Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Feb 21, 2011

Jo Penn 24 posts

Any thoughts of my readings??

Feb 21, 2011

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Old habits die hard...

Oh golly, that's a blast from the past!

I used to barely test at all during my teen years!! Thankfully wasn't stupid enough to exercise the same with my injections! Once I hit about 17, I soon learnt to appreciate the value of blood testing. Looking back, I tend to see that time as my sort of "denial" stage for myself, but I definitely understand even now how frustrating it can be to get your hands clean for yet another blood test!

I can get quite grumpy if washing facilities aren't available and I want to do a test. lol! ;)

Feb 21, 2011

PNThompson 57 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Old habits die hard...

The only Bad Habit that I have shaken is not testing enough. With DAFNE the testing is of paramount importance.
I have not changed my BI too much and I have waited for my BG readings to settle into a pattern before changing anything.

I still over correct, though it depends on how bad any Hypo is.

Feb 21, 2011

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Type 1 Diabetes and the Art of Parenting...

Hi all,

After reading this article called Tiger Mother Approach for a Child with Type 1 Diabetes, has got me curious again about the possibility of being a mother... and so a discussion!

Shall start with some questions:

~How were you treated as a diabetic child?
~How have you found it being a diabetic parent?
~Are you a situation where you are a diabetic parent with a diabetic child?

I have only been a Type 1 Diabetic child with non-diabetic parents (for most of my time as a diabetic - Dad was diagnosed with Type 2 last year).

My parents were (understandably) over protective of their child and fearful of the condition I had. Once I was diagnosed at the age of 5 in 1989, they found it difficult to understand at first (they thought it was a passing phase... the honeymooning period was not helpful with moving on with this misunderstanding) and so when I attended birthday parties and the like, they would advise me to not eat anything out of fear that I would respond badly.

This naturally lead me on to become a fearful child (according to my parents, I became very very very withdrawn - an extreme contrast to what I was like pre-diabetes) and with no other diabetics nearby to really relate to, it never really changed. It took until DAFNE about 21 years later before I pursued dreams such as (simply) riding a motorbike or driving a car - all because of my lack of confidence and, I guess to an extent, "fear of living".

Despite this, I have never ever been resentful to my parents because of how I was bought up. They did the best they could.

So to come back to the topic of parenting...

I have been put off for many years (as part of the fear condition), but I know that if say, my partner and I decided to have children, I would put aside my fears. Now I have DAFNE, if I was ever to become a Type 1 Diabetic's parent, I would encourage them to try foods and don't let the condition take away their dreams.

I would love to hear your memories and thoughts on this subject - and inspiration for others!
I know we have some expecting Mums on the forum! Smile

Feb 21, 2011

caroline15 45 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Dawn Phenomenon

Hi Stew

In my experience they rise when I am asleep. If I wake during the night I always test my blood and it can increase from 6 to 14 between (say) 3am and 7am. I'm meant to be having a trial on a CGM soon which will hopefully let us see a fuller picture. Apparently DP is one of the qualifiers for a pump where I live so hopefully I will get one soon. My daughter gets hers four weeks today Smile

Caroline

Feb 21, 2011

Stew B 125 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Dawn Phenomenon

Hi,

Posted here because I didn't want to provide a distraction to JackieH's post on the Coeliac Disease and other things thread.

I did my DAFNE course with the Elsie Bertram Clinic from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (and what a life-changing experience it was). That was where I first heard about the "dawn phenomenon". My understanding was/is that the phenomenon is that BG levels rise from waking in the morning without any carb intake, but I get the impression that for some the waking part isn't important - their BGs rise from early morning whether they are awake or not (tho' how you'd test for this I don't know). Am I confused? For me it definitelyseems to be to do with waking. I usually eat fairly soon after I wake up, but where I know there's going to be a gap of an hour or two I test when I wake up. My levels can rise two or three units over a two hour period.

I thought I'd check my recollection out and revisited the handbook for the first time for a long while, but of course there's no mention of the dawn phenomenon in the handbooK. Perhaps it's something which ought to be included in future editions?

Stew

Feb 21, 2011

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus!

Marvellous Simon! Thanks! Smile

Feb 21, 2011

Growler 4 posts

Topic: Site Development / DAFNE Online iPhone application - help with content/design needed

Are there any plans for a Windows Phone 7 app? I'm really starting to regret getting rid of my iPhone now!

Feb 21, 2011

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus!

Twitter feed is now on the (slightly redesigned) homepage!

Feb 21, 2011

Growler 4 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / Mobile site released

Just brings up the full web page on Windows Phone 7. A bit fiddly to get to the right sections Sad

JohnRigby: pressing I or O on the keyboard will zoom in or out on your Blackberry.

