Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Jan 26, 2013

Ianmcauley 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Centre forums now available

I would like to thank Janet and Joyce who do the DAFNE course in harrogate for all there help with getting me on the right road with my diabetes it was a great course if anyone has a chance to go on one do it thank you see u soon

Jan 25, 2013

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Questions

Consult with your team obviously.........

1. Why are you thinking of changing time? Do you feel you need more or less in the AM part of the day..........?

2. If you were changing then all you could do is just do it and compensate with QA, remember it takes 3 days to take effect....

3. Again, you would just need to do it........a 50:50 split would be good to start with, and you would again need to compensate with QA for a week or something as the doses settle in........

Lantus can be split, but your better on Levemir for this, I think personally your better on Levemir in general as it allows for much more flexibility, especially for exercise and alcohol....

Is this is a possibility Gill............I would strongly recommend it......

Teanosugar........

Splitting the dose into 2 doses allows for 2 parts of the day to be dosed up independently, which is more realistic, as you your body requires different amounts of BI throughout the whole day, in fact, its possible the body needs different doses every hour of the day, something an insulin pump can accommodate for...........so splitting the dose in two is the next best thing for those on MDI, otherwise you will just be compensating with more QA insulin, which in the long run, is not good............you want as little insulin as possible in the system.....

Jan 25, 2013

Plumcious 11 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Checkers for skiing-low temperatures

Hi J,

Could you keep it in an inside pocket? I'm sure I read about someone with Type 1 trekking in the Arctic or Antarctic somewhere..... it might be worth ringing Diabetes UK Careline for advice (0845 120 2960) - though I feel a bit naughty suggesting that when you've posted on the DAFNE forum Embarassed

I hope you have a really great holiday

P

Jan 25, 2013

Jchicken 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Checkers for skiing-low temperatures

Hi

Having just left a checker in my car overnight and it now won't work due to the temperature can anyone help me and suggest a checker that will work skiing? I recall mine nit working before when out walking in the snow in this country so am concerned once up a mountain!

Many thanks
J

Jan 24, 2013

Teanosugar 25 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Questions

I have been on Lantus for as long as I've been carb counting (approximately 4 months).

1. Check with your DSN, but mine told me to change it an hour a day. I went from injecting at 10 pm to 7 pm in the event that I ever wanted to get an early night.

2. Again, check with your DSN, but one thing you could consider is injecting at 10 to see you through to the morning and then pick it up from there. To do this you would have to divide up the Lantus to hours in a day and work out how much you would need to give yourself which is going to be a massively reduced dose. I recently had a dilemma where I forgot if I'd done my night time injection and then went to bed thinking that I probably had done it. At that point my BM was 8.9. By 2 am it had crept up to 11. And then half an hour later it was 12.5 or there abouts. At that point I decided I had in fact forgot my night time injection and worked out that I would inject one unit for every remaining hour until my next injection at 7 pm. I talked to my DSN about this and she said that it was good going on my part because I could've started to feel quite unwell.

3. Is there any reason you want to split the dosage into 2?

Jan 24, 2013

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Eating out / Takeaways

googs said:
Hey,if you have a smartphone theres a great app called (calorie counter)its mainly for calories but it shows up carbs for a huge amount and variety of foods including takeaways,always inject after foods gone in,hope this helps...;-)

Is it the one by FatSecret?

Jan 24, 2013

googs 6 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Eating out / Takeaways

Hey,if you have a smartphone theres a great app called (calorie counter)its mainly for calories but it shows up carbs for a huge amount and variety of foods including takeaways,always inject after foods gone in,hope this helps...;-)

Jan 23, 2013

HelenP 218 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'.

Hi NuMo.

If I can get glucose (4 jelly beans) fairly quickly the light disappears almost instantly it is when you are trying to look for the jellybeans and meter that I come unstuck. I do not get, nor, ever have had a bad headache. I am not sure it is the stress of a hypo but rather the actual low BG.

The endo's problem was that I was siting these symptoms as hypo symptoms and she was having nothing to do with it, stating if I did not know what hypo symptoms were (shaking etc) then I should not be driving. The shakes etc come in for me well after the "silent" migraine symptoms so I know what I will respond to. The opthamologist expressed his frustration and said he (given the current circumstances) was quite happy for me to drive so he now signs my licence medical certificate. On the advice of my GP i changed endocrinologists. Helen

Jan 23, 2013

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / travel to USA

When I flew from London Airport to Sydney a few years ago, I gave the details of my flights to my diabetes nurse and she created a 'flight plan' for the flight out then another for the flight back - this worked out very well. It's worth asking.

