Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Jul 14, 2012

Annette Bell 72 posts

Thanks Carolin. I thought I remembered being told "4 is the floor". i.e. 4 should be the lower limit before any corrective action was taken. I will change my target ranges accordingly. I still don't understand the effect of exercise on my BG. I usually do some aerobic type exercise first thing in the morning, but don't have any breakfast, therefore, don't have any QA insulin. My BG has usually risen considerably by lunchtime even if my "breakfast" BG is relatively low. Confused

Jul 14, 2012

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Background insulin for surgery

As you background is dealing with your livers glucose output and not food you should be fine.......

I would ask them to explain there decision before the op goes ahead.....

Jul 14, 2012

HelenP 218 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Background insulin for surgery

I have just had carpal tunnel surgery (scheduled for 8:00am) and the anaesthetist said that it did not matter what I did she was going to give me 4% glucose. Went under on 10.0 out on 14.2!

After the surgery the BG's were higher than usual for a couple of days...pain? Trauma?

How long will you be "under" and how long will it be before you can drink/eat?

I was only "out" for an hour and then I was able to drink and once I had proven I could keep the water down I was allowed to eat. I then had breakfast (that I had brought from home) and corrected. You also know your response to taking background an hour or two late. ATB, Helen.

Jul 14, 2012

HelenP 218 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Carpal Tunnel v's Neuropathy

The R hand is fine (difficulty lifting heavy objects) so have bitten the bullet and will have the L done next Friday (20th). Patience?

Helen

Jul 13, 2012

Andy-Redditch 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

Try swapping cartridges in the pens then if the QA seems to have same problem there is definately a problem with the pen itself? I also use Levimir and have never had this type of problem.
Regards Andy.

Jul 13, 2012

Fozia 2 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Background insulin for surgery

Im having a cataract opp soon and it'schduled for 7:30am and I'm not allowed to eat or drink (except water) from midnight the night before. I spilt my background insulin and take half before breakfast and the other half before dinner.

My issue is the eye hospital has top me NOT to take my background insulin in the morning, but I don't want to do that - what should I do?

Thanks

Jul 13, 2012

Carolin 83 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Just for a Laugh!

I previously had a laugh when I followed a link from this forum to an Australian website (www.realitycheck.org.au) that contained the 'Official Dictionary of Diabetes Slang', with such definitions as:

"Hi" - Friendly greeting your blood glucose meter gives you when you've eaten way too
much cake
"Dryâ€spiking" - Not being able to get a single, freaking, miserable little drop of blood out
of your fingertips.

As Editors of the quarterly 'DAFNEws', MarkE & I would love some similar puns / witticisms, etc to liven up the newsletter (to which anyone can subscribe through the official DAFNE website - http://www.dafne.uk.com/dafne_news_subscribe-I460.html). We'll choose 1 or 2 of the best to feature in each issue of DAFNEws

Can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Very Happy

Carolin

Jul 13, 2012

Carolin 83 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Ratios & Honeymoon Period.

Phil Maskell said:
Nighttime hypos due to being over active

Nice one Phil! Very Happy

If anyone else has any similar diabetes-related puns & witticisms we'd love to have them for inclusion in the quarterly DAFNE Newsletter!!

Carolin (Editor of DAFNEws)

Jul 13, 2012

Carolin 83 posts

Topic: Site Development / Targets range

Hi All,

Just a reminder that we recommend the lower end of targets at any time of the day is 4.5mmol/l (not 4); this is important in maintaining good hypo awareness.

Current guidelines:
BG below 3.5mmol/l (hypo) you should TREAT with 1.5 - 2 CPs rapid-acting carbs
BG 3.5 - 4.5mmol/l (below target) you should EAT 1 CP (or if a mealtime, reduce QA dose by 1u) to get back into safe target range

Carolin

Jul 12, 2012

marke 681 posts

Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collaborative 2012

of course, it was approved for public consumption ( after being vetted and changed Sad

) so there should be no limitation to where it is posted,

Jul 12, 2012

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

Yes, I'll try my spare Novopen tonight.

Jul 11, 2012

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collaborative 2012

interesting read..................

can I paste this on diabetessupport.co.uk?

Jul 11, 2012

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

Any developments?

I usually do about 4 units, sometimes more, when priming.......

