[Diabetes] General Chat and Support Thread

CathyMoran

Speaking of hypos, I had one last night, well this morning - hubby asked me did I need some sugary drink and I said no, next thing I remember is my hair being sticky from the sugar he gave me - at least he did not have to give me Glucagon.

I have hypos on a regular basis - it gets scary when you do not think that 1.8 is that bad...

CramCycle

CathyMoran wrote: »

I have hypos on a regular basis - it gets scary when you do not think that 1.8 is that bad...

Bad fortnight myself, 1.9 on 6 desperate occasions. Kept conscious throughout but I was a grumpy old so and so, told my boss where he could shove it again Luckily he takes such things well.

CathyMoran

CramCycle wrote: »

Bad fortnight myself, 1.9 on 6 desperate occasions. Kept conscious throughout but I was a grumpy old so and so, told my boss where he could shove it again Luckily he takes such things well.

Speaking of which...did a test and am 2.9 now, relatively "high" for me...I end up having several low blood sugars a day. I have dumping syndrome from surgery (oesophagectomy) and also smaller eating capacity so it is very hard to manage my diabetes.

CathyMoran

I do blood tests in front of my little ones - anyone else do the same? My children do not think that it is any big deal but sometimes when insulin hurts it is hard to hide the upset from them.

CramCycle

CathyMoran wrote: »

I do blood tests in front of my little ones - anyone else do the same? My children do not think that it is any big deal but sometimes when insulin hurts it is hard to hide the upset from them.

I do blood tests but for some reason I still go out of sight to do my insulin, my OH doesn't like that I do it but I ain't gonna change, old dog syndrome. I do it in front of work colleagues and friends, just not the family for some reason.

Apanachi

grindelwald wrote: »

Dont count on it! my lady has been diagnosed 4 and a half years she has been on a pump waiting list for the last year and no sign of getting it any time soon

Thankfully I'm living Germany and things seem to be different here, they told us at the hospital getting a pump will be no problem, she just has to learn to be comfortable with the pen, how to dose & inject and set a 6 month limit before allowing people have the pump, and especially where children are concerned it just a routine application that always gets approved.

I do remember hearing something on Irish radio a few months ago about how hard it is to get the pumps, which is a shame as I imagine it has so many advantages, but I didn't really pay much attention to the report, because I had no reason to be even considering it as we didn't know about our daughter's Diabetes or had any reason to suspect it.

How old is your daughter? my lady is now 12 diagnosed age 7.

She is 12

ElBarco

CathyMoran wrote: »

I do blood tests in front of my little ones - anyone else do the same? My children do not think that it is any big deal but sometimes when insulin hurts it is hard to hide the upset from them.

Blood tests I do in front of him all the time. Infusion set changes I tend to do elsewhere - too much tubing and bits and pieces to play with.

cynder

I heard that in egypt they have a little device that goes in under the sking and transmits your blood sugar reading to you mobile phone, you can set it for every 5 mins or once an hour..... that would be so handy, you could know your childs blood sugar readings while they are at school.

cynder

CramCycle wrote: »

Bad fortnight myself, 1.9 on 6 desperate occasions. Kept conscious throughout but I was a grumpy old so and so, told my boss where he could shove it again Luckily he takes such things well.

Priceless!

CathyMoran

grindelwald wrote: »

I heard that in egypt they have a little device that goes in under the sking and transmits your blood sugar reading to you mobile phone, you can set it for every 5 mins or once an hour..... that would be so handy, you could know your childs blood sugar readings while they are at school.

I could do with that for me.

robinph

ElBarco wrote: »

Blood tests I do in front of him all the time. Infusion set changes I tend to do elsewhere - too much tubing and bits and pieces to play with.

Yeah, I'd not suggest trying to do a set change with a pump within range of inquisitive hands.

I've no problem doing any of the blood test or set changes or whatever in front of anyone that wants to watch though. Blood tests and pen injections should be able to be done quick enough to jump out of the way of little hands who get more curious than they really should.

Apanachi

grindelwald wrote: »

I heard that in egypt they have a little device that goes in under the sking and transmits your blood sugar reading to you mobile phone,

The doctors at the hospital mentioned something similar to that, they said however that they only measure the blood sugar in the tissue not in the actual blood and are not very accurate, but if there is something out there that gives an accurate continuous measurement in connection with an insulin pump it would be fantastic

CramCycle

grindelwald wrote: »

I heard that in egypt they have a little device that goes in under the sking and transmits your blood sugar reading to you mobile phone, you can set it for every 5 mins or once an hour..... that would be so handy, you could know your childs blood sugar readings while they are at school.

