Hoist By My Own Petard

[JohnEGreen]

I tried one of the Lavender scones at Upton house a while ago was very nice but did raise blood sugar a bit. I may try again next time I visit like you all in the interest of empirical research to be reliable science any experiment must be repeatable or the results can't be relied on.

 

[Grateful]

I tried one of the Lavender scones at Upton house a while ago was very nice but did raise blood sugar a bit. I may try again next time I visit like you all in the interest of empirical research to be reliable science any experiment must be repeatable or the results can't be relied on.

As I said in another thread, the larger the sample, the more reliable the result. It allows calculation of a range of useful statistics: arithmetic mean, median, and the identification and elimination of outliers. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Oldvatr]

I looked it up too! The last sentence of the explanation I found made me chuckle!
“To be "hoist by [or with] your own petard" is to be blown up by your own bomb. A petard was a medieval engine of war consisting originally of a bell-shaped metal container filled with explosives. It was used to blow in a door or a gate or breach a wall. Premature explosion was an ever-present danger. In other words, you could be hoist by your own petard. But what is also interesting is the derivation of the word "petard". It comes from the French word peter, meaning to break wind.”

As in Le Petomane, who was a reknowned flatulence based stage act. He would blow out candles from a significant distance. His main trick was to drink a pail of water without any passing his lips, if you get my drift. His tailor had to make is specially adapted stage suits for him (with long tails)

Ancient video of him

So yes, peter = wind.

Good explantion of petard there, It was a mortar bomb. and the term was applied to some WW1 mortars too.

 

[Oldvatr]

As I said in another thread, the larger the sample, the more reliable the result. It allows calculation of a range of useful statistics: arithmetic mean, median, and the identification and elimination of outliers. Inquiring minds want to know.

Yes. The HbA1c is an averaging tool, so is similar. A week of binging will not significantly alter the value, so you probably will not notice it. The daily fingerstick will register on the day, and will skew a weekly average, but not a months worth. This is what I have used in my bgl spreadsheet, a running average trend analysis.

 

[Grateful]

Yes. The HbA1c is an averaging tool, so is similar. A week of binging will not significantly alter the value, so you probably will not notice it. The daily fingerstick will register on the day, and will skew a weekly average, but not a months worth. This is what I have used in my bgl spreadsheet, a running average trend analysis.

For newbies reading this: @Oldvatr's post is a good argument in favor of self-testing. Indeed, you could probably binge on carbs for a week (especially right at the beginning of a three-month gap between HbA1c test) and it would have a minimal impact on your test, indeed it could have no impact at all if you time it right.

I think it is likely that a true "binge" over a period of one or several weeks would be harmful to your health, even if the regular A1c is stellar. This is especially important if your doctor has decided to space out the A1c to six months, or a year, for instance. In these circumstances it is up to us, either to show better discipline and/or to self-test.

As someone who does not self-test, I have been making sure that the clinic A1c is run at least every three months. In the long term that becomes harder (here in America) because the insurance company will eventually demur. From my reading on this forum, it looks like a similar situation pertains in the NHS. They want to save money and time, so they lose interest in "well controlled" T2 diabetics. Edited to add: Which is silly given how simple it is to take a blood sample, and how relatively cheap the A1c test is, nowadays.

 

[Oldvatr]

For newbies reading this: @Oldvatr's post is a good argument in favor of self-testing. Indeed, you could probably binge on carbs for a week (especially right at the beginning of a three-month gap between HbA1c test) and it would have a minimal impact on your test, indeed it could have no impact at all if you time it right.

I think it is likely that a true "binge" over a period of one or several weeks would be harmful to your health, even if the regular A1c is stellar. This is especially important if your doctor has decided to space out the A1c to six months, or a year, for instance. In these circumstances it is up to us, either to show better discipline and/or to self-test.

