Diet Doctor Low Carb Challenge

[maglil55]

1) Is it measuring your BG all the time it is attached but you cannot see the results until you 'read' the sensor?

Other people probably know more technical detail (@bluetit and @AndBreathe ) but i think the sensor reads every few minutes and produces a number every 15 mins.
Then when you zap it with the reader, those numbers are stored in the reader. You also get a read at the moment that you zap, so you can zap just before eating, and again at any time after, and get precise numbers. Or you can just zap a few times a day, rely on the 15 min numbers and the curve on the graph. The sensor on you arm only stores 8 hours of data, then writes over its memory. So you need to zap every 8 hours or you lose data.
Each sensor seems to be consistent. But will NOT match your prick tests. Lots of reasons for this. It is measuring interstitial fluid, not blood. Interstitial fluid shows bg changes 10 mins behind blood. Each sensor will run a bit high, or a bit low, but it is the trends we T2s are interested in, not the precise numbers (that way lies insanity, as we all know). But once you know how each sensor is running you can just allow for it and focus on the rest of the brilliant info it is giving.

2) Amazon have a starter pack with a meter and 2 sensors for £159. Do you need a meter or can you do just as well with the sensor and their smartphone App?

I buy direct from FreestyleLibre. Same price, no middleman. There is an Android app that means you don't need a sensor, but since i am Apple, i know nothing about it, im afraid.

3) I spend a fair bit time in a pool. Will that sensor stay on or do you need to protect it with something?

I spend a fair amount of time in a hot tub (im a decadent hussy). I did lose a sensor once through too long a soak (they are supposed to be ok for 30 mins in water). Since then, i tape over them with Opsite tape, and they stay put perfectly no matter how long i am submerged.

4) I've read stories of people getting control of their BG thanks to Libre. How? My frustration is with the mornings. I know my BG increases between rising and breakfast a Libre won't show me anything different nor will it show me how to stop it.
Cost is not the issue. In fact if I was having to buy all my strips the Libre sensors would probably work out cheaper based on the heavy testing I've been doing. I'm buying some strips just now but mostly they are on prescription. If I ever get stabilised again I know I'll reduce my testing again.

I think everyone is going to get different lessons from the experience. For me,

- it took just 3 days for me to realise that my Dawn Phen wasnt DP at all. It was a stress morning rise that started about 20 mins before the alarm. I was able to test different routines and breakfasts and watch the reaction on the screen. I stopped showering in the morning because that always spiked me too with a knock on effect all morning. Now i shower later in the day. Problem solved.

- I found that i get a hypo/dip EVERY NIGHT at 2.30am, then do a series of hoppy skippy liverdumps for the rest of the night. The low points coincided with waking up with sweats, or bad dreams. By dropping to below 20g carbs, the dip and the bumps are much reduced.

- The hot tub drops my bg by 1.0 mmol/l forthe time i am in the tub. Like clockwork.

2 squares 70% choc don't register on the graph.
4 squares do.
If i eat 2 squares every 45 mins, i could eat choc ALL DAY, with no bg impact. If i wanted

- When i had food poisoning, xmas before last, the graph curve was like watching a bouncing ball trajectory. Fascinating. And completely reassuring, because each bounce was slightly lower, and slower, so i knew what to expect next bounce.

- Im able to test a new food, in controlled portions, and have the results recorded for ever on the software. With notes.

And on... And on... I learn something new every sensor.

OK I've ordered 3 sensors direct from Libre and I've downloaded the App (fortunately I have an Android). At least the VAT exemption helped.
Now I just have to decide on the tape to use. @Brunneria - I'm sure I read something to you about cutting something out to cover the sensor and taping over it so you were taping your arm not directly onto the sensor thus making it easier to remove the tape without taking the sensor with it. Can't find it now though. Do you have and idea what I'm referring to?

I've come to the conclusion I just want to know what is going on plus it will give my fingers a rest as they are rather bruised and sore at the moment.

 

[Brunneria]

I use a little circle of paper between the sensor and the tape.

Have you been reading the Libre threads for all the hints and tips?

My personal tips are:
Get the sensor round to the back of your arm (if it is on the side, you will knock it)
Put the sensor on at least 24 hrs before you activate it
Activate the sensor when your bg is stable
Look at the trends and the timings
Do not fixate on the numbers



I'm excited for you.
We will need a new thread for all your trials, tribulations and revelations!

 

[maglil55]

Have you been reading the Libre threads for all the hints and tips?

My personal tips are:
Get the sensor round to the back of your arm (if it is on the side, you will knock it)
Put the sensor on at least 24 hrs before you activate it
Activate the sensor when your bg is stable
Look at the trends and the timings
Do not fixate on the numbers



I'm excited for you.
We will need a new thread for all your trials, tribulations and revelations!

