Recent Posts

Search the DAFNE Online Forums

15,864 posts found

Jul 31, 2012
michdash 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Is Hba1c related to the averages in blood glucose diaries

Thanks Garry,

Yes this is indeed a life changing experience, however I am learning more each day. Thanks for the advice

Michelle
 
Jul 31, 2012
Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Which Olympic athlete are you? -- For fun!

Brett Morse, Discuss Thrower a 110kg, 1.9m beefcake Very Happy
 
Jul 31, 2012
Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Which Olympic athlete are you? -- For fun!

I match Winston Gordon who competes for Team GB in 90 kg class at Judo Laughing
Wish I was as fit as him!

Regards
Garry
 
Jul 31, 2012
Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Is Hba1c related to the averages in blood glucose diaries

Welcome michdash Smile
As JWO mentions stability counts. Make slow controlled changes and you can understand where improvement comes from.
Stick with it and in 4 or 5 months you'll be at 58 mmol/mol and looking for further gains.

Regards
Garry
 
Jul 31, 2012
michdash 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Is Hba1c related to the averages in blood glucose diaries

Oh, Rolling Eyes

Thank you!, I guess it's just as you say, trying to keep them as stable as possible!. Mind you a y reduction would be fab for myself co sideri g it was 125 mol/mol at diagnosis Crying or Very sad

 
Jul 31, 2012
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Is Hba1c related to the averages in blood glucose diaries

Not exactly unfortunately.

The averages we see on the diary are those of the results you've inputted on to the diary. Your HbA1c results read the results of how much sugar has been in your blood by reading the red blood cells themselves (they only live for 3 months though), so the diary averages may not be a reliable indication of your HbA1c as a result - especially if you're someone who has irratic control.

Saying that, I've found that when the BG levels are consistantly within a range over a long period on the diary, it has shown up in my HbA1c test to be around the same. I guess that's just a good sign that I do keep myself stable I suppose.
 
Jul 31, 2012
michdash 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Is Hba1c related to the averages in blood glucose diaries

Hi all,

I am new here and only been diagnosed 2 months ago. I wondered if anyone knew if the averages displayed in our blood glucose diaries may be an indicator of Hba1c results

Thanks

Michelle
 
Jul 31, 2012
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Which Olympic athlete are you? -- For fun!

Click this BBC link to find out! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19050139

I got Paloma Schmidt who does Sailing. She competed in "Women's Laser Radial". Very Happy

How about you? Smile
 
Jul 31, 2012
susanh 20 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / QA and BI preferred injection sites

Hi guys,
Catherine, one of our diabetes educators down under has written up a detailed response for you - hope it helps!

Studies show that insulin injected into the abdominal fatty tissue has the fastest and most consistent rate of absorption. The arms and thighs have a slower absorption rate, and the buttocks appear to have the slowest. Evidence shows that rapid acting analogues eg. NovoRapid, Humalog and Apidra can be given at any of the sites mentioned above without too much difference in absorption rates. The same goes with long acting analogues eg. Levemir or Lantus, but be careful not to inject into the muscle for risk of hypo. If you’re using human insulin such as Actrapid the abdomen is preferred due to faster absorption and if using NPH the thigh and buttocks are preferred due to the slower absorption.

Traditionally, the abdomen (avoiding the belly button area), thighs and buttocks have been the preferred site for injections. The arms have been least preferred in the adult population due to the increased risk of injecting into the muscle. Having said that, movement of a muscle speeds up the absorption rate of insulin even when injected into the fatty tissue and therefore you may increase your risk of hypos if you inject into thighs or arms before exercise.

BI (long acting analogue) needs to be injected in a different area from QA so that they do not mix and inadvertently change the profile of either insulin.

Some health professionals advise injecting BI into the same area of the body (whilst rotating sites within that area) mainly so that there is a consistency of absorption from one day to another. This makes sense if we’re saying that different areas of the body have different rates of absorption.

Remember to rotate and inject about 2 cm away from the previous injection so as to avoid causing scar tissue to develop. Also, if using the buttock for instance, make sure to use both buttocks evenly and not prefer one over another simply because it is easier to reach. Keep in mind that needle length, the angle at which the needles are injected and whether the skin requires a pinch up need to be considered to avoid injecting into muscle.

It’s important that individuals have their injection sites reviewed by their HCP to assess for lipohypertrophy or scarring. Avoiding scarred areas if present is essential as injecting into these may cause erratic insulin absorption hence erratic BGs.
If you’re confused or overwhelmed with the different information and advice that you get remember that everyone is different and people have individual responses in regards to absorption rate of insulin at different sites. If your BGs are not stable consider recording the site of your injection in your diary to see whether it makes a difference to your BGs and then discuss this with your HCP.

Cheers,
Susan & Catherine
 
Jul 31, 2012
Amackie 1 post

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Inject for buckwheat?

