Hey guys, i am new to this forum, basicly i have had diabetes for a while now but i dont have the best control and i have now realised its time to sort it out. i am on levimir insulin at night and novoripid for my 3 meals, however i have started testing my blood sugars alot now and i am finding it hard to control as sometimes i have hypos and other times its really high, i eat really healthy now and exercise regularly at night. Does anyone else use this insulin and can you give me any tips on ratios and carbohydrate counting please.
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Carbohydrate counting and ratio advise please!!!
- Thread starter manda87
- Start Date
As everyone's metabolism is different and their insulin/carb ratios are different it is impossible to say 'you should use this or that ratio'. It's great that you are wanting to sort it out and there is help out there. Have you looked at whether you can get on a DAFNE course? That stands for Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating and teaches you all about your diabetes from the how and why it all is as it is, to how to control it by understanding how to work out ratios, when and how to adjust them etc. I went on one after over thirty years with diabetes and I learnt more in that five days than I had ever learnt in the whole last thirty years. I now do not fear going hypo unexpectedly all the time as I used to: I'm no longer afraid of being and working on my own because of DAFNE.
Ask your GP, or better still, your diabetes nurse as she (he?) will almost certainly know more about it, if they can get you on a course. If there is not one soon that you can go on, and they get very booked up so it's unlikely to be soon, then ask if your nurse can teach you. I don't even know if all diabetes nurses are DAFNE educated themselves, but if yours isn't, ask them to find someone who is. There are lots of people on here who might be able to advise too. I think there is a website with DAFNE type instructions on it, but I don't know where it is: someone else will know I'm sure.
Good luck with it all.
Margi.
Ask your GP, or better still, your diabetes nurse as she (he?) will almost certainly know more about it, if they can get you on a course. If there is not one soon that you can go on, and they get very booked up so it's unlikely to be soon, then ask if your nurse can teach you. I don't even know if all diabetes nurses are DAFNE educated themselves, but if yours isn't, ask them to find someone who is. There are lots of people on here who might be able to advise too. I think there is a website with DAFNE type instructions on it, but I don't know where it is: someone else will know I'm sure.
Good luck with it all.
Margi.
The Bournemouth e-learning carb counting site is here:
http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
I would second the advice to contact your DSN. He or she will be able to help you start to take control, as you clearly want to do. I've just moved over to Levemir from Lantus and my DSN has been really good at helping me work out the right doses and make changes. I would suggest making sure you keep a good record of your results and doses to discuss.
Anyway, good luck and keep us posted.
http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
I would second the advice to contact your DSN. He or she will be able to help you start to take control, as you clearly want to do. I've just moved over to Levemir from Lantus and my DSN has been really good at helping me work out the right doses and make changes. I would suggest making sure you keep a good record of your results and doses to discuss.
Anyway, good luck and keep us posted.
jopar
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,222
For more information on the DAFNE here's a link
www.dafne.uk.com/387.html#
They also have there own forum here
www.dafneonline.co.uk/forums
Another resource for carb counting, which is an online course by Bournemouth Royal Hospital can be found here
www.bdec-e-learning.com/
These are good starting points so that you can work out your carb counting
There also two very good books, you only need to purchase of them as they pretty much the same...
Using Insulin by John Walsh
Think LIke a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner
Both will give you low down etc on the basal/bolus regimes..
Then of cause don't forget to ask questions here, it better to ask over in the T1 forum itself as you more T1 members will see your question.
www.dafne.uk.com/387.html#
They also have there own forum here
www.dafneonline.co.uk/forums
Another resource for carb counting, which is an online course by Bournemouth Royal Hospital can be found here
www.bdec-e-learning.com/
These are good starting points so that you can work out your carb counting
There also two very good books, you only need to purchase of them as they pretty much the same...
Using Insulin by John Walsh
Think LIke a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner
Both will give you low down etc on the basal/bolus regimes..
Then of cause don't forget to ask questions here, it better to ask over in the T1 forum itself as you more T1 members will see your question.
AndyS
Well-Known Member
hi manda,
you say your levels are fairly even, do you mean that overnight they stay pretty much constant?
DAFNE has been mentioned and if you can get yourself onto a course it is well worth the week out of your life to do. The big thing you learn is that you need to get your background insulin (levemir for you) right and then you can work on the rest.
Basically you should only ever change one thing at a time otherwise you don't know what change you made had what effect.
How are you on carb counting? Jopar and Russ posted some excelent links and they are a great starting point. I learned a lot from the BDEC site when I was first diagnosed and released into the wild.
