Recent Posts
Search the DAFNE Online Forums
15,847 posts found
|
Jul 4, 2011
MrGreenYeti
5 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Unexplained Highs Over the past week or so all my readings at each meal and before bed have been high.I yesterday decided to test my BG about 2 hours after each meal and the readings have been about 9.5mmol/l. But when I test before I eat or before bed it's around 14.5mmol/l. What could be causing this? I've got a feeling it's maybe my BI. As, I usually feel hungry and eat about 6 hours after a meal. So, it can't be the QA still having an effect. Anyone have any other thoughts on what it could be? I don't feel at all ill, and it's been high for a few months now. |
|
Jul 4, 2011
tweety
13 posts
|
Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / blended fruit Hi every1, i was wondering, as i dont each much fruit n veg i thought i'd start blending them but i'm unsure if i would count them as they should be counted eaten as solids? Hope some1 out there understands what i'm tryin to ask and can help x |
|
Jul 4, 2011
saxman
28 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Corrective Doses of Insulin also remember diabetes is not an exact science and trying to mimic the bodys production is difficult and a daily struggle but as you have found out there is plenty of help available. good luck
|
|
Jul 4, 2011
xJeanx
8 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Corrective Doses of Insulin Thank you! Yes it was the myths and misconceptions thread where I had read about the 4 unit maximum correction.I understand what you're all saying and I have re-read the sections of the handbook from the links you have provided. Kind regards. Jean 
|
|
Jul 4, 2011
Rhollands
2 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / medical leave during DAFNE course When I first spoke to my boss about doing the dafne course he said he would pay me for the time off and i wouldnt have to use up any holiday so i thought that was great. I did my course and when i got back to work i noticed that they had taken it off of my yearly holiday. I havnt had a chance to ask the boss about it yet. I think it is unfair to promiose one thing and do another though. I dont know where i would stand if i try to get my holiday time back though. |
|
Jul 4, 2011
chrisinbrum
41 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Diabetic Survey
Surveys like this (and there are a lot of different 'quality of life' surveys) use carefully worded questions and although they might appear to be leading they are probably there to address a particular question that the person setting the survey has. ...but I think the problem with surveys like this is that if you don't like the way a question is worded or structured you can't put any comments in with your answers to explain what your answer means, like in the example you partly quote. |
|
Jul 4, 2011
chrisinbrum
41 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / medical leave during DAFNE course
Whatever your company's policy is I don't think it's right that they decided AFTER the course that they wouldn't honour your request for medical leave and make you take it as paid leave. Did you get any agreement from your company before you went on the course? |
|
Jul 4, 2011
Lizzie
87 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Myths Thanks for the supportive replies. |
|
Jul 4, 2011
Athena
52 posts
|
Topic: Questions for HCPs / Menstrual Cycle, BI Hi KAren,yes lots of us have noticed peaks mid- month and are trying via temperature testing etc. to predict the time of ovulation so that we can be ahead of the game and change our doses on the right day of the month. We have a ll noticed that it takes time to see patterns and this is not a quick fix. Hope you get things sorted Karen. |
|
Jul 4, 2011
Anele46
109 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Myths Hi Lizzie,I totally agree with Athena. I'll be honest, since I read that DAFNE Myths and Misconceptions presentation it totally confused me and initially led me to doubt what I'd learned on my course but I've decided to ignore the myths and misconceptions and carry on with what I was taught on my course. I am going to see my (DAFNE) DSN at the end of July and am going to ask their thoughts on the presentation and go with what they advise. All the best, good luck and please don't give up (I know that is a lot harder to do than it is to say). |
|
Jul 4, 2011
Athena
52 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Myths Hi Lizzie,Pleae don't worry. I think the presentation was posted so that we could see what was happening but with a view to seeing what the response was outof curiosity. In essence, I think we are all saying that these things are not myths to us. Across the country, thisi is what they are teaching in DAFNE courses. I suspect that this presentation was donenby a non DAFNE DSN who does not know the course and does not realise that these things are tried and tested and work for the majority of people. I think that a lot of non - trained DSN's do not realise that a high bg in the morning may be the result of a hypo overnight. Novorapid boi is right in that there could be other reasone, the wrong BI at bed time, the dawn phenomenan, but definitely one of the potential causes is a night time hypo.I didn't know this until I did DAFNE as no-one had ever said to me that this might be the cause. Put your mind at rest, a nd go by what you were taught. This is DAFNE and I am sure that MArke will get back to the DAFNE user group to say that we have all been posting saying that we think this si what is taught and that these are not myths at all but DAFNE principles. I hope that you get better soon. I feel awful with diabetes too. Every day is a struggle so you have my sympathy. I hope that you feel better soon. take care and good luck! |
|
