Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

May 22, 2012

Moris 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Quick advice needed on insulin amounts

Most of your QA is out of your system in four hours, but I would not discount its total effect for 5 or 5 1/2 hours.
Moris.
Sleep well.

May 22, 2012

goodglucosegirl 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Quick advice needed on insulin amounts

Is there anybody out there that could give me some quick advice on this? I took my QA at 5.50pm tonight and my blood glucose at 2110 (9.10pm) was 14.5. I thought I'd give it a while and test again which I have just done and my BG is now 12.9 - so still dropping by the look of it. However, I thought that the QA would be out of my system by now (4 hours after i took the QA) and am a tad unsure on whether or not to let it go and see if it continues to drop or take a couple of units of QA to get me in target?

Any quick advice gratefully received ( because I want to go to bed Smile

May 22, 2012

Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

"Perhaps he's decided that as a diabetic I'm costing him too much money".
I believe it is true that your GP gets paid more patient roll money for you as a diabetic DianeW.

Regards
Garry

May 22, 2012

Moris 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

A good diabetic nurse is always my first stop with this sort of thing.
They have a better idea about what is going on.

May 22, 2012

DianeW 115 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

Thanks for replies,very useful. Goodglucosegirl, I can really sympathise,sadly it is amazing how in the medical profession there seems to be a lack of knowledge of diabetes, let alone DAFNE! I see it at my surgery and every time I've been in hospital the nurses are woefully lacking in even the most basic knowledge. I know they are watching costs all the time but I think a lot of the time they forget that we are constantly monitoring our condition, it's not like taking a pill once a day and everything is oki
. So re my repeat of strips, perhaps I should go to the Practice Manager of my surgery, might be better as bypasses receptionists but don't need to bother doctor. Yes I could physically go and see him but it annoys me that I have to do it. Telephone appt with him? I could do that and if he gives me grief I will then complain to the manager! Rolling Eyes

May 22, 2012

JennyNZ 29 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Blog

hi there. I like the idea of your blog. I'm not too sure how these blog things work but was thinking about putting together one as I'm getting back into exercise after a couple of years doing nothing, so I'm not super fit. Dafne is brilliant but a bit weak on advice on sport over 2 - 3 hours where you eat while you train/race (and eating for fuel not as a hypo preventative). will try to apply dafne as much as possible. this is this week's plan (1st week back into it) Tues 30 min run/walk Wed swim 1 hr Thur run/walk: Sat - 3 hr "brick" session 7am 1 hr swim consume about 50gr CHO then bike 50 mins 50 gr CHO then run 30 mins (more of a waddle/walk as not that fit). then shower and all have brunch at local cafe about 10am (best part!!).

May 22, 2012

Simon Heller 46 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / High Blood Pressure

In people with diabetes, if there is no protein in the urine then the average BP should be below 140/80, if there is protein then pressure should be below 130/75. But side effects, overall kidney function and other conditions should be taken into account. Simon

May 21, 2012

margaret asp... 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Hypos

Thanks, I will mention it to my Dafne Nurse. Wasnt sure u could split Lantus.

May 21, 2012

fishnetsboi 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE and Employers

i had to work through my easter holidays to gain enough money/overtime to cover my week off. it would've been better for me if it could have been done at night or once a week blocks but im really glad i done it

May 21, 2012

goodglucosegirl 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

Bizarrely was at my GP nurse today for a routine diabetes check up and gave her the letter from my diabetes specialist nurse after completing my Dafne course only last week and was asked "do you really need ketostik; glucagon and fastclix on a repeat prescription" !!!! Explained that yes in fact I do but hoped that I wouldn't be using the ketostik or glucagon very often".....her response...." well then I'll put them on as a one-off and if you need them again phone and we'll have a prescription for you in 2-3 days". Unbelievable ...and I was there for her to take blood etc for my diabetes check??? Advised that she should go and see a diabetes specialist or attend a Dafne course to fully comprehend why those items are needed, often at short notice. They are now on my repeat prescription Smile

May 21, 2012

marke 686 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

I agree with what others have said, sometimes you just need to put your surgery in their place. The receptionist is not there to make any kind of statement about prescription drugs they are not medically trained. I would contact the surgery ask to speak to the practice manager and explain the situation, or email the practice manager. As I say the receptionist is not in a position to make ANY statement on your prescription and the surgery should not be limiting anything on your prescription. I have found practice managers VERY receptive to complaints, terrified almost Very Happy

I have never needed to be awkward or pushy, just explained the situation clearly and they know they need to resolve it. They almost always do !

