Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Dec 30, 2012

silversurfer 4 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / weight loss - risks

It is very hard I am trying to lose a bit but find I still need carbs 3 times a day or my blood sugars are all over the place so just cut down by half on carbs if you can and just watch your insulin ratio hope you go on ok.

Dec 30, 2012

krf 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Swollen ankle

For reference my specialist agreed that fluid retention will usually affect both ankles. There was a temperature difference Suomi am in am air cast for a week to see how it goes. They were lovely, and insist I did the right thing going to them. It is great to have such an understanding diabetic team.

Thanks

Dec 29, 2012

krf 10 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carb free

Although we cannot follow an Atkins diet for weight loss, their bars and sweets are really low in carbs and may help you

Dec 29, 2012

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Chinese Takeaway

I very often only eat half a tray of chicken/prawn curry and half a tray of the rice then maybe in a bit /sometimes I want to eat a bit more ie maybe the other half.

Is it ok when on MDI and because of the high carb and fat content and also maybe if I'm eating in 2 instalments to split twice which would then mean 4 injections!

Dec 29, 2012

richard_g 14 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Buffets

Hi,

I think you have to find your own system and don't be too hard on yourself if it doesn't work 100% you can always correct later. I would probably do something similar and take a top up injection if I eat an extra helping later. The main problem with beige food as my other half calls it is keeping an accurate score. Its suprising how many carbs you can pick up.

Dec 28, 2012

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Buffets

Don't know if this is the correct way but I usually

1. eyeball what's what ie carby foods / non carby foods
2. get my plateful of carby foods / non carby foods
3. inject according to the amount of carbs on my plate
4. I would now get a dessert (if wanted) and do a second injection for the amount of carbs in this

the problem is what would you do if you wanted to pick at anything during the evening / afternoon ie cocktail sausage rolls / vol-au-vents etc?

Dec 28, 2012

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: Site Development / Blood Glucose Graphs

Thanks Simon - prompt and effective as ever. Well done.

Dec 28, 2012

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / Blood Glucose Graphs

Fixed!

Thanks for bringing this to our attention chaps.

Dec 28, 2012

Garry 328 posts

Topic: Site Development / Blood Glucose Graphs

Same for me. The values are in the graph because if you hover with the cursor you get Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Bed values but no usual line or colour backgrounds to help.
Regards
Garry

Dec 28, 2012

krf 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Merry Christmas

Hi there,
Yes for me Dafne made Christmas dinner a lot more enjoyable, prob,ably because I was counting I did not over indulge as before and was therefor not som bloated!

It is great having others to get advice from and also to realise that so many others have troubles at times also.

All the best for 2013 to all Dafne!

Dec 27, 2012

jazzee2 3 posts

Topic: General Discussion / exercise

You are absolutely right, exercise has a longer term effect on blood glucose, reducing insulin resistance and making it work more efficiently for us, which can also mean lower blood sugars even later in the day.

The best place to find info on T1 and exercise is www.runsweet.com

Don't be put off by it referring to athletes- the bloke helped Steve Redgrave achieve gold, but it covers all activities for all levels.

Jen

Dec 27, 2012

jazzee2 3 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Ratio - have I calculated this right?

I would usually give 1:1 for correction and carbs, so to bring it down to 5.5 (which I have as my target) I would give 8.6 (correction) + 4 (meal) - 12.6 total. Obviously mkine will be different as it's 1:1 not 1.5:1.

Maybe you need to allow more for the correction? How is it going now?

Jen

Dec 27, 2012

jazzee2 3 posts

Topic: General Discussion / insulin doses

If you have a larger meal it takes longer to digest, therefore the 14 units will be working ahead of the time it takes for the carbs to be digested. Chances are even after a low so soon after the meal, you will get a high maybe a couple of hours later as the rest of the food is digested.

I have an insulin pump, so can counterbalance this by taking my insulin over a longer period of time, which maybe even 3-4 hours. Taking injections, it may help tosplit the dose, having say half initially and half after 1.5 hours. It's probably worth speaking with your diabetes team about this.

