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[Diabetes] General Chat and Support Thread

tbh

Hey guys - I've created a single "chat" thread for all the diabetics for any topics of conversation that don't fit in the existing threads.

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Royal Legend

ebbsy wrote: »

Yep I had the same problems.

Actually the chemist said if you are having a shower to mix some of it in a bowl and use it as a body wash also.

And rub it through your hands but dont wash it off before going to bed is a good tip also. My hands were in bits in the morning before I started this.

I use it on my feet when they get dry, was advised to use it by my podiatry clinic.

BlackEdelweiss

ebbsy wrote: »

I found that due to using hand lotions/soaps more often my skin was drying and cracking.

Went down to the chemist and got a tub of emulsifying ointment.

Texture is like lard.

I use it like a soap to wash my hands.

I also rub it through my hands and not wash it off a few times a day.

After 2 days things are definitely improving.

Worth a try.

My daughter was having problems with dry skin and then took allergic reactions to any hand cream we applied. I read coconut oil was good so tired that and it has worked wonders. Almost completely better now.

RobbingBandit

The main risk of Covid19 for diabetics is if you have poor control and complications I've developed a massive infection on my foot ulcer and have been taking Augmentin since Friday starting to notice a decrease in colour but still bright pink and extremely hot my sugars are extra elevated and my retinopathy is flaring up am back tomorrow morning for assessment will be getting a new vacoped boot for my left foot Charcot Arthropothy hoping I don't need IV antibiotics but all this isolation is preventing me from exercise and screwing up any balance for me.

Buford T. Justice XIX

RobbingBandit wrote: »

The main risk of Covid19 for diabetics is if you have poor control and complications I've developed a massive infection on my foot ulcer and have been taking Augmentin since Friday starting to notice a decrease in colour but still bright pink and extremely hot my sugars are extra elevated and my retinopathy is flaring up am back tomorrow morning for assessment will be getting a new vacoped boot for my left foot Charcot Arthropothy hoping I don't need IV antibiotics but all this isolation is preventing me from exercise and screwing up any balance for me.

On antibiotics for an infection on my finger, video consultation and emailed prescription to the chemist, paid over the phone and collected at the door.

A lot of things brought in now will stick around for a long time after this is gone.

banie01

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

A lot of things brought in now will stick around for a long time after this is gone.

100%
1 thing that may be of benefit in all this is the widespread acceptance of tele-medicine and of a move to streamlined clinics and telematics.

A move to more frontline staff and less management and clerical levels.

The scary thing about being a diabetic is the fact that we are sugar loaded petri-dishes for infection.

Hope everyone here is staying safe, and as well as possible in the circumstances.

Buford T. Justice XIX

A little bit from the Washington Post about US figures for Covid19 and diabetes. It's not pleasant reading.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/new-cdc-data-on-underlying-health-conditions-in-coronavirus-patients-who-need-hospitalization-intensive-care/2020/03/31/0217f8d2-7375-11ea-85cb-8670579b863d_story.html#click=https://t.co/mzoHx8AG0U

rm212

I’m coccooning at home essentially and a family member went to get my prescription today. I’ve got 300 pen needles a month on my prescription.

I correct very aggressively and have a split dose of Basal so I can end up using 6-7 needles on a typical day. 3 for meals, 2 for basal and 1-2 for corrections or any extra snack I might need a small bolus for. That’s 180-210 needles a month. 200 was leaving me a bit short for the month so my doctor was more than happy to up my prescription to 300 to give me extra wiggle room.

Every. Single. Time. I go to the pharmacist they initially only put one box of 100 needles in. I usually question it and then they check prescription and give the other two. I warned my family member of this. Same thing happened, so they went back into the pharmacist and asked for the other boxes. The pharmacist just said “I think he’s only supposed to have one box”. FM said “no he usually gets three boxes”. Pharmacist said “oh well I think he will be fine with one, that’s enough for him”. FM was being insistent on my behalf and said to check the prescription, doctor has prescribed 300 a month for me. Pharmacist eventually gave in and said alright that’s ok, he’s prescribed for 300, you can come back for the rest on Tuesday when we order them in.

