Recent Posts - DAFNE Online

Oct 29, 2009

Lynne 8 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / Mobile site released

OMG, I really think this could make all the difference to me!! I never carry my diary and have generally been rubbish for months now - I'm really inspired now to 'start again'!!

Oct 29, 2009

Lynne 8 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Help me - I'm rubbish!!

Meant to say that I'm really hoping that the online blood glucose diary will help me!!

Oct 29, 2009

Lynne 8 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Help me - I'm rubbish!!

Hi all - just joined today so please be kind!

I did the DAFNE training in May and I thought it was brilliant - really easy and more importantly it actually works!

But I have a severe case of the 'can't be bothereds'!! I know what to do, I'm just not doing it.

I need a major kick! Is there hope for me??

Oct 29, 2009

Tracey Bond 14 posts

Topic: Questions for HCPs / Rising morning BG knowing the 'Dawn' Phenomenon is not present

Hi Everyone

I have recently been doing throught the night and early morning BG tests and have discovered that a rising morning blood sugar after morning Lantus at 7.30 am and before breakfast at 10.00am ish not due to our friend 'Dawn'. Can anyone explain what else it might be, if all other areas seem ok, ie. ratios, morning Lantus checked with CHO free lunch etc.

Thanks in advance.

Tracey x

Oct 28, 2009

john day 54 posts

Topic: Site Development / Recipes

Sounds a great idea to encourage the trying out of new meals, with the added attraction that Meal CP is already calculated for a sized portion.

As far as the CP calculation itself for a â€˜home cookedâ€™ meal, the Meal CP Estimator form (which some of you already have had from me) seems to work well when my partner Pat makes a â€˜from basicsâ€™ meal with lots of ingredients.

The form helps ensure all ingredients are correctly taken account of and prevents CP calculations from being pencilled on Patâ€™s recipe booksâ€¦ not a good idea I am informed!

If the recipes were perhaps structured in a similar manner, showing ingredient CPs, cooks using could adjust the mixture to their own preference and easily see the impact on the overall CP.

Could well, however, be best to start simple, as Sam suggests, and see how much enthusiasm there is out there and enhance if required.

Bearing in mind the old 80/20% rule, to make it fly perhaps the submission of a new recipe should be a condition of membership of Dafne Online. But Beans on Toast should probably not count even for us mere males.

Food for thought! Cheers, John

Oct 28, 2009

Nick Sproston 5 posts

Topic: General Discussion / I would appreciate anybody's help!

Hi
Yea i agree with mark
You should let her diabetic support team now she could attend at short notice if this is the case.
I did just that and got a call the following week as somebody had to drop out.
good luck

Oct 28, 2009

Nick Sproston 5 posts

Topic: Site Development / Recipes

Hi
This sounds like an excellent idea.
I will have to keep my eye on this thread to see how it progreses

Oct 28, 2009

Sam 64 posts

Topic: Site Development / Recipes

Cool! I don't think it needs to be anything too fancy. Have a Sticky saying Recipes and a dialogue box similar to this where we can for example

Chicken Pie

Ingredients:
write your ingredients here

Nutrition Information:
write your CP values here

Directions:
write how to make .....here

as basic as mentioned above. If anyone else has suggestions as to layout etc feel free.

Looking forward to trying out some different food, mind and add the puddings!!!

Sam x

Oct 28, 2009

marke 681 posts

Topic: General Discussion / I would appreciate anybody's help!

hi, you don't say what area you are in but I guess the circumstances are largely the same in most areas. I would suggest you or her speak to her Diabetes support team and make sure they let the DAFNE Educators in your area know that she is available to attend at short notice, if she can. People often 'drop out' of a course before it starts and places have to be filled by whoever is available. This is how I got on the DAFNE Course.
I would also suggest you check out Diabetes UK, they run single day courses for Diabetics that provide Diabetes education and this may help in the same way as DAFNE, in that you get to spend a day with people who understand exactly what you are going through because they are going through the same thing as well. Its not as good as DAFNE however they are easier to attend than the DAFNE Course.
I know it doesn't help but she is not the only one to behave like this, I have met many many people with a similiar story. The key is being prepared to change and take the condition seriously. Its never too late to do this and there are plenty of other
diabetics who are willing to support and help your friend, both on this site and at Diabetes UK.

