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Hello folks

Shannon27 said:
Yes i do :) although it's probably going to be a long road for me getting the Libre on prescription as i need to get used to testing a lot more regularly. Thank you :)
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the only thing I would say is that once regular testing becomes a way of life then you do it without thinking. What meter do you use? If you can convince your local NHS to let you use the Contour Next strips then I would recommend the Contour Next ONE meter. works with an app and is small. I just keep the pouch in my pocket next to my phone. Over the past 90 days I've done 700 tests! I know they send them out for free but if you haven't got one I have a brand new one sealed in its box that I'm more than happy to post to you with a box of sticks.
 
Shannon27 said:
That would probably be a Dexcom, which is fantastic news if you're eligible :) does the same thing as the Libre and MiaoMiao combo i think. I've heard its a bit more work than the Libre?
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Hmmm I've just looked at that online and the sensor thingy looks quite big. I suspect it may be easier to use a Libre. My DAFNE isn't until February so I won't be getting anything new until then.
 
localshop said:
the miaomiao looks like an excellent investment, but it also looks quite big! Is it comfortable? Incidentally, my consultant did say that I *may* be eligible for a CGM, do you know anything about these? Or would that be a Libre + Miaomiao?
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The Libre is a FGM (Flash Glucose Monitor) you only see the results when you scan the reader or phone by the sensor. As long as you scan once every 8 hours you will see a line on where your bloods are. A CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) sends a signal to a pump/phone/reader ever 5 mins and will also alarm when high/low. The miaomiao turns your FGM (Libre) into a CGM :)
 
porl69 said:
The Libre is a FGM (Flash Glucose Monitor) you only see the results when you scan the reader or phone by the sensor. As long as you scan once every 8 hours you will see a line on where your bloods are. A CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) sends a signal to a pump/phone/reader ever 5 mins and will also alarm when high/low. The miaomiao turns your FGM (Libre) into a CGM :)
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Thank you. So if I scan the Libre every 10 minutes do I get more tests or does it just test every 15 minutes reagrdless of when I scan?
 
localshop said:
the only thing I would say is that once regular testing becomes a way of life then you do it without thinking. What meter do you use? If you can convince your local NHS to let you use the Contour Next strips then I would recommend the Contour Next ONE meter. works with an app and is small. I just keep the pouch in my pocket next to my phone. Over the past 90 days I've done 700 tests! I know they send them out for free but if you haven't got one I have a brand new one sealed in its box that I'm more than happy to post to you with a box of sticks.
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Thats what i use! Thank you for the offer though :D and i like the app, but i have a tendency to forget to test, sometimes i try setting alarms but if i'm in a meeting or something at work i turn it off. But i'm sticking with the Contour Next, as it's so easy to use :) i need to just dedicate a bit more time to tracking everything on it. Thinking of maybe doing hourly tests, may seem overkill but i need to get my insulin optimised too as me and my partner are looking at kids in the next 2 years so really need to get cracking with the control :)
 
localshop said:
Thank you. So if I scan the Libre every 10 minutes do I get more tests or does it just test every 15 minutes reagrdless of when I scan?
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Every 10 minutes :) but in that 10 minutes it will show you how your blood sugars have changed - spikes etc :) but the disc only holds 8 hours of data, so as long as you scan within those 8 hours you won't miss anything :)
 
Shannon27 said:
Thats what i use! Thank you for the offer though :D and i like the app, but i have a tendency to forget to test, sometimes i try setting alarms but if i'm in a meeting or something at work i turn it off. But i'm sticking with the Contour Next, as it's so easy to use :) i need to just dedicate a bit more time to tracking everything on it. Thinking of maybe doing hourly tests, may seem overkill but i need to get my insulin optimised too as me and my partner are looking at kids in the next 2 years so really need to get cracking with the control :)
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it's the best meter I've had and I've had a few. My first meter was called Reflolux II and took 2 minutes to give a result. It was huge too, about the size of a VHS cassette box (ask your parents).
 
localshop said:
it's the best meter I've had and I've had a few. My first meter was called Reflolux II and took 2 minutes to give a result. It was huge too, about the size of a VHS cassette box (ask your parents).
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Wow i'm not THAT young, old enough to have kept a few of my favourite childhood VHS Disney films ha! That is big for a testing kit though!
 