Jen

Dec 27, 2012

paulj 36 posts

Topic: General Discussion / insulin doses

does anyone else find that when you inject a large amount of q/a insulin it has more of a quicker lowering effect on your BG levels than a smaller dose?

i find that anything over 14 units effects me significantly quicker. i had a full xmas dinner and xmas pud for which i took 16 units and a hour and a half later i was under 4.0. even when i know my CP counting is correct the same thing occurs. itake a 1/1 ratio for all my meals.

Dec 27, 2012

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: Site Development / Blood Glucose Graphs

They don't seem to be working today.

Dec 27, 2012

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / Injection site list

Ahmentep said:
Hi Simon,

I raised this topic back in December 2011. Since then several other people have said that they too would like to designate a site for each injection or, alternatively, have the sites described in a logical manner, e.g. Left arm, Right arm, Left buttock, Right buttock.

You said some months ago that you would take a look at this. Have you managed to do so?

Kind regards,

Roger

Hi Roger (and others)

You can now specify a QA and BI Injection site separately when entering diary entries on the site (both full and mobile websites). I'll work on getting the ability to do this in the smartphone apps soon.

Simon

Dec 27, 2012

richard_g 14 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Merry Christmas

Hi,

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you too. I didn't feel too guilty having that Christmas Pudding but its full of CPs.

Dec 27, 2012

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Merry Christmas

Hi Everyone,

I'd just like to wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I hope the festive season has been an enjoyable one and by using DAFNE that you haven't felt limited in what you can eat, drink or do.

Thanks to our members for contributing to the forums, it's great to see everyone helping one another out using the power of the Internet.

Here's to 2013 with more DAFNE courses and more graduates to join this thriving community.

All the best for 2013 and beyond!

Simon

Dec 26, 2012

krf 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Swollen ankle

Thanks for your reply. I sometimes feel that I am always at the diabetic centre so was trying to avoid them again! But you a right, I will call in the morning and get it checked out.

Thanks again

kirsty

Dec 24, 2012

richard_g 14 posts

Topic: General Discussion / retinopathy

Helen,
Wow Dafne has travelled far. I hadn't realised it had gone down under. Thanks for your story it is encouraging to hear good news, after all the internet is full of horror stories. Enjoy your Christmas too.

Dec 24, 2012

Carolin 83 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Fasting blood sugars... what on earth is going on here??

Gemsa said:
So I did DAFNE in October and I believe I totally understand the 'rules' in theory, they just don't seem to be replicating in practice. I know my background insulin is not right and have changed from lantus to levemir but still haven't got the dose right (I got two good days but none since).

So did a big long fast to try and see why its not behaving. I went low in the early afternoon so had a small snack of long acting (carb points are certainly correct as off the back of the packet... I don't eat anything unless I have exact carbs for it) and then just shot up and kept going up ever since. I reduced evening levemir because of morning levemir making me go low and I didn't want to go low overnight (possible reason for the 20 in the morning as was only 8 the night before). And I know I shouldn't have corrected with QA without eating a meal but I couldn't stand being so high as it was making me feel sick.

So which part of my dose is wrong?!

Hi Gemsa,

Don't get disheartened; it's still only 2 months since your course and change of insulin and you just need to keep working at it, and remember you can get some 'rogue' days where things simply don't make sense.

The most common reason for morning BG being high is actually the Dawn Phenomenon - this is where your body releases strong hormones like Growth Hormone as you wake up, and if there is not enough BI around to counteract it your liver will release glucose into your blood stream hence you end up high. It is extremely unlikely that high morning BG result from overnight hypos, unless you have woken and (over)treated it.

One of the best ways to control the Dawn Phenomenon is to take your evening BI as late as possible (bedtime rather than teatime) so that it is still working well as you wake up. Remember that with any planned change to evening BI you should do a 3am test before and after to see what's happening during the night and to assess if the dose does indeed need to be increased.

Your morning BI should be at least 7hrs apart from your evening dose, but they do not need to be 12hrs apart, so it's usually still fine to take your morning one as you get up.

Good luck and keep going!

Carolin

Dec 24, 2012

Carolin 83 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / DAFNE Courses

Hi Alan,

Due to funding issues (sometimes known as the postcode lottery?! Confused

), some DAFNE Centres will not take referrals from outside of their own catchment area, however it may be worth your niece asking her GP if they can refer her to Maidstone for her diabetes care so she can access DAFNE.