Oct 28, 2009

marke 681 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Dawn Phenomenon

Hi Sam, Well to be honest All I have done so far is reduce my BI by 1 unit. I will leave this a while and then think about what to do next. The secret to it all is take your time and don't expect instant results. A few high readings for a while is not going to do any long term damage. Its better to take it slowly and get it right.
I would also wait and see what your consultant says, hopefully they are DAFNE aware and understand how you are managing your Diabetes. The thing about the 'dawn phenomenon' is like all other aspects of Diabetes it will vary from person to person.
I also note you are taking metformin which suggests you have a degree on insulin resistance. Unfortunately this I would guess could be causing issues. I am NOT a HCP, however having been on steriods this year and seeing the bizzare effects that they had on my BG's I know that insulin resistance is not a straight forward 'even' factor in BG's. Thats why its probably better to get the advice of experts, although it does no harm to ask for advice here. You will get support if nothing else on here.

Oct 28, 2009

marke 681 posts

Topic: Site Development / Recipes

hi, yes its possible, we just need to think about how to implement it. Perhaps people could discuss it a bit more in this forum thread and firm up a bit more on what is required. If we have a good idea on what is required we will be more than happy to implement it. The site is here to meet users needs, so if people want recipies we will give it a go. On one condition, no one asks
us to cook them ourselves ;^)

Oct 28, 2009

Sam 64 posts

Topic: Site Development / Recipes

Good show - eh Simon or Marke is this feasible?

Sam x

Oct 28, 2009

Karen Westwood 38 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Forever chasing my tail - Any suggestions please

Liz

Don't forget to post again to let us know how you got on. It may take a few weeks (or even months) but you will get there eventually.

Good luck!!!

Karen x

Oct 28, 2009

Karen Westwood 38 posts

Topic: Site Development / Recipes

Hi Sam,

That sounds like a really great idea. I'm sure most of us get in a bit of a rut with the food we eat - just because its easier!

If there was somewhere that we could add recipes that are already calculated in CP values that would be great.

Karen x

Oct 28, 2009

Tracey Bond 14 posts

Topic: Site Development / Recipes

Hi Sam. It sounds like a fantastic idea. Eating the same thing because we are all too afraid to try something new is common I'm sure to all of us. Go for it!!

Tracey x

Oct 27, 2009

LizB 23 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Forever chasing my tail - Any suggestions please

Hi Karen

First, thank you so much for your helpful, understanding and reassuring response.

I have to admit I've been so frustrated with it all that I have been in total "tiz" mode and have been making a lot of changes, as you say. It really hadn't occurred to me to try a longer term approach before making additional or alternative changes (unless hypo of course), I've been expecting results within a day or two!! I will try your suggestions (gradually!!) and also try my DAFNE team if I'm still not making any progress.

Congratulations on your weight loss by the way, that's amazing!

Thanks again.

Liz

Oct 27, 2009

Sam 64 posts

Topic: Site Development / Recipes

This may sound really naff but how would folk feel about sharing homemade recipes or just recipes? I make alot of homemade meals and have calculated my portions etc. I get bored eating the same thing and thought it would be nice to try something different, someone else cooking. Having a topic for this would be cool but if I'm just a sad git then hey don't worry about it!!

Sam x

Oct 27, 2009

Sam 64 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Dawn Phenomenon

Hi Marke,
I read that paragraph re Dawn Phenomenon on this site few weeks ago and did some re search into it. Pretty much everyone on agreement that it's hormones! I took Traceys advice and did a 3am check definately not hypoing through the night. With all the excercise I've been doing I'm reducing insulin by 30% and not suffering hypos either which is good. I guess it's trial and error seeing what works and what not.

I tend to get up at 5:45am just wondering if I should follow the advice by taking correction doses at 5am or hold off till next week and speak to my consultant. They do come down fairly quickly it's not like I'm chasing them all day. Oh the joys eh!! Out if interest what have you done in terms of your highs in the morning?

