Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Feb 25, 2013

Lisaraby 15 posts

We travel around quite a bit and so eat out in pubs etc i find all they have is diet cola and thats it everything else is the syrup mixes i just feel it would be nice to have a bigger choice.

Feb 25, 2013

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diet Drinks

How big is the range that the drinks companies offer themselves, or are we talking more than diet soda drinks?

Feb 25, 2013

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / 7-day waking average

5.5 - bedtime
5.8 - this morning
Very Happy

- tea & QA @ 19.01pm
- BI done @ 22.04pm - 4th night of splitting BI - 14u instead of 28u when on one dose
- bedtime test was done @ 22.53pm & before having supper instead of after
- supper was sandwich 1 slice (15g - 17g)/shops brand mini mars 13.7g

Feb 25, 2013

Lisaraby 15 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diary

Think ive sussed out the imput

Feb 25, 2013

Lisaraby 15 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diet Drinks

Hi
I was just wondering how would we go about starting a campaign to get pubs etc to have a wider range of sugar free drinks or has this already been tried?

Feb 24, 2013

Chchch 17 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Beans and lentils

it is this kind of frustration which, in my opinion, really grinds you down as a diabetic. I'm lucky enough to be on the insulin pump, but only after years and years of desperately trying to control my blood sugars and getting nowhere. I never had terrible a1cs, but certainly didn't used to get results commensurate with the effort I was putting in. Things did improve after Dafne in that I felt there were more 'formulas' i could use instead of feeling my way in the dark, but with the pump came much more predictability, which i think is key.

With the pump I can do a dualwave delivery for lentil/bean dishes which will give me, say, 50% of the insulin I need for the food I have eaten immediately, but the other 50% can be set to be delivered over the next 2 hours or so which much more closely follows the absorbtion of the carbs consumed. I've found that this is also really useful if eating a higher fat meal - for instance if I have pasta with a tomato based sauce I would just do a dual wave 50/50 over 1 hour, but for a cream based sauce I would do a dual wave 50/50 over 2 hours, thereby standing a much better chance of good post meal levels, as well as much later on. I wish everyone could be given an opportunity to try the pump - there will always be some who don't take to it, but I'm sure most would find it quite a revelation. Good luck everyone.

Feb 24, 2013

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / My Blood Glucose Diary - all comments welcomed!

Hi DArmstrong,

Thank you for all your comments. Yes I am on lantus and I was on a single dose until Thursday which is when I have gone onto a split dose.

I spoke to my DSN about it and she is phoning me on Tuesday to see how things are going, so comments welcomed as to what to tell her please.

Last 4 days results above - Thu 21/02 - Sun 24/02

Feb 24, 2013

DArmstrong 2 posts

Topic: General Discussion / exercise and insulin sensitivity

Hi there, it would be really useful to see your BG readings over a week or so to see patterns. I personally find excercise raises my sensitivity dramatically, i run with moderate effort on a treadmill 3 times a week plus strength training by doing yoga for an hour every week. I have never tried the intense 20 second alone type of excercise - i saw it on the horizon programme not so long ago and thought that it didn't look that enjoyable - i'd rather take my time rather than risk falling off the back of the treadmill!! Razz

If i do an intense burst it is only when a really good song comes on my mp3 player! Laughing

I would strongly advise using a heart rate monitor and working out your individual zone to stay in so that you know that you are getting the most effort from your training sessions. I also use the Nike plus App on my iphone along with the Nike sensor in my shoe so that i can create personal bests - nothing like beating your PB for feeling great!

good luck and persevere with exercise - it make take a few months to get to know your body's reactions - especially important to understand that hypos can happen a few hours after exercise - so test, eat, test!! (i drink lucozade sport throughout!)

Good indepth book on exercise and sport is 'Diabetic athlete's handbook' by Sheri R. Colberg Smile

Feb 24, 2013

pauleiken 2 posts

Topic: General Discussion / exercise and insulin sensitivity

I have been reading about the concept of high intensity exercise and insulin sensitivity, there apparently seems to be a positive effect of having a regime of high intensity exercise, i.e. 20 second bursts x 3, three times a week. Has any one tried this or have information about it? Insulin sensitivity is a major issue for me as, despite being on metformin, it seems to change regularly. Since starting DAPHNE, which worked really well for me, losing some 25kg of excess weight, with another 5-10 kg to get me to an ideal weight, and insulin doses falling by up to 70%. However for the past few weeks my ratios have started to increase, but with no pattern evident, with consequence of some very high readings and some hypos.

