Recent Posts by Anil

39 posts found

Jun 9, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Prayer4aCure Hi, I dont discount a cure for diabetes, I really hope a scientific breakthrough occurs to help us! And Im sure at sometime it WILL be cured, almost certainly, but the question is when. I knew they tried a implant like this (With other cells) a few years ago, but it didn't work out well, After watching this video im very intrigued at the possibility that MAYBE their is hope for us! Even in the video, they say this could be the "Scientific breakthrough" we've been waiting for! I'll be keeping an eye on this. If you have any more information please share. But until this comes out of this testing stage, We still have to strictly manage our diabetes ourselves, This may cure the daily injections and blood tests, But any damage done now (For long term complications) will be permanent, so we must be very vigilant in this starting from now. After watching this video i'm astonished how far science has got us, I take back my previous comment that it will not benefit us (and only our children), But Maybe it will, Maybe its right round the corner, Maybe this is the scientific breakthrough we've been waiting for (HOPEfully). BUT taking care of ourselves for now is THE priority, like I said, any permanent long term damage done now, is NOT reversible, so keep good control, exercise weekly or more if you can, and maybe their is more hope then I thought so us Type 1's!. Thanks for bringing this to my attention! and I hope this is something i'll be reading more about in the coming months/years. As for a "Prayer for a cure", I see what you mean now, Not a prayer for "God" persay, but a prayer for the scientists who work everyday to make our lives easier and to give us HOPE, maybe I was loosing hope these last few years, but after watching this video, I'm very positive about a long term cure that may benefit US and not just our kids in 20-50 years.

Jun 9, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Anyone else having problems obtaining BG Test strips from their GP? I would need around 100 strips a month to do around 3 tests a day. Im forced to cut down to 2 tests a day at the moment, I bought some test strips from ebay as well, better then retail prices almost half, but I cant afford to do this every month, I dont earn no where near that much to do so (I work in a supermarket) so wages arnt great to say the least. I've received test strips from ebay from other diabetics who have them prescribed and then sell them on eBay (Still with the prescription label on), So some people are obviously got way to many test strips (Enough to sell on ebay and keep the money for themselves), and others like me are struggling just to get the minimum amount I need. I think it may just be a problem with my surgery by the sounds of it, I'll be speaking to my DAFNE instructors next week for a follow up, maybe they can advise me what to do. If you do have any problems, let us know in this forum, it would be helpful to know if it is just me and my surgery or across the UK. DAFNE is great, Im sure you'll learn a thing or two you never knew before, All I can say is PRACTICE it daily, it will become a habit and second nature very easily, and will help your drastically in maintaining a tight Glucose control!! It helped me especially with knowing what foods have carb's in them, I never used to take insulin for milk (But I used to drink around 1 pint of milk with my meals) and this in turn shot my insulin levels through the roof, After DAFNE im much more confident in controlling my Glucose and taking the right amount of insulin to what I eat, It also helped me with issue's with drinking alcohol and allow me to ask questions I had but could never ask anyone before (Dont be afraid to ask ANYTHING, their all there to help!). Let us know how you get on!

Jun 8, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Anyone else having problems obtaining BG Test strips from their GP? Yes, I read that same article about cutting BG test strips for Type 2 Diabetics, also, I think this will only affect some people, IF your GP has a large enough budget to allow them to continue issuing test strips, You shouldnt have a problem, Like I said, the problem I have, Is that MY GP has alot of diabetic's regsitered in their surgery, and this means they have to cut back on some BG strips to some patients to stay within budget. If you are part of a surgery that has a large budget, and not many diabetics registered under 1 surgery you should be fine, But something tells me that over the next few years this will affect a percentage of us, because the NHS is so broke at the moment, the "Easy" way to save money is to cut back on issuing test strips. I agree, this will only lead to more problems for some of us in the future, the cost of hospital admissions and diabetic complications drastically outweigh the cost of these test strips, God knows what the NHS will have to do when more people in the future have more complications which in turn.... Cost ALOT MORE Money. Then just issueing the test strips and allowing us to have tighter control over our BG's. Like I said, this may or may not affect all of us, but over the next few years, I suspect the NHS see's this as a "Easy" solution to save money (In the short term). But over the long term... Im not so sure. If you one of the lucky few that have not had their strips cut, Good for you, Don't ask your doctor about it, this may trigger a thought like "Wooah, are we issuing to many test strips to this patient". In my experience from my last review, I was told that I can only do MAYBE 2-3 tests a day, MAX, otherwise I will run out of strips before my next repeat prescription is due, and ill be stuck with nothing. Just want to know if anyone else has had this problem?, or is it just MY surgery. If so, I may be considering changing to another surgery, (I shouldn't really have to do this, I mean my local GP is my local GP, I shouldnt have to travel a few miles to just pick up my prescription should I? If anyone does have any problems what so ever (With ANY prescriptions ie, not just BG Strips), Please post it here, I'm interested if its ONLY me and my surgery or is it across the board.