It's not ideal, but I think we're a very long way off DAFNE being available to all.

I'd urge everyone, if you haven't already done so, to sign up to the DUAG e-petition (see homepage) and to pass this on to all friends, family, colleagues, in fact everyone in your email address book. They need 100,000 signatures to stand a chance of getting this raised for debate in Parliament!

All the best,

Carolin

Dec 24, 2012

Carolin 83 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Swollen ankle

Hi krf,

Given your history of mild renal impairment and neuropathy I would always advise that you contact your diabetes team as soon as possible to get it checked out.

There are many things it could be and it's possibly nothing to worry about, but better to be safe than sorry.

Carolin

Dec 24, 2012

Ahmentep 99 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Fasting blood sugars... what on earth is going on here??

Hi Novorapidboi,

I am, as usual, thinking in technical terms. As you may know, energy can be neither created nor destroyed; it can only be converted from one form to another. This is a basic law of physics and it was in this sense that I used the word 'convert'.

I accept that my argument may be flawed. I did think, upon reading it again after I had posted it that it seemed somewhat shaky. I can only plead tiredness, as it was during the wee small hours that I sent it. I knew some bright spark would query it though! :-)

As you clearly recall, I cannot usually take hourly tests overnight so I am forced to judge that, since my morning BG levels are almost the same as my previous suppertime levels (if no carbs were taken for supper) then my nightly BI dosage is correct. This assumption seems to be born out by the few readings that I have made during the night.

Kind regards, and Merry Christmas,

Roger

Dec 24, 2012

HelenP 218 posts

Topic: General Discussion / retinopathy

Richard,
I have had "retinopathy" for about 20 years. I have had 4 bouts of laser surgery (2 on each eye) and have just recently been to see my opthamologist...his assessment is that the laser has been very effective and my vision is good enough for me not to need glasses to drive. I believe the laser has had some effect on my night vision and I also think my colour perception is not as good as it was but I am 67 yrs old!

Enjoy your Christmas break and try not to second guess the report.

Helen

Dec 30, 2012 silversurfer 4 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / weight loss - risks It is very hard I am trying to lose a bit but find I still need carbs 3 times a day or my blood sugars are all over the place so just cut down by half on carbs if you can and just watch your insulin ratio hope you go on ok.

Dec 30, 2012 krf 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Swollen ankle For reference my specialist agreed that fluid retention will usually affect both ankles. There was a temperature difference Suomi am in am air cast for a week to see how it goes. They were lovely, and insist I did the right thing going to them. It is great to have such an understanding diabetic team. Thanks

Dec 29, 2012 krf 10 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Carb free Although we cannot follow an Atkins diet for weight loss, their bars and sweets are really low in carbs and may help you

Dec 29, 2012 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Chinese Takeaway I very often only eat half a tray of chicken/prawn curry and half a tray of the rice then maybe in a bit /sometimes I want to eat a bit more ie maybe the other half. Is it ok when on MDI and because of the high carb and fat content and also maybe if I'm eating in 2 instalments to split twice which would then mean 4 injections!

Dec 29, 2012 richard_g 14 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Buffets Hi, I think you have to find your own system and don't be too hard on yourself if it doesn't work 100% you can always correct later. I would probably do something similar and take a top up injection if I eat an extra helping later. The main problem with beige food as my other half calls it is keeping an accurate score. Its suprising how many carbs you can pick up.

Dec 28, 2012 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Buffets Don't know if this is the correct way but I usually 1. eyeball what's what ie carby foods / non carby foods 2. get my plateful of carby foods / non carby foods 3. inject according to the amount of carbs on my plate 4. I would now get a dessert (if wanted) and do a second injection for the amount of carbs in this the problem is what would you do if you wanted to pick at anything during the evening / afternoon ie cocktail sausage rolls / vol-au-vents etc?

Dec 28, 2012 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: Site Development / Blood Glucose Graphs Thanks Simon - prompt and effective as ever. Well done.

