Recent Posts by Garry
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328 posts found
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Dec 13, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / My HbA1c Knew that I could rely on you all to review.We need accept the new units as in the future this is the way that all Path Labs - worldwide, will report. Thank You whiskysmum and novarapidboi26 for your valued input. Have a table.....when I can put my hand on it....that we can use as a reference From http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Monitoring/Blood_glucose/Glycated_haemoglobin_HbA1c_and_fructosamine/HbA1c-Standardisation-Information-for-Laboratory-Professionals/ Quote:- How do old and new relate? The relationship between the new IFCC reference method and the current “DCCT aligned†assays has been stable over several years. When HbA1c results are expressed as % haemoglobin, the equation describing the relationship is: IFCC-HbA1c (mmol/mol) = [DCCT-HbA1c (%) - 2.15] x 10.929  A guide to the new values expressed as mmol/mol is: Current DCCT aligned HbA1c(%) New IFCC HbA1c (mmol/mol) 4.0 - 20 5.0 - 31 6.0 - 42 6.5 - 48 7.0 - 53 7.5 - 58 8.0 - 64 9.0 - 75 10.0 - 86 What are the targets in new units? The equivalent of the current DCCT HbA1c targets of 6.5% and 7.5% are 48mmol/mol and 58mmol/mol in the new units, with the non-diabetic reference range of 4.0% to 6.0% being 20 mmol/mol to 42 mmol/mol. End of Quote from diabetes.org.uk. Hope that registers with us all.......... It is just a straight forward conversion using some constants...........If you are anything like me.....Keep It Simple Stupid......the KISS principal for all Engineers...use the table! I'm sure the gentleman in the know would be able to incorporate this formula for HbA1c conversion within the apps to enable showing either value in record keeping. Best Wishes to us all for Christmas  Garry |
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Dec 12, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / My Diabetic Review Must admit our consultant said during our post DAFNE training that his approach was to change BI by 20% to see confirmed results within a few days.So -4u may not not in fact be too radical. Regards Garry |
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Dec 2, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / My HbA1c We need to get used to using the new numbers for HbA1C.What about some encouragement for you to use them - just a bit of fun - who can tell me in old numbers my HbA1Cs since I did DAFNE? 11/11/2009......................................61 08/04/2010......................................52 22/07/2010......................................53 12/10/2010......................................54 15/11/2011......................................52 Regards  Garry |
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Dec 2, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Changing of Needles/BG Meters Have been to see our team of HCPs here and whilst there asked about the JAZZ meter.They had no experience of it. It has not been promoted here and it may be that nobody in this area is using it. Regards Garry |
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Nov 24, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Hi BG I noticed that Marke, in one of the other recent threads, mentioned insulin resistance when steroids have been used. So he may have had a similar experience. Suggest you make your BI changes in a progressive way allowing perhaps 3 days between alterations - gives time for it to work through your system.Stick with it  Regards Garry |
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Nov 21, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / What would you do...... Always have a spare QA pen in the cupboard...except for now!Using the Lilly Humapen Memoir for Humalog (with dose memory display) and when the battery of my usual pen clapped out I had to press the spare into service. When I contacted Lilly in September to supply a new spare, I discovered that they are in the process of bringing out a new type of pen and cannot supply any service at this time. So I will have to hope that this one lasts until March 2012 when they release the new type. Good thing is that this pen still can be used as a manual type....but I can imagine it being quite difficult to use in this way, as I’m a bit deaf and counting the pen clicks whilst turning the dose adjustment, would not be straightforward for me. Lilly support has been first class and I was surprised that they had no stock of old pens left with another 6 months to go.  I also always keep a bag of disposable syringes too for QA which I can use as last resort. My BI pens are disposable, so no problem there. Meltow....you sound like a true Yorkshireman. Have to admit though to using the manual forerunner of the pen that I use now for 3 or 4 years generally before breaking them somehow. Regards Garry |
