will write a letter to your GP Let's get rid of these out of date GP's |
|
May 11, 2013
youone
102 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Dealing with large carb meals Have you noticed a pattern in your evening and morning BGTry not to change things from 1 advent lantus from my experience takes two days to a week to show any changes, record all tests To set your BI you'll need to do a carb free meal, check with your Dafne nurse if your unsure This may seem an up hill climb, but once done its a down hill sprit for the rest of your life  Other conflicts such as injection sites needle length etc etc are a factors which should be considered I use an 4mm needle I'm about 12 stone 5"6 but where all different discus this with your Dafne nurse. Many type 1 fear night time, I know I've been there hypo while you sleep etc I got over this by understanding how the BI works. This is a good starting point, you,ll need to test and test for a couple of weeks But once this is right the QA is easier to put right. I didn't know that 3am in the morning if your BI is correct is the lowest level your BG will reach So if your concerned test at this time Remember your not alone I've been where you are now it will get better with time and as your self-confidence increases you,ll be in control Like you I'm looking to go on a pump |
|
May 11, 2013
Apollo
45 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Dealing with large carb meals Not to confuse the issue but I've been looking into injection technique recently and it occurs to me to ask are you injecting into muscle? If you go past the fat and inject into muscle then the rate of absorbition is much quicker which would explained why you went low. If you are you Would know about it through, when it happens to me I end up wanting to swear like a squadie as it is far from a nice feeling.Different locations will also react faster than others so might be worth trying alternative sites. That said the only two areas I can manage are belly and thighs of which belly is fastest and dropping your trousers at the dinner table is generally frowned upon so not the easiest one to do anything about but food for thought perhaps. |
|
May 11, 2013
taniahealy
9 posts
|
Changing my BI every day at the moment. I'm on lantus and take it 7 and 7. Yesterday evening took 9 units but still hypo at 12. This morning took 41. Had breakfast at 5am and just checked bs. (10.9) however may go up till 12 due to dawn phenomenon. Bloods rise from 3am-12pm. (nightmare). I will probably try doing 8 lantus this eve.Although I find when I reduce pm lantus, I normally need to increase am. Not sure how much to do tomorrow morning yet. |
|
May 11, 2013
youone
102 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Dealing with large carb meals I,m sorry its only advice, there's no fix solution for high carb meals yet, ,but hopefully this will help.You've mentioned an important factor in control just not high carb meals buts in general control That's the BI insulin something I never took a lot of notice of until the last 15 years before Dafne I always tested before bed and in the morning so I got the message early that the BI was correct Also god bless him my very 1st consultant some 40years ago believed in carb free meals so he in some way helped me understand the purpose of the BI although it took me some years to take it in. Yes your correct getting the lanus right is a big advantage in your control How much do you take? |
|
May 11, 2013
taniahealy
9 posts
|
Thank you very much for the advice, I will try the 3 way split, as it is at the moment I'm only eating about 6-8 cp's a day. I'm having a nightmare with dawn phenomenon and getting my lantus dose right. Nothing seems to be going right at the mo. I've only been doing dafne for about a month. Finding the carb counting ok. I've been diabetic for 19 years and only now taking good control since my teenage years. (29 now). Hopefully having a pump by the end of July. |
|
May 11, 2013
Garry
328 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Exercise Good on yer.Whatever works for you. Regards Garry |
|
May 11, 2013
youone