Dec 28, 2012 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Site Development / Blood Glucose Graphs Fixed! Thanks for bringing this to our attention chaps.

Dec 28, 2012 Garry 328 posts	Topic: Site Development / Blood Glucose Graphs Same for me. The values are in the graph because if you hover with the cursor you get Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Bed values but no usual line or colour backgrounds to help. Regards Garry

Dec 28, 2012 krf 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Merry Christmas Hi there, Yes for me Dafne made Christmas dinner a lot more enjoyable, prob,ably because I was counting I did not over indulge as before and was therefor not som bloated! It is great having others to get advice from and also to realise that so many others have troubles at times also. All the best for 2013 to all Dafne!

Dec 27, 2012 jazzee2 3 posts	Topic: General Discussion / exercise You are absolutely right, exercise has a longer term effect on blood glucose, reducing insulin resistance and making it work more efficiently for us, which can also mean lower blood sugars even later in the day. The best place to find info on T1 and exercise is www.runsweet.com Don't be put off by it referring to athletes- the bloke helped Steve Redgrave achieve gold, but it covers all activities for all levels. Jen

Dec 27, 2012 jazzee2 3 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Ratio - have I calculated this right? I would usually give 1:1 for correction and carbs, so to bring it down to 5.5 (which I have as my target) I would give 8.6 (correction) + 4 (meal) - 12.6 total. Obviously mkine will be different as it's 1:1 not 1.5:1. Maybe you need to allow more for the correction? How is it going now? Jen

Dec 27, 2012 jazzee2 3 posts	Topic: General Discussion / insulin doses If you have a larger meal it takes longer to digest, therefore the 14 units will be working ahead of the time it takes for the carbs to be digested. Chances are even after a low so soon after the meal, you will get a high maybe a couple of hours later as the rest of the food is digested. I have an insulin pump, so can counterbalance this by taking my insulin over a longer period of time, which maybe even 3-4 hours. Taking injections, it may help tosplit the dose, having say half initially and half after 1.5 hours. It's probably worth speaking with your diabetes team about this. Jen

Dec 27, 2012 paulj 36 posts	Topic: General Discussion / insulin doses does anyone else find that when you inject a large amount of q/a insulin it has more of a quicker lowering effect on your BG levels than a smaller dose? i find that anything over 14 units effects me significantly quicker. i had a full xmas dinner and xmas pud for which i took 16 units and a hour and a half later i was under 4.0. even when i know my CP counting is correct the same thing occurs. itake a 1/1 ratio for all my meals.

Dec 27, 2012 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: Site Development / Blood Glucose Graphs They don't seem to be working today.

Dec 27, 2012 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Site Development / Injection site list Ahmentep said: Hi Simon, I raised this topic back in December 2011. Since then several other people have said that they too would like to designate a site for each injection or, alternatively, have the sites described in a logical manner, e.g. Left arm, Right arm, Left buttock, Right buttock. You said some months ago that you would take a look at this. Have you managed to do so? Kind regards, Roger Hi Roger (and others) You can now specify a QA and BI Injection site separately when entering diary entries on the site (both full and mobile websites). I'll work on getting the ability to do this in the smartphone apps soon. Simon

Dec 27, 2012 richard_g 14 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Merry Christmas Hi, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you too. I didn't feel too guilty having that Christmas Pudding but its full of CPs.

Dec 27, 2012 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Merry Christmas Hi Everyone, I'd just like to wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I hope the festive season has been an enjoyable one and by using DAFNE that you haven't felt limited in what you can eat, drink or do. Thanks to our members for contributing to the forums, it's great to see everyone helping one another out using the power of the Internet. Here's to 2013 with more DAFNE courses and more graduates to join this thriving community. All the best for 2013 and beyond! Simon

Dec 26, 2012 krf 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Swollen ankle Thanks for your reply. I sometimes feel that I am always at the diabetic centre so was trying to avoid them again! But you a right, I will call in the morning and get it checked out. Thanks again kirsty

Dec 24, 2012 richard_g 14 posts	Topic: General Discussion / retinopathy Helen, Wow Dafne has travelled far. I hadn't realised it had gone down under. Thanks for your story it is encouraging to hear good news, after all the internet is full of horror stories. Enjoy your Christmas too.