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Nov 17, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Adjusting my doses help Welcome to the forum Please do not be overly concerned that things are awry at the moment....they will sort themselves out once you are able to steady things up. Two off-target days are no big deal and it may simply be due to having an infection. However in your situation you can not have enough information to help make informed choices. So can I suggest that you need to do more testing, especially when starting out with this new way of looking at things. DAFNE rules for me are.....s l o w and steady changes improve results. Cause and effect. Change something by a small amount and watch for the effect over a few days of results. Making changes one at a time helps us better understand the impact of change. If we do too many things at once we never get to the bottom of the effect. Please remember that our bodies respond to the different insulin types in different ways. The effects of your Background Insulin change will not normally be seen for around 3 days. So the change in BI that you made is not likely to show any improvement in results until Saturday. Don't fret, take your time and logically understand changes. If you are unclear about what is happening please have the confidence and make time, to talk to and get advice from your Health Care Professionals. Stick with it Best Wishes Garry |
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Oct 6, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / How do i get on a DAFNE course Are you in the UK?If so, make contact with your local hospital and find out what local diabetic support is available from there, who your local diabetic consultant and diabetic nurses are. You may find that your GP practice wants to keep hold of you as they get paid more money that way. I suggest you get the best professional help available which inevitably comes from the hospital specialists as they see a much larger population and are far more clued up about developments in diabetic control than your GP practice could ever be. You may find that your area hospital is not signed up to the programme, trained or provide any form of DAFNE support, but I hope not. DAFNE will not make it easier to work it out in your head......all the time.....but DAFNE training and its disciplined approach will give you a strong framework to help you control things so much better. If you at least input your results into the Online diary it can help you understand significant variations and patterns in your results that you input yourself. The colour coding system indicates expected ranges against time of day. Hover the cursory over a result and see what happens. Not sure whether you get to see range too. Give the Online diary a try and see what you think Regards Garry |
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Oct 4, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Changing of Needles/BG Meters Was advised in November 2009 on my DAFNE centre course to change needles at every injection.Before this, I changed them when inclined. But I now change religiously to try to protect all my injection sites from damage. Have looked at review of Jazz by Diabetes.co.uk and it seems to be a modern meter with good future proof features built in....iPhone connectivity for instance, have never seen one in the flesh though. Will ask at our DAFNE centre for any info and will feedback anything I find out. Regards Garry |
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Sep 29, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / HYPO - how best to treat & what with Like you Alan my favourite is Dextro tablets. Not keen on the Blackcurrant ones though!14 in a packet and after years of practice, I am good at splitting a packet into three - 5, 4 and 5. 5s go in the pocket and then at least one end of the pack is protected from going crispy! or blackened! (by my scruffy paws). 3 tablets for a regular hypo at 3.5 or so......but 5 if I've hit the wall. Kick in for me, in 15 minutes. Goes to show how we are all different. The 4 bit from the middle of the pack normally stays in the house giving quick access when needed. I've always tried to follow up with some slower CHO though. JWO loved your comment. When I was a child I loved Maynards wine gums.....only available in the North East I think. Used to eat them on a Sunday when my Dad would buy me a ¼ pound and I would eat the lot by 4 o'clock! Happy memories! Regards Garry |
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Sep 22, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / test strips Agree with novarapidboi26I get really hacked by admin bull and am quite prepared to go and face out Doc over such matters  Get hold of your GP...sorry book an appointment for a wee chat [bollocking]...directly. Different matter if you are early ordering an addictive drug...that I can understand...but test strips! A doctor is there to provide a service. Regards Garry |
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Sep 22, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: Site Development / Request for additional graph format If possible Simon, please make graph type selectable. I need to work in KISS mode....Keep It Simple (for me as I'm) Stupid.Abbott have had meter software available for a long time that provides multiple graph formats. Current one is CoPilot. The CoPilot user guide could give you some  s perhaps.Regards Garry |
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Sep 20, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Blood Glucose diary Following your comment novarapidboi26 I have just had a play and see that Shift and Tab held down together goes backwards.......... I knew there had to be a sneaky set of keystrokes to do what we neededRegards Garry |
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Sep 20, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Blood Glucose diary Me too. Mine shows up part of the Ketone field. Made several entries and then further problem arises in that without the horizontal scroll bar, once you have made a comments entry, it's difficult to get back to save your entries.Managed it though by moving cursor to furthest left screen field visible and left arrow until it pops back. Sure to be some clever keystoke sequence to overcome this....but don't ask me  Please help Marke Regards Garry |
