Type 1'stars R Us

Scott-C

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2,474
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The thing that scares me most is having to bolus and getting it right. I seriously worry that if I don't get the dose right / wait the require 15mins that I'm going to fall flat on my big fat ar** and end up in A&E.

Exactly. We've all had that worry, and some of us have ended up in hospital or on the pavement (although, in my defence, I was in my twenties and it wasn't my fault the pubs were licensed to 3:00 am...)

I had some major disasters in my first year or two, and much later than that too.

Which is why I still had spells even quite late into it where, although, touch wood, I've never been "burned out" in the sense of not treating it, I've been seriously narked off with the unpredictability of it.

Enter stage left, cgm.

Bg moves around a lot and we're meant to keep it in a tight range without being able to see it much just through brief strip glimpses: yeah, right, no wonder we make mistakes and get annoyed with it.

You'll have seen libre/cgm mentioned before. It's difficult to describe to someone who hasn't used it before how much easier managing T1 is with cgm.

When you can see how bg is moving in real time, you know that if you've made a bolus mis-calc, you've got a 20, 30 mins heads up on sorting it out with a scoof of apple juice, crisps, biscuit or whatever long before you're on the pavement.

Then, as time passes and you have seen thousands of cgm traces in different bolusing/meal situations, it just becomes easier to make the right judgment calls, because you've seen the effect of things in the past, and anticipate how your latest decision might pan out.

What happens is that the approach becomes more subtle: a pinch of carbs or insulin instead of a ladleful.

Things which I would have written off as T1 unpredictability a few years ago have changed: some are still unpredictable, but with many, I can now review the graph and say, ok, that happened because of x, y, z, and you just sort of store that stuff away for future use, sometimes without realising it. It just sort of accumulates through seeing so many traces and makes it easier.

This all makes it way easier to push out straight lines even in complex situations, with the reassurance of knowing that when it gets messy, as it will always do with T1, you're getting an early heads up on it before it gets too messy.

Pretty much every report I've read on cgm with T1 reports not only the numbers game, but also distress scores: these little bits of plastic stuck on our arms make people happier and more confident because they can now see and steer it, instead of reacting after the event.

Sue, I'd really strongly encourage you to look into cgm options, such as whether libre is scripted in your area, or privately funding it or dexcom. It really does make a serious difference with getting rid of the infuriating, disempowering surprises and uncertainties which T1 chucks at us, and that can be a real turnaround point.


Anyway, best of luck, and I see there's now a post from therower about crisps, one of my favourite subjects...
 

Juicyj

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Salt and vinegar seems to be a fave, mine too I like Kettles Cider vinegar and salt, posh crisps mind, special treat !

Also having some erratic BG levels, 3 hypos today, been a yo yo of a day, early night, at least it's cooler now :)
 

therower

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Salt and vinegar seems to be a fave, mine too I like Kettles Cider vinegar and salt, posh crisps mind, special treat !

Also having some erratic BG levels, 3 hypos today, been a yo yo of a day, early night, at least it's cooler now :)
Kettle crisps...........apparently used for armour plating on military vehicles.:)
Hope the BS settles down.
 
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Antje77

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Exactly. We've all had that worry, and some of us have ended up in hospital or on the pavement (although, in my defence, I was in my twenties and it wasn't my fault the pubs were licensed to 3:00 am...)

I had some major disasters in my first year or two, and much later than that too.

Which is why I still had spells even quite late into it where, although, touch wood, I've never been "burned out" in the sense of not treating it, I've been seriously narked off with the unpredictability of it.

Enter stage left, cgm.

Bg moves around a lot and we're meant to keep it in a tight range without being able to see it much just through brief strip glimpses: yeah, right, no wonder we make mistakes and get annoyed with it.

You'll have seen libre/cgm mentioned before. It's difficult to describe to someone who hasn't used it before how much easier managing T1 is with cgm.

When you can see how bg is moving in real time, you know that if you've made a bolus mis-calc, you've got a 20, 30 mins heads up on sorting it out with a scoof of apple juice, crisps, biscuit or whatever long before you're on the pavement.

Then, as time passes and you have seen thousands of cgm traces in different bolusing/meal situations, it just becomes easier to make the right judgment calls, because you've seen the effect of things in the past, and anticipate how your latest decision might pan out.

What happens is that the approach becomes more subtle: a pinch of carbs or insulin instead of a ladleful.

Things which I would have written off as T1 unpredictability a few years ago have changed: some are still unpredictable, but with many, I can now review the graph and say, ok, that happened because of x, y, z, and you just sort of store that stuff away for future use, sometimes without realising it. It just sort of accumulates through seeing so many traces and makes it easier.

This all makes it way easier to push out straight lines even in complex situations, with the reassurance of knowing that when it gets messy, as it will always do with T1, you're getting an early heads up on it before it gets too messy.

Pretty much every report I've read on cgm with T1 reports not only the numbers game, but also distress scores: these little bits of plastic stuck on our arms make people happier and more confident because they can now see and steer it, instead of reacting after the event.

Sue, I'd really strongly encourage you to look into cgm options, such as whether libre is scripted in your area, or privately funding it or dexcom. It really does make a serious difference with getting rid of the infuriating, disempowering surprises and uncertainties which T1 chucks at us, and that can be a real turnaround point.


