Recent Posts
Search the DAFNE Online Forums
15,864 posts found
|
Jan 27, 2012
MARIER
42 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / low sugars and background insulin Sorry that was my fault never thought to post carbs .I had the 1cp at 3am as 5.6 is to low for me went to bed with 7.4 which again is to low but i thought i would try it to see how i got on . Also forgot to put that i was low yest aft also Heck sorry not very good at this yes i will try go do online diary for last few daysThanx Novorapidboi26  |
|
Jan 27, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / low sugars and background insulin Hi there,I am struggling a wee bit to understand whats going on, mainly because there are no carb values or insulin values, only that you said you had the right amount...........so cant really say whats going on......... You said you done a 3am test and it was 5.6, which is good, perfect even...............did you have 1CP at 3am then, and if so, why? If thae above scenario is correct and you woke up at 8.45am with a BG of 10.1, this is probably down to the 1CP you had at 3am...... At the end of your post you mention low sugars in the afternoon, the only low I see is the 3.2 at 3.10pm, but I dont know whether this was the day before the rest of the results, as you mention the 3.2 first before the rest of the results.......... Sorry I cant help much............ Would you be able to think back to your results and put them in the online diary, then post them up................. Without carbs consumed and insulin taken for them, ratios, times and doses of background insulin, previous days results, you just cant make a decision really........... 
|
|
Jan 27, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? Every clinic is different I suppose, but mine dont hassle me about weight, and I am 5 stone overweight..................They can see I am proactive in my approach to get my blood sugar under control, and they understand that in doing so, I might have to put on a few pounds, or in my case stones.......... I think you should concentrate on you blood glucose control for now, get in to the habit of testing and experimenting with different foods, build up a database of knowledge specific to you, then think about cutting out carbs and eating more healthy........... For a week I reduced my carb amount significantly, so just meat and veg etc................and the results were brilliant, blood sugars much more easily managed, and the less carbs you have, the less calories are going in.............so for me, this looks like a good plan for the future, not carb free, but reduced carbs....................although I have still to adopt this plan........
|
|
Jan 27, 2012
Lizzie
87 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? Hi and thanks all for your helpful advice. I just wanted to say I am still persevering and haven't gone away but it was very busy at work yesterday so i didn't have a chance to reply.If I wanted to split my Lantus (haven't yet decided), does anyone have any advice? Sarahlou I know being fat can cause insulin resistance. I am prepared to admit that I could lose some weight. But I feel that doctors do not give natural means like healthy diets and exercise enough of a chance. I would love to be given more support to lose weight in that way. If the doctors supported me in trying to eat more healthily and took a positive outlook on the whole thing then I would be happy. But instead they are very negative, scaremongering and nagging all the time and forcing drugs and surgery on people unecessarily. If people want to quit smoking they are given free counselling, quit kits etc all on the NHS. Of course that is right, they should be given support. But I just think people trying to lose weight should get similar support, like counselling or cookery classes, exercise groups etc. It should be given more of a positive slant instead of nagging, you can't eat this, you shouldn't do that. And also they focus too much on weight when they should be focusing on health - losing weight is not necessarily healthy in itself unless it is the result of a balanced diet and exercise. All this is IMHO of course. |
|
Jan 26, 2012
MARIER
42 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / low sugars and background insulin Hi Guys i have lost my DAFNE book yesterday i was Hypo at 3.10 pm BG 3.2 DID A 3AM TEST AND IT WAS 5.6 SO Had 1 cp BG this morn at 8.45am was 10.1 12.45pm BG 11.4 - 4.45 BG 5.2 so had 1 cp have had correct amount of carbs / insulin just tested it at 7.45 pm as wasnt feeln to good and its 6.1 going to do another 3 am test as think Background needs reduced do you think i need to reduce morning also hence low sugars x2 in afternoonthanks |
|
Jan 26, 2012
sarahlou
7 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? Hi Lizzie,As a nutrition undergraduate and a type 1 diabetic, from my experience I think why your doctors focus on your weight is because being overweight can cause insulin resistance and metformin is a drug designed to overcome insulin resistance. I understand why you seem frustrated with doctors advice, I feel the same sometimes especially when it is clear that they have learnt diabetes from a text book and in real life its not always like that! I have a group of doctors treating me at the moment however that are great. I don't know your weight (and you dont have to tell me ) but keeping your weight as normal as possible ,and you can do this with exercise, both will help the resistance and you may hopefully see a change in your sugars although they look better than you think! Please don't worry too much about the complications, you are trying to look after yourself and that is the important thing, and attending regular checkups will highlight any problems (should any arise) so they are treated immediately. Stay positive
|
|
Jan 26, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? If I had my way everyone would be on a split BI dose............................Unfortunately, many HCPs just cant see past it, and many patients cant see how a split dose would benefit them.................. If you were on a pump it is likely you would have many more than 2 different delivery rates throughout a 24 hour period.......... |
|
Jan 26, 2012
Anele46
109 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE???
