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Diabetes advice question ...

If you agree with the question vote YES if not vote NO

  • Total voters
    84
One digestive = 1 exchange
Two rich teas = 1 exchange

Never had anything else in cupboards for biscuits other than those... Certainly not double choc chunky cookies.

I was really suprised to find out that T1's aren't taken into hospitals like the 80's anymore, its no wonder that kids and adults are so bemused about T1 when diagnosed.

I also remember wasting bread to cut it down to the size of an exchange!!!


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Lisbet said:
WRONG!! The info about counting carbs has been known for ever!!! I was diagnosed in 1965 and was taught to count carbs from day 1. I was in hospital for 2 weeks learning how to do it all and it's stood me in good stead ever since. I think it's criminal that they stopped teaching this at some point - not sure when that was - but it has made a lot of people very much worse off and has cost the NHS £££££s…..
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Maybe I put my point across wrong......

When you were taught to count carbs it wasn't the same as now in the sense that you weren't doing so to work out an accurate dose to match the carbs..........you were counting how much carb to feed your dose......

That was my point......

You can acknowledge the differences yeah?

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So totally agree with Lisbet and iHs... Differences also seem to be that we were admitted to hospital and given good education. Perhaps thats why we have less complications with eyes, etc than others diagnosed in last 20 years....


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Avocado Sevenfold said:
I was given printed sheets when I was recently diagnosed.

The only nod to reducing carbs was the phrase "eat fewer pies." :banghead:

Other advice was "fill up on bread, potatoes, pasta...at every meal."

Disgraceful.
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Confirming my last post about feeding the insulin........

Its as if you were eating just to stay above hypo level....

My younger brother who was diagnosed in 87 was given the same advice......

Just lack of knowledge and understanding from the diabetic professionals......it takes time to learn though eh....

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Diabetic healthcare professionals used to give good instructions in the early 80's so what changed?


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I certainly wasn't taught how to eat to stop going hypo -I was taught how to adjust my doses etc to what I needed to eat to keep my slim body. I am still slim and without complications. Even my diagnosis of diabetic amyotrophy that was diagnosed last year has been thrown out of the window today. I was taught a sensible diet that I have pretty much kept to..

Certainly not given a dose of insulin and taught to eat to that dosage!!


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It's terrifying that Type 1's on MDI regimes aren't given any specific instructions on carbs and control. If you don't have that you don't have anything.

Stage 2 is then; drop the carbs, of course!

Almost as bad as not letting Type 2's test their blood sugar; as if you are meant to divine through intuition what your blood sugars are.

Is it any wonder the yearly audits are so useless?

Best

Dillinger
 
Yeh, my recent DAFNE adventure was a real eye-opener for me - I couldn't believe how many of the course had had Type 1 since childhood and had absolutely no information to help them manage their condition - all but me and one other guy had been hospitalised through hypos at one time or another. One poor guy had been taken off mixed insulins several years ago but not had his dose adjusted and didn't know anything about carbs, so he just injected 32 units Novorapid with every meal and hoped for the best.It was really shocking. There seems to be a bit of an epidemic of type 1s being put on fixed doses of rapid-acting and having to eat enough carb to match the dose - mad.

Smidge
 
Twenty two years ago I was told to avoid anything containing sugar, but that didn't include starchy food such as potatoes, pasta, bread, fruit and veg. When I said I thought they contained sugar I was told "yes, but it's good sugar, so make sure you eat plenty".... confused.com!
 
Just noticed if you are using the App to post you can't see the poll at the top. If you go through your browser on your phone or pad you should see it though.

Thanks for all the votes and comments so far.
 
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smidge said:
One poor guy had been taken off mixed insulins several years ago but not had his dose adjusted and didn't know anything about carbs, so he just injected 32 units Novorapid with every meal and hoped for the best.It was really shocking.
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I liked this, but I don't like it of course; I hate it - it comes from the same lowest common denominator school of patronisation that says 'because things are complicated it's best we don't tell you'. Like Type 2's being told not to test because it will only 'worry' them. Which is true of course; you'd be a fool not to be worried when you see the havoc the dietary advice is doing to your blood sugars.

Best

Dillinger
 
No one was taught to eat to match the insulin, but it could very often end up like that due to the inflexibility of the mixed insulin's......

You had to consume the same amount of carbs daily.......what if you were ill or fancied going for a run.........



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If you were ill and couldn't eat food, you either reduced the insulin or sipped some lucozade... no big deal.
Doing exercise... you just had some carb beforehand.. again no big deal.. People do that now with mdi and pumps. We dont all mess about adjusting the settings as its all a bit too much trial and error and often can result in very high bg levels which is not too ideal

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My answer was no.
When I was diagnosed I was told about the role of carbohydrates but also to have a balanced diet and I could have what I like in moderation.
I eat a balanced diet as I did before diagnosis.
Only difference now is that I have more self-discipline on when to stop on the really bad things and I'm still learning everyday what works for me and what doesn't.
 