I can honestly say that in over 20 years of being a T1D, the Libre and DAFNE have been the best things that I have done for my diabetes.

It kind of shook up my complacency and made me realise that although I know a lot about Diabetes, I don't always know how to put it into practice.

The DAFNE insulin ratio makes it quite simple to work around things like eating out (which I previously dreaded).

The Libre is a great tool for checking patterns and goes hand in hand with DAFNE.
 
Shannon27 said:
Hi @localshop !
I've been T1D since i was 4 or 5 (2000) and i'm looking at doing a DAFNE course in the new year! I also want to be eligible for a Libre, however i've been told that to be eligible i need to be testing at least 8x per day! I did a trial run of it (for 1 month) 2 years ago and i loved it, so easy to use! Hope you get yours soon :)
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I've been T1 since I was two, 1958 and have just been booked on a DAFNE course, but have two years to wait...
 
Hi I did DAFNE approx 6 years ago when I was 26? It was a week long course Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm and to be fair I thought it was pretty useless. However, I say this as the info learned on DAFNE was the same info I had been taught as a child with regards to carb counting and “Exchanges” or CP’s (Carbohydrate Portions). It was literally the exact same thing rehashed. So not really anything I specifically needed to know. I did this with a view to getting the insulin pump and here I am 6 years later with no pump - injections and metformin still.
I do now have Libre though and L-O-V-E it! It has completely revolutionised my diabetes. It would still be nice to have a pump / Dex Comm, but June next year I begin the process of attempting a successful pregnancy should my HBA1c levels remain good enough. I would consider asking my diabetes care team to consider me for a pump should I have any severe set backs prior to my pregnancy.
 
I've been T1 for 47 years since age 4 and thought I knew it all until I did a DAFNE course last Dec. in order to get put onto a pump waiting list.Ive also been prescribed Libre for 19 months.
Most of what is on the course has been mentioned although they go into depth about ketones, DKA, ketone testing if BG go over 15, carb counting, hypo effect over long and short terms ,injection sites and effects on insulin absorbption and much more.
Also you learn how long the specific basal and bolus insulins you take last for and how to look for trends in yoir BG so you know whether to adjust basal or bolus.Your readings from each day (insulins amounts and carbs you've had) are put on a slide and discussed in the group as to what you've done right and what you have done wrong and advise from the diabetic nurse and diabetic dietician trained in DAFNE as to what you should be adjusting and when.
It's surprising how much you learn to the point where your own GP if not DAFNE trained can get it wrong!.
When you get your Libre hack it so you can see how much fast insulin you've got left working.
On the course they'll tell you how long your insulins last as well as when they peak and when they start working which you'll the be able to hone to you.
You'll get a comprehensive kit with expert info on dosage adjustment for sick days, exercise , hypo treatment with fast acting carbs and to get BG up and a slice of toast for example to keep levels up over a longer period as the fast acting carbs wear off.
Also how hypos affect you , hypo awareness.
There was a table with lots of plastic play foods which groups arrange into fast acting carbs, fats , proteins etc etc
It's a year since I did my course (took a week off work to do it) and we had a follow up last Feb and I've a follow up next month.
One thing they do is tell you to inject only when your food is infront of you so you can accurately inject rather than inject before a meal for what you think you're going to have and then you have something else or less or more of it .That's my only issue with the course as if you're having carbs your BG will rise before the insulin kicks in and it can be a couple if hours before you're back in range.In order to keep my Libre I have to be in target >60% and below target <5% of the time. I find it easier to achieve by injecting prior to a meal and as my glucose starts to drop then have the meal.Timed right I can avoid low BG and as the insulin is already working when I eat BG don't rise as much or for as long.
No doubt I'll be told off for this next month.
You'll definitely learn a lot no matter how long you've been a diabetic or how much you think you know.
The pack with carb counting books and flowcharts for sick days and detailed info is handy to have at home to read about and learn from especially if you're ill or virtually any other issue you have with dosage and carbs.
They also gave out Aviva EXPERT meters which you can't get from pharmacies etc as it has to be set up for you and by the DAFNE nurse and advises dosage with adjustments too.
The Abbott rep attended and said next year the CGM Libre will be available in the UK as it has been in India for a while now so we don't have to (flash) scan when we want to know our readings.
Good luck with your course, you'll learn a lot and come out of it with better control and understanding.
 
