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Apr 14, 2010
mcmillan 8 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Random question!

Can you work out what was in it ? I.e. - how much "fruit" - e.g., 1-2 tablespoons, with everything lumped together ? Anything else ? Try to write it down, then make a decent guess... I have to do the same when my wife makes a fruit tart when we go back to France - I take the CP count of the pastry, plus the number/weight of apples etc on top, and divide it to estimate the CP in what I will eat... (then I keep this as a note in my CP booklet to remind me for next time...).
 
Apr 14, 2010
mcmillan 8 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Advice on sugar levels after exercise

Thanks all - this is a question I was going to ask because I have been having the same problem. I run and play soccer 3-4 times a week and was getting frustrated that my BS was high up to 2-3 hours after. Now I have started injecting 1-2 units QA beforehand and it seems to have solved the problem.
 
Apr 13, 2010
Luggerz 10 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Bubble and Squeek

Does anybody have a carb content for Bubble and Squeek as I'm having trouble counting it.

Cheers
Marc
 
Apr 12, 2010
steve o 5 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Carbs and cals book

I have been trying to buy a copy of the new book called carbs and cals have been on various websites waterstones wh smiths and amazon and they all say book is unavailable although it was released on 31st March i am very confused has any one had any luck getting a copy. I know it is available on the carbs and cals website but is it available any where else?
 
Apr 10, 2010
Simon Heller 46 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Cold Medicines

Hi Lizzie, the only thing I can think of is that there is some sucrose in these preparations and you just need to be aware of the potential effect they might have on your blood glucose. I think your comments about using a hot water bottle are really sensible. By and large manufacturers will want to cover themselves and their advice needs to be interpreted in this light. Simon
 
Apr 9, 2010
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Where you inject matters

That's cool if it works out better for you instead to do that for your hypos. Smile The highest I seem to go with the 2-2 treatment is about 14 usually... which in turn, I also noticed that I tend to be about the same for when I've hypo'd during the night while I was still working out what my body needed over night.

It certainly is funny how the body works! I have also been very frustrated by the option to not adjust after a hypo for 24 hours because of the discomfort being high can cause - it took me a while to break the age old habit of adjusting at the slightest high... gotta let the BI take it down gradually, not the QA rapidly... -_-;; you're going to be high sometimes but with our BI, all will work out again (as long as other stuff is sorted too of course). One day of being high isn't half as bad as being high for, say, a month - it's the longer periods that do the damage - I hope that helps you feel a bit better about it possibly... Smile

While I think of it, another pointer I picked up on at my last DAFNE from a chap who did regular exercise (football playing mostly though - his BG results were remarkably good but he wasn't long diagnosed which may be an involved factor) - he said that if he had taken too much insulin for a meal, he could tell a hypo was coming before the symptoms hit by testing at the 4th hour of the insulin working - the BG results being lower than what would be considered reasonable. This may be something you could look at as well but I am unsure how reliable it is. I have mostly been applying it when I have doubts about my meal CP which hasn't been too often.

Glad to hear it's working out better for you now anyway... keep up the good work. Smile
 
Apr 9, 2010
Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Where you inject matters

Thanks for the feedback - very useful. Regarding the treatment of hypos: I've never found it necessary to have the recommended 2 CPs of medium-acting carbs as well as the 2 fast-acting portions. I used to use hypos as an excuse to 'pig-out' on things ususally forbidden - chocolates etc, but I found that the resuilting BG tests were way too high, so I now keep it to 2CPs - or 3 if it's a bad one. That seems to work for me.
I have to admit that in February I was trying hard to keep my BGs 'withing target'; obviously I was trying too hard and getting lots of 'below 4' tests. I have since (as Marke suggests) reduced my BI by one unit and I've not been so stringent with my QA injections. Consequenlty, my BGs are running a bit on the high side.
I agree with JWo that the DAFNE guidelines are just recommendations - not rules.
Thankfully, the night-time hypos haven't occurred since.
 
Apr 8, 2010
andrewlc 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus and Apidra

You definitely can for apidra. I got given cartridges once by mistake instead of solostar pens.
 