Sam x

Oct 27, 2009

Karen Westwood 38 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Forever chasing my tail - Any suggestions please

Hi Liz,

You do seem to be having a bit of a problem at the moment. Your results look a bit like mine did pre DAFNE. I know how frustrating it can be.

I think your best bet really is to get in touch with your DAFNE educators and ask them for a bit of advice. I don't know whether everyone has the same systems in place but I usually send a copy of my results by e-mail to the DAFNE educators from my course and they usually reply within about 24 hours. I must say I don't know what I would do without them - it is just so nice to have them there to ask a question when I need to.

A couple of things that I have noted is that you seem to be doing lots of changes all at the same time over the last couple of days. You have decreased/increased both of your BI and changed your ratios all at the same time. I know it is hard to do just one thing at once when you see such fluctuations in your results but from my past experience I think that trying to get your BI correct first is maybe the best. I did a few skipped meals over the course of a couple of weeks to see whether my BI was at the correct level and once I was happy that my BI was keeping me pretty steady (without any food or QA insulin) I then moved onto working on my ratios for each meal (one at a time).

You seem to have the same problem as myself in that a high BG result generally follows a hypo but you seem to be doing OK with that and not correcting the high results. The only thing I did notice was that maybe you are having too much hypo treatment sometimes and this may be some of the cause of the high BG later. I usually just have a carton of pure orange juice which seems to do the trick.

The only other idea I had was maybe if you weighed some of your food for a couple of weeks - just to check whether your CP estimations are correct.

I have lost over 4 stone since I did my DAFNE course and so just when I feel I get sorted with the correct insulin I end up having to reduce everything again and start from scratch!!! Very frustrating!!!

I was surprised how long it took to get there but it is worth it when you get more 'on targets' than 'above' and 'below'.

Hope you manage to sort things out soon.

Karen x

Oct 27, 2009

Pedro 2 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Glucotabs: Where they can be found?

Hello Sue,
Don't think they are. I have the (vague) recollection of one of the instructors at DAFNE mentioning that they weren't.

Pedro

Oct 27, 2009

Teebs 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / I would appreciate anybody's help!

Hi everyone,

the following may come across as a bit random but please read through and any help you could give me would be sincerely appreciated.

I have a very good friend who is close to my heart who has diabetes (type 1 i believe) - until approximately 6 months ago her compliance with insulin was very poor, having hypos regularly, she seemed somewhat in denial! I took the initiative to sit her down and give her a 'good talking to' about the fact that she needed to be the best she could with her diabetes so that she didn't jepodise her life. You must understand that we were in a relationship back then (but not now) and she listened to everyword i said when i nearly shouted at her saying that she needed to sort her diabetes out quick time!

The DAFNE course was mentioned as a way of getting a great idea of how to regulate carb counting etc but i don't (by any stretch) know the in's and out's of it. I made sure that she got on the waiting list but i was quite shocked to find out that it was around 2yrs.

As a friend and someone who means a great deal to me, i got her a present for her birthday in late september but i never gave it to her, saying it was a suprise and it was going to be very late in arriving - my present to her is to try my very best to speak to someone who deals with the DAFNE waiting list and see if they would push her up the list to get seen in a shorter amount of time. It would mean the world to me to see her get seen quicker than 2yrs and im sure she would never realise it was me who sorted it for her - the way i want it to be.

My name is Tommie and her name is Christina, thank you for taking the time to read my little story and i hope that someone can put me in the right direction to speak to someone who would be able to help me even further

Thanks again

Oct 26, 2009

LizB 23 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Forever chasing my tail - Any suggestions please

Hi all

Can anybody help me out here? It seems like I'm forever chasing my tail trying to get BGs in target. Above target or below target is easy peasey but on target is nearly impossible!

Can anyone see anything to work with here? The only "typical" thing about any of my results seem to be variety, randomness, high BGs and low BGs Sad

Hopefully you guys will be able to see something that I haven't been able to see.

For background: Insulin is Levemir and Novorapid. I'm 39, have been diabetic for 36 years, trying (so far unsuccessfully) to gain control of my diabetes Surprised

)

Oct 26, 2009

Vince 2 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Parsnips

I think it was ok but i had to estimate everything as i forgot my cp book and not easy to weigh food as i was out.