I would still suspect a faulty pen, as you say it keeps happening, even if it works with a new needle the first time............

you could try and test the same batch of needles with a spare pen...(which you should have, however not everyone does, tut tut....).......

for complete peace mind new pen and needles wouldn't hurt..... Very Happy

Jul 11, 2012

Andrew Alexa... 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Weight loss ?

Hi,

Yes I also suffered from quite rapid considerable weight loss when I was first moved over to NovoRapid/Levermir Insulin and for a while after taking the DAFNE course - I wasn't overwight before although my control had started to go out of whack a bit and I had started putting on a little bit of weight. I hadn't changed my diet in any considerable way.

Weight loss can be a sign of high blood sugars I think - and this was certainly the case for me - I had been on Mixtard insulin for a long time and it has taken me quite a while to find the right doses and ratios under the DAFNE system. During this period my HbA1C went up quite a bit from how it had been. Now that I am finding the right doses and the control is getting better again things seem to have settled and I'm not losing any more weight (it's just cost me a bit in new trousers!!!).

I'd definitely mention it to your doctor/diabetes nusre though especially as they'll probably be able to recommend the best way to put weight back on sensibly and just in case it's anything else.

Jul 11, 2012

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

I don't think it's a problem with my Novopen 4, because it always works fine with a new needle.
I usually dial up 2 units when I prime my pens (I think this is the recommendation). Last night I tried the morning needle, but primed it with 4 units and this worked fine. I'll try this again this evening and see if I've cracked the problem.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Jul 10, 2012

Anele46 109 posts

Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collaborative 2012

Very Interesting Marke.
Thanks very much for the update and typing this all out Smile

Cheers,
Anele.

Jul 9, 2012

marke 681 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Collaborative 2012

You can find a report on the DAFNE Collaborative 2012 here : collab report
Be warned it contains a 'shocking' revelation about night time hypo's. I know I shouldn't cross post between forums but the bit on night time hypo's is very interesting and likely to cause a 'degree of discussion' Wink

so I wanted to make sure people didn't miss it !!

Jul 9, 2012

marke 681 posts

Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collaborative 2012

(disclaimer: this report has been proof read by HCP's so is slightly more 'technical' than I would have written in places Very Happy

)

Once again the DAFNEOnline team was present at the DAFNE Collaborative to bring you all the news and views of what is going on in the DAFNE Programme. For those that donâ€™t know what it is, the DAFNE Collaborative is the annual event at which representatives of all DAFNE Centres, the DAFNE Executive, the DAFNE Programme team and the DAFNE User Action Group (DUAG) gather to receive presentations and attend workshops related to what is happening in the DAFNE Programme. The last of the groups mentioned in that list the DUAG is the user representative body on the DAFNE programme.

So what happened this year ? Well the day â€˜kicked offâ€™ with a presentation about â€˜KICk -OFFâ€™ ( pun intended !). This is a programme that I know will be of great interest to some since it is the juvenile equivalent of DAFNE for 11-16 year olds. At this stage it is still in the trial stage and is scheduled to report results in Spring 2013. Presuming that the results do show sufficient benefits to enable it to be rolled out there are still some challenges to be overcome. However things do look positive and a programme of this kind would provide major benefits to many. Of course it is slightly different to the adult DAFNE Course, mainly because teaching/engaging teenagers is obviously not the same as teaching a group of adults and their approach to their diabetes is different. However listening to some of the quotes given by those that took part in the pilot courses, there is a distinct feeling of dÃ©jÃ vu. One example â€œI liked watching everyone share their thoughts about diabetesâ€ could just as easily be about a DAFNE Course. I did ask about a link-up to DAFNEOnline for Kick-Off however it seems teenagers donâ€™t like talking about their diabetes and while they continue to talk to other attendees itâ€™s not about diabetes, so maybe something to consider in future.