Apr 8, 2010
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Where you inject matters

Considering quite a few of the low results are over an hour before a meal, it's fair comment to consider the extra CPs - especially when exercise is involved.

I hypo at work for taking lots of calls on a busy phone line while sitting (eg, no 'exercise' that's noted in the guidebook!) so I know it can be very awkward to work out how much to eat to prevent hypos - it's because of my experiences that I'm able to think out side the box and remember that the DAFNE guide book is JUST A GUIDE. On top of this - once you've had a hypo, this can make you prone to them for the next 24 hours which is probably causing a knock on effect generally for Alan's situation.

With this, your taken opportunity for a bit of nick picking with the hypo stuff came across as a bit condescending with me, just so you know marke.

If the concern is with the overnight stuff, I do recommend setting an alarm and doing a 3am night test considering it should be only your BI working at that point... even more so that your dinner tends to be around 7pm-7.30pm when your insulin probably hasn't finished working before 12midnight (I have to count 5 hours for my QA (humalog)... you should keep in mind what your QA working time is as well)... so when you do your test at 11pm, it's unlikely that you're getting a true picture of your BG.

With that, good luck with your pattern finding Alan. I've been there with the over night stuff myself. You'll work it out. Smile

Just to add, I was told the "Dawn Phenomenon" was a rare thing by my DAFNE nurse - not a 'most people' thing... and that it doesn't tend to be a 'one off' occurrence like this example, either.
 
Apr 8, 2010
marke 681 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Where you inject matters

much as I hate to be a swat the handbook says this . Which is not exactly the same as you seem to have been told regarding hypos. That said I totally agree with everything else you say ;-)

My take Alan is maybe your nighttime BI is too high, you seem to be low most mornings and a fair bit higher the night before. If you don't have any CP's before bed then the BI should keep you roughly the same and you seem to be dropping a lot, especially as most people tend to be higher in the mornings due to the dawn phennomeon. This of course is the view of a fellow DAFNE Grad and not a HCP. I would check with your DAFNE Educators what they think about your readings.
 
Apr 8, 2010
Sam 64 posts

Topic: General Discussion / laser eye treatment

just noticed your post have emailed you back

s x
 
Apr 8, 2010
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Where you inject matters

I haven't noticed it to these sort of extremes but I have known for a long time that some areas are slower than others.

From my understanding:
Fastest is arms (often straight to muscle)
Second is tummy
Third is legs (depending on exercise though, if you inject and then run, your insulin works better as typical insulin behaviour to exercise)
Bum cheeks are the slowest.

Sometimes you have to also consider the possibility of lumps you may not be aware of because that can affect the timing of your insulin - or just simply the effect of exercise on the insulin you still had working at the time of exercise.

Do you apply the DAFNE rules regarding exercise or even hypos? Some of your decisions in reference to some of your results (treating a hypo with just 2 CP instead of 2 fast CP and 2 regular CPs for example - and adjusting after a hypo when you shouldn't be) puzzle me so I'm not sure what else to advise.
 
Apr 8, 2010
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE and Employers

I showed my employer the course letter and after the HR department researched a bit more about DAFNE, I got the okay for 3 special leave days if I agreed to take the rest as holiday. I agreed.

One thing that annoyed me though was the fact the manager who gave me the okay for special leave had to ask me why I had not asked sooner - I can't help not knowing about it! ¬_¬
 
Apr 8, 2010
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / What do you carry your diabetes stuff in?

I keep everything inside a large bathroom/make-up bag.
All my needles are in a pencil case... Have a two pen holder thing for my insulin pens and everything else just goes in as they are.
 
Apr 8, 2010
JayBee 587 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Lantus Lasting 24 hours?

I'm someone who used to take ... golly, it's been a while but I think I was on 18 units when I was on one BI injection a day... and I found everyday I was around 15 BG in the afternoon after starting DAFNE. It took DAFNE to pick up this and now after splitting my Lantus dose to 6 BI at 10pm and 9 BI at around 7am-7.30am... my control has stablised quite nicely.