I suppose this is a two part ask, any suggestions?

Feb 24, 2013

DArmstrong 2 posts

Topic: General Discussion / My Blood Glucose Diary - all comments welcomed!

Hi there, looks like you have your mealtime ratios spot on as the BG levels seem to return to pre-meal levels come the next meal time. What is worrying is the huge difference between bed time BG and waking BG. For BI to be at the correct level there would be no more than 2 units difference between the evening BG reading and the morning BG reading. With such big drops that you are experiencing - without setting the alarm and testing at 2 or 3am you have no idea whether you have been suffering hypos and just sleeping through them as some do (i know i have). I would suggest a) reducing your BI down by 2 units and b) setting your alarm at 2am to test BG. I assume you are on lantus as you only inject BI once a day - when changing this type of insulin it takes a little longer to see changes take effect (where as when changing Levemir the changes are seen more quickly). Perhaps wait 2 days after changing to correct again - but still set the alarm at night to check BG. Better safe than sorry!

Feb 24, 2013

Lisaraby 15 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diary

HI
Thanks guys yes i got a tad confused filing in on here, going to rectify shortly.
Im on Humilin I background i think from tonight im going to go up to 28 (im quite strange dont like odd numbers) then leave for a few days to see any change and re assess
So watch this space
Lisa

Feb 24, 2013

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / 7-day waking average

14.3 - bedtime
7.7 - this morning

- tea & QA @ 19.16pm - sandwich 2 slices with cheese before going for a night out
- BI done @ 21.59pm - 3rd night of splitting BI - 14u instead of 28u when on one dose
- bedtime test was done @ 00.47am & before having supper instead of after, also following a night out & having 2 pints of john smiths & one baileys
- supper was pizza 2 triangles

Feb 24, 2013

Warwick 425 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diary

Hello,

I think you may be putting your correctins in the wrong row. From the above, it looks like some corrections have been done in the ratio row rather than the QA row.I've shared my diary, so you can see where the corrections go in the QA row - I've done it at 1315 and 1911 on the Saturday. The ratio row is for putting how much insulin you take per CP - e.g, from my diary you can see I am on 1/3 ratio for breakfast and 1/2 raitos the other times. So if I take 10 CPs, I take 5 units of insulin for that if it is not breakfast time.

What kind of basal insulin are you on? The fact that you appear to be correcting throughout the day indicates that both of your basal injections need to be increased. If you are on a shorter-acting basal like Levemir, then you may want to increase both at once. If you are on a split dose of a longer-acting insulin like Lantus, then you may just want to start with the evening BI and go from there.

The rule of thumb is about 10% for changing BI, so 28 is probably about right - 25 + 2.5 = 27.5 so you could try either 27 or 28. If you are nervous of overnight hypos, then you may want to start with 27. If you don't think they are likely then 28 should be fine.

Once you have decided your dose, leave it unchanged for three days and see how your body is responding. If you start having overnight hypos though, do cut back on the dose from the next evening onwards. Overnight hypos should be avoided if at all possible.

If you want to up your morning dose, then I would suggest increasing it by 1-2 units and seeing how that helps.

Cheers,
Warwick.

Feb 24, 2013

Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diary

Welcome Lisaraby Smile

Not sure what is happening with your diary input but your Ratio (QA:CP) should be 2:1 or whatever. If you are taking QA as a correction in the morning - make sure you enter it in the QA field and not in the Ratio field. Your diary does lots of good stuff in the background...such as add up your insulin intake for you..so need get data in the right place. Easy to go back and edit an entry...just click the time (underlined) for the entry you need to edit and you can quickly sort them out. If it is a correction only you don't need enter anything in Ratio..just leave it blank.