102 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Dealing with large carb meals Hi gariBeen away so just got back to this topic Taniahealy Sorry to read your having issues with large carb meals, for some time I was the same when I was a lot younger. I tried many different methods, but I always ended up high BG with no one to ask it was left to me to find a method that worked for me, I say me because where all different similar to computers we all have different ratios of AQ and BI insulin's. So any method you use is tuned to you The way I approach the high carb meal was this I found if I took more than 10 units of QA I had high BG readings 4 to 5 hours after and also issues later on, I felt terrible. As I 'he said before in previous posts I decided that my body couldn't use more than 10 units of QA at once Similar to a heavy rain storm the ground can only soak up so much leaving the rest on the surface to slowly drain away over time. My understanding at that time was that QA had a life span of 4 to 5 hours my conclusion was that anymore than 10 was waste and not getting used. That's where the 3 way split came in I would divide the meal into 3 like you eat your starter main and sweet courses This also helps with your calculation of the CP you have When Gari said wait 2 hours after the 1st dose of AQ that was my starting point 'that will be determined by experience To start if your meal is 24CP The starter could be 3 CP I would take 8 this is not true Dafne since your taking more QA than your eating Soon as I've finished the main course I would take another 8 QA I would also test my BG to see where it is I'm more looking to see if I'm lower than I should be After the sweet I would take whatever ever the difference is between what I've taken and what I've eaten Taking a BG 4 to 5 hours later and correct if needed This takes experience which I've had over 40 years of been a type 1 But I enjoy large pizza meals with little issues As long as the people in the party your with know your a type 1 you should be OK, but always test more when you change the way you do things Be safe be happy Bye the way Gari I'm a he The correction is experience since you will still have QA that's working but over time you will register what your BG should be and since your testing more you have a safe control switch in place Like I've said test more until your happy with what your doing |
|
May 11, 2013
Gari
17 posts
|
Hi tania. So the advice given to me from youone graduate is as follows. Take the amount of quick acting insuli. For your meal. Divide this in to 3. Give the first dose at the normal time e.g when you start eating. Then the second dose 2 hours later. Youone said to me then at 4 hours after your meal test your blood and give what she called a correction dose. This is the only point for me that i have needed to experiment with. I have eaten large carb meal at lunch and found that 4 hours after i was fine and also checked a few times over the nedt 4 hours after just to see if i started to rise but didnt so that was good. I had eaten a large carb meal in the evening and done the same. I was ok by morning time so that worked as well. I had eaten an extremely large pizza meal one evening though and when i checked after the 4 hours i was ok but by morning i was a bit high. So just a little bit of experementing will possible be needed. I have also tried this with high sweet meals. (I know this is extremeley u healthy but i just wanted to see how the 3 way split worked) it didnt quite work for that. I need to do a little more experimenting with that. It might be that because it is such qa sugar i may not need to divide. Do you take a 1:1 ratio for all your meals. Because i am currently on a 0.5:1 ratio for lunch and dinner. This also effects large carb meals for me. As i tend to not reduce. I just "trickle" the insulin as i like to call it e.g the 3 way split. I have found this an amazi g breakthrough for myself and find it is really helpful. |
|
May 11, 2013
taniahealy
9 posts
|
Hi, I know this is an old thread but I am just wondering if anyone could give a bit of advice with regards to large carb meals. I find that I cannot eat any meals that would result in me giving any more than 8 units of QA insulin, it's a bit of a nightmare really cos I'm eating nothing but salad and veg. This way I can control my bloods easier. If I do give any more than 8 units then I hypo after about an hour, then 4 hours later my blood sugar starts rising for about 2 hours. |
|
May 10, 2013
SA2010
69 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Exercise Thanks Garry. I did read the posts on he thread INCREASED BLOOD GLUCOSE AFTER EXERCISE and I think it did happen to me once. I need to read more about what is said as a difference between Anaerobic & Aerobic exercise. I do not know for my cycling what type it would fall into and I would not risk taking insulin before exercise for the exercise when I might end up in the other category and getting a nasty hypo. I will get the book that is mentioned in that thread.As I mentioned earlier my BG levels now back to normal after regressing the Lantus reduction. I did not cycle for a day after that and then started again - leisurely for short periods - only strenuous when the roads have a slight climb - again it is all moderate (would be classed as moderate by others I am sure(. I am taking extra CPs but measuring my BG beforehand if it is more than 2 hours after a meal. No hypos for last 2 days. Regards Simon |