You kind of need to understand what 1U insulin does to you and what 10g carbs does to you. From there you can start working things out. Some people find that things are more complicated as their bodies respond differently to carbs and insulin at different times of the day. Hence you need to test and make incremental changes.
Speak to your diabetes clinic and see if the DSNs will agree to correspond with you via email since this can be quite useful if you want to get a sanity check from someone before you make a change.
Good luck, it sounds like you are making progress.
/A
you say your levels are fairly even, do you mean that overnight they stay pretty much constant?
DAFNE has been mentioned and if you can get yourself onto a course it is well worth the week out of your life to do. The big thing you learn is that you need to get your background insulin (levemir for you) right and then you can work on the rest.
Basically you should only ever change one thing at a time otherwise you don't know what change you made had what effect.
How are you on carb counting? Jopar and Russ posted some excelent links and they are a great starting point. I learned a lot from the BDEC site when I was first diagnosed and released into the wild.
You kind of need to understand what 1U insulin does to you and what 10g carbs does to you. From there you can start working things out. Some people find that things are more complicated as their bodies respond differently to carbs and insulin at different times of the day. Hence you need to test and make incremental changes.
Speak to your diabetes clinic and see if the DSNs will agree to correspond with you via email since this can be quite useful if you want to get a sanity check from someone before you make a change.
Good luck, it sounds like you are making progress.
/A
thank you so much everyone you have all been very helpful. i have been researching alot the past fe days and im sure through time i will get there i just have to track be carful and patient. i did however notice on one of the websites the risks of being pregnant this is a huge worry as me and my husband are thinking of it in the near future and now i am so desperate to have a perfect hba1c and great health.
yes overnight they are even, and during the day they may dip but its only after a meal so i have worked out that its the meal injections that i may be taking wrongly ie carb ratio. i do understand that i can only do one change at a time, therfore i will keep my levimir the same and track all meals and bloods and make amendments and im sure i will work out my ratio in no time.
AndyS
Well-Known Member
Hi Manda,
I seem to recall pregnancy being discussed on my DAFNE course though for obvious reasons I didn't actually pay that much attention.
That said if you are planning to have children you should talk to the Dr and DSNs at your clinic and let them know. They will give you all the help and assistance you need. Since good control during pregnancy is important and apparently trickier they are often quite well set up to monitor you more closely and give you the support you may need.
Good luck on that front and I hope you manage to get yourself sorted and stable.
/A
I seem to recall pregnancy being discussed on my DAFNE course though for obvious reasons I didn't actually pay that much attention.
That said if you are planning to have children you should talk to the Dr and DSNs at your clinic and let them know. They will give you all the help and assistance you need. Since good control during pregnancy is important and apparently trickier they are often quite well set up to monitor you more closely and give you the support you may need.
Good luck on that front and I hope you manage to get yourself sorted and stable.
/A
AndyS
Well-Known Member
Hi manda,
things like weetabix and shredded wheat are quite good since they are pretty set and you dont need to worry about weights.
Of course dont forget to count the carbs in the milk, that can change based on how much you use.
Using the same bowl all the time is also a handy trick since you can then weigh out a couple of times until you get an idea what it looks like by eye in the bowl and then work from there.
Sounds like you are definietly thinking down the rightg lines though.
Best of luck there
A
things like weetabix and shredded wheat are quite good since they are pretty set and you dont need to worry about weights.
Of course dont forget to count the carbs in the milk, that can change based on how much you use.
Using the same bowl all the time is also a handy trick since you can then weigh out a couple of times until you get an idea what it looks like by eye in the bowl and then work from there.
Sounds like you are definietly thinking down the rightg lines though.
Best of luck there
A
jopar
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,222
Manda
If you are looking to starting a family speak to your diabetic team, as most clinics have a pre-pregnancy clinic, this clinic provides the etc help, support and guidence so that when you start trying for a baby you've lowered your risks as low as possible..
I had two of my children after I became diabetic, 20 years ago no pre-pregnancy clinic and durning your pregnancy you have to see botht he ani-natal and diabetic clinic throught out the pregnancy, in my case both on different days,, Now they are so much more organsided with a special anti-natal clinic with diabetic support
If you are looking to starting a family speak to your diabetic team, as most clinics have a pre-pregnancy clinic, this clinic provides the etc help, support and guidence so that when you start trying for a baby you've lowered your risks as low as possible..
I had two of my children after I became diabetic, 20 years ago no pre-pregnancy clinic and durning your pregnancy you have to see botht he ani-natal and diabetic clinic throught out the pregnancy, in my case both on different days,, Now they are so much more organsided with a special anti-natal clinic with diabetic support