Feb 21, 2011

Jane Seddon 4 posts

Topic: Site Development / Diary Entries After Midnight

Thanks for confirming it wasn't just me. I know it's not a big deal but just like to have things in the right place IYKWIM =]

Feb 21, 2011

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: Site Development / Diary Entries After Midnight

I haven't come across a way to do this, the only thing editable is the blood glucose targets, however if the app has this function I am sure it could be added to the website without too much difficulty..............some of the staff will see this shortly......

Feb 21, 2011

Jane Seddon 4 posts

Topic: Site Development / Diary Entries After Midnight

Hi,

Firstly I'd just like to say what fantastic resources this site and the iphone app are. I completed the DAFNE course last week and I'm really pleased to have a focal point where I can continue to record/analyse my results.

On the app I have been able to set the time for the end of the day to after midnight. I often don't get to bed before midnight and therefore my last BG test often falls into the next day in the diary. Can anyone please let me know if there is a way I change this online?

Apologies if it's glaringly obvious and I've missed it! Advice is grately appreciated.

Many thanks
Jane

Feb 21, 2011

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Coeliac Disease and other things

As far as the dawn phenomenon is concerned it does happen everyday, its just sometimes the livers response is slowed down by things like alcohol, or sometimes the digestion of a slowly released carbohydrate the previous night tells the liver to go slightly easier, my dawn phenomenon seems to be fairly consistent whatever I do, even after lots of alcohol , I only feel the effect later on in the day......

Hope you get some feedback on the coeliacs'............ Smile

Feb 21, 2011

jackieh 4 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Coeliac Disease and other things

I am a type 1 diabetic (for 38 years)and last year I found out I had coeliac and a thyroid condition. I finally managed to access a diabetic dietitian (after 12 years) but only because of the major change in my diet with the coeliac. DAFNE was recommended for me and I did the course last July.
I wondered if anyone else using this site has coeliac and do you find that gluten-free products make your blood glucose rise much faster than ordinary ones? Gluten-free stuff seems to be much higher in carbs than regular food, especially the cake and biscuits. Imagine, 1 of Tesco's FreeFrom jammy dodger type biscuits is 2 CP's, which for me, on a 2-1 ratio, is 4 units of insulin for 1 biscuit! I don't tend to bother!
And this dawn phenomenon, does it happen every day? Some days I wake up with highs and other days I don't. Is that the way it works? If anyone knows, let me know!

Feb 20, 2011

Chris loughrey 21 posts

Topic: Site Development / DAFNE Online iPhone application - help with content/design needed

Great App, I'm finding it very uselful, the diary alone kicks the ass of every other diabetes app I've used.

Just wondering if it will be possible in the future to add my own data for foods to the carb counting database?
The ability to use portions of 100g would be great as well, I just tend to prefer that to CPs.

Thanks

Chris

Feb 19, 2011

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / BGs and Dehydration

I guess with things like DAFNE not being fully recognised yet (heck, even the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 aren't even properly recognised), people have the power of opinion on their side to put up rubbish like this. I hope things like DAFNE eventually change this (for the UK anyway).

Thanks for replying though. Smile

Gotta laugh really at some of the articles you can find - maybe I should rename this thread to "the rubbish they come up with about Diabetes"!

Feb 19, 2011

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus!

Wow, really? Cool!

Yay! I will maintain it the best I can! ^__^

Feb 19, 2011

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus!

Good work JWo, I'm already following (@simfish85) - I'll see whether we can embed the feed on the site.

Feb 19, 2011

marke 686 posts

Topic: General Discussion / BGs and Dehydration

sorry but I think its like most stuff on the net, written by people with no real expertise and believed by millions. If your blood changed density so much that it had a major effect on your BG's what effect would it have on the rest of your system, the change in blood density I mean. Sorry but
I just don't believe that it has that much of an affect on BG's . I might be wrong, but I would take it more seriously if it was the result of a research study rather than an article by someone who doesn't seem to provide their credentials for making such a statement.

Feb 19, 2011

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / BGs and Dehydration

Hi all,

Just came across this article called How Water Impacts Blood Sugars.

Once I'd given it a read, I do recall my boyfriend saying to me about how drinking water may be an issue when it comes to my control... I'm not exactly in great habits when it comes to drinking regularly so to see this was rather interesting.

What are our thoughts on it? Does dehydration make our sugar levels higher than they should be?
I wouldn't take it at face value certainly, but it certainly encourages the good habit to drink water regularly!

Feb 19, 2011

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus!

Okay, the ball is rolling.... http://twitter.com/#!/dafneonline.