Agree about BI, try + 3u at night and see what happens. Depending on what BI you use will have an effect on your body reaction time.
I use Lantus BI and never see any change in BGs for 3 days. So if this is your poison too please make sure that you make changes progressively over a number of days so that you are sure of cause and effect. Stay in touch with your Health Care Professionals though so that they are informed. You could share your diary with them if they are prepared to do so.

You are doing fine. Difficult at first I know as it took me 5 months to get put straight, but as you say there is help available here.....24/7.
Regards
Garry

Feb 24, 2013

Lisaraby 15 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diary

Im thinking maybe up my night BI to 28 any thoughts please

Feb 23, 2013

Lisaraby 15 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Course

Thanks guys its good to know that not only can I get in touch with local tutors but having such a wide range of DAFNE graduates to also offer advice is so helpful, I think because of the support my motivation will keep going Laughing

Feb 23, 2013

Warwick 425 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Course

Yes, I agree. Before bed BI dose appears to be good, but morning BI seems to be too low. But it does take a few days after a change to see the full extent to the change, so after each change to BI, leave it at that dose for 3 days and see what happens. If you need to correct further at the conclusion of the 3 days, then you can.

Feb 23, 2013

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Course

you seem to be going in the right direction...........

just keep adjusting your daytime bi dose.......

Feb 23, 2013

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / 7-day waking average

3.1 - bedtime
11.3 - this morning

- tea & QA 18.56pm
- BI done at 21.58pm - second night of splitting BI - had 14u instead of 28u
- after 3.1 hypo at bedtime had 4 jelly babies, did 15 minute check and BS was then 5.7
- supper was a sandwich, 1 slice of bread (15g or could be 17g?) with tuna & mayo
- bedtime test was done 23.07pm & before having supper instead of after, also no snacks during the evening.

Feb 22, 2013

Lisaraby 15 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Course

Just finished the course and now to keep motivated
Hope I can Very Happy

Feb 22, 2013

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / 7-day waking average

8.2 - bedtime
6.2 - this morning

- tea & QA 18.49pm
- BI done at 22.00pm - first night of splitting BI - had 14u instead of 28u
- supper was a sandwich, 1 slice of bread (15g or could be 17g?) with corned beef
- bedtime test done 22.56pm & before having supper instead of after, also no snacks during the evening.

Feb 25, 2013 Lisaraby 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diet Drinks We travel around quite a bit and so eat out in pubs etc i find all they have is diet cola and thats it everything else is the syrup mixes i just feel it would be nice to have a bigger choice.

Feb 25, 2013 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diet Drinks How big is the range that the drinks companies offer themselves, or are we talking more than diet soda drinks?

Feb 25, 2013 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / 7-day waking average 5.5 - bedtime 5.8 - this morning - tea & QA @ 19.01pm - BI done @ 22.04pm - 4th night of splitting BI - 14u instead of 28u when on one dose - bedtime test was done @ 22.53pm & before having supper instead of after - supper was sandwich 1 slice (15g - 17g)/shops brand mini mars 13.7g

Feb 25, 2013 Lisaraby 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diary Think ive sussed out the imput

Feb 25, 2013 Lisaraby 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diet Drinks Hi I was just wondering how would we go about starting a campaign to get pubs etc to have a wider range of sugar free drinks or has this already been tried?

Feb 24, 2013 Chchch 17 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Beans and lentils it is this kind of frustration which, in my opinion, really grinds you down as a diabetic. I'm lucky enough to be on the insulin pump, but only after years and years of desperately trying to control my blood sugars and getting nowhere. I never had terrible a1cs, but certainly didn't used to get results commensurate with the effort I was putting in. Things did improve after Dafne in that I felt there were more 'formulas' i could use instead of feeling my way in the dark, but with the pump came much more predictability, which i think is key. With the pump I can do a dualwave delivery for lentil/bean dishes which will give me, say, 50% of the insulin I need for the food I have eaten immediately, but the other 50% can be set to be delivered over the next 2 hours or so which much more closely follows the absorbtion of the carbs consumed. I've found that this is also really useful if eating a higher fat meal - for instance if I have pasta with a tomato based sauce I would just do a dual wave 50/50 over 1 hour, but for a cream based sauce I would do a dual wave 50/50 over 2 hours, thereby standing a much better chance of good post meal levels, as well as much later on. I wish everyone could be given an opportunity to try the pump - there will always be some who don't take to it, but I'm sure most would find it quite a revelation. Good luck everyone.