What is this about? So weird...

up for anything

Not to worry. Sorted.

kowloon

rm212 wrote: »

I correct very aggressively and have a split dose of Basal so I can end up using 6-7 needles on a typical day. 3 for meals, 2 for basal and 1-2 for corrections or any extra snack I might need a small bolus for. That’s 180-210 needles a month. 200 was leaving me a bit short for the month so my doctor was more than happy to up my prescription to 300 to give me extra wiggle room.

I change my needle every month whether I need to or not.

CramCycle

kowloon wrote: »

I change my needle every month whether I need to or not.

+1 I changed insulin types more regularly than I ordered syringe needles

banie01

kowloon wrote: »

I change my needle every month whether I need to or not.

CramCycle wrote: »

+1 I changed insulin types more regularly than I ordered syringe needles

I'm currently (thankfully

) still off insulin but when I was on it, the needle was changed when the sharpness dipped :P

Every week or so, now that was once a day basal.

Us diabetics don't seem to be so great at the new needle every time protocol do we?

@rm212, my advice would be to call the pharmacist to see what the issue is.
It may be that needles are in constrained supply and rather than supply you in full and leave others immediately short, they provided enough to carry you over a gap whilst still supplying other patients.

In any case, any answer we can give you will only be a guess.

CramCycle

I lived in the UK for awhile and the NHS told you to reuse needles. I presume it was a budget thing but we were told ot try and re use a needle at least 7 times (not a syringe cap). Never got out of the habit when I came back to Ireland even though they were insistent in the hospital that you changed every time.

rm212

Reusing needles doesn't work for me. The insulin literally doesn't come out unless I squirt many units (6+) out from the pen first. At that point, I'm wasting a far more expensive thing... I think you all might be confusing literal needles with pen needle tips?

CramCycle

You should always pre squirt, there is a better phrase, be it a syringe or pen syringe cap.

rm212

CramCycle wrote: »

You should always pre squirt, there is a better phrase, be it a syringe or pen syringe cap.

I already prime (that's the phrase you are looking for) but not the 6 units I stated in my first post. I shouldn't need to prime with 6 units due to needle re-use, nor do I want to re-use needles. I prime with 2 units. Sure how would I know whether it came out or not if I didn't prime first, the needle would be inside me?

calfmuscle

I change needles about once every 6 weeks.....feel way too guilty throwing out that much plastic. I do prime at every dose though. In 23 years iv never had a skin infection so dont worry about it.

Also never use alcohol wipes on skin before injecting. Pure nonsense.

CramCycle

rm212 wrote: »

I already prime (that's the phrase you are looking for) but not the 6 units I stated in my first post. I shouldn't need to prime with 6 units due to needle re-use, nor do I want to re-use needles. I prime with 2 units. Sure how would I know whether it came out or not if I didn't prime first, the needle would be inside me?

I knew the word, but being hungover yesterday and childish, I felt the need to keep using funny sounding words. I also wasn't having a go at you, the HSE recommend changing needles each time and there are reasons for this. If the insulin/needle aren't stored right, the syringe can get jammed and take alot more to get flowing again, I am certain that this is the cause of brittle diabetes in a few cases with inaccurate doses being delivered.

This said I never had an issue with it but it is a personal choice.

As another Diabetic said to me about lockdown, it has gotten so bad at home the other day I changed my lancet needle.

rm212

CramCycle wrote: »

I knew the word, but being hungover yesterday and childish, I felt the need to keep using funny sounding words. I also wasn't having a go at you, the HSE recommend changing needles each time and there are reasons for this. If the insulin/needle aren't stored right, the syringe can get jammed and take alot more to get flowing again, I am certain that this is the cause of brittle diabetes in a few cases with inaccurate doses being delivered.

This said I never had an issue with it but it is a personal choice.

As another Diabetic said to me about lockdown, it has gotten so bad at home the other day I changed my lancet needle.

Ah alright fair enough, I just felt a bit offended after coming and reading something with the sentiment of “ah sure it’s grand, sure we just reuse the needles” because I don’t want to reuse them but then at the same time being told off for not priming, when I do prime already

I get it, the lockdown has become boring and some of us are definitely feeling a bit on edge

gerrybbadd

I've only started re-using needle caps myself. I always changed them out, every time. I find they get blunt pretty quick though, and it becomes hard to actually pierce the skin, or the skin will pierce painfully in different stages after about 2 uses.