May 21, 2012

mum2westiesGill 502 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Indian meal

Well i'm sorry to have to say that after asking questions re my indian meal we ended up with other plans however we will be going for this indian meal in the next few weeks so all help will still be very useful & i'll come back and let you know how i get on with it.

May 21, 2012

Bakerboy 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

I had same problem when my GP refused me strips saying i had enough .So i phoned my DAFNE nurse who called my GP to explain why i need so many and since then no problem They even gave me 100 instead of usual 50.

May 21, 2012

thebatoutofhull 60 posts

Topic: General Discussion / What insulin pump??

Quite like the look of this company. Animas

http://www.animascorp.co.uk/our-insulin-pumps

May 21, 2012

DianeW 115 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

Thanks for replies, I thought as much. I find my GP surgery SO frustrating sometimes when it comes to prescriptions. Only the other day I saw that my lancets had been taken off repeat prescription so I had to get them reinstated. No offence but the receptionists don't seem to have much clue sometimes. I said I needed these lancets put back on, she said "well you've got strips, you can't have both". AAARGH! I then literally had to e xplain to her that I needed to PUT BLOOD ON THE STRIP so I had to use something to GET THE BLOOD. Honestly. What annoys me is that when we graduate from DAFNE we all get a letter for our GP saying we will need more strips because of more testing. My doctor took heed of this but obviously something's gone wrong. Perhaps he's decided that as a diabetic I'm costing him too much money seeing as we're supposedly eating up most of the NHS budget AND we're all draining resources from complications. If they looked at those 2 facts they should realise that if we were all checked properly then we wouldn't be so costly. Anyway, off my soapbox now!

May 21, 2012

barneybubbles 7 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

I have accu chek mobile, which comes with a cassette with 50 tests on one cassette. My prescription is for 2 cassettes ie 100 tests.If you are type 1 there should be no restriction as different people have differnt tesy regimes, I test between 4 and 6 times a day ie between 120 and 180 per month

May 21, 2012

Garry 328 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

Indeed they should. Must be near enough unlimited. If you were to have an infection and using your DAFNE sickness rules you could easily use a box in 3 days.
Get on to your practice and see your GP pointing out the practicalities of what we do.
I get 250 strips at a time which mostly fits my repeat prescription schedule.
Internet repeat prescription ordering with illogical limitations applied drives me potty Evil or Very Mad

Regards
Garry

May 21, 2012

DianeW 115 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips

On a repeat prescription, shouldn't these be unmoderated i.e. there is no restriction on how many you have? Went to order some just now and it seems my doctor has decided to allow me only 50 per month.

May 21, 2012

moelldav 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus, Levemir or pump therapy advice.

Just to clarify - Humulin S is a soluble insulin which is quick acting. It starts to work 30minutes after injection (hence needs to be taken 20-30 minutes before meal). it lasts more than 5 hours.
suits some people for carb counting but not all.
Less flexible than the analogue insulins (very fast acting) as needs to be taken before the meal.
Ellen Davidson
Diabetes Specialist Nurse

May 20, 2012

BMuffs 6 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus, Levemir or pump therapy advice.

Hi Roger,

the Dietician advised me that Humulin S didn't work well with carb counting. I think he meant a faster acting insulin responds better to ratios; but I'm not entirely sure. A DSN or dietician would probably be the best to advise you on that.

Ahmentep said:

Hi BMuffs,

You say that Humulin 'S' doesn't work well with carb-counting. Could you expand on that please?

Kind regards,

Roger

When I started carbohydrate counting, I was still on Lantus and managed to lose over a stone in weight. The DSN and dietician moved me from Humulin S to Apidra but kept me on lantus because the Humulin S doesn't work well with carb counting and I was on quite a high level too.

So there is definitely the potential to lose weight on lantus. What seems to make the difference is getting your ratios and BI right first of all, which should then, in theory, mean that you can reduce your food and insulin in-take at meal/snack times (or even exercise more) and as a consequence lose weight.
fishnetsboi said:
What's best levemir or lantus if you are trying to loose weight???

May 20, 2012

BMuffs 6 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Eating Out tips

I know what you mean! I've always found diet coke really easy to identify but some of the other colas or other diet fizzy drinks can be a bit of a problem!

May 20, 2012

goodglucosegirl 10 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Carbs & Cals Book - pocket version

I would guesstimate my QA for the smaller of the two. I'd rather be a little high, especially if it's a nightime meal/snack, ran run the risk of hypo. The books are good when you're out and about but i'd still weigh stuff if you're at home. It can be confusing can't it andi've had to correct because i've underestimated but i'd rather be safe Smile

May 20, 2012

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Hypos

I am assuming you are on one dose?