The next presentation was on something that I am sure will provoke discussion. It concerned what happens to blood glucose overnight and if rebound hypoâ€™s ( the somogyi effect) exist i.e high BGs in the morning caused by night time hypos. The overall conclusion was that high fasting readings due to rebound form overnight hypoglycaemia was very rare - if it happened at all and that the cause of high morning BGs was a lot more complex. The conclusions were drawn from a number of surveys including a dawn phenomenon survey of 100 patients. however a A number of the results used to demonstrate conclusions were based on Continuous Glucose monitoring traces to try to give a better understanding to what is actually happening. It was shown that although night time hypos do occur regularly - when asleep the body produces a much weaker hormone response and much smaller sugar / glucagon response. Therefore another cause is more likely to be the source of high morning BGâ€™s. This is where it was shown that you need to see the high BG in context with BG readings over previous days. This suggests that other factors or a combination of other factors are likely to be the cause rather than possibility of overnight hypo. The main problem with all of this is most of us were told to do a 3am test to rule out hypos causing high morning BGs and now we and educators need to take on board that things are not as clear cut as that. Iâ€™m sure there will be a lot of further discussion on this subject.

There then followed a workshop that was not attended by your correspondent due to their being a DUAG sub-meeting so my report resumes post lunch with the afternoon session. The first afternoon session was co-ordinated by Prof. Simon Heller and featured a number of presentations on various research programmes that have been ongoing. The first was on a psychosocial study on DAFNE that asked graduates and educators to complete a series of questionnaires and interviews before, during and after the DAFNE Course. The second and third studies were on qualative work and the DAFNE database respectively. Not much of this is sharable publically at this time. The fourth study was on how the length of time someone has been Type 1 affects how successful DAFNE is. The conclusion was that DAFNE is just as effective with long term diabetics as it is with newly diagnosed diabetes. There was also an update on the 5 x 1 day DAFNE Course at the end of this presentation, although final results from this trial are not yet available. The last presentation in this session concerned the cost effectiveness of DAFNE and was given by Prof. Alan Brennan from ScHARR who also work with NICE to determine the cost effectiveness of treatments. The work they have done involves developing health econoimic modelling and is similar to previous work to assess if DAFNE is cost effective. Preliminary results suggest it is cost effective however these are just preliminary results.

The day finished with a workshop and the one I attended was related to the presentation given in the morning about rebound hypos. A lot of discussion centred around how to get the message out to educators let alone graduates that rebound hypos and 3am checks were not as clear cut as previously believed. This was a very interesting discussion and a number of other issues were covered, including post meal injections ( not a good idea since profiles of insulin and food donâ€™t match) and advice from non-DAFNE Health Care Professionals conflicting with DAFNE educators ( generally not accepted unless backed up by Educator).

Overall an interesting and informative day and for those interested the presentations are on the DAFNE website ( www.dafne.uk.com ) by clicking on the DAFNE
Collaborative 2012 section on the front page.

Jul 9, 2012

marke 681 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

as this is a confession thread, forgive me I have sinned. I also re-use needles and have never had an issue, certainly never had a problem like Alan. I have to say basic physics suggests the pressure exerted by the plunger on the needle to expel insulin should be such that when priming it should be pretty difficult for it to clog, any crystalised Levemir would be pushed out of the needle. This all suggests that it is the pen and not the needle that is the root cause of the problem.

Jul 9, 2012

Phil Maskell 194 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

Alan,

Strange that novorapidboi26 and I don't seem to get this issue and he is on the diposable pens and mine the NovoPen 3 so that rules out the pen. Unless your pen is broken/faulty?

Have you spoken to anyone at the hospital about this? Just seems odd.

Phil

Jul 9, 2012

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

I can't even prime the pen - nothing comes through at all, even after several attempts - this happens 9 times out of ten, so I don't even try the old needle for my second Levemir injection now.
When I has first put on Levemir, the Consultant told me that when you inject it, it crystalises - thus contributing to its prolonged effect. I wonder whether it does this if left in the needle after the first injection.

Jul 9, 2012

Phil Maskell 194 posts

Topic: Site Development / Targets range

Annette Bell said:
Thanks both - targets online duly amended! My graphs look much better now

You're not cheating and setting 2 to 15 as target are you? Wink

That's my trick

Phil

Jul 9, 2012

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Weight loss ?

I agree with Phil...

Jul 9, 2012

Annette Bell 72 posts

Topic: Site Development / Targets range

Thanks both - targets online duly amended! My graphs look much better now Wink

Jul 9, 2012

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles

I will be honest and say that I only use one needle per disposable pen.......so far my control has not been effected and there have been no lumps etc...........

I also take 2 doses of levemir like you and just use 1 needle per pen......