Oct 29, 2009 Lynne 8 posts	Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / Mobile site released OMG, I really think this could make all the difference to me!! I never carry my diary and have generally been rubbish for months now - I'm really inspired now to 'start again'!!

Oct 29, 2009 Lynne 8 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Help me - I'm rubbish!! Meant to say that I'm really hoping that the online blood glucose diary will help me!!

Oct 29, 2009 Lynne 8 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Help me - I'm rubbish!! Hi all - just joined today so please be kind! I did the DAFNE training in May and I thought it was brilliant - really easy and more importantly it actually works! But I have a severe case of the 'can't be bothereds'!! I know what to do, I'm just not doing it. I need a major kick! Is there hope for me??

Oct 29, 2009 Tracey Bond 14 posts	Topic: Questions for HCPs / Rising morning BG knowing the 'Dawn' Phenomenon is not present Hi Everyone I have recently been doing throught the night and early morning BG tests and have discovered that a rising morning blood sugar after morning Lantus at 7.30 am and before breakfast at 10.00am ish not due to our friend 'Dawn'. Can anyone explain what else it might be, if all other areas seem ok, ie. ratios, morning Lantus checked with CHO free lunch etc. Thanks in advance. Tracey x

Oct 28, 2009 john day 54 posts	Topic: Site Development / Recipes Sounds a great idea to encourage the trying out of new meals, with the added attraction that Meal CP is already calculated for a sized portion. As far as the CP calculation itself for a â€˜home cookedâ€™ meal, the Meal CP Estimator form (which some of you already have had from me) seems to work well when my partner Pat makes a â€˜from basicsâ€™ meal with lots of ingredients. The form helps ensure all ingredients are correctly taken account of and prevents CP calculations from being pencilled on Patâ€™s recipe booksâ€¦ not a good idea I am informed! If the recipes were perhaps structured in a similar manner, showing ingredient CPs, cooks using could adjust the mixture to their own preference and easily see the impact on the overall CP. Could well, however, be best to start simple, as Sam suggests, and see how much enthusiasm there is out there and enhance if required. Bearing in mind the old 80/20% rule, to make it fly perhaps the submission of a new recipe should be a condition of membership of Dafne Online. But Beans on Toast should probably not count even for us mere males. Food for thought! Cheers, John

Oct 28, 2009 Nick Sproston 5 posts	Topic: General Discussion / I would appreciate anybody's help! Hi Yea i agree with mark You should let her diabetic support team now she could attend at short notice if this is the case. I did just that and got a call the following week as somebody had to drop out. good luck

Oct 28, 2009 Nick Sproston 5 posts	Topic: Site Development / Recipes Hi This sounds like an excellent idea. I will have to keep my eye on this thread to see how it progreses

Oct 28, 2009 Sam 64 posts	Topic: Site Development / Recipes Cool! I don't think it needs to be anything too fancy. Have a Sticky saying Recipes and a dialogue box similar to this where we can for example Chicken Pie Ingredients: write your ingredients here Nutrition Information: write your CP values here Directions: write how to make .....here as basic as mentioned above. If anyone else has suggestions as to layout etc feel free. Looking forward to trying out some different food, mind and add the puddings!!! Sam x

Oct 28, 2009 marke 681 posts	Topic: General Discussion / I would appreciate anybody's help! hi, you don't say what area you are in but I guess the circumstances are largely the same in most areas. I would suggest you or her speak to her Diabetes support team and make sure they let the DAFNE Educators in your area know that she is available to attend at short notice, if she can. People often 'drop out' of a course before it starts and places have to be filled by whoever is available. This is how I got on the DAFNE Course. I would also suggest you check out Diabetes UK, they run single day courses for Diabetics that provide Diabetes education and this may help in the same way as DAFNE, in that you get to spend a day with people who understand exactly what you are going through because they are going through the same thing as well. Its not as good as DAFNE however they are easier to attend than the DAFNE Course. I know it doesn't help but she is not the only one to behave like this, I have met many many people with a similiar story. The key is being prepared to change and take the condition seriously. Its never too late to do this and there are plenty of other diabetics who are willing to support and help your friend, both on this site and at Diabetes UK.