You should split it, much more flexible, as you may need less in the evening than you do in the day....

May 22, 2012 Moris 9 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Quick advice needed on insulin amounts Most of your QA is out of your system in four hours, but I would not discount its total effect for 5 or 5 1/2 hours. Moris. Sleep well.

May 22, 2012 goodglucosegirl 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Quick advice needed on insulin amounts Is there anybody out there that could give me some quick advice on this? I took my QA at 5.50pm tonight and my blood glucose at 2110 (9.10pm) was 14.5. I thought I'd give it a while and test again which I have just done and my BG is now 12.9 - so still dropping by the look of it. However, I thought that the QA would be out of my system by now (4 hours after i took the QA) and am a tad unsure on whether or not to let it go and see if it continues to drop or take a couple of units of QA to get me in target? Any quick advice gratefully received ( because I want to go to bed

May 22, 2012 Garry 328 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips "Perhaps he's decided that as a diabetic I'm costing him too much money". I believe it is true that your GP gets paid more patient roll money for you as a diabetic DianeW. Regards Garry

May 22, 2012 Moris 9 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips A good diabetic nurse is always my first stop with this sort of thing. They have a better idea about what is going on.

May 22, 2012 DianeW 115 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips Thanks for replies,very useful. Goodglucosegirl, I can really sympathise,sadly it is amazing how in the medical profession there seems to be a lack of knowledge of diabetes, let alone DAFNE! I see it at my surgery and every time I've been in hospital the nurses are woefully lacking in even the most basic knowledge. I know they are watching costs all the time but I think a lot of the time they forget that we are constantly monitoring our condition, it's not like taking a pill once a day and everything is oki . So re my repeat of strips, perhaps I should go to the Practice Manager of my surgery, might be better as bypasses receptionists but don't need to bother doctor. Yes I could physically go and see him but it annoys me that I have to do it. Telephone appt with him? I could do that and if he gives me grief I will then complain to the manager!

May 22, 2012 JennyNZ 29 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Blog hi there. I like the idea of your blog. I'm not too sure how these blog things work but was thinking about putting together one as I'm getting back into exercise after a couple of years doing nothing, so I'm not super fit. Dafne is brilliant but a bit weak on advice on sport over 2 - 3 hours where you eat while you train/race (and eating for fuel not as a hypo preventative). will try to apply dafne as much as possible. this is this week's plan (1st week back into it) Tues 30 min run/walk Wed swim 1 hr Thur run/walk: Sat - 3 hr "brick" session 7am 1 hr swim consume about 50gr CHO then bike 50 mins 50 gr CHO then run 30 mins (more of a waddle/walk as not that fit). then shower and all have brunch at local cafe about 10am (best part!!).

May 22, 2012 Simon Heller 46 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / High Blood Pressure In people with diabetes, if there is no protein in the urine then the average BP should be below 140/80, if there is protein then pressure should be below 130/75. But side effects, overall kidney function and other conditions should be taken into account. Simon

May 21, 2012 margaret asp... 9 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Hypos Thanks, I will mention it to my Dafne Nurse. Wasnt sure u could split Lantus.

May 21, 2012 fishnetsboi 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE and Employers i had to work through my easter holidays to gain enough money/overtime to cover my week off. it would've been better for me if it could have been done at night or once a week blocks but im really glad i done it

May 21, 2012 goodglucosegirl 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips Bizarrely was at my GP nurse today for a routine diabetes check up and gave her the letter from my diabetes specialist nurse after completing my Dafne course only last week and was asked "do you really need ketostik; glucagon and fastclix on a repeat prescription" !!!! Explained that yes in fact I do but hoped that I wouldn't be using the ketostik or glucagon very often".....her response...." well then I'll put them on as a one-off and if you need them again phone and we'll have a prescription for you in 2-3 days". Unbelievable ...and I was there for her to take blood etc for my diabetes check??? Advised that she should go and see a diabetes specialist or attend a Dafne course to fully comprehend why those items are needed, often at short notice. They are now on my repeat prescription

May 21, 2012 marke 686 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips I agree with what others have said, sometimes you just need to put your surgery in their place. The receptionist is not there to make any kind of statement about prescription drugs they are not medically trained. I would contact the surgery ask to speak to the practice manager and explain the situation, or email the practice manager. As I say the receptionist is not in a position to make ANY statement on your prescription and the surgery should not be limiting anything on your prescription. I have found practice managers VERY receptive to complaints, terrified almost I have never needed to be awkward or pushy, just explained the situation clearly and they know they need to resolve it. They almost always do !

