Fasting blood tests

[fatedsnowfox]

He's just got registered and is writing his post, I think

 

[donnellysdogs]

Good....your friend will get good advice and help from here.....well done you for posting your questions!!!!!!! A real friend......

 

[ReynardSnowfox]

Hi all, I'm the person in question, thanks for all the replies so far

@donnellysdogs: I've managed to find a spare pen now, thanks for the offer though

At the moment I'm not registered with the diabetes unit at the hospital because I moved away a year ago, they won't take me back without a reference from my GP, who won't do anything until I have this blood test I've been struggling with.

The real problem I've been having with the fasting is I'm powered by a black hole, I barely go 1 hour without eating, even up to 4am. I've been doing test runs, but I've barely gone 6 hours without food so far, including sleeping, hence asking my GP for advice, all he could suggest was going early in the morning, which of course is good advice if you sleep normally, I suffer with insomnia too, which I tried to explain to my GP, again it fell on death ears.

As for my other problems, they're not being treated, they just get ignored every time I bring them up, for the last 7 years to countless GP's.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Will look out for friends posting tomorrow...pretty tired and about to call it a day....will look for details tomorrow when I log on..

The most important thing I think is to be able to get is:

1) Should have all equipment friend needs regarding pens, insulin and strips
2) Specific diabetes help from Consultants and Hospital DSN's if GP does not offer a good service
3) List of questions and list of help needed specifically to diabetes
4) Blood tests to find out hba1c, cholesterol, LFT and all other standard diabetic tests to be done asap if they have not been done within previous 6 months.
5) Monitoring and recording of blood levels and insulin given etc in a log book and taken to all appointments with HCP's.
6) A commitment from friend that he is prepared to jump 1 mile worth of hurdles if necessary to get his diabetes as well managed as possible.

Just one last note.......diabetes and the care of IS NOT JUSt down to HCP's...the VAST majority of it HAS to be done by the patient.......patients can get fed up, complacent etc and can possibly cheese off the HCP's.....if this could be the case then, it can be necessary for the patient to admit faults and to ask for help to correct them......

If patient is faultless,,,,,then it is a necessity that the patient does everything possible to get HCP's on their side.......and as said there could be a few hurdles to jump......

Best wishes......will have to log on tomorrow now....

 

[donnellysdogs]

Will be loggon on again tomorrwo,,,,just a couple more questions:

Do you eat to match your insulin, or do you carb count and give your insulin according to the food you eat?

 

[donnellysdogs]

Do you alter the amount of insulin you give?

How long have you been diagnosed?

What insulins do you use?

YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO EAT CONTINUOSLY>>>>>>>YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH A NIGHT WITHOUT FEAR OF HYPO's OR HYPERS.......

 

[fatedsnowfox]

Thanks to Donnellysdogs and iHs and everybody else that has posted, I think your help has been really, really valuable. I'll leave it up to Reynard now to answer any more of your questions - he's the best person to ask after all

 

[donnellysdogs]

GP's only have a limited time to deal with illness with a paitent. It looks like your GP wants to get you to be able to go through a night without haveing to eat or be concerned about levels.......

Depression, insomnia need to be discussed at separate times to diabetes.....

Are your BG levels precarious during day and night???

Will be logging on tomorrow, sorry, if you could fathom your way around all my questions and give a few answers, it may help us to be able to give you the support and advice you need.

Would just make the point though, that we are all amateurs, we are not preofessional health care trained people. we only offer advice from our own experiences.......

Will log on tomorrow...best wishes...

 

[fatedsnowfox]

Just to add a few observations of my own about Reynard:

He's about 5'8, weighs no more than about 9 stone. He's as active as he can be; he LARPs (running around, hitting people with swords & things - when his joints let him). It's like he has the metabolism of a hummingbird.

 

[LittleSue]

The real problem I've been having with the fasting is I'm powered by a black hole, I barely go 1 hour without eating, even up to 4am. I've been doing test runs, but I've barely gone 6 hours without food so far, including sleeping, hence asking my GP for advice, all he could suggest was going early in the morning, which of course is good advice if you sleep normally, I suffer with insomnia too, which I tried to explain to my GP, again it fell on death ears.