I have been reading. Stable BG? fat chance. Although it is mornings that are the nightmare.

 

[Chook]

Oh no, don't abandon me

 

[maglil55]

Oh no, don't abandon me

Never... Can't see me using full time but my curiosity is getting the better of me. I'm like you - I'll do a lot of zapping I suspect. It will give me a chance to change things about and see what happens plus I have Easter holidays coming up so no school run and the opportunity to have immediate breakfasts and see if the movement in my BG is what I suspect it is.

I also suspect my evening meal is peaking later than 2 hrs after. I am going to treat the Libre like a little spy but I'm sticking with VLC. Another thing I want to see is when exactly the rise from FBG to its top pre breakfast starts. I've thought of something else. Previously, if I exercised without giving my body something that use it would actually bring on a liver dump and my BG would rise despite the exercise. The morning school run is pretty brisk exercise for about 45 mins. I don't want a carb fest but the way I solved it in the gym was to eat something like a Ryvita thin but at nearly 6g carbs in one thin I think I would go for something with fewer carbs or more interesting at least.

 

[maglil55]

I use a little circle of paper between the sensor and the tape.

Have you been reading the Libre threads for all the hints and tips?

My personal tips are:
Get the sensor round to the back of your arm (if it is on the side, you will knock it)
Put the sensor on at least 24 hrs before you activate it
Activate the sensor when your bg is stable
Look at the trends and the timings
Do not fixate on the numbers



I'm excited for you.
We will need a new thread for all your trials, tribulations and revelations!

Ah...I think I understand what you are telling me - don't activate it when I'm in the middle of the morning liver dump or if it is bouncing about after food? Why 24 hrs?

 

[donnellysdogs]

Readings are far more accurate after 24hrs in the skin. So if you put in the skin 24 hours before you need to activate it then you wont "waste" a day of readings accuracy.

Sensors are best calibrated when levels are static(ish). Not a good idea to do immediate before food and 3 hours after it... if you have to, then so be it but the sccuracy maybe less...

 

[Brunneria]

Why 24 hrs?

People often find that sensors read low to start with. That is my experience too. Lots of anecdotal comments about how by leaving the activation longer, the more accurate the early readings are. Some ppl leave it 48 hrs, but I think that must take superhuman self control!

I believe the thinking is that the body produces some kind of immune reaction (you are effectively inserting a little needle under the skin).

Have you seen this thread yet?
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/libre-sensor-activation-time.117973/#post-1415982

 

[maglil55]

People often find that sensors read low to start with. That is my experience too. Lots of anecdotal comments about how by leaving the activation longer, the more accurate the early readings are. Some ppl leave it 48 hrs, but I think that must take superhuman self control!

I believe the thinking is that the body produces some kind of immune reaction (you are effectively inserting a little needle under the skin).

Have you seen this thread yet?
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/libre-sensor-activation-time.117973/#post-1415982

I have now

 

[Chook]

Never... Can't see me using full time but my curiosity is getting the better of me. I'm like you - I'll do a lot of zapping I suspect. It will give me a chance to change things about and see what happens plus I have Easter holidays coming up so no school run and the opportunity to have immediate breakfasts and see if the movement in my BG is what I suspect it is.

I also suspect my evening meal is peaking later than 2 hrs after. I am going to treat the Libre like a little spy but I'm sticking with VLC. Another thing I want to see is when exactly the rise from FBG to its top pre breakfast starts. I've thought of something else. Previously, if I exercised without giving my body something that use it would actually bring on a liver dump and my BG would rise despite the exercise. The morning school run is pretty brisk exercise for about 45 mins. I don't want a carb fest but the way I solved it in the gym was to eat something like a Ryvita thin but at nearly 6g carbs in one thin I think I would go for something with fewer carbs or more interesting at least.

I think both you and me have got a 'hair trigger' liver - yesterday evening Mr C was unavoidably delayed at work but didn't ring to tell me, which he normally does. At about the time he should have been home and sitting down to dinner my BG was 3.8 - I checked this twice because the first test was 3.6. I thought it would be silly to spoil my dinner (which I thought would be at any moment) so I didn't eat anything to increase it. Then, when he didn't turn up, I tried ringing his phone but it just rang and rang and I got a bit panicky.

A couple of minutes later he (finally remembered and) phoned me to say he would be another half hour. I thought I'd better eat something, tested again (expecting to see an all time low) and it was 6.3!!! It had gone up from 3.6 to 6.3 in less than ten minutes. I think my liver decided to give me a bit of a helping hand. I waited til he came home to eat, then ate quite a large meal and two hours later my BG was 4.8. So although it went up quickly it also came down quite quickly. I think it was the adrenaline rush I got when I was worried that did it.

@maglil55 Do you think that all your rushing around in the mornings gives you an adrenaline boost?