Feb 24, 2013 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / My Blood Glucose Diary - all comments welcomed! Hi DArmstrong, Thank you for all your comments. Yes I am on lantus and I was on a single dose until Thursday which is when I have gone onto a split dose. I spoke to my DSN about it and she is phoning me on Tuesday to see how things are going, so comments welcomed as to what to tell her please. Last 4 days results above - Thu 21/02 - Sun 24/02

Feb 24, 2013 DArmstrong 2 posts	Topic: General Discussion / exercise and insulin sensitivity Hi there, it would be really useful to see your BG readings over a week or so to see patterns. I personally find excercise raises my sensitivity dramatically, i run with moderate effort on a treadmill 3 times a week plus strength training by doing yoga for an hour every week. I have never tried the intense 20 second alone type of excercise - i saw it on the horizon programme not so long ago and thought that it didn't look that enjoyable - i'd rather take my time rather than risk falling off the back of the treadmill!! If i do an intense burst it is only when a really good song comes on my mp3 player! I would strongly advise using a heart rate monitor and working out your individual zone to stay in so that you know that you are getting the most effort from your training sessions. I also use the Nike plus App on my iphone along with the Nike sensor in my shoe so that i can create personal bests - nothing like beating your PB for feeling great! good luck and persevere with exercise - it make take a few months to get to know your body's reactions - especially important to understand that hypos can happen a few hours after exercise - so test, eat, test!! (i drink lucozade sport throughout!) Good indepth book on exercise and sport is 'Diabetic athlete's handbook' by Sheri R. Colberg

Feb 24, 2013 pauleiken 2 posts	Topic: General Discussion / exercise and insulin sensitivity I have been reading about the concept of high intensity exercise and insulin sensitivity, there apparently seems to be a positive effect of having a regime of high intensity exercise, i.e. 20 second bursts x 3, three times a week. Has any one tried this or have information about it? Insulin sensitivity is a major issue for me as, despite being on metformin, it seems to change regularly. Since starting DAPHNE, which worked really well for me, losing some 25kg of excess weight, with another 5-10 kg to get me to an ideal weight, and insulin doses falling by up to 70%. However for the past few weeks my ratios have started to increase, but with no pattern evident, with consequence of some very high readings and some hypos. I suppose this is a two part ask, any suggestions?

Feb 24, 2013 DArmstrong 2 posts	Topic: General Discussion / My Blood Glucose Diary - all comments welcomed! Hi there, looks like you have your mealtime ratios spot on as the BG levels seem to return to pre-meal levels come the next meal time. What is worrying is the huge difference between bed time BG and waking BG. For BI to be at the correct level there would be no more than 2 units difference between the evening BG reading and the morning BG reading. With such big drops that you are experiencing - without setting the alarm and testing at 2 or 3am you have no idea whether you have been suffering hypos and just sleeping through them as some do (i know i have). I would suggest a) reducing your BI down by 2 units and b) setting your alarm at 2am to test BG. I assume you are on lantus as you only inject BI once a day - when changing this type of insulin it takes a little longer to see changes take effect (where as when changing Levemir the changes are seen more quickly). Perhaps wait 2 days after changing to correct again - but still set the alarm at night to check BG. Better safe than sorry!

Feb 24, 2013 Lisaraby 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diary HI Thanks guys yes i got a tad confused filing in on here, going to rectify shortly. Im on Humilin I background i think from tonight im going to go up to 28 (im quite strange dont like odd numbers) then leave for a few days to see any change and re assess So watch this space Lisa

Feb 24, 2013 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / 7-day waking average 14.3 - bedtime 7.7 - this morning - tea & QA @ 19.16pm - sandwich 2 slices with cheese before going for a night out - BI done @ 21.59pm - 3rd night of splitting BI - 14u instead of 28u when on one dose - bedtime test was done @ 00.47am & before having supper instead of after, also following a night out & having 2 pints of john smiths & one baileys - supper was pizza 2 triangles