What do you mean when you say its blocked. I assume you prime before each injection, this would/should clear any blockages.......no?

Jul 14, 2012 Annette Bell 72 posts	Topic: Site Development / Targets range Thanks Carolin. I thought I remembered being told "4 is the floor". i.e. 4 should be the lower limit before any corrective action was taken. I will change my target ranges accordingly. I still don't understand the effect of exercise on my BG. I usually do some aerobic type exercise first thing in the morning, but don't have any breakfast, therefore, don't have any QA insulin. My BG has usually risen considerably by lunchtime even if my "breakfast" BG is relatively low.

Jul 14, 2012 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Background insulin for surgery As you background is dealing with your livers glucose output and not food you should be fine....... I would ask them to explain there decision before the op goes ahead.....

Jul 14, 2012 HelenP 218 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Background insulin for surgery I have just had carpal tunnel surgery (scheduled for 8:00am) and the anaesthetist said that it did not matter what I did she was going to give me 4% glucose. Went under on 10.0 out on 14.2! After the surgery the BG's were higher than usual for a couple of days...pain? Trauma? How long will you be "under" and how long will it be before you can drink/eat? I was only "out" for an hour and then I was able to drink and once I had proven I could keep the water down I was allowed to eat. I then had breakfast (that I had brought from home) and corrected. You also know your response to taking background an hour or two late. ATB, Helen.

Jul 14, 2012 HelenP 218 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Carpal Tunnel v's Neuropathy The R hand is fine (difficulty lifting heavy objects) so have bitten the bullet and will have the L done next Friday (20th). Patience? Helen

Jul 13, 2012 Andy-Redditch 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles Try swapping cartridges in the pens then if the QA seems to have same problem there is definately a problem with the pen itself? I also use Levimir and have never had this type of problem. Regards Andy.

Jul 13, 2012 Fozia 2 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Background insulin for surgery Im having a cataract opp soon and it'schduled for 7:30am and I'm not allowed to eat or drink (except water) from midnight the night before. I spilt my background insulin and take half before breakfast and the other half before dinner. My issue is the eye hospital has top me NOT to take my background insulin in the morning, but I don't want to do that - what should I do? Thanks

Jul 13, 2012 Carolin 83 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Just for a Laugh! I previously had a laugh when I followed a link from this forum to an Australian website (www.realitycheck.org.au) that contained the 'Official Dictionary of Diabetes Slang', with such definitions as: "Hi" - Friendly greeting your blood glucose meter gives you when you've eaten way too much cake "Dryâ€spiking" - Not being able to get a single, freaking, miserable little drop of blood out of your fingertips. As Editors of the quarterly 'DAFNEws', MarkE & I would love some similar puns / witticisms, etc to liven up the newsletter (to which anyone can subscribe through the official DAFNE website - http://www.dafne.uk.com/dafne_news_subscribe-I460.html). We'll choose 1 or 2 of the best to feature in each issue of DAFNEws Can't wait to see what you all come up with! Carolin

Jul 13, 2012 Carolin 83 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Ratios & Honeymoon Period. Phil Maskell said: Nighttime hypos due to being over active Nice one Phil! If anyone else has any similar diabetes-related puns & witticisms we'd love to have them for inclusion in the quarterly DAFNE Newsletter!! Carolin (Editor of DAFNEws)

Jul 13, 2012 Carolin 83 posts	Topic: Site Development / Targets range Hi All, Just a reminder that we recommend the lower end of targets at any time of the day is 4.5mmol/l (not 4); this is important in maintaining good hypo awareness. Current guidelines: BG below 3.5mmol/l (hypo) you should TREAT with 1.5 - 2 CPs rapid-acting carbs BG 3.5 - 4.5mmol/l (below target) you should EAT 1 CP (or if a mealtime, reduce QA dose by 1u) to get back into safe target range Carolin

Jul 12, 2012 marke 681 posts	Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collaborative 2012 of course, it was approved for public consumption ( after being vetted and changed ) so there should be no limitation to where it is posted,

Jul 12, 2012 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles Yes, I'll try my spare Novopen tonight.

Jul 11, 2012 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collaborative 2012 interesting read.................. can I paste this on diabetessupport.co.uk?