Let me know if there's any problems!

Feb 19, 2011

JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Old habits die hard...

Hi all,

After my most recent checkup at the hospital, even now after all this time, I'm still breaking old diabetic habits but they've taken other forms I think since I started DAFNE.

One example is over correcting. I was a right pest for that - so much that, before DAFNE, I was often "boomeranging" up and down. To be fair, I had no idea that correcting within 24 hours after a hypo often would lead to another hypo at that time... but once I did know after doing the DAFNE course, it was a hard habit to break because of my strong... could call it "phobia" of being high (10+ BG).

I've managed to break this vicious cycle, but I think the over correcting cycle still goes on even now... but in a different form.

I'm regularly in contact with my DAFNE team and they often tell me (because they see me posting on here) that I'm very good at advising others but I don't seem to apply it to myself as very well. I put this down to me often putting others before myself but also the fact that I can be very impatient with myself. I can also be rather prideful, in the way I have trouble asking for help myself.

I have found that DAFNE escalates this because I've been known to see it as "I have the tools now, there's no reason for me messing up now!". Of course, I give myself a reality check sometimes but there have been times where I get very frustrated (I will be AMAZED if no one else knows what I mean with this)!

For an example of this "other form" of over correcting - I seem to not give myself enough time to work out if my BI is working properly for me. I exercise the 2 day rule for absolutely everything - but I have been told (possibly reminded but I forget!) that I should leave it at least a week before adjusting my BI again. The 2 day rule does apply, but for BI your body needs more time. Makes sense really, but oh well, sometimes working it all out gets a bit cloudy and why I almost always have my guidebook in my bag wherever I go... I just can't remember everything (though I still try Razz

)!

ANYWAY - the point of this post was to ask you all, have you had any personal diabetic habits to break? Any diabetic habit walls to break down? How has it been going? Successful or still trying to break the habit even now?

All tips on tackling these old habits are also welcome of course!

I look forward to discussing this with you all. Breaking my old habits (considering I've been diabetic for 21 years since I was 5, I've definitely had some!) has been my biggest issue when it comes to DAFNE I think...

Feb 18, 2011

Widster 23 posts

Topic: General Discussion / What are you reading?

Just read both Chris Evans autobiography's which were both enjoyable. Would recommend them. Also, Alan Sugar's autobiography is very good and quite funny at times as he has quite a dry sense of humour. Also good if you are at all interested in business.

Feb 21, 2011 Jo Penn 24 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Thoughts?? Any thoughts of my readings??

Feb 21, 2011 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Old habits die hard... Oh golly, that's a blast from the past! I used to barely test at all during my teen years!! Thankfully wasn't stupid enough to exercise the same with my injections! Once I hit about 17, I soon learnt to appreciate the value of blood testing. Looking back, I tend to see that time as my sort of "denial" stage for myself, but I definitely understand even now how frustrating it can be to get your hands clean for yet another blood test! I can get quite grumpy if washing facilities aren't available and I want to do a test. lol! ;)

Feb 21, 2011 PNThompson 57 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Old habits die hard... The only Bad Habit that I have shaken is not testing enough. With DAFNE the testing is of paramount importance. I have not changed my BI too much and I have waited for my BG readings to settle into a pattern before changing anything. I still over correct, though it depends on how bad any Hypo is.

Feb 21, 2011 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Type 1 Diabetes and the Art of Parenting... Hi all, After reading this article called Tiger Mother Approach for a Child with Type 1 Diabetes, has got me curious again about the possibility of being a mother... and so a discussion! Shall start with some questions: ~How were you treated as a diabetic child? ~How have you found it being a diabetic parent? ~Are you a situation where you are a diabetic parent with a diabetic child? I have only been a Type 1 Diabetic child with non-diabetic parents (for most of my time as a diabetic - Dad was diagnosed with Type 2 last year). My parents were (understandably) over protective of their child and fearful of the condition I had. Once I was diagnosed at the age of 5 in 1989, they found it difficult to understand at first (they thought it was a passing phase... the honeymooning period was not helpful with moving on with this misunderstanding) and so when I attended birthday parties and the like, they would advise me to not eat anything out of fear that I would respond badly. This naturally lead me on to become a fearful child (according to my parents, I became very very very withdrawn - an extreme contrast to what I was like pre-diabetes) and with no other diabetics nearby to really relate to, it never really changed. It took until DAFNE about 21 years later before I pursued dreams such as (simply) riding a motorbike or driving a car - all because of my lack of confidence and, I guess to an extent, "fear of living". Despite this, I have never ever been resentful to my parents because of how I was bought up. They did the best they could. So to come back to the topic of parenting... I have been put off for many years (as part of the fear condition), but I know that if say, my partner and I decided to have children, I would put aside my fears. Now I have DAFNE, if I was ever to become a Type 1 Diabetic's parent, I would encourage them to try foods and don't let the condition take away their dreams. I would love to hear your memories and thoughts on this subject - and inspiration for others! I know we have some expecting Mums on the forum!

