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Apr 13, 2011
MelissaF
56 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / No change to HbA1c Thanks for that. I'll try not to be too disheartened. I can only have the HbA1c every 3 months at my hospital so I will just have to stick with it and just hope for the best if I manage to conceive.Do any monitors give you a 90 day average do you know? |
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Apr 13, 2011
MelissaF
56 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / Information on menstrual cycle Hi JackieB,I was just reading your post and had a thought which might help you. This is coming from someone who is trying to conceive at the moment so that's why I thought of it... With your cycle being so erratic, have you considered using ovulation sticks to tell you when you're ovulating? As I understand it, with a variable cycle, it's the time before ovulation that varies. Once you've ovulated then I think you have a pretty standard 14 days or so before your period starts. I may be wrong on this so please feel free to correct me if I am - I'm still learning about this stuff. Given that your peak insulin requirements occur in the week before your period, you should be able to predict this happening around a week after ovulation. The sticks aren't cheap unfortunately but I'm not sure if it's something that you might be able to get on prescription? Good luck with it all. Melissa |
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Apr 13, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / No change to HbA1c You seem to be experiencing the same as me, I was expecting much lower A1c, but I didn't have my 90 day average to hand to calculate my predicted A1c..........hence my request to include it in the online diary, my 30 day was 8.2, probably much lower than my actual 90 day average..............keep it up and i am confident you will see an improvement....... the 30 day only gives you a monthly average but the A1c gives you a 3 month snapshot.... keep it up...... |
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Apr 13, 2011
MelissaF
56 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / No change to HbA1c Thank you. It's probably true that they haven't been as good for the last 90 days as they've been for the last 30 for instance but, all in all, they've definitely been a lot better than when I was on the Levemir so it's really disheartening not to see some improvement.Like you, I tend to keep an eye on the average readings on my monitor as a rough guideline of how I'm doing. At the moment they are 6.5 (14 day) and 7.4 (30 day) so I was hoping that this would reflect slightly more in the HbA1c. Do you think that your HbA1c reflects worse control in the period beyond the 30 day average or was it a surprise to you as well? At the moment I'm supposed to be aiming for a reading of less than 6.5 so pretty much everything is a struggle! Thanks again, Melissa |
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Apr 13, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / No change to HbA1c The HbA1c can be tricky, for the last 4 weeks my average levels have been 7.2, in theory giving me an HbA1c at best of 6.2, but mine was 7.9.How long have your blood sugars been behaving themselves, its probably not for the period of 90 days that the A1c takes a snapshot of. You are doing well, you are seeing some order in the madness, so just try and keep it going for another 2-4 weeks and you may see a dramatic drop..... Its much harder and a lot more stressful to hit the targets when preparing for a family I would imagine, but dont be discouraged by your result staying the same, that's good, its not went up....... Keep up the good work........ 
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Apr 13, 2011
MelissaF
56 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / No change to HbA1c Hi guys,Haven't posted for a while but have been trying really hard to regulate my HbA1c by returning to Lantus following a very difficult trial of Levemir. On paper, my test results certainly look a lot better than they used to - day to day readings have been lower, more consistant and have followed the DAFNE patterns much more. However, I had another HbA1c last week and, despite all of this, my results are exactly the same as they were about 4 months ago when my sugar levels were yoyo-ing around all over the place on the Levemir (7.9). Help - I'm trying to stabilise my levels pre-conception and I don't seem to be getting anywhere. It's really disheartening. Any advice welcome. Thanks, Melissa |
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Apr 13, 2011
Simon
578 posts
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Topic: Site Development / Online Diary......... Sure thing, it's on the to do list ;) |
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Apr 12, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Ideas I could agree that higher doses become less effective but you have to at least be open to the fact that higher blood sugars need more than 1 unit to drop you by 2.5......For me personally, and others, the evidence is right in front of them. It was mentioned that 4 units should be the limit when at the stage of establishing basal doses and insulin/carb ratios.....in this case this rule is wise........ The handbook also states that at higher doses this rule,referring to the standard drop of 2.5, may not apply..... The DAFNE educators are only limited to the cirriculum set out in front of them. With regards to my control my knowledge exceeds that of any of the DSNs I deal with........however there help is valuable and sometimes a fresh set of eyes is welcome...... |
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Apr 12, 2011
Duchess
5 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / To make you smile... I used to leave needles on cos Diabetes nurses told me to! I now know it's a bad idea. You really shouldn't let a child play with your pen. even if you're supervising, it's easy to get distracted, phone ringing, doorbell, even a hypo could make you less vigilant than usual. Not worth the risk. |
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Apr 12, 2011
emmahope
17 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / POST HYPO HIGHS hi Duchess, yes i am careful to not over compensate for same reasons and wait 'til after3 meal times at least to do any small corrections if at all.i am still not with best BI so still hoping that'l make things smoother but aware gastro-paresis may mean i cant avoid erratic bms.Thanks for your thoughts. E |
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Apr 12, 2011
Duchess
5 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Ideas
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Apr 12, 2011
Duchess
5 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / What made you smile today? 2 things made me smile today - finishing decorating my study, looks lovely & I'm really proud of it. Secondly I met a new diabetes Doctor today & OMG, he was absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!! Wish he'd been my Doctor years ago when I was younger - mind you he did tell me I don't look my age!!