Totally agree Simon, have heard that many times from people on Lantus and on my DAFNE course, I'm still in my "Honeymoon" phase (two years on...) so luckily my 1 Injection of Lantus at 22:00 seems to pretty much last me but looks as though it may be running out for Lizzie. Well spotted Cheers, Anele. |
|
Jan 26, 2012
SimonC
78 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? If I can add another thought for you - I am on Lantus and Humalog, and I found that whilst the claims for Lantus were that it would last the 24hrs, and so 1 injection a day would suffice, I found that having the 1 and only Lantus injection at 2100hrs every night, resulted in higher readings from about 5pm onwards, and for a while it was causing a bit of confusion. I then split the 9pm dose equally and now have 2 injections, 1 at 0900 and the other at 2100.I think the reason for this raising, is that, for me, the Lantus was not lasting the 24hrs, it was only lasting 18 or 19 hours which meant that towards the end of the 24hr period the sugar levels were rising. They would continue to rise even after the 2100 inject, as it has a slow rate of absorption, and so would not get working for a few hours. By splitting it there is always some in the system, and for me it was the answer. |
|
Jan 26, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Need a second opinion No problem,I just try to keep things simple, as it was taught to me..................sometimes its easy to get bogged down with all your readings when you sit down to look at them............ I fear I sometimes sound like a broken record regarding the BI testing I keep going on about, but peoples BI needs change quite often and when this is out, its all out....... Your plan sounds like a good one................ Pop back in when you have you more results.....................
|
|
Jan 26, 2012
Derek Brown
32 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Need a second opinion Thanks Novarapidboi26, you should be an honorary DAFNE consultant with all the good advice you give on here I'll check the overnight basal for a few days and adjust and continue testing if necessary. After that I'll do a couple of carb -free days to monitor the daytime basal. Derek |
|
Jan 26, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? I have included some of my diary entries from last week to show you I get some high too..............Monday was terrible, Wednesday much better...........Dont be so hard on yourself, you are doing your best, but its apparent that your doses are not right somewhere, so you need to investigate them and while doing the investigating you are not going to get perfect results, in fact you will never get perfect results, its diabetes after all............a 10 and 11 are not that bad................. My first observation is that you corrected your 11.7 overnight and woke up spot on, so you can assume your 22:20 BI dose of 28 is right, this was the case yesterday as well, so that is looking good........... My second observation is that your blood sugar held steady from 14:30 to 19:00, which would also suggest your BI needs during the day are also being satisfied, which is again good news for your single BI dose. If it wasn't good enough during the day you might want to consider a split BI dose...........I take 32 in the morning, and 38 at night because of my different needs from night to day..........but as I say, it seems all is well for you at first glance......... This means its likely your QA insulin/carb ratios that are out, which is normal, these can change from week to week in some folk unfortunately............. So, your low at 10:00 yesterday may be down to your 2.5:1 ratio, which I see you dropped to 2:1 in an attempt to stop it again, so well done, however, if following the DAFNE principals, you should really wait till you see a pattern of lows before changing your ratio, as the hypo might of just been one of those things...................so I would recommend going back to 2.5:1 and just be prepared for a hypo.........if you get 2-3 days going low, you can be sure to drop it to 2:1........... Today you were high at 10:49 at 2:1, again one reading cant confirm whats really going on................ Yesterday by 23:45, when your 19:00 dose of 12 should of been finished, you were high, which could suggest your tea time ratio of 2:1 is wrong, so that will need changed, only after you see a pattern [2-3 days] and only after you have finished with the morning ratio............. You dont necessarily need to get your morning ratio right before you tackle the evening ratio, but you should only focus on one thing at a time to eliminate as many variables as you can....... Your control is not bad at all, it very reasonable actually, just a few things to tweak, but you need to realize that your whole life will be like this, constantly tweaking your insulin to cater for your ever changing needs................we all have to do it, and that's why getting into the habit of writing everything down is so important........... |