Feb 21, 2011 caroline15 45 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Dawn Phenomenon Hi Stew In my experience they rise when I am asleep. If I wake during the night I always test my blood and it can increase from 6 to 14 between (say) 3am and 7am. I'm meant to be having a trial on a CGM soon which will hopefully let us see a fuller picture. Apparently DP is one of the qualifiers for a pump where I live so hopefully I will get one soon. My daughter gets hers four weeks today Caroline

Feb 21, 2011 Stew B 125 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Dawn Phenomenon Hi, Posted here because I didn't want to provide a distraction to JackieH's post on the Coeliac Disease and other things thread. I did my DAFNE course with the Elsie Bertram Clinic from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (and what a life-changing experience it was). That was where I first heard about the "dawn phenomenon". My understanding was/is that the phenomenon is that BG levels rise from waking in the morning without any carb intake, but I get the impression that for some the waking part isn't important - their BGs rise from early morning whether they are awake or not (tho' how you'd test for this I don't know). Am I confused? For me it definitelyseems to be to do with waking. I usually eat fairly soon after I wake up, but where I know there's going to be a gap of an hour or two I test when I wake up. My levels can rise two or three units over a two hour period. I thought I'd check my recollection out and revisited the handbook for the first time for a long while, but of course there's no mention of the dawn phenomenon in the handbooK. Perhaps it's something which ought to be included in future editions? Stew

Feb 21, 2011 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus! Marvellous Simon! Thanks!

Feb 21, 2011 Growler 4 posts	Topic: Site Development / DAFNE Online iPhone application - help with content/design needed Are there any plans for a Windows Phone 7 app? I'm really starting to regret getting rid of my iPhone now!

Feb 21, 2011 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus! Twitter feed is now on the (slightly redesigned) homepage!

Feb 21, 2011 Growler 4 posts	Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / Mobile site released Just brings up the full web page on Windows Phone 7. A bit fiddly to get to the right sections JohnRigby: pressing I or O on the keyboard will zoom in or out on your Blackberry.

Feb 21, 2011 Jane Seddon 4 posts	Topic: Site Development / Diary Entries After Midnight Thanks for confirming it wasn't just me. I know it's not a big deal but just like to have things in the right place IYKWIM =]

Feb 21, 2011 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: Site Development / Diary Entries After Midnight I haven't come across a way to do this, the only thing editable is the blood glucose targets, however if the app has this function I am sure it could be added to the website without too much difficulty..............some of the staff will see this shortly......

Feb 21, 2011 Jane Seddon 4 posts	Topic: Site Development / Diary Entries After Midnight Hi, Firstly I'd just like to say what fantastic resources this site and the iphone app are. I completed the DAFNE course last week and I'm really pleased to have a focal point where I can continue to record/analyse my results. On the app I have been able to set the time for the end of the day to after midnight. I often don't get to bed before midnight and therefore my last BG test often falls into the next day in the diary. Can anyone please let me know if there is a way I change this online? Apologies if it's glaringly obvious and I've missed it! Advice is grately appreciated. Many thanks Jane

Feb 21, 2011 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Coeliac Disease and other things As far as the dawn phenomenon is concerned it does happen everyday, its just sometimes the livers response is slowed down by things like alcohol, or sometimes the digestion of a slowly released carbohydrate the previous night tells the liver to go slightly easier, my dawn phenomenon seems to be fairly consistent whatever I do, even after lots of alcohol , I only feel the effect later on in the day...... Hope you get some feedback on the coeliacs'............

Feb 21, 2011 jackieh 4 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Coeliac Disease and other things I am a type 1 diabetic (for 38 years)and last year I found out I had coeliac and a thyroid condition. I finally managed to access a diabetic dietitian (after 12 years) but only because of the major change in my diet with the coeliac. DAFNE was recommended for me and I did the course last July. I wondered if anyone else using this site has coeliac and do you find that gluten-free products make your blood glucose rise much faster than ordinary ones? Gluten-free stuff seems to be much higher in carbs than regular food, especially the cake and biscuits. Imagine, 1 of Tesco's FreeFrom jammy dodger type biscuits is 2 CP's, which for me, on a 2-1 ratio, is 4 units of insulin for 1 biscuit! I don't tend to bother! And this dawn phenomenon, does it happen every day? Some days I wake up with highs and other days I don't. Is that the way it works? If anyone knows, let me know!

