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Thanks for the advice guys I'll check the book so, seeing as you are doing so well on it. I won't tell you what my last hbA1c was Crying or Very sad

Jun 13, 2016

Warwick 423 posts

It is impossible to practise a no-carb diet simply because almost all food contains some amount of carb. :-) Low-carb diets tend to have 50-80 grams of carbohydrate in the per day. This amount tends to allow for very stable blood sugars. There is a Facebook group called 'Type 1 Grit', for Type 1 Diabetics who follow the principles outlined in the book. Most of those who belong to the group and are practising low carb diets are enjoying HbA1cs of between 4.5 - 6 with few hypoglycaemic episodes. It is not for everyone, but it works well for some of us. It is well worth reading the book for yourself and deciding whether it is for you or not. I was fairly aghast when I first heard about it, but I came around to the idea and it certainly beats the BGL roller coaster that I experience on a high carb diet. I still use the DAFNE principles too because it is essential to have basal insulin at correct levels for anything to work.

The book is available for Kindle on Amazon.

Jun 13, 2016

neady23 4 posts

Warwick said:
A carb-free meal with protein will usually require a bolus taken with it. For myself, I usually need to dose the same as for carbs, so if I am having 40 grams of protein, then I would take the same amount of insulin. as if I was taking 40 gram of carbs.

I do take issue with the fact that we need carbs as part of our diet. That is not true. We need protein - essential amino acids - and we need fats - essential fatty acids - but there is no such thing as essential carbohydrates. There are many T1 diabetcs successful;y practising extremely low-carb diets. For the 'bible' on this, try reading Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution.

Hey Warwick, I have tried carb free I just can't get the dose right. I always hypo no matter how little insulin I take but will always rise if I take none. But I will try reading the book you recommend. I notice you say many practice low carb diet not no carb diet, therefore there are some carbs. I must give the book a read though would I get it on Amazon?

Jun 13, 2016

Phil Maskell 194 posts

Dr Bernstein's why I am now low carb, avg BG about 5(ish), so much more stable too.

I also find I don't much or any carbs for exercise which is a bonus.

Jun 13, 2016

Warwick 423 posts

A carb-free meal with protein will usually require a bolus taken with it. For myself, I usually need to dose the same as for carbs, so if I am having 40 grams of protein, then I would take the same amount of insulin. as if I was taking 40 gram of carbs.

I do take issue with the fact that we need carbs as part of our diet. That is not true. We need protein - essential amino acids - and we need fats - essential fatty acids - but there is no such thing as essential carbohydrates. There are many T1 diabetcs successful;y practising extremely low-carb diets. For the 'bible' on this, try reading Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution.

Jun 12, 2016

neady23 4 posts

Rachel454 said:
Hi, I'm currently doing my DAFNE course today and yesterday I had the same carb free lunch Ham and Cheese 2 egg Omlette with salad that consisted of lettuce, toms, cucumber, spring onion and beetroot. I've been testing my BG every hour since my lunch and its gradually increasing from 6.5 before my lunch at 2pm it has just reached 13.5! I've not even had any milk in tea or coffee so I'm unsure as to why this could be. I usually take 20 of BI at 12am I did this on Friday however the reason for doing the CP free lunch as I had a suspicion my BI was running out towards 6pm so yesterday evening I did 14u of BI at 12am and a further 6u at 12pm today in the hope it may fix the problem. I realise I can't make a judgment on one day's results but I'm concerned I miss calculated the CP content of my lunch.
Any thoughts welcome!
Thanks Rachel

Hi Rachel I did Dafne nearly 3years ago now and I was advised about carb free lunches. However like yourself I found I wud rise and all I was told was to judge it myself and take insulin accordingly as "some people " find that protein raises the sugars. Well I've 3diabetic friends and they find the exact same thing! My friend was advised by her nurse not to have carbfree meals as you need carbs as part of your diet anyway. We find once we have carbs the protein doesn't need to be counted.

Jun 12, 2016

Chrisk 1 post

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / 12 inch pizza carb

Hi First time poster here. Just done my DAFNE course and it was suggested that with fatty foods such as pizza and chip shop chips that you could try splitting your normal QA dose into two halves and taking the second half about 2 hours later. What this means is that when the first insulin dose has peaked and is dropping the second dose will be rising to deal with the slow release carbs.

I'm trying this combination as I type, so I'll report back on my findings. Smile

Jun 1, 2016

Warwick 423 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Freestyle Libre/ Australia

It was announced a couple of days ago Helen. $95 per sensor and $95 for the reader - https://www.freestylelibre.com.au/all-products Good reviews from those that have tried it. For me, Dexcom G4 still works out cheaper so I will stick to that.

Jun 1, 2016

Warwick 423 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Feeling tired

I'd suggest seeing a GP and getting blood tests done to check for any deficiencies. There are so many possibilities that could cause tiredness and a good GP should be able to help diagnose why.

Jun 1, 2016

Warwick 423 posts

Topic: General Discussion / BI split

What basal insulin are you on Liamstack80?