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Apr 12, 2011
Duchess
5 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Mentoring You did your best, as you say the other person has to be willing. I'd love to be a mentor but, erm, I'm probably too bossy |
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Apr 12, 2011
Duchess
5 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / POST HYPO HIGHS One thing I've learnt from Dafne is not to overcompensate for post-hypo highs. I was taking higher QA to bring bs down & it just wasn't working, it just leads to more hypos & you get into a cycle of yo-yoing bs. You just have to ride out those highs & not worry too much about it, just take a corrective dose of no more than 4u QA & things should become less erratic.
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Apr 12, 2011
Athena
52 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / Information on menstrual cycle Thanks to tweety endtherapies and JWo for replying.It was interesting to know that the pill by the sounds of it causes the same problems as not being on the pill and that it is just as much work to try to sort doses throughout the month . It was also useful to hear that taking the pill back to back with no break is considered dangerous. I think charting each month is the only thing that will be useful. Does anyone know of pre-menopausal females who are managing to get control using the one BI throughtou the month and the same ratios like it is supposed to be? MAybe we are the exceptions and most people's insulin requirements are not upset by hormones.Otherewise why would it not be part of the training course or why would women of child-bearing age be allowed on DAFNE courses at all if it is a waste of time. I am going to try the altering QA ratios on the part of the month that I cannot get sorted. I suspect that sorting the dose during menstruation and when requirements peak is the easy bit and it is the inbetween bits that are difficult. I will try to see if I can find any research on DAFNE and this problem via the DAFNE site.If I do I will let you know. good luck to all with this challenge! |
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Apr 12, 2011
Athena
52 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Mesntrual Cycle thanks to JWo, tweety and endtherapies for replying to this. I was really interested in hearing your ecperiences with the pill.It doesn't sound much better than being off the pill to be honest. I do find that natural hormones cause a drop of bg just prior to menstruation, down to that low dose which then lasts throughout that week. It then starts to edge up and I have to increase BI until about 10 days before menstruation where it reaches a peak and stays there. I have the level for this peak sorted, I have the dropping down to menstruation sorted ( no gradual change just have to go straight to the low dose)i.e. not follow the step wise approach as like tweety, to not turn it straight down causes nightime and daytime hypos , and the remaining on the low does during my period sorted so it is gettting there. It is the rise over the coming weeks leading up to the peak dose that is causing the trouble. Think the idea of a chart is great. I just realised that something funny was going on as I kept ending up at the same dose and then crashing down to the same dose and I started recognising these as familiar. I luckily keep a record of my periods so when I then notice d that this was a montly pattern I did wonder. Then of course I saw tha t there were 2 distinct BI's a high one and a low one. At the highest does that I use, my BI is double that of the lowest one that I use just prior and during my period, so you can see why it causes so much trouble as it is not a couple of units here and there. Think I will psot to see if any girls of menstruating age are using the on BI throuoghout the month. See what people reply. I did say to other women on my course with whom I have kept in touch to look to see wha t they noticed as none of them had thought of this and had given up on DAFNE as being no use for them.There is no doubt that charting and tracking is the only way to learn about the patterns. I expect to end up with a ready reccknor thing writeen into the front of the diary with the dose for each day of the month once I get it sorted. It is exasperating how long this is taking especially as meantime we are feeling dreadful. I am interested in the QA ratios as a method to sort this as I suppose the alternative is to pick a BI and alter the QA to sort it. I think I may give this a try on the rising bit of the month seeing as I have the BI sorted for 2 times a month. Great to hear from you all and good luck. |
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Apr 11, 2011
Edentherapies
8 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Mesntrual Cycle Hi JWo,I too seem to go up and down around my cycle. Since I did my DAFNE course I have been trying to log my levels re my cycle. So far nothing major but I have recently also changed my pill to Micronor (a mini pill) I had alot of trouble with going very low usualy the week before and during my cycle though when I used to be on Microgynon. Just wondering if it may have been because of the type of pill as I don't seem to go AS up and down as I used to? I cant say for sure as this has only been my first cycle since the DAFNE course (having more info) but thinking back I definately haven't Hypo'd as much since changing the pill. Might be totaly different for you but thought i'd let you know. I will be keeping an eye on the changes through my cycle, see if I can make sense of it too! The hormone changes definately seem to make a difference!  |
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Apr 11, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
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Topic: Site Development / Online Diary......... Currently the online diary provides you with 7, 14 and 30 day blood glucose averages.Would it be possible to also include the 90 day average, this will make predicting the HbA1c more accurate, for me anyway......... 
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Apr 11, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / sick day rules I think the majority of folk feel the same as you, me being one of them. Its hard to think back on your diabetes treatment not knowing what we know now, the sad thing is there are still a lot of people out there just not knowing whats really going on.What surprised me when doing my course was that the majority of people were already on an MDI regime but were just guessing what to take, madness....... |
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Apr 11, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Getting better I am glad your happier and are getting better results, there does seem to be a lot hypos there, and by hypo I mean 4 or below.........do you think your are having a lot........?Some days your low by lunch or even before it, and others you are higher at lunch, can you pin point reasons for that....? |
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Apr 11, 2011
novorapidboi26
1,819 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Ideas I think fractional ratios are good too, provides you with more accurate carb counting and therefore better BGs, I personally dont require high levels of accuracy, I usually always round up my carbs anyway........
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Apr 10, 2011
Neil Brown
28 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Getting better Perhaps DAFNE makes sense after all !! |