|
May 10, 2013
Garry
328 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Exercise Going back...early mornings I could wake with a BG of 13 and think I'll go for a belt around the park on my bike and down to the seafront as quick exercise before insulin and breakfast.. to come back and do my blood and find I was BG 14....what's going on... I've just come back with a good elevated heart rate following exercise and blood has gone up!Vic explained it best to me though...fight or flight.. as created by aerobic(?) exercise...releases adrenalin - which makes us insulin resistant + releases liver glucose...and bumps our blood up. So then I would not start exercise without insulin and food first. Can't offer you any good guidance however......as I'm still learning after 34 years. Willing to progress and read some of the literature on exercise, that others have faith in and are promoting on here, to see whether it can help me sort out some mysteries of diabetic life for me. Regards Garry |
|
May 10, 2013
Apollo
45 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Alternate Site Testing I've never had any real issues with my fingers if I'm honest so I've not had cause to try other areas, if you check the website for the manufacturer of your lance though it should give you all the info you need for trying to use alternate sites. Be aware that different sites can give different readings and the finger tips tend to be the most accurate read you can get by lancing.What I would say to you though is in that the different cap is really just to change the depth of penetration, I can't recall if it is to make it shallower or deeper but it doesn't make the lance do anything special. In the same sense as alternative test sites can require different depth levels the same is true of your fingers. For example I'll set my lance to the shallowest setting possible to do my little finger or thumb but for my index, ring & middle finger it will typically be a the next level up. Also I don't change my lancet every time, I'll tend to use them for about a week or so, when you do change it though make sure it's properly seated as if you haven't pushed it all the way in then it's going to go deeper into your skin as such when I've changed it I always set it to the minimum then lance and if it needs to go deeper then set it so. There is a fine ballance between to deep, to shallow and just right but it's worth playing with as the deeper you go the more scar tissue you create and the deeper you then need to go. |
|
May 9, 2013
Sam
64 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle glucose strips Hi Lois. They only fit the following meters. Freestyle freedom, mini or navigator. Do you still want them? If so I'll get to the post office tomo and send them on.Sam |
|
May 9, 2013
mum2westiesGill
502 posts
|
Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carb Counting
Thank you Garry I'm such a "doubting thomas" always doubting myself
|
|
May 9, 2013
SA2010
69 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Exercise Thanks Garry, I do not always wash hands before a test.When I suspect a BG reading, i.e. when I am not aware of any reason why the BG reading should be what it is, I do repeat it often switching to the other hand. The hypos and low readings were real. It is only the high's that could be suspect sometimes for me. With so low Lantus dose for me (only 9u = 3u+6u] it appears that a 1u change has a big impact = so probably have to leave the BI dose as it is, Tamper with Lantus dose at your peril !! It could me months to stabilize and get the timings and the dose right after splitting the daily dose from 10u a day. The issue then is how to address delayed hypos after some exercise. Because it appears to be delayed changes to QA dose would not be appropriate. This then tells me it has to now be extra CPs for extra activity. The trick is to work out when it is necessary and how much. If exercise is within 1 hour of meal then extra CPs at that time would not be appropriate, I will try from now to always wash hands and dry them before every BG test |
|
May 9, 2013
Garry