|
Jan 26, 2012
Lizzie
87 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? So more of my usual levels are creeping back even though I am doing my best, I thought it was too good to be true I have no sense of why they were so good yesterday or why they are bad today at all. I ate virtually the same things and measured everything carefully. This is why I can't do this, I can't rely on others to make sense of it but it makes no sense to me |
|
Jan 26, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / Mobile use question The best HbA1c I have got so far is 7.9, and this is with 110% effort on the testing/DAFNE front............................this may be down to my lack of discipline at the weekend and/or my carb intake as a whole......................so dont be too disheartened..............The best place to start is with pen and paper, start writing everything down, if you can remember back to the course, you should remember this as being vital..........being able to do DAFNE is built on blood glucose readings and carb portions before each of your main meals, without this you just cant do it properly............... Everyone loses motivation from time to time, but as long as we can back on it you will be fine, and it seems you are willing to do so...............
|
|
Jan 26, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Evening and late night snacking Because your not testing before bed you will never know if it is a problem with your BI or QA or both................If you could refrain a few night to carry out tests to confirm your doses are right, you can then go back to the snacking in the knowledge that your taking the right amount of insulin for them............ Remember that you could stack your insulin by taking multiple doses within a 5 hour period, this could result in a hypo, which could manifest overnight, then result in a high in the morning............ Obviously the times you said you have snacks is estimated and wont be the same every night, but if your having snack within an hour of each other, you can inject just one dose for that..............so eat your crisps, but then inject for them with the toast dose............ |
|
Jan 26, 2012
thebatoutofhull
60 posts
|
Hey Cathy, I snack in the evening too. I try to eat peanuts with little carbs. I think it could be something to do with running around all day after everyone else, then just wanting to have something just for me in the evening. Food tends to fill the gap. I know change is needed. Not really motivated. Good luck with it all. |
|
Jan 25, 2012
CathySbd
7 posts
|
Pre tea is on average 5 to 9. I am on 15 units levimir which i have 10pm. I do 1.5 to 1 ratio for tea. Am a terrible snacker in evenings. An hour or two after tea i might have say a packet of crisps (take say 2 units) , often dont test bg then cos is not long enough after tea. Then hour later might have 2 toast, take 3 units, again dont always test cos is not far from previous snack. Take 15 levimir 10-10.30 pm. Test bg say midnight, is often around 12. Wake up with bg's of 12. I realise i am doing stuff wrong but it's become a bad habit. Funnily enough I rarely snack in the day. |
|
Jan 25, 2012
CathySbd
7 posts
|
Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / Mobile use question Hi, I see now yes of course! I went on the week DAFNE course about 5 years ago at my local hospital. Funding for it was withdrawn not long after. I think I am a bit rusty and perhaps lazy is not quite the word but I could do with getting to grips with it properly to get my HBA1c lower as it's sneaking up to the high 8's. I feel on the whole, alone in looking after my health, dont get me wrong, I get my check-ups at the hosp but I often wish there was more. Glas I've found this online and especially use on the ifone as I use that a lot. Pre-dafne my hba1c's were always 12+ then went briefly to 7.3 then up to 8's where they have stayed. Cathy |
|
Jan 25, 2012
Anele46
109 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE???