Continuous Glucose Monitors. Great invention but they cost a fortune, I was quoted a couple of grand awhile ago, I think they would be more beneficial than pumps. Seen a few talks and posters at EASD this year and last showing the improved control and HbA1c. It was phenomenal the improvement across the spectrum of patients.

Apparently they are now available in the US at approx 1000dollars not sure of the cost of upkeep though. Seen this site:
http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes-technology/meters-monitors/continuous-monitors/compare-current-monitors

Anyone here with experience?

ElBarco

No personal experience but I've seen them discussed in various places on t'internet. The consensus seems to be that they aren't a replacement for the finger poke but an assistance - they do seem to be good about spotting trends though.

I'd love to try one but I can't see the cost beign covered by the HSE any time soon.

I found this:

it costs £1075 for the transmitter and the receiver and then the sensors are about £250 for 4 i think. the transmitter costs £500 to replace. you can try it out on a 14 day trial though...

here tudiabetes. No idea if it's accurate but it seems to match up with other discussions around the place.

CramCycle

Apanachi wrote: »

The doctors at the hospital mentioned something similar to that, they said however that they only measure the blood sugar in the tissue not in the actual blood and are not very accurate, but if there is something out there that gives an accurate continuous measurement in connection with an insulin pump it would be fantastic

This is true, they are nowhere near as accurate as a regular glucometer but they give you a reasonable ball park figure which if its continuous (every 5 to 30 minutes) will be far more beneficial than a test you do every few hours or only when you feel in bad shape.

graflynn

Apanachi wrote: »

I'll be in Sligo, I'm not anticipating any problems, but you never know what could happen (losing you bag, getting it stolen, dropping the insulin etc...)

You can always try the A&E depts in hospitals - they would have access to enough insulin to keep you going.

graflynn

CathyMoran wrote: »

I do blood tests in front of my little ones - anyone else do the same? My children do not think that it is any big deal but sometimes when insulin hurts it is hard to hide the upset from them.

My two aged 5 and 7 both know. I have always tested and bolused in front of them. They have asked questions and I've answered them as best I can. I don't want them to worry about me as they grow up.

They've watched the Medtronic's Lenny the Lion DVD numerous times and think it's a great movie They also think Pete the Pancreas is great bedtime reading.

My 7 year old is better educated about nutrition than most her age.

robinph

Apanachi wrote: »

The doctors at the hospital mentioned something similar to that, they said however that they only measure the blood sugar in the tissue not in the actual blood and are not very accurate, but if there is something out there that gives an accurate continuous measurement in connection with an insulin pump it would be fantastic

As Mr Cycle said, they are not the most accurate, but the main issue if you were to be tracking someone like a kid remotely with it is that there is a delay between the actual blood sugar levels and the changes in the tissue that the continuous meters measure. So although the graph showing the trend through the day would be very useful, if it is 20 minutes late in telling you that they are going low then that is far too late to be safe.

fresh123

Hi All,

Have just been diagnosed with Type 2 last week and was wondering if anyone could help me out with 2 questions:

1. I'm on Glucophage 500 x 3 times a day and am wondering how long it takes to start taking effect? I've read online 2-3 weeks but just wanted to see if anyone saw it's effects sooner as I'm on it since Tuesday evening and am seeing GL drop.

2. Related to the first question, my GL was ranging from 18.8 (fasting) to 26.6 at the end of last week when diagnosed and I've been on a really health diet since (I'm 15st) and started the glucophage on Tuesday evening. My readings are now ranging 9 - 12 and thankfully going down and am wondering if diet would be able to have that effect alone?

Sorry if these are silly questions, just a lot to try to take in the past few days.

Thanks.

CramCycle

Caveat: I'm type 1, I research type 2 but am unclear of dosing for Glucophage.

fresh123 wrote: »

1. I'm on Glucophage 500 x 3 times a day and am wondering how long it takes to start taking effect? I've read online 2-3 weeks but just wanted to see if anyone saw it's effects sooner as I'm on it since Tuesday evening and am seeing GL drop.

Varies person to person, I've heard of it affecting people within a week and in other cases having only a minor affect after 2 months, it is impossible to say but it is theoretically possible.

am wondering if diet would be able to have that effect alone?

Depends on a huge number of factors, the most noticeable is the progression of the diabetes. In very early stages, diet can have a staggering affect but not over such a short time span. What is your diet now, if you don't mind?