Feb 20, 2011 Chris loughrey 21 posts	Topic: Site Development / DAFNE Online iPhone application - help with content/design needed Great App, I'm finding it very uselful, the diary alone kicks the ass of every other diabetes app I've used. Just wondering if it will be possible in the future to add my own data for foods to the carb counting database? The ability to use portions of 100g would be great as well, I just tend to prefer that to CPs. Thanks Chris

Feb 19, 2011 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / BGs and Dehydration I guess with things like DAFNE not being fully recognised yet (heck, even the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 aren't even properly recognised), people have the power of opinion on their side to put up rubbish like this. I hope things like DAFNE eventually change this (for the UK anyway). Thanks for replying though. Gotta laugh really at some of the articles you can find - maybe I should rename this thread to "the rubbish they come up with about Diabetes"!

Feb 19, 2011 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus! Wow, really? Cool! Yay! I will maintain it the best I can! ^__^

Feb 19, 2011 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus! Good work JWo, I'm already following (@simfish85) - I'll see whether we can embed the feed on the site.

Feb 19, 2011 marke 686 posts	Topic: General Discussion / BGs and Dehydration sorry but I think its like most stuff on the net, written by people with no real expertise and believed by millions. If your blood changed density so much that it had a major effect on your BG's what effect would it have on the rest of your system, the change in blood density I mean. Sorry but I just don't believe that it has that much of an affect on BG's . I might be wrong, but I would take it more seriously if it was the result of a research study rather than an article by someone who doesn't seem to provide their credentials for making such a statement.

Feb 19, 2011 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / BGs and Dehydration Hi all, Just came across this article called How Water Impacts Blood Sugars. Once I'd given it a read, I do recall my boyfriend saying to me about how drinking water may be an issue when it comes to my control... I'm not exactly in great habits when it comes to drinking regularly so to see this was rather interesting. What are our thoughts on it? Does dehydration make our sugar levels higher than they should be? I wouldn't take it at face value certainly, but it certainly encourages the good habit to drink water regularly!

Feb 19, 2011 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE news on Twitter ..and now Google Plus! Okay, the ball is rolling.... http://twitter.com/#!/dafneonline. Let me know if there's any problems!

Feb 19, 2011 JayBee 587 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Old habits die hard... Hi all, After my most recent checkup at the hospital, even now after all this time, I'm still breaking old diabetic habits but they've taken other forms I think since I started DAFNE. One example is over correcting. I was a right pest for that - so much that, before DAFNE, I was often "boomeranging" up and down. To be fair, I had no idea that correcting within 24 hours after a hypo often would lead to another hypo at that time... but once I did know after doing the DAFNE course, it was a hard habit to break because of my strong... could call it "phobia" of being high (10+ BG). I've managed to break this vicious cycle, but I think the over correcting cycle still goes on even now... but in a different form. I'm regularly in contact with my DAFNE team and they often tell me (because they see me posting on here) that I'm very good at advising others but I don't seem to apply it to myself as very well. I put this down to me often putting others before myself but also the fact that I can be very impatient with myself. I can also be rather prideful, in the way I have trouble asking for help myself. I have found that DAFNE escalates this because I've been known to see it as "I have the tools now, there's no reason for me messing up now!". Of course, I give myself a reality check sometimes but there have been times where I get very frustrated (I will be AMAZED if no one else knows what I mean with this)! For an example of this "other form" of over correcting - I seem to not give myself enough time to work out if my BI is working properly for me. I exercise the 2 day rule for absolutely everything - but I have been told (possibly reminded but I forget!) that I should leave it at least a week before adjusting my BI again. The 2 day rule does apply, but for BI your body needs more time. Makes sense really, but oh well, sometimes working it all out gets a bit cloudy and why I almost always have my guidebook in my bag wherever I go... I just can't remember everything (though I still try )! ANYWAY - the point of this post was to ask you all, have you had any personal diabetic habits to break? Any diabetic habit walls to break down? How has it been going? Successful or still trying to break the habit even now? All tips on tackling these old habits are also welcome of course! I look forward to discussing this with you all. Breaking my old habits (considering I've been diabetic for 21 years since I was 5, I've definitely had some!) has been my biggest issue when it comes to DAFNE I think...

Feb 18, 2011 Widster 23 posts	Topic: General Discussion / What are you reading? Just read both Chris Evans autobiography's which were both enjoyable. Would recommend them. Also, Alan Sugar's autobiography is very good and quite funny at times as he has quite a dry sense of humour. Also good if you are at all interested in business.