Hi Lizzie, I can totally understand why you use your stomach and I certainly don't inject through my clothes and wouldn't recommend it so the tum is often the most convenient and least painful place. Just out of interest, what size of needles do you use? I started on 6mm when I was first diagnosed and then was offered 5mm at my DAFNE course which has really helped with the pain and was also offered 4mm which can be useful for injecting in your arms. I haven't tried my arms yet and don't fancy it to be honest so right now I switch between both thighs and my tum for my QA and my buttocks for my Lantus (BI) as I remember from my DAFNE course that it is recommended to inject your BI in a different site to your QA but in real life this isn't always possible. Hope this helps in some way Cheers, Anele x |
|
Jan 25, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? Your carb count seems to be fine..................People are more resistant in the morning through lack of activity in the muscles, so its quite common to have a higher ratio, I am on 3:1......... If you unsure just do the tests, 2-3 days results, make a decision.......... Theoretically you should only be injecting once when out at work, for lunch...............I personally wear short sleeved t shirts most of the time so can inject into my arms no problem at work, but also use my stomach, and if I happen to need the toilet at the same time I will do it in there on my legs, I cant really see how its anymore unhygienic than outside the toilet.............it could be argued, but no one could provide any significant evidence to suggest its less hygienic to do it in there.......... You dont really inject on the outside or inside of the leg, its on the front, so the front facing part of the the thigh at the top.................another great location is your bum cheeks, I often inject there also..................I am quite fortunate to be in a good routine regards my sites, a habit I adopted from my younger diabetic brother when he was a child, he was diagnosed at 2, me 15........... It can be significant though in terms of absorption and so can effect your dose adjustment decisions too.............. Dont beat yourself up about your results, the other alternative to it is not testing, and then you wouldn't know if they were good or bad, but it seems they are better than you expected, would you not agree?. |
|
Jan 25, 2012
Lizzie
87 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? Novorapidboi, that is a good point about waiting longer before correcting. Like I mentioned before, I tend to panic.The numbers are not representative though, I am trying hard atm as I know I will be sharing these results with others. I think a large part of the problem as I mentioned is my eating and in order to monitor insulin I have needed to cut down on the CPs a little. For breakfast I had 2 slices of toast (16g per slice according to bread packet), and a glass of fruit juice (200ml, 20g) so total 5CPs and I estimated 2.5:1 as I have been told people are more resistant in the mornings. Anelo26, you are right about injecting in my stomach. It is the easiest place as I can just inject quickly under the table, I am not confident injecting through my clothes to my legs or arms and I don’t want to go into a toilet to inject really either, it isn’t hygienic. But I will try to use my thighs when I inject at home. When injected in my thigh before it has hurt, I think I must be doing it wrong somehow. The diagrams I see online say it should be done on the outside of the leg but it seemed less painful on the inside to me. I will try again. Thanks both of you for your helpful comments. |
|
Jan 25, 2012
Anele46
109 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE???
Thanks Novorapidboi26 Lizzie, Just another thing that I forgot to mention about injection sites, if you do change your injection sites and use one that hasn't been used before or in a long time you may see quite different results as the Insulin could be absorbed more quickly. Cheers, Anele. |
|
Jan 25, 2012
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE??? Excellent observation Anele................ |
|
Jan 25, 2012
Anele46
109 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Redoing DAFNE???
Hi Lizzie, Just wanted to say well done for your results so far They look really good. The only thing I would like to mention that may help (but hopefully not confuse matters) is I see from your diary that you have always injected in your stomach. Do you inject anywhere else or is it only in your Stomach? If the same site is used over and over you can develop lumps (Lipo's) and these can cause the absorption rate for the Insulin to be different which may explain some unsual results. I could be totally off the mark and this could well not be the case with you but just something to bear in mind that rotating injection sites is a good idea but I unserstand that (for me anyway) I find that the stomach is the least painful so I tend to inject maybe once or twice a day or when I am out-side as this is quite a discete place to inject. Like I say, just a wee thought but well done for all your efforts so far and as Simon said earlier, when you see the good results written down it is a confidence boost that things are going well and helps explain why some readings may not be as good. I wish you all the very best Cheers, Anele. |