Jan 23, 2013

Lynda_2 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pat on the back for Lilly

Thanks for the info Gary Regards Lynda

Garry said:
May have been at the time that they were in the process of bringing in the updated pen Lynda_2.
It looks the same but is supposed to be more reliable with better battery life.
They brought out the new pen last year and if you have already used the pen, replacement is available direct from Lilly - call 0800 783 6764 and they should be able to help. I think they requested my old pen serial number which can be found on the stem - wind the pen out to the full 60u dose and read the LOT number.

Regards
Garry

Jan 23, 2013

NuMo 28 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'.

Hello Faye.
My hypos have always left me as you describe. Often still feeling pretty s--t the next day. All I can say is that it does pass, though it seems little consolation. Maybe someone can shed some light - have any of the HCPs anything to offer?

Hello HelenP.
Your eye symptoms are exactly what I used to get some years back before I was diagnosed diabetic. My optician said they classic symptoms of what he called "silent migaine", i.e. one without pain. I hadn't realised I was a migraine sufferer before though I did and do get really bad headaches from time to time. Since his diagosis, I have been able to deal with them without them becoming as bad again. Your saying that a hypo can set them off seems very logical to me given the stress of a hypo. It seems unreasonable to lose your licence because of a migraine.

Jan 23, 2013

Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Got any 'Odd' Hypo Symptoms?

My wife always knows at least 10 minutes before I recognise the symptoms as she tells me that I start to speak slower and more deliberately.
Vexing isn't it Smile

Regards
Garry

Jan 23, 2013

Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / B G Diary Comments please

Have split my Lantus for over 2 years. Personally I use near equal doses but your needs will require some time and a long term assessment.
Some people use BI doses with a small differential of 2 or 4u....depending on your insulin resistance of course.
Currently mine are split 24u breakfast and 23u dinner but that may change later this week Confused

l try to get the timings 12 hours apart as it seems the simple way to get an 'even' BI always available for your body to use. Lantus dose changes, for most of us, seem to have a long reaction time - up to 3 days to see any resultant BG change. I normally take QA and BI insulin before breakfast at 06:45 and before dinner at around 19:00.
So for me it works.
At weekends, or on holiday, when getting up later.....dinner tends to be later too.....so it still works.
Regards
Garry

Jan 23, 2013

BeccyB 50 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Got any 'Odd' Hypo Symptoms?

After reading a post in the HCP forum about a hypo symptom that medical staff didn't believe was real (the thread about hypo 'wipe outs') I wondered if anyone else has, or has heard of, anything more individual than the usual shaking etc?

Mine is that I get a really thin white line around my mouth - my mom spotted it when I was young and I thought she was being daft but then she'd say "you're going hypo" and sure enough a short while later the shakes would start. I used to hate her knowing before me when I was a stroppy teenager - like it was some kind of invasion of privacy! Embarassed

over to you...

Beccy

Jan 23, 2013

Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Pat on the back for Lilly

May have been at the time that they were in the process of bringing in the updated pen Lynda_2.
It looks the same but is supposed to be more reliable with better battery life.
They brought out the new pen last year and if you have already used the pen, replacement is available direct from Lilly - call 0800 783 6764 and they should be able to help. I think they requested my old pen serial number which can be found on the stem - wind the pen out to the full 60u dose and read the LOT number.

Regards
Garry

Jan 22, 2013

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / B G Diary Comments please

whiskysmum said:
Hi,
I'm not a DAFNE Graduate so don't have access to it

Bless you!

If it's of any worth, I think you're doing a great job of taking all the tid bits you've gathered from the forum members! Do you feel you've learnt a lot? I'm sure you'll be teaching your class mates if or when you do your DAFNE course finally! ;)

Keep up the good work!

Jan 22, 2013

FayeM 4 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'.

novorapidboi26 said:
does it happen all the time.......?

So far this year, yes. Every hypo has been followed by 24 hours-ish of exhaustion.