Hi Adrienne,

I have done a bit of a search on Kasha, and it is in fact a grain - a staple grain often used to make porridge in Eastern European countries. The nutritional information that I was able to find on the web is American based and in 1 cup of Kasha there is 33.5g of carbohydrate. According to the glycemicindex.com, buckwheat groats are low GI, they have a GI of 47-49, so similar to that of rolled oats....... (note, this is not as low GI as legumes, cherries, grapefruit, barley & fructose powder)... I would advise you to inject for them, based on the amount of carbohydrate calculated in your serve, as you would for oats. However, as everyone is different, monitor your BGLs after eating to determine the effect they have on you.

As for pearl barley, it is one of those super low GI foods (GI of around 22-29) and in DAFNE, we advise you that you may not need to inject at all if only consuming a small amount. If consuming in larger amounts then you may need to inject some QA, but not as much as you normally would for that carbohydrate amount. The only way to determine this is with trial and experimentation.

Quinoa is similar to the Kasha, has a similar GI and is also a grain. As per the advice for the Kasha, inject for Quinoa based on your calculated carbohydrate amount and monitor your BGLs for that individual response.

Hope this helps!

Cheers

Adele (DAFNE dietitian)
 
Jul 30, 2012
marke 686 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Blood Testing........

I'm afraid meters are just not that accurate, They give you an approximation of your BG and can be affected by a range of factors. If you take a reading from two different points on the body you will most likely get variances in readings. You will definately get variances from different meters. The idea is the meter gives you a guide to your current BG NOT a scientific, laboratory reading. Look at the brightside, not so long ago all you could do was dip a strip in urine and get a colour change that gave you an even more vague reading. Technology moves forward and testing is getting better but its still not and probably never will be an exact science. But then your body is not an exact science, hence the fact it can cope with your BG's fluctuating all over the place without any major problems.
I can't comment on an 'expert' meter since I have never seen one let along used one. I guess they just make suggestions based on a set of parameters and given the 'source' is a variable baseline i.e your body, getting accurate results must be quite a challenge.
 
Jul 30, 2012
John H 20 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Blood Testing........

Hello to you all, and thanks for your interesting replies to my last question. I also have another question to ask. I was rewarded with an Accuchek Aviva Expert meter system shortly after completing DAFNE course, the settings were decided and entered into the system by the rep, and off I went believing all was ok. I found that on some occasions when things went wrong at bed time, my test results fell by 50% below the minimum threshold decided by the HCP, and entered by the Accuchek Rep. I then entered in to the meter my proposed CP amount to restore BG to the lowest setting as per HCP decision (Of which I have a copy of) to find that the bolus advisor gave me the advice to inject QA to reduce the BG Rise back to the level that was already too low. This sounds like I am babbling on a bit, but hopefully you can follow what I am on about !
This has happened on several occasions, and there was no active insulin at the time because it was all spent. Upon explaining this to the Accuchek Helpline, they requested that I carry out a control test, which was ok, and then advised me to make an appointment with the sales Rep to re-check the settings because nobody wanted the responsibility of giving me the correct information maybe. I was later told that a replacement meter would be sent whilst my Expert system was tested and analysed for issues. After a month wait, I discover that a full analysis can take up to 3 months to complete. So with this experience with Accuchek I now test with 2 meters when I get unusual readings and they are variable to say the least, also after getting 1 sample from 1 hand, another from the other hand there are also some variences. What is the right site to test from if these variences are true & how would you maintain CP to QA inputs? Sorry for a long one this time, but this concerns me, and may do the same to others if they tried it out.
Thanks again Guys and Girls.
 
Jul 30, 2012
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Injection sites

I think it varies from person to person considering its up to you where you inject it...
I've usually been advised to inject in the slowest area (the buttocks) but some inject their leg, and I think someone said they injected their stomach as well like you.

Personally, I do as the HCP have told me over the years - I tend to inject BI into my buttocks, swapping sides/cheeks to prevent lipohypertrophy (saying that, if I have to as a last resort, I inject my thigh). To be honest, I'm more comfortable with putting a large dose in my buttocks than say my stomach or my leg simply because of the absorption difference (especially since I'm a fairly active person too).