Jun 7, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Anyone else having problems obtaining BG Test strips from their GP? Hi Sam, Yes I'd love to know how you get on, I want to know if this is a problem just in my area or across the UK. I was doing around 2-4 tests a day in the past (4 as a maximum when im exercising and eating new foods and stuff). Now im FORCED to do around 2 a day MAX, so I really have to think do I need to do this?... Also a big problem is when I have high blood sugars, I experience symptoms of low blood sugars (ie: thirst, hunger, little shakey, need to eat), So the only way I know if im high or low is a BG test. If i was to only rely on my "feeling" I suspect my sugars will rise big time. Really worried about this but I guess we'll see how we get on over the next month or two. Love to know how you get on, If you doctors dont say anything, dont prompt them about it, They may decide "Wooah, hang on, are we giving this guy to many test strips". So if your GP has a big enough budget you may be allright, But I suspect this will affect alot of us over the coming years, Its just not right, Again.. I still feel it is a "Human right" to have the correct amount of medication and resources to manage my diabetes, I can understand they need to save money, but comprimising peoples long term health is just not on. (Also, Ive just ordered a box of test strips with my own money to tie me over "hopefully" for a month or two (Call it a backup box, Just in case, I suspect ill be needing it), but I dont earn enough money to be doing this all the time, so its just a temporary fix for now, I mean Â£15 per pack of 50 is alot of money for me! I cant be doing this forever! What a state our country is in!, I cant even get the medical resources I need to manage my condition, Im sure our taxes will still go up over the next year even though their cutting back our supplies (At our health's expense)) Anyway, Let us know how you get on, really interested!

Jun 7, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / reflexology helping control... Hello! and welcome! Reflexology could help with diabetic Neuropathy (A complication of poor long term diabetes control), Improved blood circulation around the body would help prevent complications like Diabetes neuropathy in your feet especially. Improved circulation will help keep your nerve endings healthy, especially in your feet, where blood circulation isn't as much as the rest of the body. I found that I used to have Cold Feet in the past (Especially in the mornings), after researching on the internet, I found this was because of poor circulation around my body, the remedy was exercise, to allow the heart to beat more blood more powerfully to your feet. After a few weeks of rigorous exercise, My feet are always nice and warm (Even when I wake up in the morning, when they used to be really cold), Improved blood circulation is very important and can help in the long run preventing long term diabetes complications. As for reflexology, unless its done fairly regularly I wouldnt think it has that much of a affect over the long term, better yet, just exercise 2-3 times a week for short amounts. (Particularly Cardio-Vascular Workouts) to strengthen your heart and increase blood circulation around your body. This can have a big affect over the long term of your life, and its keeps you and your heart healthy! I would help your friend out any way, I'd love to educate more people on diabetes as most people are mis-informed about it, This gives you the opportunity to teach them and who knows, maybe you'll learn a helpful thing or too as well!. Exercise is very important, especially for us Type 1's, to help prevent future complications especially nerve damage which is very common. As for the DAFNE, I hope you learned alot, I found it VERY useful and completely changed my Blood glucose for the better, Just Remember to PRACTICE it daily until it becomes a habit. It might seem daunting, but once you learn the CP's of the foods your eat regularly it becomes second nature, and you'll feel much better with the tighter glucose control as well. Hope this helps!