Jan 22, 2013

victorri 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Questions

When I went from one does to split the evening does I gave half the does and then in morning gave other half and so on. So I was on 28u I took 14u for the evening does and 14u in the morning and have carried on like that. As I said in other post i have found splitting my lantus has worked for me

Jan 22, 2013

victorri 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / B G Diary Comments please

Hi I think what has been said in other comments is that you may need to split your back ground. I no they say lantus shouldn't be split but I'm on lantus and as it seems with you my readings close to my next evening injection were higher. I now split my lantus 14u in morning and 14u in the evening. I do 9 and 9 only cause I don't want to have to get up any earlier on my days off lol. You could do 13u and 13u and go from there you may find you can lower this after time cause its not running out

Jan 22, 2013

HelenP 218 posts

Topic: General Discussion / travel to USA

Run two watches (local time/home time) How long will you be away? If it is only a short while the two watches works but if you have to slowly wean yourself back to a different schedule then you have to make more adjustments. I am assuming your levemir doses are similar. When ever I travel it takes me about 2 weeks to get things back to where they were before I left. Different foods. different sleep patterns, more activity, more stress etc. Keep it in perspective and try your best.

Helen

Jan 22, 2013

phileaton 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / travel to USA

Hi, I am travelling to florida and am trying to find information on adjusting insulin levels when travelling across time zones. I am on Levemir twice daily (7am and 7pm) and then Novorapid before each meal. Just looking for advise on how to manage doses when crossing time zones.
Cheers

Jan 22, 2013

HelenP 218 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'.

Hi,
I went to an endocrinologist a while back who slammed me for not knowing my hypo symptoms. I get a tessellation pattern in the R upper quadrant of my R eye which if left unattended eventually goes to two large white light donuts, This is a totally reliable hypo symptom for me! Clocks in at about 3.3-3.8! She rubbished the idea and even suggested to my GP that my license be taken away. When I saw my opthamologist I queried him. He said they are classic migraines (without the associated pain). His information is that the low BG triggers migraine symptoms. It certainly fits with my info as migraines are common in my family. Just a thought.

Helen

Jan 22, 2013

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'.

I only recently started getting head aches after I have treated my hypos...........

does it happen all the time.......?

Jan 22, 2013

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Questions

I know it's always best to ask for advice from the DSN but just thought I would ask the questions on here while I wait for her phone call.

1. Time Changing
is this best done by just an hour each night/day(depending on when you take lantus)?

2. Nighttime to Morning/Morning to Nightime (I currently take my Lantus at 10pm ish)
with this being such a big jump how would you go about this? Would you forget your nighttime BI then just take it the next morning but obviously monitor blood sugars?

3. Splitting the dosage
how would you go about this?

I know it's my body at the end of the day but even though in the past I may have forgotten a BI injection here and there which I know resulted in a BS of about 30 ish the next morning it's still a scary thing to make a complete change.


Jan 26, 2013 Ianmcauley 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Centre forums now available I would like to thank Janet and Joyce who do the DAFNE course in harrogate for all there help with getting me on the right road with my diabetes it was a great course if anyone has a chance to go on one do it thank you see u soon

Jan 25, 2013 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Questions Consult with your team obviously......... 1. Why are you thinking of changing time? Do you feel you need more or less in the AM part of the day..........? 2. If you were changing then all you could do is just do it and compensate with QA, remember it takes 3 days to take effect.... 3. Again, you would just need to do it........a 50:50 split would be good to start with, and you would again need to compensate with QA for a week or something as the doses settle in........ Lantus can be split, but your better on Levemir for this, I think personally your better on Levemir in general as it allows for much more flexibility, especially for exercise and alcohol.... Is this is a possibility Gill............I would strongly recommend it...... Teanosugar........ Splitting the dose into 2 doses allows for 2 parts of the day to be dosed up independently, which is more realistic, as you your body requires different amounts of BI throughout the whole day, in fact, its possible the body needs different doses every hour of the day, something an insulin pump can accommodate for...........so splitting the dose in two is the next best thing for those on MDI, otherwise you will just be compensating with more QA insulin, which in the long run, is not good............you want as little insulin as possible in the system.....

Jan 25, 2013 Plumcious 11 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Checkers for skiing-low temperatures Hi J, Could you keep it in an inside pocket? I'm sure I read about someone with Type 1 trekking in the Arctic or Antarctic somewhere..... it might be worth ringing Diabetes UK Careline for advice (0845 120 2960) - though I feel a bit naughty suggesting that when you've posted on the DAFNE forum I hope you have a really great holiday P

Jan 25, 2013 Jchicken 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Checkers for skiing-low temperatures Hi Having just left a checker in my car overnight and it now won't work due to the temperature can anyone help me and suggest a checker that will work skiing? I recall mine nit working before when out walking in the snow in this country so am concerned once up a mountain! Many thanks J