Edit: Read recently that some people inject their breasts (QA rather than BI I think). I could never do that! D:
 
Jul 30, 2012
michdash 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / how to test

Hey Dean123

Well - Ideally your BI is your baseline dose which should keep BS within range regardless if you do not take your AQ during meals to cover the glucose rise. You should be able to tell wether your BI or QA dose is effective / correct by a few measures. For example my novorapid QA peaks around 90 mins and generally continues to work for 4 - 5 hrs, so if after a meal I hypo during this time I generally think it may be due to the QA of taking too much. Or vice versa if my BS are too high after I may require more QA with my meals to cover. It could of course also be due to incorrect carb counting and QA matching. However if you find that your BS are continually low or high regardless of these factors then it may be due to your BI. One way you could test this is to fast or have a carb free lunch etc, so you are QA and carb free, this way you will know if your BI is of the correct dosage as it should still keep you within range. If BS are too high it may need reducing or too low then increasing. This is what has helped me find out anyway, Smile
 
Jul 30, 2012
Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / Blood glucose diary date

Hi guys,

I'll look into this. When we first built the site it was aimed at Uk/Ireland DAFNE graduates; then after a chance meeting with one of the Oz DAFNE educators the site was opened up to our Diabetic cousins from down under, with the NZ and Kuwait programmes following soon after. So some of the locality specific stuff we should have done early on was missed out.

Apologies, and we will work to fix it
 
Jul 30, 2012
Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Aviva test strips

I noticed this some months ago - so no more faffing around with new coding chips, a major step forward in my opinion.

What I like most about it is that if I'm getting to the end a pot of strips, I can just put the remainder in a new pot and not have to worry about taking a new pot - plus the coding chip - with me if I'm going out. I always put the old strips in upside down, so I can use these first, but I'm sure that's not really necessary.
 
Jul 30, 2012
Dean123 7 posts

Topic: General Discussion / how to test

hi can any 1 help me , how do i tell if i am taking the right dose of my backing injection ( lantus ) thanks dean
 
Jul 30, 2012
DianeW 115 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Injection sites

I read on another topic that BI is better injected in the leg? I've never heard this and have been injecting BI in stomach for years! Should I vary the site of BI or stick to the same place i.e. I inject it on one side of my stomach and QA everywhere else.
 
Jul 30, 2012
DianeW 115 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Aviva test strips

I noticed this today when I opened a new box of test strips. I thought oh that's funny, they've got the same code number - 111 - as my last lot. There was no code chip in the box so I thought it was missing. Then I remembered seeing something about the black chip from the last box. Being confused, I opened my other new box and there WAS a black code chip. So I rung Accucheck and they said the same as their message above, you don't need to ever change it.

So just to be sure, the code will ALWAYS be 111, and if you get a new box with a black chip in, you don't need to insert a new one, just keep them as spares?
 
Jul 30, 2012
meltow 78 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Aviva test strips

Thank you for contacting Accu-Chek.

Please find below some information regarding our new black code keys (code number 111):

· Once the black code key has been inserted into the meter it never needs to be changed again, unlike the previous white code key.

· The black code key works for all Accu-Chek Aviva test strips that have a green symbol on the box.

· After inserting the black code key, you can discard any future code keys you receive, including those from boxes of test strips containing white code keys with a different code number.

Kindly make sure to check the expiration date of your Accu-Chek Aviva test strips prior to using them, since the new universal black code chip no longer contains this information.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,



Accu-Chek Customer Service Team


 
Jul 30, 2012
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Motion Sickness: Hypo cause or just symptom?

Woah, deja vu (you're probably not the same person though even though you share names!)!
I have no plans to start injecting my BI in my stomach beacuse of the advised absortion rates (as the others have already noted before me). Buttocks have never done me wrong yet, only insulin dose being incorrect so far (22 years diabetic is enough evidence for me at least as well). ;) Thanks for the comment though! Very Happy

I'll post some more results... yesterday was very interesting and kind of a relief to see! Once again, I'm suspecting my overnight BI! As usual, I will be emailing my results to my DAFNE nurse this morning. It's been a long journey working it all out. ._. Darn my insulin sensitivity!

Any thoughts on my whacky BGs are welcome! I've not been feeling motion sickness still but it might be because I'm the one who's been driving recently and I haven't been on a boat again (yet)! XD

Just incase anyone is wondering, I'm on Humalog and Levemir. Smile
 
Jul 30, 2012
RichFreed 51 posts

Topic: Site Development / Blood glucose diary date

I have the same thing happen at +10. I don't think the page is browser time aware.
 
Jul 30, 2012
royalglamorg... 2 posts

Topic: General Discussion / hungover feeling in the morning (not after drinking)

I don't know whether or not anyone has any knowledge of this but probably 50% of nights i tend to wake following approx 1.5 hrs of sleep, suddenly feeling thirsty and needing the toilet. Following this i'll sleep for approx 2 hrs then wake again feeling thirsty. In the morning I wake feeling hungover, which then lasts for most of the day. I've had a BG continuous monitor fitted for the past week to monitor my BG readings at night to look for any dips etc. I haven't been able to record any low BGs myself at night and during my initial 1.5 hrs in bed the BG readings seem to usually stay at around 7-8. It does feel as though it's that liver dump action that gets discussed from time to time and usually this reading of 7-8 is followed by an increase in BG to maybe 10. I have had the same feeling at other times if i've over compensated for a hi-BG level at night with too much insulin.