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Sep 16, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Can someone please remind me... Please remember that most BIs will take 2 or 3 days to show any impact for changed dose. So slowly does it. Regards Garry |
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Aug 13, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Reducing levels Welcome Try to give your change up to 17 of BI a few days before potentially changing again. Most people seem to react slowly to Background Insulin changes. As you have split your BI dose you may want to review time splits too. Looking at BI timings they vary between 8 and 15 or so hours. You may want to consider the impact that this has. For me personally...I take BI with breakfast and dinner and find that it normally makes a 12:12 hours split. If I get up late one morning... I tend to find all meal times slide too and it stays at 12:12 hours. Sure when returning back to normal meal timings there is an error...but its usually small. Stick at it. Your results are very encouraging. Regards Garry |
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Aug 4, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Birth Announcement See I have even put my typo right in the last post..... and changed captures to captured Regards Garry |
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Aug 3, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Birth Announcement I have goofed in the past... but if you have made a mistake or the system has captured two identical replies you can edit or delete your reply using theEdit post link beneath the green Reply icon. Regards Garry |
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Jul 29, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Help with adjustments post DAFNE I like the way we are able to help one another.Seems to me that you have been given good advice about your BI probably being at the root of your current control. Please bear in mind that BI changes though - for the vast majority us anyway – normally take 3 days to show any result. These types of insulins have a long term impact on our physiology and I know it’s difficult when you want to see an immediate improvement - but you must have good control of the changes - or you will never be able to understand what is happening. Our bodies are not machines....and slow change helps us better understand the results of improved background control. So please do it the DAFNE way. Slow and controlled. Only changing one thing at a time and waiting for results to help you move in the right direction. If you are confident enough, continue posting your results and I like to think that there are many type 1 diabetics, with long term first person experience with your insulin combination, that can offer support. Regards Garry |
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Jul 19, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Are we all eating too many carbs? When I first started out on insulin in 1979, I was on a fixed carbohydrate diet of 120 g a day. No room for manoeuvre.It was hard work and I doubt whether my control was any good as we were all on urinalysis at that time and those retrospective results did not give any quick perspective on how things were going. Would hate to be back in those times. Boy am I glad that we have moved on Regards Garry |
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Jul 7, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / How can you work out HBA1c by using your BG averages? Is it possible? Good news. Well done. Now keep the faith until the next HbA1c result. Regards Garry |
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Jun 17, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Advice if possible. Almost certainly sickness affecting your Diabetes.On your exercise query: on the opening Forum page - use the search facility to search for Exercise. Brings up about six threads to have a look at.These have helped me better understand the sometimes puzzling effect of exercise and BGs. Regards Garry |
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Jun 16, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / Metformin /Type 1 Don't get me wrong, Metformin hasn't had any laxative effect on me. But they do have another pretty common side effect.....they are nicknamed 'Metfartin' for good reason.Regards Garry |
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Jun 15, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: General Discussion / Advice if possible. Use and post your on-line diary occasionally and people will try to assist.DAFNE teaches ratios in QA:CP or in your case mentioned a 3:1 ratio. Don't get stressed about your ratios changing as it happens to us all at different times during the year...infection...activity levels...work stress...lot of things have a quite dramatic affect upon our resistance to insulin. Don't worry about it. Just keep up the discipline and things will work out for you. We are all looking to live as normal a lifestyle as possible and yet avoid some of the long term effects that being a diabetic infers. Follow the established rules and live life to the full Regards Garry |
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Jun 15, 2011
Garry
328 posts
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Topic: Questions for HCPs / Metformin /Type 1 My consultant's approach was to help aid a reduction in ratios.Has not had the desired effect for me at this dosage. I'm not really willing to up it though, as I suspect that it will have other undesirable impacts upon digestion! Regards Garry |