Jan 24, 2013 Teanosugar 25 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Questions I have been on Lantus for as long as I've been carb counting (approximately 4 months). 1. Check with your DSN, but mine told me to change it an hour a day. I went from injecting at 10 pm to 7 pm in the event that I ever wanted to get an early night. 2. Again, check with your DSN, but one thing you could consider is injecting at 10 to see you through to the morning and then pick it up from there. To do this you would have to divide up the Lantus to hours in a day and work out how much you would need to give yourself which is going to be a massively reduced dose. I recently had a dilemma where I forgot if I'd done my night time injection and then went to bed thinking that I probably had done it. At that point my BM was 8.9. By 2 am it had crept up to 11. And then half an hour later it was 12.5 or there abouts. At that point I decided I had in fact forgot my night time injection and worked out that I would inject one unit for every remaining hour until my next injection at 7 pm. I talked to my DSN about this and she said that it was good going on my part because I could've started to feel quite unwell. 3. Is there any reason you want to split the dosage into 2?

Jan 24, 2013 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Eating out / Takeaways googs said: Hey,if you have a smartphone theres a great app called (calorie counter)its mainly for calories but it shows up carbs for a huge amount and variety of foods including takeaways,always inject after foods gone in,hope this helps...;-) Is it the one by FatSecret?

Jan 24, 2013 googs 6 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Eating out / Takeaways Hey,if you have a smartphone theres a great app called (calorie counter)its mainly for calories but it shows up carbs for a huge amount and variety of foods including takeaways,always inject after foods gone in,hope this helps...;-)

Jan 23, 2013 HelenP 218 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'. Hi NuMo. If I can get glucose (4 jelly beans) fairly quickly the light disappears almost instantly it is when you are trying to look for the jellybeans and meter that I come unstuck. I do not get, nor, ever have had a bad headache. I am not sure it is the stress of a hypo but rather the actual low BG. The endo's problem was that I was siting these symptoms as hypo symptoms and she was having nothing to do with it, stating if I did not know what hypo symptoms were (shaking etc) then I should not be driving. The shakes etc come in for me well after the "silent" migraine symptoms so I know what I will respond to. The opthamologist expressed his frustration and said he (given the current circumstances) was quite happy for me to drive so he now signs my licence medical certificate. On the advice of my GP i changed endocrinologists. Helen

Jan 23, 2013 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: General Discussion / travel to USA When I flew from London Airport to Sydney a few years ago, I gave the details of my flights to my diabetes nurse and she created a 'flight plan' for the flight out then another for the flight back - this worked out very well. It's worth asking.

Jan 23, 2013 Lynda_2 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pat on the back for Lilly Thanks for the info Gary Regards Lynda Garry said: May have been at the time that they were in the process of bringing in the updated pen Lynda_2. It looks the same but is supposed to be more reliable with better battery life. They brought out the new pen last year and if you have already used the pen, replacement is available direct from Lilly - call 0800 783 6764 and they should be able to help. I think they requested my old pen serial number which can be found on the stem - wind the pen out to the full 60u dose and read the LOT number. Regards Garry

Jan 23, 2013 NuMo 28 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'. Hello Faye. My hypos have always left me as you describe. Often still feeling pretty s--t the next day. All I can say is that it does pass, though it seems little consolation. Maybe someone can shed some light - have any of the HCPs anything to offer? Hello HelenP. Your eye symptoms are exactly what I used to get some years back before I was diagnosed diabetic. My optician said they classic symptoms of what he called "silent migaine", i.e. one without pain. I hadn't realised I was a migraine sufferer before though I did and do get really bad headaches from time to time. Since his diagosis, I have been able to deal with them without them becoming as bad again. Your saying that a hypo can set them off seems very logical to me given the stress of a hypo. It seems unreasonable to lose your licence because of a migraine.

Jan 23, 2013 Garry 328 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Got any 'Odd' Hypo Symptoms? My wife always knows at least 10 minutes before I recognise the symptoms as she tells me that I start to speak slower and more deliberately. Vexing isn't it Regards Garry

Jan 23, 2013 Garry 328 posts	Topic: General Discussion / B G Diary Comments please Have split my Lantus for over 2 years. Personally I use near equal doses but your needs will require some time and a long term assessment. Some people use BI doses with a small differential of 2 or 4u....depending on your insulin resistance of course. Currently mine are split 24u breakfast and 23u dinner but that may change later this week l try to get the timings 12 hours apart as it seems the simple way to get an 'even' BI always available for your body to use. Lantus dose changes, for most of us, seem to have a long reaction time - up to 3 days to see any resultant BG change. I normally take QA and BI insulin before breakfast at 06:45 and before dinner at around 19:00. So for me it works. At weekends, or on holiday, when getting up later.....dinner tends to be later too.....so it still works. Regards Garry