Anyway, best of luck, and I see there's now a post from therower about crisps, one of my favourite subjects...
Yes! Can I save this to shove in the faces of everyone who doubs the benefits of CGM's and the likes? This is exactly how it works for me!
 

hh1

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1,355
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Kettle Chips, cheese & onion or sea salt & black pepper
Pringles sour cream & onion
Doritos cool

@SueJB, after 30 odd years, Libre's made a big difference to me. What's made the biggest difference though is this forum and this thread in particular. I think because I worked away a lot and systems were altered where I live, I fell out of the system a bit, so a few years ago, when i took part in a research programme, I discovered lots of people managing far better than I was (or so I thought) but certainly better informed. I know there are other people here who have tighter control than I do. I choose not to pursue that, not because I think it's a bad idea, but because it wouldn't suit me. I'm not techie, I'm impressed by those who are, but it's not a path I choose.

This thread's so important because people answer questions, give useful information, offer support and understanding, and accept that we're all different. We all see our T1 differently too; I agree with @evilclive that it makes me think about what I'm eating in a way I wouldn't necessarily without T1, and sometimes stops me eating junk or too much chocolate (is there actually such a thing? :hilarious:). And @therower who said there's no point in comparing ourselves with others; I've only got my T1, not anyone else's. I hope it helps you as much as it has me - especially when it makes me lol. You're doing great.
 

Antje77

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Ok lovely people.
Favourite crisps past or present??????????? ( let’s include wheat, savoury, corn snacks )
Hamka's (Lay's, think it's a Dutch thing. Ham is ham and kaas is cheese so supposedly hey taste of ham and cheese).
Lay's deep ridged extreme cheese (they only sold those for a short while but thay were soooo good).
Lay's cheese and onion (there seems to be a pattern here, made stronger with:)
Dorito's cheese and
Cheetos in a more distant past. (to be precise, before I got my top dentures. I hate the way cheetos stick to them).

And kroepoek and cassave crackers (to lazy for a google translate, so you can look it up yourselves :) )
 
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db89

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1,134
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Ok lovely people.
Favourite crisps past or present??????????? ( let’s include wheat, savoury, corn snacks )

1. Hula hoops.
2. Cool Doritos.
3. Walkers ready salted.
Notable mentions. Mc Coys cheddar and onion. Mini Cheddars.

1) Doritos Roulette
2) XL Cheese (you only find these up North)
3) Chipsticks Ready Salted
 

therower

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Hamka's (Lay's, think it's a Dutch thing. Ham is ham and kaas is cheese so supposedly hey taste of ham and cheese).
Lay's deep ridged extreme cheese (they only sold those for a short while but thay were soooo good).
Lay's cheese and onion (there seems to be a pattern here, made stronger with:)
Dorito's cheese and
Cheetos in a more distant past. (to be precice, before I got my top dentures. I hate the way cheetos stick to them).

And kroepoek and cassave crackers (to lazy for a google translate, so you can look it up yourselves :) )
So would it be fair to say you have a penchant for things containing ‘chee’ in the description?
 

LooperCat

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In lieu of crisps, I’m addicted to this stuff.

73A4C079-6D82-4F09-90BC-E41AD7CFE02D.jpeg
 

ert

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Salt and vinegar seems to be a fave, mine too I like Kettles Cider vinegar and salt, posh crisps mind, special treat !

Also having some erratic BG levels, 3 hypos today, been a yo yo of a day, early night, at least it's cooler now :)

Kettles Cider vinegar and salt were always my favourites. Notice the past tense.

At the gym, the coffee shop closed early tonight, due to new summertime trading hours, but only advertised this with a 10 cm x 5 cm sign that I missed (and a lot of others). So I didn't get my post-workout coffee to flatten my BS drop. I managed to get a large cup of tea (I drink about one cup of tea a year), as there was still hot water.
And I've actually decided I love tea and drank two more cups when I got home.
So tomorrow. More tea. Can't wait.
 
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smc4761

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Seriously you people need help when it comes to best crisp flavours ever. Not one mention so far of Tudor crisps and in particular, Pickled Onion or the Gammon ones. Best crisps ever and some great adverts to boot

 

therower

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@smc4761 . Informative and educational. Currently trying to get someone to translate for me.;););).
Seriously though never ever heard of them down here in the Midlands.
 

Scott-C

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Messages
2,474
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Yes! Can I save this to shove in the faces of everyone who doubs the benefits of CGM's and the likes? This is exactly how it works for me!

Lol, Antje, you may do with it as you wish!

One of the issues with libre prescription seems to have been the bean counters saying, aye, fine, this looks good, but they've been doing ok with strips, so why change?

Erm, there's a few reasons...
 
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smc4761

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@smc4761 . Informative and educational. Currently trying to get someone to translate for me.;););).
Seriously though never ever heard of them down here in the Midlands.

Hi @therower these were crisps made during 1970's and early 80's, we had them in Scotland and I would imagine NE England, the factory was in Peterlee. The taste of picked onion ones was sooooo strong, think I can still taste them
 

Jaylee

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Well that was a well balanced BG & productive day in the studio.. :cool: I'm actually starting to like recording digitally for once.
(Without all the pitch shifting bull shine the modern engineers are keen on pushing.)
Still miss reel to reel.

Lol, even had a cheeky bag of Walkers.. Prolly won't bother with that again. Found a "greasy spoon" a few hundred meters up the road from the unit. Bacon & egg..

Tomorrow's another day in our rock & roll history. There was certainly no "Spinal Tap" melt down. Not with this lot. :)