Jul 4, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Myths Hi there...........The presentation described a misconception as being: A mistaken idea or view resulting from a misunderstanding of something Maximum of 4 units correction - Misconception This has been told to people, but they have misunderstood, or may not have been explained to that this is only for safety when everyone is investigating their doses in the classroom environment. So in some respects it is 'valid' or correct, but in reality people need more than 4 units when running HIGH....[this is your own responsibility to investigate what you need to correct, as everyone is different] A Myth described as: A widely held but mistaken belief This could be used to describe your thoughts on the 2 hour post meal test, in that it can be used to assess your insulin carb ratio, my personal understanding suggests that this is wrong, so a myth. If a doctor or nurse told you these exact words, they are wrong.....in my educated by DAFNE opinion... Try not to get upset about your control as it may only make it more harder to asses......are you in contact with your DAFNE trained DSN. I often find a fresh pair of eyes gazing over my blood results can produce some new strategies that I might not have thought about if its getting too much... Is there anything specifically you would like to discuss about your control, you say you wake up high, and have tested to discover a low, is this recently? This would suggest a high QA:CP ratio for food you had before you went to bed or too much BI.... I think this thread/presentation has confused a number of people, but just ignore it, the best thing to do is to go through the handbook, it is all clear in there.... |
|
Jul 4, 2011
Lizzie
87 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Myths Hi novorapidboiI don't understand what you mean when you say "they are valid, its just that peoples interpretations of them are wrong, that's a problem with the way they have been explained......" Could you use one of the examples and explain how people's interpretation is wrong and what is correct? I currently feel quite worried and scared as I thought most of these things were true and based on my experience they are - eg I have had high morning BGs and the next night tested during the night, and seen a hypo. I worry that if these things are misconceptions what other things might be wrong? And the whole thing seems impossibly confusing to me now. I am struggling right now with my diabetes anyway. DAFNE was great but there has been no followup and since then several things have brought me off the rails. I have tried to get support but it is not there especially now with all the cuts. This is the last thing I need right now, it makes me wonder what the point of trying is if all these things I thought were right are misconceptions, I will never understand any of it and might as well give up. |
|
Jul 4, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Eye Screening I agree, when I first go the letter I was worried, they did explain that 'background retinopathy' was normal after many years but that does not really reassure us......After explanation from other diabetic and HCPs all is well now, but the first time this happens its not very nice..... |
|
Jul 4, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Myths A lot of the things that were illustrated were actually misconceptions, so they are valid, its just that peoples interpretations of them are wrong, that's a problem with the way they have been explained.......After DAFNE, I never ever had a slow acting carb after treating with a quick acting one because then my blood sugar would be above target, that's my understanding of the maths anyway, I suppose it could be debated if you had a hypo long before your next meal and it was likely to drop further, but assuming the doses are correct or nearly there, this wouldn't normally happen, for me personally, hypos happen close to the next meal time, excluding alcohol effects.... night time hypos can cause high morning readings, but its not the only reason, again, I think when it comes to general rules, the people making them up need to assume that doses are right, dawn phenomenon might be the most common cause.. I would of though that the lower GI foods that are released slowly could still effect your blood glucose later on, but maybe after the 5 hour mark is the key point, unlike a high fat food like a pizza etc that could possibly spike your BG hours later, the low GI food although a much slower release would stil be out your system, I think that point may need to be clarified... the 2 hr test cant help you evaluate your ratio, only once the QA and CPs are finished can you tell, the post meal tests can confirm whether the timing of the dose has been successful......usually 1.5-2 hours is the peak of your food and insulin.......so this may be your highest reading between meals.... Remember to note the difference between myth (untrue) and misconception (misunderstood)..... |
|
Jul 4, 2011
Lizzie
87 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Eye Screening I had the same letter a few years back. When you have diabetes a few years (or so I am told by the eye specialist) it is normal to see some changes and they just want to be sure that what they are seeing is normal and not significant. I agree the letter is very blunt, I was really scared and upset by it. I think doctors should consider the effect of letters they send and word them more carefully. They probably have not given a thought to how a diabetic might feel when they receive a letter like this - terrified, alone, fearing blindness and complications, panicking, not knowing who to ask and all you can do is await the appointment. If there are doctors who read this, please can you look into this matter? If the letter was a little more reassuring it would really help. Doctors drum into us the terror of complications, blindness, kidney failure and amputation. Then to confront you with a letter like this is cruel in my opinion. |