Jun 7, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Anyone else having problems obtaining BG Test strips from their GP? Yeah, understood, I guess that's just the country we live in (I guess we should be lucky we have a NHS), We have members here from Australia, I wonder what their views are on this, The Aussies and the Germans have a more civilized & fair government & Health Service. Can Anyone from Australia comment on this situation?.. Do you have problems in Australia regarding Test Strip Prescriptions? I guess were just going to have to learn to live with it, I live in a predominately Asian area, Asians tend to have a higher risk of developing Type 1 Diabetes (I'm told) due to their Genome, I think this also plays a part in my problems, Because my GP has so many diabetics registered with their surgery, so its even worse then other parts of the UK I would think. Are their any DAFNE instructors or Doctors on this forum that can provide a insight and or further information into this?

Jun 7, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Anyone else having problems obtaining BG Test strips from their GP? I tried to change over to the Accu-Chek Mobile as well, but their just not on my GP's prescription list (probably because their so expensive), Looking around on the internet, I reckon the Accu-Chek Mobile ones are more expensive, from my research. Its not fair is it?.. I mean im a UK tax payer, I expect the goverment and NHS to allocate sufficient money and resources to pay for the basic treatment I require. Surley this is some sort of breach of human rights or something, Its not fair I should have to compromise my health because our bullsh*t government cant manage their money and finance's (To busy spending OUR tax payers money on all these EXPENSES scandles and such). (Sorry about the language, but it reflects the seriousness of this topic) Its just not fair why we should suffer, I reckon this will cost the goverment alot more in the long run, (Complications and such) And unfortunately, theirs nothing we can do, perhaps theirs scope for another company to come in and undercut Abbott & the other major players, to just provide a service to our country and NHS? I mean im sure they'd have to make a profit, but Screwing our NHS government and us Tax Payers for MILLIONS in profit isn't really fair is it? Would love to hear other people views on this,

Jun 7, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / I want an insulin pump I don't understand why you would want a pump, Their big a bulky and dont do anything apart from release the insulin you tell it and when you tell it to. Kind of like.... An insulin pen. Pumps are VERY expensive and cost the NHS a lot of money for just 1 patient for just 1 Year. And in our current climate and NHS deficit I don't think you will get one even with a fight, Unless you ABSOLUTELY NEED one. Your HBA1C is very good at 7.9, Perhaps it could come down a point or two. But i'm sure you could manage this by being a bit more vigilant in your control. As for organizations to help, I've been looking around on the internet, and you'll probably be on your own, Pumps are very expensive and are usually a last resort for most people. My diabetes control was poor for about a year, but that was just me being lazy, You just have to get into a habit of testing and correcting, and LEARNING, thats what DAFNE is all about, no one will get it instantly, it takes practice and vigilance, but with a bit of both, you'll have excellent control and you'll feel much better after that. Don't be gutted about not getting a pump, Honestly, I'd feel Insulin pens are much better and more flexible for most our lives. And im sure once you got the pump, you'd still find it frustrating having a to carry around a device the size of a small mobile phone ALL THE TIME, when you sleep, out with friends and such. Here's more info if your interested, but I think its a long shot, especially with our NHS practically being bankrupt: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/Getting-an-insulin-pump.html

Jun 7, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Prayer4aCure Cure for Type 1 Diabetes?... No.. It is a auto-immune diesease that would require a astonishing scientific breakthrough. I dont believe this will happen in our generation but maybe in the future once/If Stem cell research gets approved. But this will not affect us, but maybe give hope to our kids or grand children who may suffer from Type 1. Type 1 isn't that bad, with daily practice and abit of exercise (Which everyone should be doing, not just diabetics) its a VERY manageable disease. It shouldnt affect your life at all providing you maintain control and are confident in your ability to spot and diagnose issue's in your Blood Glucose and food. As for a prayer... I believe if there really is a God or "Higher Power" their wouldn't be any diabetics in the first place, Someone so almighty and powerful and such a simple disease? I guess we can all have "Hope". But I agree with "Stew B". Take a practical Approach, exercise regularly and eat moderately healthy... You are your own God, don't put in on anybody else, Nobody else is looking out for you, and nobody else can manage it for you either. You want something in this world (Fast car, money, better health, better diabetes control), you got to go out their AND GET IT YOURSELF, Nobody is going to hand it to you. If it was that easy, surely we'd all be doing it? Hope I dont offend you, but just my 2 Cents.