Oct 28, 2009 marke 681 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Dawn Phenomenon Hi Sam, Well to be honest All I have done so far is reduce my BI by 1 unit. I will leave this a while and then think about what to do next. The secret to it all is take your time and don't expect instant results. A few high readings for a while is not going to do any long term damage. Its better to take it slowly and get it right. I would also wait and see what your consultant says, hopefully they are DAFNE aware and understand how you are managing your Diabetes. The thing about the 'dawn phenomenon' is like all other aspects of Diabetes it will vary from person to person. I also note you are taking metformin which suggests you have a degree on insulin resistance. Unfortunately this I would guess could be causing issues. I am NOT a HCP, however having been on steriods this year and seeing the bizzare effects that they had on my BG's I know that insulin resistance is not a straight forward 'even' factor in BG's. Thats why its probably better to get the advice of experts, although it does no harm to ask for advice here. You will get support if nothing else on here.

Oct 28, 2009 marke 681 posts	Topic: Site Development / Recipes hi, yes its possible, we just need to think about how to implement it. Perhaps people could discuss it a bit more in this forum thread and firm up a bit more on what is required. If we have a good idea on what is required we will be more than happy to implement it. The site is here to meet users needs, so if people want recipies we will give it a go. On one condition, no one asks us to cook them ourselves ;^)

Oct 28, 2009 Sam 64 posts	Topic: Site Development / Recipes Good show - eh Simon or Marke is this feasible? Sam x

Oct 28, 2009 Karen Westwood 38 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Forever chasing my tail - Any suggestions please Liz Don't forget to post again to let us know how you got on. It may take a few weeks (or even months) but you will get there eventually. Good luck!!! Karen x

Oct 28, 2009 Karen Westwood 38 posts	Topic: Site Development / Recipes Hi Sam, That sounds like a really great idea. I'm sure most of us get in a bit of a rut with the food we eat - just because its easier! If there was somewhere that we could add recipes that are already calculated in CP values that would be great. Karen x

Oct 28, 2009 Tracey Bond 14 posts	Topic: Site Development / Recipes Hi Sam. It sounds like a fantastic idea. Eating the same thing because we are all too afraid to try something new is common I'm sure to all of us. Go for it!! Tracey x

Oct 27, 2009 LizB 23 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Forever chasing my tail - Any suggestions please Hi Karen First, thank you so much for your helpful, understanding and reassuring response. I have to admit I've been so frustrated with it all that I have been in total "tiz" mode and have been making a lot of changes, as you say. It really hadn't occurred to me to try a longer term approach before making additional or alternative changes (unless hypo of course), I've been expecting results within a day or two!! I will try your suggestions (gradually!!) and also try my DAFNE team if I'm still not making any progress. Congratulations on your weight loss by the way, that's amazing! Thanks again. Liz

Oct 27, 2009 Sam 64 posts	Topic: Site Development / Recipes This may sound really naff but how would folk feel about sharing homemade recipes or just recipes? I make alot of homemade meals and have calculated my portions etc. I get bored eating the same thing and thought it would be nice to try something different, someone else cooking. Having a topic for this would be cool but if I'm just a sad git then hey don't worry about it!! Sam x

Oct 27, 2009 Sam 64 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Dawn Phenomenon Hi Marke, I read that paragraph re Dawn Phenomenon on this site few weeks ago and did some re search into it. Pretty much everyone on agreement that it's hormones! I took Traceys advice and did a 3am check definately not hypoing through the night. With all the excercise I've been doing I'm reducing insulin by 30% and not suffering hypos either which is good. I guess it's trial and error seeing what works and what not. I tend to get up at 5:45am just wondering if I should follow the advice by taking correction doses at 5am or hold off till next week and speak to my consultant. They do come down fairly quickly it's not like I'm chasing them all day. Oh the joys eh!! Out if interest what have you done in terms of your highs in the morning? Sam x