328 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Exercise Looked back through old posts and copied content of some old threads: -.....May I ask - Do you always wash your hands before blood testing? Most BG kits now use such a small blood sample that any contamination error has a really dramatic effect. BG 16 to 5.6 in 45 minutes is very unusual. I say this from experience with a Medisense Abbott Optium Xceed meter which on 5 second Optium Plus test strips uses a tiny blood sample - 0.6 μL. They did a 3 second strip for a time which used an even smaller blood sample. But not sure whether they are available now. Anyway I proved contamination error to self by repeated trials of unwashed hands v washed hands - washed immediately after - and saw errors of up to 8 BG. My conclusion was that I had to always accept the need for lack of contamination and to stick with washed hands at testing time. Another one - ....where he mentions Optium Exceed meter test solutions, as far as I remember!! the acceptable meter result range using the high solution is around 13 to 21 mmol/L so that gives us a good idea of the error bound...which reminds me that I have not checked my meter for some time! Which reminds me now.... that I have not checked my meter for some time again  Test solutions at home are probably out of date now.Regards Garry |
|
May 9, 2013
Garry
328 posts
|
Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carb Counting Jacobs good. You are right. If it is 15g or more - we normally 'round it up' to 20g CHO or 2 cp. If it is less than 15g - say 14.9g we normally 'round it down' to 10g CHO or 1 cp.Treat biscuits...much nearer 3. If it is 25g or more - we normally 'round it up' to 30g CHO or 3 cp. If it is less than 25g - say 24.9g we normally 'round it down' to 20g CHO or 2 cp. Regards Garry |
|
May 9, 2013
mum2westiesGill
502 posts
|
Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carb Counting Have I counted these correctly?Jacobs cornish wafers x4 - 4.8g cho ech = 19.2g = 2 cps Treat size biscuits x2 - 13.7g cho ech = 27.4g = 2 cps (or maybe 3 cps?) |
|
May 9, 2013
HelenP
218 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Basal changes on pump I am lucky if I can go a week without some sort of tinkering. I have talked with both Diabetic Educator and Endocrinologist who both say for some it is never a set and forget system but one that varies all the time. I try not to change it reflexively but rather wait until I have several days' data before tinkering. I also find using temp basals (sometimes daily) to be useful. If I get to 4.2 I go onto -10% for an hour etc. It does require monitoring. Similarly if I get to 8.5 (with no carb/IOB left) I will +10% for an hour rather than "correct". They are not big changes but they are changes. Comment was "you have been on exogenous insulin for more than 35 years it will take a toll".Helen |
|
May 8, 2013
alturn
78 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Alternate Site Testing Does anybody have any experience of alternate site testing I am aware it's most suitable for routine testing which will reduce the usage on fingers, which can then be retained for hypo checks etc, and will also need to use a Clear Top cap (would like to retain my SoftClix if I can get a Clear Top cap). Interested in most suitable locations (base of thumb and little finger and lower arm have been mentioned), whether there is much variation from testing at fingers, any preference for lancing device and any other points (good and bad). |
|
May 8, 2013
SA2010
69 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Exercise Sorry Diane - the subject of the thread was too good to keep the thread untouched. It was the obvious post/thread to add to ! So whenever anyone want to find out about exercise and BG and QA/BI etc... they can come to your thread !!Hi Garry. Well spotted - it was a typo. Corrected it in the diary and now showing the correct dose of 3u BI at 11:05 on 3rd may. I am now getting my BG levels almost right after regressing the BI morning dose to 3u from 2u which I only tried for 2 days and also did not cycle yesterday. Today I cycled to the supermarket - round trip with bit of shopping was 30 minutes, Took 1,5CPs of mini flapjack before cycling, BG was then 5,5. Was 9.0 pre dinner two hours later and now 6.2 3 hours after dinner. Might need a tiny bit of CP topup at bedtime as a fresh BI lantus dose coming in an hour. Might stick with the extra CPs pre activity but would probably need a BG test to determine need and how much, Annoying to have to do that. I too found the difference in BG test results after cleaning hands. Some months back I felt my BG was on the low side (I tend to feel it when it is about 5,0 or below) but when I tested it showed a reading of over 8.0 ! I did not believe it and repeated the test after washing hands and it was 4.9 ! I did not know wet or dry hands gave a difference too. I will bear it in mind. When you complain to manufacturers about false readings they send you the test kit but then the range for correct answers is quite wide for low and for high - range stretching 5.0 at the high end and 2.5 at the low end on my current strips (aviva). Similar ranges for freestyle. Just need to make sure dry clean hands every time. |
|
May 8, 2013
DianeW
115 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Exercise God what happened to my original post. |