30 yrs old, Type1 since 18mths old, becoming a nightmare diabetic

[kwh]

Keep it up @kwh... You can do it..

thanks, I'm so glad I started posting here as I feel so much better!!

 

[kwh]

Yes no problem, the first one explains what the role of basal insulin is and why it is important to get the dosage right, the second link explains how to do a basal test in different time frames and uses bg measurements of mmol/l instead of mg/dl (as in the first article):



http://integrateddiabetes.com/basal-testing/

http://www.salforddiabetescare.co.uk/index2.php?nav_id=1007

thanks - much appreciated.

 

[kwh]

Can deffinetly relate to being scared of having hypos so you keep yourself high! Glad i wasnt the only one doing that . Im now taking control , im moving onto lantus from novamix today actually. I now find myself only high really at morning time... Tell me im making progress somehow? thanks for sharing adam .

Hi sorry for my late reply - if I'm making progress, you definitely are. I haven't tried Novamix, was it giving you problems?

 

[kwh]

@kwh Hi Kev, I'm 28 and was diagnosed when I was 6, so like you can't remember a time without having diabetes. When I was young I relied on the help from my Mum as she was given all the advice from the doctors etc. I've never had amazing control, with my best Hba1c being 8% the year before last. I moved out with my girlfriend last year and concluded it was time to get better control of my diabetes and general fitness. I used to rely on lucozade like you - carrying 1 or 2 bottles with me where ever I went and kept my blood too high as I was scared of hypos.

I was recommended some books from this forum which Kickstarted the change. The first book I'd recommend is Dr Bernstein's 'The diabetic solution' it's got everything you need to know and has some great information. The second book is 'Think like a Pancreas' which goes into detail about basal testing which I found very helpful.

The second thing I did was to follow a low carb diet which means I don't have to Inject as much bolus insulin. (I now inject for protein at half the dose of carbs) Check out the 'Diet Doctor' website for LCHF (low carb high fat) This may not be for you, however I still suggest thinking about lowering the amount of carbs you eat to help the roller coaster.

My Hba1c has dropped from 8% to 7.1%. I aim to get this within the 6% figure for my next test.

In regards to lucozade, I also found that tablets (such as Dextro tablets) worked a lot quicker than the drink and are also a lot more predictable. For instance, for myself I know that 1 tablet raises my blood levels around 0.75. If I was 3.2 I'd take about 2-3 tablets to bring me back up. They're a lot easier to carry round too.

I'm not expert but have certainly learned a lot in the past 6-8 months and this forum is so helpful.

As others have mentioned the basal test is worth doing as a starting point.

Good luck!
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one doing this. I'll check out that book, thanks. Interesting that you found the tablets worked quicker than the drinks, that was the opposite for me. Having said that, I haven't used Dextrosol in years. Maybe I'll try again.
Adam

 

[kwh]

I hadn't realised my individual comment feeds appear above, so I've probably flooded your wall with my replies!! I'll stop for now haha

 

[PseudoBob77]

Thanks PseudoBob77, I am indeed taking the bull by the horns. Can you suggest a phone app I could download?

You could try Mysugr or Glucose Buddy to begin with, if you don't find them suitable then there are others if you search the forum for info on apps. I use Mysugr, its a convenient straight forward app to log tests, injection doses, carbs and food info. Everyone has their own preference but I like using it as I find the excel output file really useful.