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Insulin

Crimsonclient

Crimsonclient

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,080
Location
South Wales
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi guys
I went and saw my consultant 2 weeks ago and after asking him we have agreed for me to go on to basal /bolus insulin, and I have been put on to the DAFNE waiting list and I am changing my insulin on the 21st of May. What I am hoping for is some opinions on using basal / bolus insulin and is there anything on the market to help me work out how much insulin to take? I know there is the Accu-chek aviva expert. But was wondering if there is anything else to help me. I am really happy to be doing things like this as I am hoping to control things better but I am very worried at the same time in case I mess up big time and cause myself problems as my hypo awareness is really bad


Type 2 diagnosed 24/01/2013.
Novomix 30, Victoza, Simvistatin.
 
The DAFNE is a good start but I found the best tool to help working out insulin ratios was a good old fashioned diary. I wrote all my readings down, foods and doses. This gives you a good idea of how your body reacts to foods. You may find your ratios different in the morning or weekends for instance. Also, include any exercise you take as this will affect things too. Get yourself a set of scales so you can weigh certain foods out to gauge carb content and I also use the Carbs & Cals app. It all sounds very daunting but you quickly learn and it enables a lot more freedom with diet & lifestyle. Good luck, Mo
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Crimson. I'm speaking as a type 1 here but hopefully I can still give you some relevant info. First off, if you don't have a blood testing meter, I would say getting one is very important. I know T2s sometimes struggle with their health team prescribing test strips, but really push this with them. There is no 'one dose of insulin fits all,' so testing is the only way to know you are giving yourself the correct amount. I tend to test before, and two hours after a meal.

There are plenty of meters to choose from. I have not used the Aviva myself, but have used Accuchek meters in the past and have been satisfied with them. Other brands include OneTouch and Bayer. The meters are only half of the equation. Noting down what you ate, how much insulin you took, and how this affected your blood sugars will give you a good picture of how much insulin you need.

If you are injecting basal/bolus you will likely be having more injections each day than previously. Try to get into good injecting habits early on. Change your needle after each injection, and constantly vary where you inject. Using the same injection site all the time causes problems with the insulin being absorbed there properly, and can make blood sugars unpredictable.

You probably already do this one, but just in case, always have a source of glucose with you. My preference is dextrose tablets. They are convenient to carry around, and raise blood sugars rapidly in the event of a hypo.

Hope that helps, and best of luck.
 
Charles Robin said:
Hi Crimson. I'm speaking as a type 1 here but hopefully I can still give you some relevant info. First off, if you don't have a blood testing meter, I would say getting one is very important. I know T2s sometimes struggle with their health team prescribing test strips, but really push this with them. There is no 'one dose of insulin fits all,' so testing is the only way to know you are giving yourself the correct amount. I tend to test before, and two hours after a meal.

There are plenty of meters to choose from. I have not used the Aviva myself, but have used Accuchek meters in the past and have been satisfied with them. Other brands include OneTouch and Bayer. The meters are only half of the equation. Noting down what you ate, how much insulin you took, and how this affected your blood sugars will give you a good picture of how much insulin you need.

If you are injecting basal/bolus you will likely be having more injections each day than previously. Try to get into good injecting habits early on. Change your needle after each injection, and constantly vary where you inject. Using the same injection site all the time causes problems with the insulin being absorbed there properly, and can make blood sugars unpredictable.

You probably already do this one, but just in case, always have a source of glucose with you. My preference is dextrose tablets. They are convenient to carry around, and raise blood sugars rapidly in the event of a hypo.

Hope that helps, and best of luck.
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Thanks I am already taking novomix 30 and a lot of good advice. I am using sanofi blood meters I have 1 of each the iBGStar, the BGStar and the MyStar Extra, but no longer use the iBGStar as it reads a lot higher than the other 2 meters and the difference is so small it's not worrying about what I am more concerned about is the carb counting side of things, until I can do the DAFNE course


Type 2 diagnosed 24/01/2013.
Novomix 30, Victoza, Simvistatin.
 
Robert 2170 said:
Type 2 if that is what you are do not do the dafne course if I am correct if is the Desmond not to sure


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Even though I am type 2 as of the 21may I will be treated as a type 1 or so I have been told by my consultant and I am on the DAFNE waiting list, I thought I was only available to type 1 only


Type 2 diagnosed 24/01/2013.
Novomix 30, Victoza, Simvistatin.
 
The following is an on-line version of the DAFNE course which teaches you the principle of carb counting and matching insulin doses, it's for type 1's so do keep this in mind:

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
 
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