The lancet i'm using must be 12 months old at this stage though - sure i got a lifetimes supply when i was diagnosed didn't I?

Snake Plisken

I use a fresh needle every time I inject as that's what my Diabetic Clinic told me day one. With Lancets I used to change them once a week when I felt they didn't prick my finger but changing them once a day now.

Harry Palmr

I reuse like crazy as my skin is not made of leather. Massive waste averted and nothing has fallen off or got infected ever.

uli84

Also reusing both needles and lancets for as long as they work which is months in my case

CramCycle

Wahoo, got my Guardian 3 sensor replacement today, looking forward to a CGM once more and my needle coushion fingers getting a break.

pew

pew wrote: »

Hba1c after Christmas some how managed to be 42. Delighted with myself!

Got it down to 39

Very proud of myself for that.

JP Liz V1

Meauldsegosha wrote: »

Article here about a T1 who is recoving from Covid-19. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2020/mar/recovering-from-coronavirus-with-type-1-diabetes.html

Tom Hanks is a T2 and has come through it.

In her first interview since being diagnosed, Rita Wilson, 63, spoke to The Talk with Gayle King and detailed her symptoms.

“I felt extremely achy, uncomfortable, didn’t want to be touched, and then the fever started,” Wilson said, adding she suffered from “chills like I never had before.”

Wilson, an actress and singer, said her fever reached its highest temperature about nine days following the positive test results, saying it “got close to” 39C.

She also revealed she had been given the drug chloroquine, which is usually used to prevent and treat malaria and is being studied as a possible Covid-19 treatment.

However, Wilson is not sure what impact it had on her. She said: “I can only tell you that I don’t know if the drug worked or if it was just time for my fever to break, but my fever did break.”

And Wilson warned the drug had “extreme side effects”. She felt “completely nauseous” and could not walk. “My muscles felt very weak,” she said.

“I think people have to be very considerate about that drug,” the star added. “We don’t really know if it’s helpful in this case.”

Wilson also said Hollywood star Tom Hanks, also 63, had less severe symptoms than her.

The couple is now home in Los Angeles.

https://www.independent.ie/entertain...-39129139.html

Harry Palmr

pew wrote: »

Got it down to 39

Very proud of myself for that.

I'd be very worried if I was that low as it's basically non diabetic level but diabetics are diabetic and should be higher but controlled so are you constantly topping up with fruit and nuts?

Oh wait you are talking HBA1C and not mmol/mol

echo beach

banie01 wrote: »

@rm212, my advice would be to call the pharmacist to see what the issue is.
It may be that needles are in constrained supply and rather than supply you in full and leave others immediately short, they provided enough to carry you over a gap whilst still supplying other patients.

That's exactly the problem. When every insulin user in the country decided to get a couple of boxes of needles at the same time there was a temporary shortage and suppliers introduced quotas. Now many pharmacies are only giving everybody one box to stretch out supplies until new stocks arrive. That way nobody is left without.

rm212

echo beach wrote: »

That's exactly the problem. When every insulin user in the country decided to get a couple of boxes of needles at the same time there was a temporary shortage and suppliers introduced quotas. Now many pharmacies are only giving everybody one box to stretch out supplies until new stocks arrive. That way nobody is left without.

Well the pharmacist should have explained this rather than the reply which was “oh I actually think he only needs one box, that’s enough for him”.

If they explained the shortage and said they could only supply one box for now, then I’d have had no issue whatsoever with it. It’s just very weird how they acted about it. They were short on other supplies too and got my family member to call me on the spot to make sure I had enough of those things until they restocked, but the needles were a different story.

echo beach

rm212 wrote: »

Well the pharmacist should have explained this rather than the reply which was “oh I actually think he only needs one box, that’s enough for him”.

Yes, they should have but nobody is perfect and everyone working in healthcare at the moment is under a lot of pressure.

Eircom_Sucks

What fruit can you in loads of without spiking bs , type 2 here

Love rasberries and strawberries