Jan 23, 2013 BeccyB 50 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Got any 'Odd' Hypo Symptoms? After reading a post in the HCP forum about a hypo symptom that medical staff didn't believe was real (the thread about hypo 'wipe outs') I wondered if anyone else has, or has heard of, anything more individual than the usual shaking etc? Mine is that I get a really thin white line around my mouth - my mom spotted it when I was young and I thought she was being daft but then she'd say "you're going hypo" and sure enough a short while later the shakes would start. I used to hate her knowing before me when I was a stroppy teenager - like it was some kind of invasion of privacy! over to you... Beccy

Jan 23, 2013 Garry 328 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Pat on the back for Lilly May have been at the time that they were in the process of bringing in the updated pen Lynda_2. It looks the same but is supposed to be more reliable with better battery life. They brought out the new pen last year and if you have already used the pen, replacement is available direct from Lilly - call 0800 783 6764 and they should be able to help. I think they requested my old pen serial number which can be found on the stem - wind the pen out to the full 60u dose and read the LOT number. Regards Garry

Jan 22, 2013 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / B G Diary Comments please whiskysmum said: Hi, I'm not a DAFNE Graduate so don't have access to it Bless you! If it's of any worth, I think you're doing a great job of taking all the tid bits you've gathered from the forum members! Do you feel you've learnt a lot? I'm sure you'll be teaching your class mates if or when you do your DAFNE course finally! ;) Keep up the good work!

Jan 22, 2013 FayeM 4 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'. novorapidboi26 said: does it happen all the time.......? So far this year, yes. Every hypo has been followed by 24 hours-ish of exhaustion.

Jan 22, 2013 victorri 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Questions When I went from one does to split the evening does I gave half the does and then in morning gave other half and so on. So I was on 28u I took 14u for the evening does and 14u in the morning and have carried on like that. As I said in other post i have found splitting my lantus has worked for me

Jan 22, 2013 victorri 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / B G Diary Comments please Hi I think what has been said in other comments is that you may need to split your back ground. I no they say lantus shouldn't be split but I'm on lantus and as it seems with you my readings close to my next evening injection were higher. I now split my lantus 14u in morning and 14u in the evening. I do 9 and 9 only cause I don't want to have to get up any earlier on my days off lol. You could do 13u and 13u and go from there you may find you can lower this after time cause its not running out

Jan 22, 2013 HelenP 218 posts	Topic: General Discussion / travel to USA Run two watches (local time/home time) How long will you be away? If it is only a short while the two watches works but if you have to slowly wean yourself back to a different schedule then you have to make more adjustments. I am assuming your levemir doses are similar. When ever I travel it takes me about 2 weeks to get things back to where they were before I left. Different foods. different sleep patterns, more activity, more stress etc. Keep it in perspective and try your best. Helen

Jan 22, 2013 phileaton 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / travel to USA Hi, I am travelling to florida and am trying to find information on adjusting insulin levels when travelling across time zones. I am on Levemir twice daily (7am and 7pm) and then Novorapid before each meal. Just looking for advise on how to manage doses when crossing time zones. Cheers

Jan 22, 2013 HelenP 218 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'. Hi, I went to an endocrinologist a while back who slammed me for not knowing my hypo symptoms. I get a tessellation pattern in the R upper quadrant of my R eye which if left unattended eventually goes to two large white light donuts, This is a totally reliable hypo symptom for me! Clocks in at about 3.3-3.8! She rubbished the idea and even suggested to my GP that my license be taken away. When I saw my opthamologist I queried him. He said they are classic migraines (without the associated pain). His information is that the low BG triggers migraine symptoms. It certainly fits with my info as migraines are common in my family. Just a thought. Helen

Jan 22, 2013 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Hypos leaving me 'wiped out'. I only recently started getting head aches after I have treated my hypos........... does it happen all the time.......?

Jan 22, 2013 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Questions I know it's always best to ask for advice from the DSN but just thought I would ask the questions on here while I wait for her phone call. 1. Time Changing is this best done by just an hour each night/day(depending on when you take lantus)? 2. Nighttime to Morning/Morning to Nightime (I currently take my Lantus at 10pm ish) with this being such a big jump how would you go about this? Would you forget your nighttime BI then just take it the next morning but obviously monitor blood sugars? 3. Splitting the dosage how would you go about this? I know it's my body at the end of the day but even though in the past I may have forgotten a BI injection here and there which I know resulted in a BS of about 30 ish the next morning it's still a scary thing to make a complete change.