[Diabetes] General Chat and Support Thread

lucernarian

It really bugs me how foods often report sugar content per portion (e.g. fast food, cereal boxes) while saying nothing about the carbohydrate content! Oh great, I won't take any insulin with these chips because there's "almost no sugar" :rolleyes:

Yakuza

The missus and I had our pump training these last two days. We're both sporting an Animas pump for the next day or two (with a saline solution), on Thursday our daughter gets connected up to hers (just saline, so she can get used to having the pump on) and soon enough she'll be on the pump for real. The maths of the bolus / corrections was fairly easy for me, we'll have to see how we get on with changing sets, making sure she's getting a good delivery of Novorapid etc. We're looking forward to being able to give her the odd treat now, now that we can just dial up a bolus to compensate for it. A small bit of light in the tunnel we've been living in these last seven months.

1967

Just back from getting my test results as its been six months since i was taken off my injection Victoza my hbA1c was 5.5 it had gone up .2 from my last tests but thrilled with result.

CramCycle

Just got back my results yesterday as well. Really put the boot in hard the last 2 to 3 months. Changed my diet drastically, really reduced my carbs as I was eating the recommended daily allowance of 210 grown men in terms of carbs.

Since August 10th to Yesterday, my hba1c has come down from 9.6 to 7.7, and I suspect it will drop again within the next 6 months. Hypos are down to one a fortnight from one a day and the only serious highs I have had were once when I forgot my novo and another where I went out for work drinks.

BlackEdelweiss

CramCycle wrote: »

Just got back my results yesterday as well. Really put the boot in hard the last 2 to 3 months. Changed my diet drastically, really reduced my carbs as I was eating the recommended daily allowance of 210 grown men in terms of carbs.

Since August 10th to Yesterday, my hba1c has come down from 9.6 to 7.7, and I suspect it will drop again within the next 6 months. Hypos are down to one a fortnight from one a day and the only serious highs I have had were once when I forgot my novo and another where I went out for work drinks.

What are you eating to reduce your carbs? That is what I struggle with, my diet is based around spuds, rice & pasta. It is hard when cooking for 4 kids to branch away from the things they eat but I do need to cut down my carb intake.

CramCycle

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

What are you eating to reduce your carbs? That is what I struggle with, my diet is based around spuds, rice & pasta. It is hard when cooking for 4 kids to branch away from the things they eat but I do need to cut down my carb intake.

The first few days were a struggle as I got really strong cravings. The main area of carbs I cut out are the things you mentioned. Any dinner now I cook the potatoes/pasta/noodlse separately for the rest of the family and have none, just meat and veg. I only have 2 or 3 biscuits a day or if I feel hypo (I would happily eat a packet or two a day before), this for me was the hardest part. I initially had to put the biscuit packet away before I made the tea so I would only have what I had in front of me. Eating alot of rashers and eggs in the mornings, using sausages for carbs. For Lunch I am either having a large salad with lots of cheese and chicken/ham/beef, or a sandwich with heaps of filling on the side to fill me up.

As a side by side comparison:

..............Before.......................................After
Breakfast.150g(cereal&toast).......................30grams (Toast or Fry)
Lunch......150g(2 sandwiches+crisps+biscuits).30g(sandwich and/or salad)
Dinner.....150g(typical/as above)..................50g(sans potatoes/pasta)
Supper....80g(toast/biscuits/junk).................30g(nuts/Veg/milk/yougurt)
Snacks....250g(packet of Digestives + Tayto)..50 grams (milk & odd cake)


Basically loading on veg to keep my vitamins/minerals up and the slightly fattier foods for energy. I don't get high spikes anymore (well rarely like if I fall off the wagon at a party). No drop in energy levels so far but I haven't been out for any mad training sessions on the bike in awhile. Weight has not changed at all, cholesterol is the same as it has been for the past 5 years and all my other blood results were as normal. Only thing that has changed has been my glucose levels on average.