Dillinger said:
the same lowest common denominator school of patronisation that says 'because things are complicated it's best we don't tell you'
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I think that's the school my first diabetes DN went to! I was given an insulin pen, told how many units to inject at what time of day, told to go low fat and to eat a specified number of carbs at every meal and given a carbohydrate exchange list featuring white rice, noodles, sweet white bread, sesame biscuits and fresh and dried fruit. I was given a meter and told it was to test for hypos. I had no clue about carbohydrates until I read Bernstein - which I read only because it happened to be the only diabetes book in the local library.

Kate
 
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I voted no, but I was on the fence for a while. With Type 1 on a basal bolus system, there isn't much need to drop the amount of carbs eaten - the GI is more important. As long as I'm not piling my face with chocolate or other high GI foods (which I do far more often than I should) there is no real reason to cut back on overall carb intake IMO. Please tell me if I'm wrong.

I've found the Newcastle Diabetes Centre at the General Hospital to be very good. I've been on many carb counting courses, diet courses etc and get help whenever I need it. When I was first diagnosed, I was even given my nurses home phone number if I had any questions or problems. If I'd been told "it's complicated so it's best we don't tell you" there would be Hell on!
 
iHs said:
If you were ill and couldn't eat food, you either reduced the insulin or sipped some lucozade... no big deal.
Doing exercise... you just had some carb beforehand.. again no big deal.. People do that now with mdi and pumps. We don't all mess about adjusting the settings as its all a bit too much trial and error and often can result in very high bg levels which is not too ideal

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Being ill and unable to eat means you will be producing more ketones than usual, and in order to process ketones you need insulin, so a drop wouldn't be wise, not forgetting with mixed insulin's, you would also be reducing the longer acting portion of your dose, which you still need regardless of carbs........not reducing insulin could mean hypos though which means taking in more carbs/calories.........a hard balancing act on mixed insulin's.....

Exercise isn't as simple as taking some carbs before hand, even now with MDI, so I cant imagine how it was all those years back with mixed insulin's......it all depends on your BG before hands, what kind of exercise you are doing and for how long, not to mention the effects exercise can have after you have done it and the following days.....

Its clear you coped well and from the sounds of it had good control, but these days we have the tools to live a much more flexible life, but of course its OK to still stick to what works for you, that the thing about diabetes, its never the same......
 
I believe iHs is on a pump and from what I know of iHshas one of the best knowledges I know of mixed insulin, mdi and pumping. If it hadnt have been for iHs my pump knowledge given to me by my initial hospital would have been ****..it was only due to iHs who gave me the best guidance ever that I gained the knowledge that made me inform accuchek and Abbot Navigator that there was something wrong with their sets for Accuchek and the Strips for Navigator..
IHs gave me the knowledge to look at patterns and I realised the problems I had were not my body.
Incidentally, I was taught so well when I was admitted to Poole General Hospital in early 1980 that I have never had a carb counting course.... And I manage my food perfectly...


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donnellysdogs said:
I believe iHs is on a pump and from what I know of iHshas one of the best knowledges I know of mixed insulin, mdi and pumping. If it hadnt have been for iHs my pump knowledge given to me by my initial hospital would have been ****..it was only due to iHs who gave me the best guidance ever that I gained the knowledge that made me inform accuchek and Abbot Navigator that there was something wrong with their sets for Accuchek and the Strips for Navigator..
IHs gave me the knowledge to look at patterns and I realised the problems I had were not my body.
Incidentally, I was taught so well when I was admitted to Poole General Hospital in early 1980 that I have never had a carb counting course.... And I manage my food perfectly...


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I am not trying to bash anyone here............

I am simply saying that mixed insulin's restricted peoples lifestyles and that the insulin available today gives more flexibility...

I can't remember saying anything about the knowledge and experience of iHs........

So your on a pump..........were you given training on you how to operate it........?.....

Do you use all the functions on it......?
 
I know its not people bashing. But basal bolus regime has to jave carbcounting with it, and nowadays people just have to wait and wait, desppite the GP's now having targets set for them to achieve for type 1's to have carb counting dafne courses..
It was only thanks to iHs that I mastered my pump so quickly. I got it August 13 4 years ago and realised by October that yheir sets were faulty... The nhs staff put it down to me.... No carb counting course as I could prove that I did this for past 30 years.

It is amazing though that through both our abilitys for 30 years to be able to carb count and adjust our insulins from day one that neither iHs or I have diabetic complications... I personally do t think thats down to luck. We portion control our meals and keep active and fit...




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