|
Jul 4, 2011
Lizzie
87 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Myths The way the presentation is written up, with just a list of myths and misconceptions, is very unclear to me. Can someone explain them in more detail? Why are these things myths? I too was taught about having slow acting carbs after a hypo, and about night hypos causing high morning readings, and that BG should be tested at 3am to make sure a hypo isn’t the cause of high fasting BGLs, and that a 2-hr post-prandial BG is helpful to assess QA:CP ratio, and that low GI foods could still affect blood sugars hours after eating. In fact almost all of these have been covered if not at my DAFNE then by doctors and nurses before and since. Are these things completely wrong or is it just that they are not hard and fast rules for everyone? I think we need to know much more detail on this and if these are not true, then what are the correct versions of these statements? It seems a bad idea to basically tell us a lot of what we have been told is wrong, without telling us what is right. For example, if a night hypo is never the cause of high morning BG, then what is? If a 2 hour reading is not right, then how long should we wait before testing after a meal? If low GI foods are not affecting BGs 5 hrs after a meal, then a) what is, and b) how long do they take to have an effect? |
|
Jul 4, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Myths If you suspect your BI dose or doses are out, then test them, then you will know...........and the end result may be that you are just too sensitive after a hypo that you need to wait a while before correcting....... |
|
Jul 4, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / medical leave during DAFNE course I agree with Anil..............that advice seems pretty sound to me..........good luck........... |
|
Jul 4, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Diabetic Survey
Hey Jeremy, welcome......... to become a graduate on this site you must provide a DAFNE centre code unique to you and your clinic, that is provided at the end of the course by the educators........ 
|
|
Jul 4, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Corrective Doses of Insulin If you look at the correction section within the hyperglycemia part of the handbook here it clearly states that if you are above 11, the recommended suggestion that 1 unit drops you by 2-3mmol may not apply.......The 3 or 4 unit maximum that is floating about and also mentioned in the myths and misconceptions presentation is exactly that, a myth....... When I previously discussed this on this forum it was suggested that this maximum was only applicable during the week of your DAFNE course and at any time when you are reviewing your doses from scratch, purely to be safe....... If your confident in changing your doses and you know your bodies own responses you can take as much as is needed....... I have investigated and found that if any reading is above 17, then 1 unit only drops me 1 mmol, so if I was at 20.5, I would take 15 units correction, and it works perfectly every time, so although each individual will most definitely be different, I believe this is the behavior of resistance to our corrections the higher our blood glucose reading are....... JWo has explained this very well also, I am a walking talking example of these theoretical maximums being a load of nonsense......... |
|
Jul 3, 2011
xJeanx
8 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Corrective Doses of Insulin Thank you both for your replies - much appreciated.Jean
|
|
Jul 3, 2011
JayBee
587 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Corrective Doses of Insulin Please ignore that rule you have been told. It is contradictory to DAFNE rules and is best not exercised. I shall explain... with the assistance of the online DAFNE Course Handbook provided on this site.As long as you know how much one unit takes your BG down by (the typical is 2-3 BG per unit but your personal needs may be different) then you should be concentrating more on how much you need to get yourself down to the BG you want to be. You will not need to take the same amount of correction every time because it more depends on the circumstances you're under each time - this is why DAFNE has the Step Wise Approach. Also see the guidebook's Hyperglycaemia section if you're unsure still. With nothing being stated about not being allowed to take above any amount - this should be enough indication to ignore the "units cap" rule. Quite frankly, I don't think it applies anywhere in the guidebook. I understand it can be tempting to just stick to the same correction amount, but to restrict yourself can be a hindrance to your health - if you need 5 units for example and you only took 3, your BG pattern searching results will not show up correctly because you've not taken the insulin you needed under DAFNE rules. This can lead to you making mistakes with your insulin demand understanding and therefore taking longer to get to good control. Hope this helps. Best wishes. |
|
Jul 3, 2011
ketostix pla...
25 posts
|
Topic: General Discussion / Corrective Doses of Insulin Hi Jean, I would correct to a maximum of 4 units, as if you BG is high (above 13) your insulin may not necessarily have the same reduction of BG as when in normal range. However I would advise you to monitor your BG closely while the higher corrective QA is in your system as to avoid any issues if your BG does come down quickly. Take care Deano
|
|
Jul 3, 2011
Jeremy
1 post
|
Topic: General Discussion / Diabetic Survey Found many questions to be "leading". I am Diabetic and graduate of DAFNE (by the way, can I change this status in my profile?) but not an "expert". I cannot possibly know how to answer a question like "Becasue of Diabetes I...". Are researchers [email protected] seeking a particular outcome of this suvery such as a definable link to depression? Verty disapointed. |