Jun 1, 2016

Warwick 423 posts

Australia run a program called National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) - https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/NDSS/ - currently administered by Diabetes Australia, but at the end of this month, it will change and be administered by the Pharmacists Guild.

Under the scheme, items such as needles are free, and BG strips are subsidised. 50 BG test strips are $8.20, 100 are $16.50.

As Helen has said, if you need a pump, then either you need to purchase it yourself, or by obtaining private health insurance, they will pay for the cost of purchasing that after a stand-down period, usually one year. Some will also 'loan' you an older pump while you are waiting for the stand down period to end.

Diabetes Australia has state offices and can be worth joining if only for the first year while you get to know how things work in Australia. They administer OZ DAFNE. They also run regular lectures with health professionals which can be excellent. Here in Melbourne, they also coordinate support groups if that interests you.

I am the leader of one of the support groups here in Melbourne, a group of T1Ds who like to exercise. We are called HypoActive - http://hypoactive.org/ and meet on a monthly basis to exercise together and have brunch afterwards at a cafe. You would be very welcome to join us - all levels of fitness are welcome, walking, running, cycling etc.

Feel free to ask any other questions or PM me.

Cheers,
Warwick.

May 30, 2016

Peter 109 posts

Sharon, If you mean the DAFNE Diary then your DAFNE centre will be able to provide them to you (assuming you're a graduate). Alternatively they can be bought from the DAFNE Shop (http://www.dafne.uk.com/DAFNE_Shop-64.html).

May 30, 2016

Alan 49 284 posts

Yes, good luck Steve - I hope it all goes well for you. Please keep us posted.

May 30, 2016

HelenP 218 posts

Hi,
In Australia we have a two tier system. If you can afford it, or for philosophical reasons you choose private health insurance you pay for this. As a single adult with no dependents it costs me about $AUD 2500 per year. The good thing about this is that you choose your doctor, GP, Specialist etc. Example: my GP(my choice) charges me $AUD70 per visit. The government gives me a rebate of a bit over $30. In the beginning the doctors were encouraged to bulk bill which meant that if you went to the doctor he/she charged you exactly what the rebate was and it was just paperwork. However, doctors in wealthier areas decided that their renumeration was not sufficient so they started charging more, and more...you get the picture. Some still charge pensioners a reduced rate but mine does not. My specialist costs a lot more. Not sure but I think each visit actually costs me about $AUD120 (out of pocket). When you are referred to a specialist the first visit is in the vicinity of $AUD440 as it takes time to take a history etc. You get some of this back... as a Medicare rebate. Currently we are in election mode and the Conservative's policy is to continue a freeze of medicare rebates so this means that if the doctors raise their fees the difference will be paid by the patient. The doctors are protesting and declaring their practices will not be viable. The Labor Party is talking removing the freeze ASAP. Budget constraints. You also get a small tax break if you are privately insured..to encourage you to pay for your own health needs. If you opt out then you have to rely on the public system and the few times I have used the hospital system I have been happy with the quality. Most people I know dip in and out of the public system. e.g. if you break your arm at football you can go to the emergency department at the local public hospital and they will X-ray it set it etc or you can go to the private hospital where the waiting time is less but you will pay several hundred for the same service. If you have a serious hypo and are ambulanced to hospital it will be a public hospital unless you state otherwise. If you want to find a GP that bulk bills you will have to search for one yourself. There are a few scattered about (often newly established). You can also choose to go to a diabetic clinic at a public hospital but you wait for a longer time and do not get to see the same doctor whenever you do go. There are advantages in being able to ring up the specialist (called an endocrinologist) at a weeks notice if things go pear shape. If you are hospitalised by your endo. he/she usually nominates the private hospital.

My health fund has just agreed to purchase my second pump...the old one was losing definition on the screen. The cost is quoted as $AUD 9,500...I pay nothing towards the pump but I have to pay $350 to be taught how to use it by a private Credentialed Diabetic Educator. I have also agreed to purchase (myself) a Contour Next Link 2.4 which will talk to my new pump remotely. If I go CGM that will also cost me way more. I will see. The consumables for my current pump cost me about $120 for three months (strips, cartridges, comfort sets) but that obviously depends on how many you use. My insulin comes in 3ml (300U) vials and you can get 25 (5x5) of them on prescription for about $30. I am assuming that as you are a Brit. all thing will be the same but you ought to check. Have you tried Australia House?

If you do take out private insurance there are waiting times before you are eligible. So joining a health fund will not necessarily guarantee you a pump. I believe it depends on the health fund. Finding a suitable health fund is also similar to finding a phone company...!!!

Good luck.

Helen

May 29, 2016

SteveDH 1 post

I am emigrating from UK to Australia in the summer. I'm trying to get information on how diabetic patients are supported in Australia, specifically how diabetes equipment and supplies are arranged in Australia, wondering if there are any users who have knowledge of this? Cool

May 27, 2016

Marsbar63 5 posts

Hi Sharon, not sure what you mean by physical monitoring diary. What is it you actually want to keep a record of?

May 27, 2016

alturn 78 posts

Try the firm who supplied your meter.

J

May 27, 2016

sharon read 1 post