As someone who does not self-test, I have been making sure that the clinic A1c is run at least every three months. In the long term that becomes harder (here in America) because the insurance company will eventually demur. From my reading on this forum, it looks like a similar situation pertains in the NHS. They want to save money and time, so they lose interest in "well controlled" T2 diabetics. Edited to add: Which is silly given how simple it is to take a blood sample, and how relatively cheap the A1c test is, nowadays.

In UK currency, then if A1c costs say £1 each time, then with nearly 3 million UK diabetics registered, an annual test cost would become £3m, and if everybody does it 4 times a year then it adds up to a tidy sum. Add in the cost of GP time to analyse, comment on, and review with patient each time, then it bcomes an issue for NHS funding.

I have been on annual checkup for over a year now, and am due next one in Jan 18. But I am supported for self test, so I have a reasonable idea what my next one will show. I suspect that it is cheaper to fund my testing for a year than to give me 4 visits with blood tests, urine tests etc. and possible DCN visit too.

 

[Grateful]

In UK currency, then if A1c costs say £1 each time, then with nearly 3 million UK diabetics registered, an annual test cost would become £3m, and if everybody does it 4 times a year then it adds up to a tidy sum. Add in the cost of GP time to analyse, comment on, and review with patient each time, then it bcomes an issue for NHS funding.

I have been on annual checkup for over a year now, and am due next one in Jan 18. But I am supported for self test, so I have a reasonable idea what my next one will show. I suspect that it is cheaper to fund my testing for a year than to give me 4 visits with blood tests, urine tests etc. and possible DCN visit too.

It is an interesting issue. From reading this forum, I get the impression that the NHS can be stingy with supporting self-tests. (Postcode lottery? Or refusal to fund those who are well-controlled??)

To the extent that people are not self-testing (because that is what their doctor/nurse advised and because of reluctance to fund self-testing) it seems to me that a long gap between A1c tests could cost the NHS more money in the long run because of the high cost of treating complications among badly controlled T2Ds.

But I suppose someone in that vast organization must have "run the numbers" or at least, I optimistically hope that they know what they are doing!

 

[Oldvatr]

It is an interesting issue. From reading this forum, I get the impression that the NHS can be stingy with supporting self-tests. (Postcode lottery? Or refusal to fund those who are well-controlled??)

To the extent that people are not self-testing (because that is what their doctor/nurse advised and because of reluctance to fund self-testing) it seems to me that a long gap between A1c tests could cost the NHS more money in the long run because of the high cost of treating complications among badly controlled T2Ds.

But I suppose someone in that vast organization must have "run the numbers" or at least, I optimistically hope that they know what they are doing!

I have to remind myself that many here on the forum come here because they have self motivation, and are prepared to take action to help themselves. Until recently T2 diabetics tended to be elderly, fragile, and not so IT savvy, so the concept of self testing and managing diets etc would create psychological difficulties, and the majority of T2D in NHS world would not self test or do the necessary research, We happy (?) band of brothers (?) here are a privileged small subset of the total clientele.

So through NHS eyes, I see why self testing is not advised for most patients. It is a postcode lottery because the rules get set down by NICE et al, and once set then they stay set for a long time, and HCP are at risk of legal action if they do not follow these rules to the letter, i.e. not necessarily agreeing in spirit but exactly as stated. Thus mavericks like me have to justify any deviations to our GP etc, or completely go it alone muttering darkly (or go mad, also muttering darkly)

So I do not think changes will come quickly, but we do see some flexibility in support for self test creeping in.here and there. As Dr Unwin has demonstrated recently, it is possible to change the care package within NICE and save money for the NHS, and I suspect that this success will carry more weight than my own indivdual contribution, and we may see improvements in the UK sometime in the future.

 

[phdiabetic]

I would be very grumpy if my blood got lost!

Welcome to the 4% club and well done

 

[Grateful]

I would be very grumpy if my blood got lost!

I was anxious, and I suppose grumpy!

I normally look up the results online, but the result of the first test never appeared. When I then phoned to ask for the result, they said my doctor had written a (snail-mail) letter asking me to come in so they could take another sample. The letter never arrived -- or rather, as of two weeks later, it still hasn't arrived.