Jul 11, 2012 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles Any developments? I usually do about 4 units, sometimes more, when priming....... I would still suspect a faulty pen, as you say it keeps happening, even if it works with a new needle the first time............ you could try and test the same batch of needles with a spare pen...(which you should have, however not everyone does, tut tut....)....... for complete peace mind new pen and needles wouldn't hurt.....

Jul 11, 2012 Andrew Alexa... 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Weight loss ? Hi, Yes I also suffered from quite rapid considerable weight loss when I was first moved over to NovoRapid/Levermir Insulin and for a while after taking the DAFNE course - I wasn't overwight before although my control had started to go out of whack a bit and I had started putting on a little bit of weight. I hadn't changed my diet in any considerable way. Weight loss can be a sign of high blood sugars I think - and this was certainly the case for me - I had been on Mixtard insulin for a long time and it has taken me quite a while to find the right doses and ratios under the DAFNE system. During this period my HbA1C went up quite a bit from how it had been. Now that I am finding the right doses and the control is getting better again things seem to have settled and I'm not losing any more weight (it's just cost me a bit in new trousers!!!). I'd definitely mention it to your doctor/diabetes nusre though especially as they'll probably be able to recommend the best way to put weight back on sensibly and just in case it's anything else.

Jul 11, 2012 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles I don't think it's a problem with my Novopen 4, because it always works fine with a new needle. I usually dial up 2 units when I prime my pens (I think this is the recommendation). Last night I tried the morning needle, but primed it with 4 units and this worked fine. I'll try this again this evening and see if I've cracked the problem. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Jul 10, 2012 Anele46 109 posts	Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collaborative 2012 Very Interesting Marke. Thanks very much for the update and typing this all out Cheers, Anele.

Jul 9, 2012 marke 681 posts	Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Collaborative 2012 You can find a report on the DAFNE Collaborative 2012 here : collab report Be warned it contains a 'shocking' revelation about night time hypo's. I know I shouldn't cross post between forums but the bit on night time hypo's is very interesting and likely to cause a 'degree of discussion' so I wanted to make sure people didn't miss it !!