 

[maglil55]

I think both you and me have got a 'hair trigger' liver - yesterday evening Mr C was unavoidably delayed at work but didn't ring to tell me, which he normally does. At about the time he should have been home and sitting down to dinner my BG was 3.8 - I checked this twice because the first test was 3.6. I thought it would be silly to spoil my dinner (which I thought would be at any moment) so I didn't eat anything to increase it. Then, when he didn't turn up, I tried ringing his phone but it just rang and rang and I got a bit panicky.

A couple of minutes later he (finally remembered and) phoned me to say he would be another half hour. I thought I'd better eat something, tested again (expecting to see an all time low) and it was 6.3!!! It had gone up from 3.6 to 6.3 in less than ten minutes. I think my liver decided to give me a bit of a helping hand. I waited til he came home to eat, then ate quite a large meal and two hours later my BG was 4.8. So although it went up quickly it also came down quite quickly. I think it was the adrenaline rush I got when I was worried that did it.

@maglil55 Do you think that all your rushing around in the mornings gives you an adrenaline boost?

In a nutshell - Yes although I think the exercise I get with my body having nothing to burn contributes too.

I'm trying to be more calm. I've been leaving earlier this week so I don't have as much of a rush between getting the younger one to pre school and back with the elder for school. Also parking elsewhere as it was frustrating (and dangerous) trying to get past parents cars parked as close to the school as possible but on pavements, double yellows, corners - you name it they park there. I'm going further away now where it is safe , we can cross with the lollipop man and since I'm on crutches it is exercise! Other change I've made is I am staying out of the situation on the boys behaviour. I'm just being normal with them and told Mum and Dad to deal with it as it was having an adverse effect on me. So now we just chat and it has had an unexpected knock on effect as the elder, who has been disruptive at school lately, told me during his chat with me this morning that he is being bullied again by the same child who has been conducting a reign of terror for 2 years. I did ask why he didn't go tell someone as he was told to last time this happened and he said 'but Nana they don't listen to me'. He then told me that this child is also hitting girls and bullying them. One of them is the daughter of a mother I'm friendly with and we've now discovered it's accurate and the girls were scared to say anything. Deep breaths , stay calm pass on the information. Very sad though to know a 6 year old has conducted a bullying reign for 2 years now.
Anyway , I digress. Bed on 8 got up to FBG of 8.1 which was fine but I still hit 9.7 pre breakfast which I can only assume was due to No 1 telling his story. Had breakfast - off to swimming now.

 

[Chook]

Poor little thing - being bullied is horrible and can cause depression even in small children. What is the school doing about it?

I just looked back in my BG notebooks and noticed that my run of high FBGs coincided with the arrival of the (not so) new dog. Yes, he really did cause me a lot of stress and still does but I think I'm getting used to him now.

Maybe I ought to try meditation or mindfulness or something.

 

[maglil55]

Poor little thing - being bullied is horrible and can cause depression even in small children. What is the school doing about it?

I just looked back in my BG notebooks and noticed that my run of high FBGs coincided with the arrival of the (not so) new dog. Yes, he really did cause me a lot of stress and still does but I think I'm getting used to him now.

Maybe I ought to try meditation or mindfulness or something.

Nothing at the moment but they will. Mum has an appointment and is going in on Monday with the other Mum. They have also got their hands on the bully's Mum (who is a very nice person) and she had no idea he was the resident bully. So the view of the Mums is if the school won't deal with it they will as they feel 2 years of bullying needs to be nipped in the bud. He's very sneaky but looks like a little angel but now 4 children saying the same thing is mounting evidence.
I'd more or less forgotten how disruptive Jack was as I'd assumed he'd settled down. We're just stress junkies @Chook. More good news though - huge reduction in sister's liver tumour. Seems the chemo ninjas are doing their job.

 

[Chook]

It must be devastating to be a nice person and find out that your child is a bully.

Good news about your sister's liver tumour. I'm never quite sure how chemo works.

Oh yes, Jack's settled down(ish) but he's still a little horror. He steals things and chews them up - but ONLY when Mr C is here. He hates me leaving him alone for a moment even to pop upstairs - he whimpers, cries and does this sighing thing that would be heart breaking if he didn't have a glint of mischief in his eyes as soon as you give in and go back in the same room as in.

Did I tell you Mr C asked me if I thought we could manage yet another one because someone at his work had a Chocolate Lab they couldn't handle. Answer: NO. I did find it a good home though.

That @Brunneria must still be off having a good time .... all those naked burgers with an occasional helping of lush chips.

 

[maglil55]

It must be devastating to be a nice person and find out that your child is a bully.

Good news about your sister's liver tumour. I'm never quite sure how chemo works.

Oh yes, Jack's settled down(ish) but he's still a little horror. He steals things and chews them up - but ONLY when Mr C is here. He hates me leaving him alone for a moment even to pop upstairs - he whimpers, cries and does this sighing thing that would be heart breaking if he didn't have a glint of mischief in his eyes as soon as you give in and go back in the same room as in.