Sorry if these are silly questions, just a lot to try to take in the past few days.

This is new to you, no question is silly.

gerrybbadd

So, after around 12 months (since diagnosis), 10,000 finger pricks etc etc, it looks as though my bgs are coming into normal range.

Seemingly, I'm a complicated man, as per the doctor at the Diabetes Centre I attend! My HBa1cs have come back, 6.5%, 6.7% and 6.7% the last three tests. Yet my bloods were always sky high. They did another test in Holles Street, Fructosimine or something, and this reflected the good HBa1c tests.

Oh, and I was told I'm likely type 2. (ive beem treated/ considered myself type 1) They performed some antibody test, which would indicate I'm type 2. I'm using 750 mg of Glucophage, 58 units of Levemir and around 100 units of Novorapid each day to keep things in check though.

It's all very strange!

fresh123

CramCycle wrote: »

Depends on a huge number of factors, the most noticeable is the progression of the diabetes. In very early stages, diet can have a staggering affect but not over such a short time span. What is your diet now, if you don't mind?

Hi CramCycle,

Thanks for the reply.

Diet since diagnosis is generally:

Breakfast: Porridge with Slimline milk
Lunch: Salad of Chicken, spinach, lentils, peppers, onions
Dinner: One potato, meat and veg
Snacks: Bananas

Basically I've given up bread, started to eat healthily and gone off the drink.

Previous typical day was:

Breakfast: Coffee, sugar, whole milk
Mid Morning: Breakfast roll with coffee, sugar, milk
Lunch: Baguette with breaded chicken & packet crisps
Afternoon: Coffee, sugar, milk
On way home: Packet crisps
Dinner: Tortillas with stir fry & chips
In front of telly: A few glasses of red wine
Snacks: Biscuits, chocolate, crisps

The problem will be sticking to it

robinph

Was just browsing around some random sites, came across a new story about American Football, realised it was about the annual NFL game they now play in Wembley and it is on tomorrow. Usually would try and watch that as it's on at a reasonable hour so went to see what time and channel it's on (bear with me, I'm getting to the point).

Then discovered that Jay Cutler the Chicago Bears Quarterback is type 1 diabetic (someone may have actually referenced him earlier in this thread). Then found this article written shortly after his diagnosis which I thought was pretty good:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-thegameface051608

Actually gives a good bit of information for describing what it's all about to people who don't know as well. It of course also makes the point that type one diabetes doesn't need to stop you being able to do what you want to do.

Seems that before Cutler had any idea he was diabetic he was meeting with some diabetes charity about them wanting to use his celebrity status for the charity and raising funds. Later that day he went to the doctors and was diagnosed as diabetic. He's now involved with the charity.

So now I will definitely be trying to catch this game. Sky Sports 3 @ 5:30pm Sunday 23rd October.

gerrybbadd

That's a good article, pretty inspiring stuff there. Thanks.

kaki

I'm not diabetic (yet), I hope it's ok for me to post this in here.

Has anyone got any advice on how to help someone with diabetes who won't take care of themselves?

Dad was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 12, almost a decade ago. I remember that he started off on tablets, but after a couple of months had to start injecting.

In the last 5 years or so he's been managing it less and less well, not checking his sugars, neglecting to inject insulin, going out on sessions, refusing to slow down his lifestyle (he has a very demanding shift-based job and commutes from Cork to Dublin, often on just a couple of hours sleep). He's previously been hospitalised on more than one occasion for infections in his feet, ketoacidosis etc...

He's now in ICU in hospital again, with MRSA in both feet that may have travelled to the knee in one leg. In addition he had kidney damage that may require dialysis. I haven't seen him as I live in Italy, but Mum said that he's a bit out of it, confused, and very depressed - he was saying at one point that he didn't know how much more of this that he can take. This combined with the fact that he's definitely not a joiner or a believer in talking about his problems.

I know that neither I nor my family can dictate to him what to do, check his sugars for him, get him to slow down... has anyone else been through this personally, or had to help a family member who wasn't taking care of themselves? He's too young to be doing this to himself (only in his early 50's) and I don't want him to leave me behind, without seeing me graduate, get married (I'm the eldest at 21) nevermind my other brothers and sisters (the youngest is 7). I don't know how to help him, the consultant was saying that only Dad can turn this around...

Any advice/stories are welcome. Thanks.

5live

kaki wrote: »

I'm not diabetic (yet), I hope it's ok for me to post this in here.