Basically I have switched from a high fat, high carb diet to a low carb diet. It was a struggle for the first few days, cravings were tough. I am not eating less though in terms of quantity it should be noted, I am bulking up on veg/nuts/meat.

gctest50

A 59-YEAR-old man admitted to hospital with a sore toe died weeks later because of the alleged interaction of a medication he was given with another he was already on, it was claimed in the High Court.

John Devereux's widow, Margaret Devereux of Greenrath, Co Tipperary, settled her action against the HSE, as a result of the death of her husband, for €45,000.

Mr Devereux, a grandfather of three, was an insulin dependant diabetic who needed ongoing medication including the cholesterol lowering drug, Lipitor.

It was claimed that on January 18, 2008, he was admitted to South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel with an infection of his right toe.

He was examined and diagnosed with septic arthritis together with severe swelling and infection of his right toe.

Sodium fusidate, a fusidic acid, was prescribed to treat the infection and Mr Devereux was sent home.

It was claimed that Mr Devereux was re-admitted to the hospital on Febraury 15, 2008, complaining of aching in both legs for the past five days which was getting worse and associated pain in his arms.

It was claimed Mr Devereux had developed rhabdmoloysis, a muscle breakdown condition due to the alleged interaction between and the co-prescribing of the Lipitor and fusidic acid.

It was further claimed the alleged interaction had not been recognised or considered at the time of initial prescribing in the hospital.

Five further doses of fusidic acid along with saline it is alleged were administered.

Mr Devereux's health deteriorated and he developed acute renal failure.

On February 21, 2008, he was diagnosed with the muscle breakdown condition and was transferred to Cork Unversity Hosptial the next day but died there on March 2, 2008.

As a result of her husband's death, Mrs Devereux claimed she suffered severe mental distress, loss and damage.

It was claimed the HSE was negligent and in breach of duty in failing to recognise the interaction of the Lipitor and fusidic acid could cause cause the onset of muscle break down condition.

It was also alleged there was a failure to recognise the onset of the condition after his re-admission hospital despite his complaint of aches for the previous five days.

The defendant denied all the claims and the court heard yesterday the case would have been strongly disputed by the HSE and hospital.

Approving the €45,000 settlement, Ms Justice Mary Irvine said there would have been a huge hill to climb to establish the claim and she described the case as very tragic.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/man-admitted-to-hospital-with-sore-toe-died-weeks-later-after-clash-of-medication-court-told-29662230.html

robinph

CramCycle wrote: »

Basically I have switched from a high fat, high carb diet to a low carb diet. It was a struggle for the first few days, cravings were tough. I am not eating less though in terms of quantity it should be noted, I am bulking up on veg/nuts/meat.

Here is a link to a piece in the Daily Mail* from yesterday about an experiment that a mate of mine has been doing on himself for the last few months to do with these kind of diets, and proving that calories are a nonsence:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2459915/Could-low-fat-diet-make-EVEN-FATTER-As-experts-question-conventional-wisdom-diets-extraordinary-results-mans-experiment.html

Loads more details on what he was eating each day and various weights and measures through the two experiments, and pictures of him with his top off, can be found here:
http://live.smashthefat.com/archives/

* It pains me to put up a link to that rag.

banie01

I just thought I'd post in here with my 1st HbA1c since I've started taking Victoza.
I got the result this morning whilst getting my Flu jab and I am actually delighted!
I am type 2 and generally have fairly good control in and around the 7.0 range and I know it would be much better but for overnight spikes.
I could go to bed at 5.0 and yet wake up at 13!
I struggled with that since being diagnosed and no matter could not get a handle on the overnight spikes/leaky liver.

Anyway I started on Victoza at the end of June with a previous HbA1c of 6.7 but maintaining this was hard work!
3 and a half months in with Victoza and my hbA1c is now 5.7(old style) or 39(new style)
As an added benefit I have dropped about 12kilos since starting the Victoza too.

The initial side effects with Victoza were a little harsh, severe nausea mainly and loss of appetite but the nausea diminished rapidly and within @3weeks i was taking the full dose with no issue apart from appetite.