May 21, 2012 mum2westiesGill 502 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Indian meal Well i'm sorry to have to say that after asking questions re my indian meal we ended up with other plans however we will be going for this indian meal in the next few weeks so all help will still be very useful & i'll come back and let you know how i get on with it.

May 21, 2012 Bakerboy 9 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips I had same problem when my GP refused me strips saying i had enough .So i phoned my DAFNE nurse who called my GP to explain why i need so many and since then no problem They even gave me 100 instead of usual 50.

May 21, 2012 thebatoutofhull 60 posts	Topic: General Discussion / What insulin pump?? Quite like the look of this company. Animas http://www.animascorp.co.uk/our-insulin-pumps

May 21, 2012 DianeW 115 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips Thanks for replies, I thought as much. I find my GP surgery SO frustrating sometimes when it comes to prescriptions. Only the other day I saw that my lancets had been taken off repeat prescription so I had to get them reinstated. No offence but the receptionists don't seem to have much clue sometimes. I said I needed these lancets put back on, she said "well you've got strips, you can't have both". AAARGH! I then literally had to e xplain to her that I needed to PUT BLOOD ON THE STRIP so I had to use something to GET THE BLOOD. Honestly. What annoys me is that when we graduate from DAFNE we all get a letter for our GP saying we will need more strips because of more testing. My doctor took heed of this but obviously something's gone wrong. Perhaps he's decided that as a diabetic I'm costing him too much money seeing as we're supposedly eating up most of the NHS budget AND we're all draining resources from complications. If they looked at those 2 facts they should realise that if we were all checked properly then we wouldn't be so costly. Anyway, off my soapbox now!

May 21, 2012 barneybubbles 7 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips I have accu chek mobile, which comes with a cassette with 50 tests on one cassette. My prescription is for 2 cassettes ie 100 tests.If you are type 1 there should be no restriction as different people have differnt tesy regimes, I test between 4 and 6 times a day ie between 120 and 180 per month

May 21, 2012 Garry 328 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips Indeed they should. Must be near enough unlimited. If you were to have an infection and using your DAFNE sickness rules you could easily use a box in 3 days. Get on to your practice and see your GP pointing out the practicalities of what we do. I get 250 strips at a time which mostly fits my repeat prescription schedule. Internet repeat prescription ordering with illogical limitations applied drives me potty Regards Garry

May 21, 2012 DianeW 115 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Testing strips On a repeat prescription, shouldn't these be unmoderated i.e. there is no restriction on how many you have? Went to order some just now and it seems my doctor has decided to allow me only 50 per month.

May 21, 2012 moelldav 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus, Levemir or pump therapy advice. Just to clarify - Humulin S is a soluble insulin which is quick acting. It starts to work 30minutes after injection (hence needs to be taken 20-30 minutes before meal). it lasts more than 5 hours. suits some people for carb counting but not all. Less flexible than the analogue insulins (very fast acting) as needs to be taken before the meal. Ellen Davidson Diabetes Specialist Nurse

May 20, 2012 BMuffs 6 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Lantus, Levemir or pump therapy advice. Hi Roger, the Dietician advised me that Humulin S didn't work well with carb counting. I think he meant a faster acting insulin responds better to ratios; but I'm not entirely sure. A DSN or dietician would probably be the best to advise you on that. Ahmentep said: Hi BMuffs, You say that Humulin 'S' doesn't work well with carb-counting. Could you expand on that please? Kind regards, Roger When I started carbohydrate counting, I was still on Lantus and managed to lose over a stone in weight. The DSN and dietician moved me from Humulin S to Apidra but kept me on lantus because the Humulin S doesn't work well with carb counting and I was on quite a high level too. So there is definitely the potential to lose weight on lantus. What seems to make the difference is getting your ratios and BI right first of all, which should then, in theory, mean that you can reduce your food and insulin in-take at meal/snack times (or even exercise more) and as a consequence lose weight. fishnetsboi said: What's best levemir or lantus if you are trying to loose weight???

May 20, 2012 BMuffs 6 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Eating Out tips I know what you mean! I've always found diet coke really easy to identify but some of the other colas or other diet fizzy drinks can be a bit of a problem!

May 20, 2012 goodglucosegirl 10 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Carbs & Cals Book - pocket version I would guesstimate my QA for the smaller of the two. I'd rather be a little high, especially if it's a nightime meal/snack, ran run the risk of hypo. The books are good when you're out and about but i'd still weigh stuff if you're at home. It can be confusing can't it andi've had to correct because i've underestimated but i'd rather be safe

May 20, 2012 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Hypos I am assuming you are on one dose? You should split it, much more flexible, as you may need less in the evening than you do in the day....