Has anyone got any advice on how to help someone with diabetes who won't take care of themselves?

Dad was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 12, almost a decade ago. I remember that he started off on tablets, but after a couple of months had to start injecting.

In the last 5 years or so he's been managing it less and less well, not checking his sugars, neglecting to inject insulin, going out on sessions, refusing to slow down his lifestyle (he has a very demanding shift-based job and commutes from Cork to Dublin, often on just a couple of hours sleep). He's previously been hospitalised on more than one occasion for infections in his feet, ketoacidosis etc...

He's now in ICU in hospital again, with MRSA in both feet that may have travelled to the knee in one leg. In addition he had kidney damage that may require dialysis. I haven't seen him as I live in Italy, but Mum said that he's a bit out of it, confused, and very depressed - he was saying at one point that he didn't know how much more of this that he can take. This combined with the fact that he's definitely not a joiner or a believer in talking about his problems.

I know that neither I nor my family can dictate to him what to do, check his sugars for him, get him to slow down... has anyone else been through this personally, or had to help a family member who wasn't taking care of themselves? He's too young to be doing this to himself (only in his early 50's) and I don't want him to leave me behind, without seeing me graduate, get married (I'm the eldest at 21) nevermind my other brothers and sisters (the youngest is 7). I don't know how to help him, the consultant was saying that only Dad can turn this around...

Any advice/stories are welcome. Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your dad, Kaki.

On his ignoring the diabetes, i think at some point all diabetics do that. i know i did for a year or so (diagnosed at 24), just half a**sed about control and having a good few pints every weekend and chips and pizza on the way home etc etc. But i got sick of not being 'present' when i was home and out and out working. Just one morning i realised it wasnt going to go away and i would have to deal with it. Now i realise not having good control means i get less work done and poorer work done. Also i have a couple of kids now and i want to be around, like you said, for them growing up.

My doc reckons i will outlive all my age group because i eat well and exercise well and take generally good care of my health unlike most men in their 40s. I dont look at diabetes as a problem as such, just a minor impediment to my life. But as i said above, my health is probably far superior as a result of having diabetes than not. Bloody crazy:pac:.

I have no idea what advice to give you on trying to get him to control his sugars better. I wish i had. The only thing i will say is to try to find a way to show him how much better life is with better control. It is by no means easy, nothing worthwhile is really, but there is tremendous satisfaction in getting a good long term blood result from the doctor(the HBa1c). Just try to fight the little battles i suppose.

I hope that was some help and i hope your dad gets better soon

newmug

fresh123 wrote: »

Hi CramCycle,

Thanks for the reply.

Diet since diagnosis is generally:

Breakfast: Porridge with Slimline milk
Lunch: Salad of Chicken, spinach, lentils, peppers, onions
Dinner: One potato, meat and veg
Snacks: Bananas

Basically I've given up bread, started to eat healthily and gone off the drink.

Previous typical day was:

Breakfast: Coffee, sugar, whole milk
Mid Morning: Breakfast roll with coffee, sugar, milk
Lunch: Baguette with breaded chicken & packet crisps
Afternoon: Coffee, sugar, milk
On way home: Packet crisps
Dinner: Tortillas with stir fry & chips
In front of telly: A few glasses of red wine
Snacks: Biscuits, chocolate, crisps

The problem will be sticking to it

Hi fresh.

I'm in a similar boat to you. I'm 29, 6'2, and 20 stone, I look slim cos of my height. But I have high blood pressure, on 2 tablets per day for it, and the GP says diabetes is only months away if I dont lose weight.

My current diet is exactly like your old one! I need to get a definitive diet, and I need to absolutely nail it. I find all the internet diets are rubbish, they dont give quantities or times when to eat, and the ingredients are unrealistic eg brown rice, asparagus etc. If its not available in an average spar, I wont be getting it!

Would you have any info on where to get a comprehensive diet plan, with plain foods, amounts, times etc. on it? Basically a plan for totally clueless beginners!

gerrybbadd

Has any of you guys ordered from sugarfree.ie yet?

They seem a bit on the pricey side for some products which seem generic in nature. I am tempted though!

tbh

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Has any of you guys ordered from sugarfree.ie yet?

They seem a bit on the pricey side for some products which seem generic in nature. I am tempted though!

funny - just saw their site for the first time today. Too expensive and too much sorbitol for me...

robinph

The Carbs and Cals app is now available on the Android Market:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.chello.carbsncals&feature=search_result

Just downloading it to my devices now to try it out.