I was apprehensive about changing/adding meds initially as being a young (33)type 2 I was and am focused on keeping as tight a control as possible to avoid any complications as long as possible but the combo of Janumet/Victoza has taken me down to my 1st ''non'' diabetic HbA1c in over 7yrs along with finally FINALLY having something akin to normal readings in the mornings(avg @7 down from avg@13)I'm bloody delighted and heres hoping with a bit more effort on my part I can improve even further!

graflynn

banie01 wrote: »

I just thought I'd post in here with my 1st HbA1c since I've started taking Victoza.
I got the result this morning whilst getting my Flu jab and I am actually delighted!
I am type 2 and generally have fairly good control in and around the 7.0 range and I know it would be much better but for overnight spikes.
I could go to bed at 5.0 and yet wake up at 13!
I struggled with that since being diagnosed and no matter could not get a handle on the overnight spikes/leaky liver.

Anyway I started on Victoza at the end of June with a previous HbA1c of 6.7 but maintaining this was hard work!
3 and a half months in with Victoza and my hbA1c is now 5.7(old style) or 39(new style)
As an added benefit I have dropped about 12kilos since starting the Victoza too.

The initial side effects with Victoza were a little harsh, severe nausea mainly and loss of appetite but the nausea diminished rapidly and within @3weeks i was taking the full dose with no issue apart from appetite.

I was apprehensive about changing/adding meds initially as being a young (33)type 2 I was and am focused on keeping as tight a control as possible to avoid any complications as long as possible but the combo of Janumet/Victoza has taken me down to my 1st ''non'' diabetic HbA1c in over 7yrs along with finally FINALLY having something akin to normal readings in the mornings(avg @7 down from avg@13)I'm bloody delighted and heres hoping with a bit more effort on my part I can improve even further!

Well done! Keep up the good work.

dxhound2005

I got a call from the pharmacy yesterday to contact them about my insulin. There has been a recall of some batches of Novomix 30 Penfill which I use. I am Type One last 12 years.

http://www.imb.ie/EN/Safety--Quality/Advisory-Warning--Recall-Notices/Human-Medicines/Recall-of-Three-batches-of-NovoMix-30-Penfill-to-Patient-Level-in-Ireland.aspx

It turns out that the last 4 fills (out of a box of 5) I used are on the list. I noticed that my readings were higher than for a long time recently, although they do usually go up this time of year due to me doing less exercise. I think now that the batch I was using was weaker than it should have been.

I presume anyone else using this has been contacted. If not check the batch number you have. I also had another box, supplied Oct 18 which I hadn't started using which is also on the list.

Ciara GaGa

What do you do when diabetes just becomes too much?
Constantly checking blood sugars, doing injections and carb counting can be exhausting.

CathyMoran

Ciara GaGa wrote: »

What do you do when diabetes just becomes too much?
Constantly checking blood sugars, doing injections and carb counting can be exhausting.

I am 'lucky' that I have had it since childhood so it is nearly like breathing at this stage for the most part but I allowed one day a year to let myself to be upset (my diagnosis day) but have found that I do not need that now.

herisson

I have a question with regards fruit.

Do i avoid sweet fruits, like pineapple and the likes?

BlackEdelweiss

Nothing to get too excited about but a step in the right direction. Hopefully they will get something sorted for our kids generation.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252759.php

Yakuza

Quick question for the pumpers out there...my daughter has had hers for a week or so now, we're in touch with the diabetes nurses in Temple St. every weekday currently, still tweaking carb ratios and basal rates, my question is...how long did you folks take until things settled down? We're back to checking every 3 hours at night (which is taking its toll). Our control is definitely better, but we're still getting night time lows so hopefully those will go once we have the basal worked out.

graflynn

Yakuza wrote: »

Quick question for the pumpers out there...my daughter has had hers for a week or so now, we're in touch with the diabetes nurses in Temple St. every weekday currently, still tweaking carb ratios and basal rates, my question is...how long did you folks take until things settled down? We're back to checking every 3 hours at night (which is taking its toll). Our control is definitely better, but we're still getting night time lows so hopefully those will go once we have the basal worked out.