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Did the DAFNE course over a decade (eek!) ago and totally changed my life/approach. Absolutely brilliant and I can't recommend it enough.

Libre, I wish I could get one. I'm too well (haha) controlled supposedly and fall just outside the range needed which is ridiculous but a whole other story.
 
buckmr2 said:
That's my only issue with the course as if your having carbs your BG will rise before the insulin kicks in and it can be a couple if hours before you're back in range.
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Have you looked into Fiasp insulin? Initially I was on Novorapid and pre-bolused by 45 minutes if I was able to plan. I've used Fiasp for over a year now and it works very well for me; I can inject when my food is in front of me without ridiculous spikes, provided it isn't a very high carb meal.
 
porl69 said:
Hi @localshop
I have been T1D for coming up 49 years, I done the DAFYDD (Welsh version of DAFNE) around 15 years ago. It is a really good course which I really enjoyed.
The Libre I was given last Feb(ish). And it is amazing. I recently purchased the Miaomiao which basically truns the Libre into a CGM. So I now have high and low alarms set on my phone/smartwatch
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Hi...

I heard the Miao Miao runs with the freestyle libre fine but my nurse needs to see the data..

Reason I wanted libre was to make my life easier in many ways including uploading of data but with miaomiao hows it done? --- take a screen shot then email my nurse? Just trying to make life with T1 more life like and not a burden

Dom.
 
Antje77 said:
Have you looked into Fiasp insulin? Initially I was on Novorapid and pre-bolused by 45 minutes if I was able to plan. I've used Fiasp for over a year now and it works very well for me; I can inject when my food is in front of me without ridiculous spikes, provided it isn't a very high carb meal.
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Yes , I've actually been on Fiasp since it replaced Novorapid.
 
Hi Local shop, been type 1 for 48 years now and did DAFNE about 5 years ago. Had been pretty poorly controlled through basic ignorance as to how to look after myself. Every time I saw the GP he said my HbA1c was too high but did not offer any remedy....just told me I should try to get it down if I could, no feeling of urgency.
Every time I asked about going on a DAFNE course I was not encouraged to do so....and when I tried to get to be seen by a hospital I was told that was pointless as they did the same there as in my surgery.

I did manage to get a referral to DAFNE by walking into the hospital clinic and asking to attend a course. It was brilliant, meeting others like me, without much of a clue. Carb counting hadn't been done for 40 years by me.....when diagnosed I was only told to never miss an injection and I'd be okay. It was a revelation and since then my HbA1c has been around 6.5. Am also now seen at hospital clinic.

Libre is fab too....I have to pay for it and have to get my wife to put it in because I hold back when I feel it about to go in, so it does not go in properly! Started on a pump 6 months ago...once again, so much better than having 7 injections a day. Just started using a miaumiau2, which I love, as it sends glucose readings to my phone every 5 mins and warns me when I reach 3.9. I use it with the Tomato app, and despite poor reviews I am very happy with it. It has awoken me twice now at night when I dipped to 3.9.....how good is that!

In short, really recommend DAFNE, and Libre, even if you can only afford to use one a month, as I have done at times. Go for all you are offered, and good luck.
 
The Libre is brilliant - a revelation. My Diabetes Consultant said to me 'The most significant advance in the management of diabetes in the 20 years doing my job'. Analogy. Before, using finger pricking, it is like sailing a boat close to a rocky coast and only being able to check your depth every 4 hours or so with a lead on the end of a rope. After, with the Libre, it is like having an electronic depth sounder fitted - you can watch the depths all the time, from the comfort of the bridge. Make sense? In my neck of the woods, Sussex, once you have had the Libre prescribed you can't/don't get it until you have attended the introductory course - which may be the DAPHNE Course, can't remember. Mandatory, not optional. So to some extent it doesn't matter 'what it's like' - you gotta be there!! Run in my case by a lady from Abbott with local diabetic Specialist Nurses in attendance. Which is fair does. They are expensive and you need to have some tuition on how to use it to best advantage. I found it is a good course and was delighted to get going with the Libre.
 
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