It frightens me to think I've been taking the wrong amount with out splitting it for years. Sad

As a result - Lantus so does not work for 24 hours for all... and for me, it works 16 hours which last I heard was about an hour under the estimated minimum working time. I happy to hear that the split dose change is also working well for you too.

Took me a while to work out my dose amounts on that note - I was hypoing in the night for a while because a half split was too much for my over night amount.... I need the over lap in the morning I find, but working out the doses was annoying with the continuous 3am checking! >_<
 
Apr 8, 2010
DavidJ 23 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE and Employers

Hi,
My employer (Mono Pumps in Manchester - about 400 employees) allowed me to have the week off with pay. I was on nights for the follow up and booked a holiday.
Dave
 
Apr 7, 2010
Lizzie 87 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Cold Medicines

I have a bad cold. So far so good (cross fingers), no ketones and blood sugars under control. But I was going to have something to ease the symptoms as I don't really want to take time off work. I know there is no medicine that cures a cold and you just need to wait for it to run its course. But it would be easier to work without blocked ears, stuffy head and bunged up nose.

But all the decongestant type medicines I checked say either not to take if diabetic or to ask your doctor. I get why cough medicine would say that, and have got some sugar free stuff. But why do things like Lemsip or Beechams say it? Surely there is no sugar in those? What effect could they have on my diabetes? Does anyone know? Is it a risk I can take? I know some products like hot water bottles say the same, but the reason for that is obvious (neuropathy), I have good feeling in my feet and know not to make them too hot, so I can use them. So I want to know is it something like that, where the manufacturers are just saying it to cover themselves? Or is there a real reason for it?
 
Apr 6, 2010
christine gregg 3 posts

Topic: General Discussion / laser eye treatment

would love to hear from anyone who has had laser treatment for retinopathy. Just recently had it and was also told I may need an op for cattaracts.

Christine
 
Apr 6, 2010
charlotte77 11 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Home Made Meals

Hi Marc

I can highly recommend the Food and Diet Counter (little yellow book, published by Hamlyn and written by Dr Wynnie Chan) which was recommended to my DAFNE group. It covers pretty much everything. The ISBN number is 0600607097. There are one or two typos (which may be corrected in more up to date versions) I remember our dietitian advising us that porridge was incorrect!

Charlotte
 
Apr 4, 2010
Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Where you inject matters

Until recently, it had heen several years since I last had a night-time hypo, but in February, I had two. On the evening of the 25th, my BG before bed was 14.2 - unusually high for me - so as well as my normal dose of BI, I had one unit of QA. At around 3am I had a bad hypo - requiring assistance from my wife. I could see no reason for this hypo, so I assumed it was 'one of those things'.
A few nights later (on the 27th) my BG before bed was 10.0 - but I did not take any corrective QA. I awoke at 3:45am covered in sweat and when I tested my BG, I was 3.6 and was able to take some corrective carbs.
This was now a real concern. I looked at my BG diary, and noticed that I normally inject in the stomach area before dinner, but on these two occasions I had injected into my thighs. I raised this at the 1-year DAFNE review and was told that insulin injected into the legs takes longer to become active and that this could explain my night-time hypos.
Since then I have injected in the stomach before dinner and have had no further night-time problems.
It seems, that for me, where I inject really does matter. I was not aware of this before. Has anyone else noticed this?
 
Apr 4, 2010
PPS North Stand 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE and Employers

Hello
This is my first posting after graduating from DAFNE during the February half-term........there you go February half-term!!!......... working in a school, there is very little likelihood of schools releasing teachers for a DAFNE course as they have to pay for cover (£180 - £200 per day). Hence I and other school based employees HAVE to do it in holiday time.
 
Mar 31, 2010
marke 681 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / DAFNE On Line Mobile

Kate, perhaps you could encourage your educators to sign up as well ! I was asked to add Bromley PCT in a hurry so they could generated centre codes for their graduates and as usual no Educator has signed up just graduate(s). YOU need a centre code to access the online handbook, which is why we need an educator to sign up to generate one.

I'm glad you like the mobile site, any improvements you can suggest please feel free to let us know.