Feb 24, 2013 Warwick 425 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diary Hello, I think you may be putting your correctins in the wrong row. From the above, it looks like some corrections have been done in the ratio row rather than the QA row.I've shared my diary, so you can see where the corrections go in the QA row - I've done it at 1315 and 1911 on the Saturday. The ratio row is for putting how much insulin you take per CP - e.g, from my diary you can see I am on 1/3 ratio for breakfast and 1/2 raitos the other times. So if I take 10 CPs, I take 5 units of insulin for that if it is not breakfast time. What kind of basal insulin are you on? The fact that you appear to be correcting throughout the day indicates that both of your basal injections need to be increased. If you are on a shorter-acting basal like Levemir, then you may want to increase both at once. If you are on a split dose of a longer-acting insulin like Lantus, then you may just want to start with the evening BI and go from there. The rule of thumb is about 10% for changing BI, so 28 is probably about right - 25 + 2.5 = 27.5 so you could try either 27 or 28. If you are nervous of overnight hypos, then you may want to start with 27. If you don't think they are likely then 28 should be fine. Once you have decided your dose, leave it unchanged for three days and see how your body is responding. If you start having overnight hypos though, do cut back on the dose from the next evening onwards. Overnight hypos should be avoided if at all possible. If you want to up your morning dose, then I would suggest increasing it by 1-2 units and seeing how that helps. Cheers, Warwick.

Feb 24, 2013 Garry 328 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diary Welcome Lisaraby Not sure what is happening with your diary input but your Ratio (QA:CP) should be 2:1 or whatever. If you are taking QA as a correction in the morning - make sure you enter it in the QA field and not in the Ratio field. Your diary does lots of good stuff in the background...such as add up your insulin intake for you..so need get data in the right place. Easy to go back and edit an entry...just click the time (underlined) for the entry you need to edit and you can quickly sort them out. If it is a correction only you don't need enter anything in Ratio..just leave it blank. Agree about BI, try + 3u at night and see what happens. Depending on what BI you use will have an effect on your body reaction time. I use Lantus BI and never see any change in BGs for 3 days. So if this is your poison too please make sure that you make changes progressively over a number of days so that you are sure of cause and effect. Stay in touch with your Health Care Professionals though so that they are informed. You could share your diary with them if they are prepared to do so. You are doing fine. Difficult at first I know as it took me 5 months to get put straight, but as you say there is help available here.....24/7. Regards Garry

Feb 24, 2013 Lisaraby 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diary Im thinking maybe up my night BI to 28 any thoughts please

Feb 23, 2013 Lisaraby 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Course Thanks guys its good to know that not only can I get in touch with local tutors but having such a wide range of DAFNE graduates to also offer advice is so helpful, I think because of the support my motivation will keep going

Feb 23, 2013 Warwick 425 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Course Yes, I agree. Before bed BI dose appears to be good, but morning BI seems to be too low. But it does take a few days after a change to see the full extent to the change, so after each change to BI, leave it at that dose for 3 days and see what happens. If you need to correct further at the conclusion of the 3 days, then you can.

Feb 23, 2013 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Course you seem to be going in the right direction........... just keep adjusting your daytime bi dose.......

Feb 23, 2013 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / 7-day waking average 3.1 - bedtime 11.3 - this morning - tea & QA 18.56pm - BI done at 21.58pm - second night of splitting BI - had 14u instead of 28u - after 3.1 hypo at bedtime had 4 jelly babies, did 15 minute check and BS was then 5.7 - supper was a sandwich, 1 slice of bread (15g or could be 17g?) with tuna & mayo - bedtime test was done 23.07pm & before having supper instead of after, also no snacks during the evening.

Feb 22, 2013 Lisaraby 15 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Course Just finished the course and now to keep motivated Hope I can

Feb 22, 2013 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / 7-day waking average 8.2 - bedtime 6.2 - this morning - tea & QA 18.49pm - BI done at 22.00pm - first night of splitting BI - had 14u instead of 28u - supper was a sandwich, 1 slice of bread (15g or could be 17g?) with corned beef - bedtime test done 22.56pm & before having supper instead of after, also no snacks during the evening.