Did I tell you Mr C asked me if I thought we could manage yet another one because someone at his work had a Chocolate Lab they couldn't handle. Answer: NO. I did find it a good home though.

That @Brunneria must still be off having a good time .... all those naked burgers with an occasional helping of lush chips.

Sis is getting a biological treatment using monoclonal antibodies which I understand are modified to attack the tumours and not the good cells hence my comment about chemo ninjas. Amazing what they can do now.
Jack seems more fun now but another dog??

 

[Chook]

Sis is getting a biological treatment using monoclonal antibodies which I understand are modified to attack the tumours and not the good cells hence my comment about chemo ninjas. Amazing what they can do now.
Jack seems more fun now but another dog??

I love the thought of chemo ninjas - much better mental visual than having poison put in to you.

Mr C is a sucker for a Labrador in distress. I have found new homes for at least a dozen of them over the years that he wanted to bring home to live with us. Actually, probably more than that... and -worse- people know that he loves them and come to find him when (for whatever reason) they want or need to get rid of their Lab. We diversified a bit when we got Archie - he's a Labradoodle but we needed a puppy urgently and couldn't find a full Lab.

 

[Brunneria]

Wow! I have missed so much.
Sorry to hear about the bullying. Must be infuriating. Great to read the plans for de-bullying though! And your stress management techniques. And the chemo ninjas sound brilliant!
Odd that Jack is fixated on you Chook, when it is Mr Chook who walks him. Is he food oriented? And who feeds him? Or is it that you are home all day with him?

We are back from holiday now. It was great. Now it is over. Sniff.
Be good to get back to normal (DD eating though), and be able to check bg. Because I was wearing a Libre sensor, I didn't take a prick testing kit with me. Not a mistake I will make again. Once the Libre fell off, I was flying blind, and felt rather insecure, especially with the random intense exercise of the dog walking, and the various meals out.

In future, I will either take a spare sensor, or I will take a prick testing kit. Should have done so this time, but I was trying to pack really light.

 

[Chook]

Hi @Brunneria - nice to have you back - i know what it's like when holidays are over. The only thing to do is plan the next one.

What was your BG when you got home? And were you extra low carb because you were flying blind or did y you let yourself have a few holiday cheats? I've often wondered how I'd manage without a meter.

Jack is only fixated on me when Mr C isn't here. No, it's not cupboard love because (on purpose) Mr C feeds him and I feed the other two. He has to be fed separately because otherwise he abandons his dinner to steal Millie's and the silly girl lets him.

What happens is that as soon as I lay the table for dinner he knows that his Dad will be home soon then he goes in to the hall and lays next to the front door doing the pathetic sighing thing. I don't understand the destructive behaviour that only happens when Mr C is home - it has to be the way he lived before. I've never had a dog that was destructive at over a year old.

 

[Brunneria]

Funnily enough, we spent a chunk of the journey home plotting the next hol

Maybe Jack learned that he only got attention from his old Dad if he destroyed stuff. Very sad, if thats the case.

I kept low carb. In fact vlc plus a few chips, the odd (medicinal hot choc), halva, and 70% choc. We were self catering, so we ate DD recipes 5 evenings and had an indian takeaway (lc and no rice or naan) one night. Then had lunch or breakfast out every day. Again, lc options except for one full portion of chips with a naked burger.

Not worried about my blood glucose. Just didn't like the feeling of free fall. It would be soooo easy to just have one more, wouldn't it? I'm fine at home. Usual foods, portions and times. Almost makes testing redundant, esp if DDing. But out in the wild (as it were), it gets much more insecure. Thank goodness i don't have to guess carbs for insulin dosing. It must be like playing russian roulette.

 

[Chook]

Okay - confession time - you know with my job it was compulsory staff eat with the residents? And mostly I didn't do the cooking? Well, before I started low carbing and taking my meals to work with me I did used to guess my insulin dosage as I didn't have the opportunity to weigh my food or have time between dishing up and eating to calculate dosage. Scary. Yet it wasn't at the time - just seemed better to inject something rather than nothing. It was like 'Uhhhh - how many units shall I inject for that slab of chocolate gateau that Xxx's Mum bought in for us.... oh... probably about 10'. Seriously. Knowing what I know now its amazing I'm still alive. That's the sort of thing that the insulin brain fog let me do.

We always go self catering on holiday - usually we have our main meal and any cooked breakfasts out and other meals/snacks we buy each day when we've decided what we feel like eating.

Oh, Jack's former owners have got a lot to answer for. He's stopped doing it now (thank heavens) but when he first moved in he would cringe and occasionally wet himself if one of us bent to stroke him and you couldn't get a cuddle out of him - things like that are slowly changing.