As for my other problems, they're not being treated, they just get ignored every time I bring them up, for the last 7 years to countless GP's.

Hi Reynard

Are you taking both long-acting and short-acting insulin, now that you've got another pen?
Would be useful to know the approx doses - if you're going hypo that often it sounds like you're taking way too much insulin, and/or the balance between long- and short-acting insulin is wrong. How long have you had type 1 - could you be having a 'honeymoon period'?

It is indeed frustrating that GP's won't look past the diabetes, and assume everything is down to that. What's this fasting blood test for? Is it diabetes related, or something else?

Does your GP think you're not really type 1 - is that the reason for the test?

Is fasting essential - may be worth checking with the lab or an appropriate specialist (who with any luck will ask to see you!). Eg lipid/cholesterol tests are ideally done fasting, but for T1s this is usually waived. If the test isn't diabetes related (ie your blood sugar level won't affect the results), maybe you could treat hypos by sucking boiled sweets or set honey - the sugar would be absorbed through your mouth and you'd ony be swallowing saliva.

If all else fails and the test is essential, the only way might be to get admitted to hospital and put on an insulin/glucose drip to control your sugar, to enable you to fast. Of course that would be very expensive.

Hi all, I'm the person in question, thanks for all the replies so far
At the moment I'm not registered with the diabetes unit at the hospital because I moved away a year ago, they won't take me back without a reference from my GP, who won't do anything until I have this blood test I've been struggling with.

That's odd - haven't the hospital heard of patient choice (aka Choose & Book)? It means you don't have to live in a 'catchment area' for a hospital, you can choose to be treated at any hospital. Moving away shouldn't get you discharged from the hospital automatically, although it is true that you need a GP referral if you've already been discharged. (I work in a hospital.)

Sorry so many questions but otherwise it's hard to understand what's going on. You really need your eating/hypo situation sorted out regardless of the fasting issue, it can't be much of a life for you.

 

[ReynardSnowfox]

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 15 years ago now, I'm on 1 injection of 30 units of detemir and 3 injections of roughly 20 units of novorapid a day. I adjust the amount of insulin based on what I eat.

I've not been told what this blood test is for, they just keep telling me I need to do it.

I'm not having that many hypos, can't remember my last one actually. The reason I'm eating all the time is I need to or I'll waste away to nothing (Fated has seen when I was ill and hadn't been eating, wasn't a pretty site) I eat a ridiculous amount. I might be able to go the 12 hours if I lower my insulin a fair amount, but I'm not sure how much that should be, I've never had to do a 12 hour fast before.

 

[LittleSue]

Thanks for the info Reynard, makes things a bit clearer.
It they insist you need this test, surely you're entitled to know what its for. As I said before, they should check whether fasting is truly essential. If the test is to find out why you (as you say) waste away without eating so much, it seems rather a 'chicken and egg' situation.

Surely you could fast this once without wasting away? I don't wish to offend, but are you eating so frequently for psychological reasons?

You say you adjust your insulin according to what you eat. If you can work out your approx insulin to carbs ratio (e.g. 1 unit for 10 carbs perhaps) that'll help you gauge how much to reduce your dose by when you fast.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Hi Reynard

I would really bite the bullet and get this test done if you can....

You say you don't get too many hypo's......are your levels higher than they should be?-I only ask because if they are, this could be contributing to why you are not putting on weight and keeping to a weight that you want.

What was your last hba1c? and when was it last done?

GP's do not generally just order tests for the sake of it, there is a purpose to them. Fasting overnight, really should not be an issue, really do try and get a blood test done as early in the morning as possible. Do a few dummy runs if you fear hypo's.....but lowering your insulins should suffice really..

20 units- it that per meal?? Bolus rates, generally work out with some relativity to weight as well.....and to the long action insulins....If it is 20 units per meal.....this is quite a high dosage....if it was worked out on a carb ratio of 1 unit per 10g of food-then you would be having to eat 200g of food per meal??????? That is a lot.....perhaps you could let us know .

You say you need to eat, but you don't give any details as to waht your daily bloods are running at-are they between 4 and 8? on a daily basis?

1 night or a couple of nights of fasting are not going to give you a chronic weight loss, I really think you need to really bite the bullet......is it just one test that your doctor is testing?