Jun 7, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Anyone on more than 3:1 ratio? Hi, Weight has a big issue with insulin in the body. I would personally up the insulin dose to 3:1, and see how that goes, maybe even 4:1 if 3:1 didn't work out very well. Sometimes, when you have a high blood sugar, the toxicity of the Glucose in the system can also have a affect, After around 10.0 BG, the 1 Unit of QA brings down your BG 2-3 mmol rule doesn't apply. So you may need alot more insulin to bring it down. I would recommend exercising abit more if you can (Treadmill, light jogging to start off with). Exercising can help the insulin you take work abit better, (after a few weeks of regular exercise). When my sugars are over 10.0, I take around 1 unit for a 1-2 mmol drop. (Im a slim athletic individual, excercise regularly) I would say to Up your ratio to 3:1, see how that goes, and then to 4:1 if that don't work. Obesity has a huge affect on insulin use in the body, so you most probably need a bit more then what your taking now. Also, I would say after your BG goes above 12.0 mmol, take more insulin and monitor your progress after 3 hours, if its still too high, increase your dose (ONLY when your BG is over 12 mmol), else go back to your normal ratios (In this case 3:1 or 4:1) Just my 2 cents!

Jun 7, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Anyone else having problems obtaining BG Test strips from their GP? Hey guys, I've recently had some problems obtaining blood test strips from my GP. I never had this problem in the past, but with the current state of our country and budget deficit in our NHS, GP's have been told by their local PCT that they need to cut down on prescribing people Blood glucose test strips, (To save money). Every GP has an allocated budget and this has been cut down in the recent months and so this means to cut down supply on us (Insulin Dependent Diabetics) (Because test strips are so expensive). I've just recently completed my DAFNE course and Middx Hospital, And have found it very helpful in controlling my BG levels. But Now I'm forced to cut down to 1-2 Blood test's a day which means I can't really practice my DAFNE skills as much because I cant test my sugars. This is a real headache because when I eat new food (From outside, or a takeaway or other) I need to know if I counted the Carb's correctly and estimated it correctly. The only way I can know if I did this correctly is to do a Blood Glucose test after coming home to make sure its in range. As far as im aware, the point of DAFNE is to educate people with their Insulin and improve their long term control (To avoid future complications, which can cost a lot more to treat over the long term). But If im forced to only do 1-2 Blood tests a day, surely this kind of defeats the point of DAFNE (In my case) because without confirming I've taken the correct amount of insulin by doing a BG test my long term control will only spiral out of control eventually, which defeats the point. Anyway, I don't want to ramble on, but surely this will only have a detrimental affect on Type 1 Diabetics and their long term control, The DAFNE definitely takes the guesswork out, but without "Confirming" i've done it correctly (Taken the right amount of insulin), over the long term this will only cost the NHS more (In complications of poor BG control). So basically, just wanted to know, is anyone else having same/similar issues obtaining BG test strips from their GP recently (Last few months) or is it just my GP?

Apr 25, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / What is the most accurate meter? I agree, i guess the aim is just to bring your glucose to as normal and consistent as possible. I was just thinking this because of the price of test strips, I mean for Â£25 ppk/50, or so, Id have thought it would be much more accurate and consistent across different test strips and meters, Great response! Thanks! Anil

Apr 24, 2010 Anil 39 posts	Topic: General Discussion / What is the most accurate meter? Hi, Yes i agree with the 10-20%. I have a freestyle Lite, and have recently obtained a Accu-Check Mobile. I pricked my finger and used the same blood on each machine. At this time (after dinner), The freestyle lite shows my sugars to be 10.8, the Accu-check showed 12.4. So i decided to stick with my freestyle lite for now, until I have better control over my sugars, There definatley is a difference between different Blood Glucose machines, I was advise you to use the same one as before to ensure correct and accurate results.