Jul 9, 2012 marke 681 posts	Topic: DAFNE Graduate Group (DGG) / DAFNE Collaborative 2012 (disclaimer: this report has been proof read by HCP's so is slightly more 'technical' than I would have written in places ) Once again the DAFNEOnline team was present at the DAFNE Collaborative to bring you all the news and views of what is going on in the DAFNE Programme. For those that donâ€™t know what it is, the DAFNE Collaborative is the annual event at which representatives of all DAFNE Centres, the DAFNE Executive, the DAFNE Programme team and the DAFNE User Action Group (DUAG) gather to receive presentations and attend workshops related to what is happening in the DAFNE Programme. The last of the groups mentioned in that list the DUAG is the user representative body on the DAFNE programme. So what happened this year ? Well the day â€˜kicked offâ€™ with a presentation about â€˜KICk -OFFâ€™ ( pun intended !). This is a programme that I know will be of great interest to some since it is the juvenile equivalent of DAFNE for 11-16 year olds. At this stage it is still in the trial stage and is scheduled to report results in Spring 2013. Presuming that the results do show sufficient benefits to enable it to be rolled out there are still some challenges to be overcome. However things do look positive and a programme of this kind would provide major benefits to many. Of course it is slightly different to the adult DAFNE Course, mainly because teaching/engaging teenagers is obviously not the same as teaching a group of adults and their approach to their diabetes is different. However listening to some of the quotes given by those that took part in the pilot courses, there is a distinct feeling of dÃ©jÃ vu. One example â€œI liked watching everyone share their thoughts about diabetesâ€ could just as easily be about a DAFNE Course. I did ask about a link-up to DAFNEOnline for Kick-Off however it seems teenagers donâ€™t like talking about their diabetes and while they continue to talk to other attendees itâ€™s not about diabetes, so maybe something to consider in future. The next presentation was on something that I am sure will provoke discussion. It concerned what happens to blood glucose overnight and if rebound hypoâ€™s ( the somogyi effect) exist i.e high BGs in the morning caused by night time hypos. The overall conclusion was that high fasting readings due to rebound form overnight hypoglycaemia was very rare - if it happened at all and that the cause of high morning BGs was a lot more complex. The conclusions were drawn from a number of surveys including a dawn phenomenon survey of 100 patients. however a A number of the results used to demonstrate conclusions were based on Continuous Glucose monitoring traces to try to give a better understanding to what is actually happening. It was shown that although night time hypos do occur regularly - when asleep the body produces a much weaker hormone response and much smaller sugar / glucagon response. Therefore another cause is more likely to be the source of high morning BGâ€™s. This is where it was shown that you need to see the high BG in context with BG readings over previous days. This suggests that other factors or a combination of other factors are likely to be the cause rather than possibility of overnight hypo. The main problem with all of this is most of us were told to do a 3am test to rule out hypos causing high morning BGs and now we and educators need to take on board that things are not as clear cut as that. Iâ€™m sure there will be a lot of further discussion on this subject. There then followed a workshop that was not attended by your correspondent due to their being a DUAG sub-meeting so my report resumes post lunch with the afternoon session. The first afternoon session was co-ordinated by Prof. Simon Heller and featured a number of presentations on various research programmes that have been ongoing. The first was on a psychosocial study on DAFNE that asked graduates and educators to complete a series of questionnaires and interviews before, during and after the DAFNE Course. The second and third studies were on qualative work and the DAFNE database respectively. Not much of this is sharable publically at this time. The fourth study was on how the length of time someone has been Type 1 affects how successful DAFNE is. The conclusion was that DAFNE is just as effective with long term diabetics as it is with newly diagnosed diabetes. There was also an update on the 5 x 1 day DAFNE Course at the end of this presentation, although final results from this trial are not yet available. The last presentation in this session concerned the cost effectiveness of DAFNE and was given by Prof. Alan Brennan from ScHARR who also work with NICE to determine the cost effectiveness of treatments. The work they have done involves developing health econoimic modelling and is similar to previous work to assess if DAFNE is cost effective. Preliminary results suggest it is cost effective however these are just preliminary results. The day finished with a workshop and the one I attended was related to the presentation given in the morning about rebound hypos. A lot of discussion centred around how to get the message out to educators let alone graduates that rebound hypos and 3am checks were not as clear cut as previously believed. This was a very interesting discussion and a number of other issues were covered, including post meal injections ( not a good idea since profiles of insulin and food donâ€™t match) and advice from non-DAFNE Health Care Professionals conflicting with DAFNE educators ( generally not accepted unless backed up by Educator). Overall an interesting and informative day and for those interested the presentations are on the DAFNE website ( www.dafne.uk.com ) by clicking on the DAFNE Collaborative 2012 section on the front page.

Jul 9, 2012 marke 681 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles as this is a confession thread, forgive me I have sinned. I also re-use needles and have never had an issue, certainly never had a problem like Alan. I have to say basic physics suggests the pressure exerted by the plunger on the needle to expel insulin should be such that when priming it should be pretty difficult for it to clog, any crystalised Levemir would be pushed out of the needle. This all suggests that it is the pen and not the needle that is the root cause of the problem.

Jul 9, 2012 Phil Maskell 194 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles Alan, Strange that novorapidboi26 and I don't seem to get this issue and he is on the diposable pens and mine the NovoPen 3 so that rules out the pen. Unless your pen is broken/faulty? Have you spoken to anyone at the hospital about this? Just seems odd. Phil

Jul 9, 2012 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles I can't even prime the pen - nothing comes through at all, even after several attempts - this happens 9 times out of ten, so I don't even try the old needle for my second Levemir injection now. When I has first put on Levemir, the Consultant told me that when you inject it, it crystalises - thus contributing to its prolonged effect. I wonder whether it does this if left in the needle after the first injection.

Jul 9, 2012 Phil Maskell 194 posts	Topic: Site Development / Targets range Annette Bell said: Thanks both - targets online duly amended! My graphs look much better now You're not cheating and setting 2 to 15 as target are you? That's my trick Phil

Jul 9, 2012 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Weight loss ? I agree with Phil...

Jul 9, 2012 Annette Bell 72 posts	Topic: Site Development / Targets range Thanks both - targets online duly amended! My graphs look much better now

Jul 9, 2012 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Levemir clogging needles I will be honest and say that I only use one needle per disposable pen.......so far my control has not been effected and there have been no lumps etc........... I also take 2 doses of levemir like you and just use 1 needle per pen...... What do you mean when you say its blocked. I assume you prime before each injection, this would/should clear any blockages.......no?