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Hi Jus, Christmas was good thanks. I hope you enjoyed it too. As I recall (it was over a year ago and right now I'm not even sure what day of the week it is), his position was that there was huge pressure from the healthcare side to provide a genuine 24 hour basal insulin. The technology always...

Hi squirrel, In my time I've used porcine, Lantus and at the moment Levemir. In my experience I've found no difference between them, although others clearly have. What I would say is that neither Lantus nor Levemir is guaranteed to last 24 hours. Levemir for example can last for as little as 18...

Amazing numbers considering, Mark! A functioning pancreas and reduced insulin resistance - the perfect Christmas gift! fergus

Larkspur, you are headed in the right direction. My advice would be to change your doctor. fergus

Personally, I don't think grains and cereals are a good basis for breakfast - simply too easily metabolised to glucose and too lacking in essential proteins and fats to make it worthwhile. As a Scot it pains me to say it, but no porridge for me thanks. fergus

Hi Kieran, You're not the first diabetic to have ignored the risks until you can ignore them no longer. Some of us needed an epiphany before we straightened ourselves out but you sound ready to get it together now. You really don't wan't to leave it until your eyesight fails, the dialysis...

I agree with Ken. As I read through your story, a number of fairly commonplace symptoms seemed to emerge, although unfortunately they seem to have affected you to a much greater extent than they have affected others. In my view you shouldn't be pinning your hopes on prescription medications to...

Hmmm, looks like this discussion is becoming split along familiar lines..... Ken, I don't think I presented an argument about the alternative theories re the genesis of heart disease? I simply suggested that, since even vastly expensive studies and very well resourced agencies had consistently...

Agreed! :D In my view, I'm afraid the idea that saturated fat raises cholesterol which then leads to heart disease seems perfectly plausible at first. The only problem is that the evidence doesn't support it. The hypothesis, because an idea without available evidence in support of it can only...

Likewise, I'm amazed that anyone could conclude anything from 8 weeks study on 24 non-diabetic people! Give me an NHS funded research budget and by tomorrow morning I'll find you 24 people to prove that peanuts kill and Wagon Wheels are an essential part of a balanced diet. We could certainly...

The short answer is yes. Levemir is designed to ensure his blood sugar remains stable over a 24 hour period. Without it his bg would rise throughout the day. It isn't designed to deal with the digestion of food as such, so he should still take it even if he isn't eating. Sounds like he's having...

Hi Clarky, If you are continually having to eat carby snacks in order to avoid hypos then you are definitely taking too much insulin. If the body is in hormonal balance, or homeostasis, it will use glucose for energy immediately after a meal, then begin to use fatty acids for fuel thereafter...

The body does indeed produce glucose (from amino acids) all by itself, as a fuel for a variety of metabolic processes. There's another way to look at the dawn phenomenon too though. Yes, the body will manufacture glucose, but it will also de-activate insulin in the early morning which will also...

Hi Clarky, Well, you're a honeymooner and no mistake! Given the amount of carbohydrate you ate on the work day, and the relatively very small dose of insulin, your pancreas is still producing significant amounts of insulin I'd say. 300g of carbs is an enormous amount of, essentially, sugar to...

Hi gasman, This might be a good one for you. 'Low carb 1-2-3' by Rozanne Gold published by Rodale. Lots of top nosh and complete nutritional breakdowns for every dish including carbs, protein, fat and fibre. The only problem is those annoying American cup measures. All the best, fergus

I agree with John. Those numbers are a real heath risk in the long term and unless you really fancy injected insulin at some point, you should have a think about dietary changes to bring them down. Try ditching the starches - replace them with veggies in time, but also with meat, fish, eggs...

Hi James, I don't know where that formula comes from, but I'd be extremely sceptical about it. For one thing, it tells me that 1 unit of bolus covers 23g carbs, which is waaaaay wide of the mark. For another, it takes no account of diet, exercise, weight, insulin resistance, or any of the...

My suspicion is that it's not a basal insulin issue. From what you described, your bg rises at night (before bed?) then falls as you sleep. That suggests your basal may even be set too high as, ideally, it ought to be keeping your bg at a stable level as you sleep, not causing it to fall. I...

You make a very good point, Steve. No-one wants to think about insulin and bg as a major factor in long term health, but the truth of the matter is that both have a much greater impact on our health than almost anything else. There were many animal studies in the 20th C. which concluded that...

People often don't believe it at first, but if you replace the spuds 'n loaf with more nutritious foods such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, veggies you'll probably find you're actually much less hungry. Essentially, the problem with these starchy carbs is that they raise your insulin levels...