Oct 27, 2009 Karen Westwood 38 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Forever chasing my tail - Any suggestions please Hi Liz, You do seem to be having a bit of a problem at the moment. Your results look a bit like mine did pre DAFNE. I know how frustrating it can be. I think your best bet really is to get in touch with your DAFNE educators and ask them for a bit of advice. I don't know whether everyone has the same systems in place but I usually send a copy of my results by e-mail to the DAFNE educators from my course and they usually reply within about 24 hours. I must say I don't know what I would do without them - it is just so nice to have them there to ask a question when I need to. A couple of things that I have noted is that you seem to be doing lots of changes all at the same time over the last couple of days. You have decreased/increased both of your BI and changed your ratios all at the same time. I know it is hard to do just one thing at once when you see such fluctuations in your results but from my past experience I think that trying to get your BI correct first is maybe the best. I did a few skipped meals over the course of a couple of weeks to see whether my BI was at the correct level and once I was happy that my BI was keeping me pretty steady (without any food or QA insulin) I then moved onto working on my ratios for each meal (one at a time). You seem to have the same problem as myself in that a high BG result generally follows a hypo but you seem to be doing OK with that and not correcting the high results. The only thing I did notice was that maybe you are having too much hypo treatment sometimes and this may be some of the cause of the high BG later. I usually just have a carton of pure orange juice which seems to do the trick. The only other idea I had was maybe if you weighed some of your food for a couple of weeks - just to check whether your CP estimations are correct. I have lost over 4 stone since I did my DAFNE course and so just when I feel I get sorted with the correct insulin I end up having to reduce everything again and start from scratch!!! Very frustrating!!! I was surprised how long it took to get there but it is worth it when you get more 'on targets' than 'above' and 'below'. Hope you manage to sort things out soon. Karen x

Oct 27, 2009 Pedro 2 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Glucotabs: Where they can be found? Hello Sue, Don't think they are. I have the (vague) recollection of one of the instructors at DAFNE mentioning that they weren't. Pedro

Oct 27, 2009 Teebs 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / I would appreciate anybody's help! Hi everyone, the following may come across as a bit random but please read through and any help you could give me would be sincerely appreciated. I have a very good friend who is close to my heart who has diabetes (type 1 i believe) - until approximately 6 months ago her compliance with insulin was very poor, having hypos regularly, she seemed somewhat in denial! I took the initiative to sit her down and give her a 'good talking to' about the fact that she needed to be the best she could with her diabetes so that she didn't jepodise her life. You must understand that we were in a relationship back then (but not now) and she listened to everyword i said when i nearly shouted at her saying that she needed to sort her diabetes out quick time! The DAFNE course was mentioned as a way of getting a great idea of how to regulate carb counting etc but i don't (by any stretch) know the in's and out's of it. I made sure that she got on the waiting list but i was quite shocked to find out that it was around 2yrs. As a friend and someone who means a great deal to me, i got her a present for her birthday in late september but i never gave it to her, saying it was a suprise and it was going to be very late in arriving - my present to her is to try my very best to speak to someone who deals with the DAFNE waiting list and see if they would push her up the list to get seen in a shorter amount of time. It would mean the world to me to see her get seen quicker than 2yrs and im sure she would never realise it was me who sorted it for her - the way i want it to be. My name is Tommie and her name is Christina, thank you for taking the time to read my little story and i hope that someone can put me in the right direction to speak to someone who would be able to help me even further Thanks again

Oct 26, 2009 LizB 23 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Forever chasing my tail - Any suggestions please Hi all Can anybody help me out here? It seems like I'm forever chasing my tail trying to get BGs in target. Above target or below target is easy peasey but on target is nearly impossible! Can anyone see anything to work with here? The only "typical" thing about any of my results seem to be variety, randomness, high BGs and low BGs Hopefully you guys will be able to see something that I haven't been able to see. For background: Insulin is Levemir and Novorapid. I'm 39, have been diabetic for 36 years, trying (so far unsuccessfully) to gain control of my diabetes )

Oct 26, 2009 Vince 2 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Parsnips I think it was ok but i had to estimate everything as i forgot my cp book and not easy to weigh food as i was out.