Dec 24, 2012 Carolin 83 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Fasting blood sugars... what on earth is going on here?? Gemsa said: So I did DAFNE in October and I believe I totally understand the 'rules' in theory, they just don't seem to be replicating in practice. I know my background insulin is not right and have changed from lantus to levemir but still haven't got the dose right (I got two good days but none since). So did a big long fast to try and see why its not behaving. I went low in the early afternoon so had a small snack of long acting (carb points are certainly correct as off the back of the packet... I don't eat anything unless I have exact carbs for it) and then just shot up and kept going up ever since. I reduced evening levemir because of morning levemir making me go low and I didn't want to go low overnight (possible reason for the 20 in the morning as was only 8 the night before). And I know I shouldn't have corrected with QA without eating a meal but I couldn't stand being so high as it was making me feel sick. So which part of my dose is wrong?! Hi Gemsa, Don't get disheartened; it's still only 2 months since your course and change of insulin and you just need to keep working at it, and remember you can get some 'rogue' days where things simply don't make sense. The most common reason for morning BG being high is actually the Dawn Phenomenon - this is where your body releases strong hormones like Growth Hormone as you wake up, and if there is not enough BI around to counteract it your liver will release glucose into your blood stream hence you end up high. It is extremely unlikely that high morning BG result from overnight hypos, unless you have woken and (over)treated it. One of the best ways to control the Dawn Phenomenon is to take your evening BI as late as possible (bedtime rather than teatime) so that it is still working well as you wake up. Remember that with any planned change to evening BI you should do a 3am test before and after to see what's happening during the night and to assess if the dose does indeed need to be increased. Your morning BI should be at least 7hrs apart from your evening dose, but they do not need to be 12hrs apart, so it's usually still fine to take your morning one as you get up. Good luck and keep going! Carolin

Dec 24, 2012 Carolin 83 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / DAFNE Courses Hi Alan, Due to funding issues (sometimes known as the postcode lottery?! ), some DAFNE Centres will not take referrals from outside of their own catchment area, however it may be worth your niece asking her GP if they can refer her to Maidstone for her diabetes care so she can access DAFNE. It's not ideal, but I think we're a very long way off DAFNE being available to all. I'd urge everyone, if you haven't already done so, to sign up to the DUAG e-petition (see homepage) and to pass this on to all friends, family, colleagues, in fact everyone in your email address book. They need 100,000 signatures to stand a chance of getting this raised for debate in Parliament! All the best, Carolin

Dec 24, 2012 Carolin 83 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Swollen ankle Hi krf, Given your history of mild renal impairment and neuropathy I would always advise that you contact your diabetes team as soon as possible to get it checked out. There are many things it could be and it's possibly nothing to worry about, but better to be safe than sorry. Carolin

Dec 24, 2012 Ahmentep 99 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Fasting blood sugars... what on earth is going on here?? Hi Novorapidboi, I am, as usual, thinking in technical terms. As you may know, energy can be neither created nor destroyed; it can only be converted from one form to another. This is a basic law of physics and it was in this sense that I used the word 'convert'. I accept that my argument may be flawed. I did think, upon reading it again after I had posted it that it seemed somewhat shaky. I can only plead tiredness, as it was during the wee small hours that I sent it. I knew some bright spark would query it though! :-) As you clearly recall, I cannot usually take hourly tests overnight so I am forced to judge that, since my morning BG levels are almost the same as my previous suppertime levels (if no carbs were taken for supper) then my nightly BI dosage is correct. This assumption seems to be born out by the few readings that I have made during the night. Kind regards, and Merry Christmas, Roger

Dec 24, 2012 HelenP 218 posts	Topic: General Discussion / retinopathy Richard, I have had "retinopathy" for about 20 years. I have had 4 bouts of laser surgery (2 on each eye) and have just recently been to see my opthamologist...his assessment is that the laser has been very effective and my vision is good enough for me not to need glasses to drive. I believe the laser has had some effect on my night vision and I also think my colour perception is not as good as it was but I am 67 yrs old! Enjoy your Christmas break and try not to second guess the report. Helen