Hello, it didn't take me that long but I'm a grown up. You should try posting your question on the facebook page specifically for irish parents of children w/D (https://www.facebook.com/groups/217346238337444/?fref=ts) there are a lot more pumpers there.

herisson

Finally got my blood sugar meter (is that what they are called?). So im monitoring it better than before. And my doctor has the referral for the clinic done so ill be waiting to hear back from them soon.

CramCycle

A cousins child has recently being diagnosed and she was asking me for advice, what to keep an eye out for etc. Recently though she was having a bad hypo and nothing was bringing it up (still in the honeymoon period). Went straight into hospital and they booked her in for a few days as a precaution. I thought this would be covered but the hospital admin have just told her she owes for the few nights stay. She will pay if she has too but she has no health insurance, I was wondering would it be covered as it was Diabetes related and in no way the childs fault the same way our meds are covered by the LTI book?

lollpop

AFAIK the LTI book only covers medication.
However, if she was in a public hospital she is entitled to free care under the public health system irrespective of her diabetes. There are some charges - I think it's something like 80 per night - but it's certainly not the full room cost.
Check out http://www.citizensinformation.ie/ for details.

The_Conductor

For a public patient in a public hospital- cost is €75 per day up to a maximum of €750 in any 12 consecutive months.
There are a list of prescribed children's diseases and disabilities- to which the charge doesn't apply (including asthma- but I don't think it includes diabetes). Funnily enough- overnight stays from the Winter Vomiting bug- are covered.

If you're there for a longer term stay- the fee is a flatrate €175 per week.

Maybe someone else could elaborate

CramCycle

The_Conductor wrote: »

For a public patient in a public hospital- cost is €75 per day up to a maximum of €750 in any 12 consecutive months.
There are a list of prescribed children's diseases and disabilities- to which the charge doesn't apply (including asthma- but I don't think it includes diabetes).

Can't find the list of "prescribed" illnesses anywhere, but citizens information have said if you are referred from the childs treatment centre it is free. Since she was referred from AandE she has to pay (I think) but if she had rang the hospital treating her daughter and they said go to hospital immediately it would be free (or something to that effect ie if they rang ahead for her).

herisson

For those on the medical card, you can now apply for the Long Term Illnesses card. It now applies for those with Diabetes and you dont have to pay prescription charges.


http://www.diabetes.ie/2013/12/medical-card-holders-can-now-apply-for-a-long-term-illness-card/

sunbabe08

i asked my gp about this, she told me to go to through the pharmacist

CramCycle

AFAIK (ie I could be completely wrong) you have to get a specific form stamped and signed by your doctor (Go or consultant) and send this off, maybe ring your diabetes care team.

sunbabe08

thank you

The_Conductor

herisson wrote: »

It now applies for those with Diabetes and you dont have to pay prescription charges.

For prescriptions specifically related to your diabetes or related conditions, and noted by your GP or consultant in your longterm prescription form.

Other prescriptions- continue to incur the per-item charge (to the max of 140 a month).

graflynn

sunbabe08 wrote: »

i asked my gp about this, she told me to go to through the pharmacist

You can download the application form from the HSE website http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/schemes/lti/ltiform.pdf

uli84

Anyone having veo pump-can you please tell me how much glucose sensors are? Many thanks.

graflynn

Hello everyone, the attached petition regarding getting a life-changing product for people with Type 1 Diabetes has been doing the rounds for a week. It was started by a parent of a child with T1D but some of us are seeing it as a spring board for making insulin pumps more available to ALL people with diabetes who want them. I hope you can sign, support and share.

Thank you,

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/health-service-executive-of-ireland-import-the-i-port-diabetes-product-into-ireland-and-make-it-available-to-type1-diabetic-children-in-ireland