BS: Diabetic Heaven

Subject: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: nutty
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 07:22 AM

Can you believe it after 12 years of being on a restricted diet, I can eat anything - ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING - I want.

I have just completed a very intensive 5 day course at the local diabetic centre on a new system for controlling blood glucose called DAFNE (DOSE ADJUSTMENT FOR NORMAL EATING)

The course is for Type 1 (Insulin Dependent) diabetics using the basal bolus system.
The main aim is to balance background insulin (long acting insulin) so that blood glucose is stabalised even if you don't eat and the your short acting is used to control your carbohydrate intake when you do. This means that you can eat what and when you want.

Alright - there is a down side - you have to learn to estimate and calculate your carbohydrate intake but that is a small penalty for getting flexibility back into your life.

Courses are available across the country (UK) although there is a long waiting list but I would recommend any diabetic on insulin to give it a try

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Eye Lander
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 07:29 AM

Well done Nutty. I amsure this will give you a bit of freesom.

Jillie

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Eye Lander
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 07:29 AM

or freedom even!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: frogprince
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 09:41 AM

We're in the U.S. My wife, type 1 for 50 years, went on this regime a couple of years ago. Until a few weeks ago, she was able to maintain the best glucose control she ever had, and had never gone anywhere near so long without an insulin reaction. Then everything fell apart, for no reason anyone can determine yet, and she had a very bad couple of weeks, with blood sugar all over the place and a call to Emergency Medical when I kept feeding her glucose tablets but couldn't bring her out of a reaction.
PARDON THIS BUT IM STUCK ON CAPS RIGHT NOW    SHE IS SCHEDULED TO GET STARTED ON AN INSULIN PUMP ON MONDAY    (NOT TRYING TO DISHEARTEN YOU   YOU MAY DO FINE ON YOUR NEW REGIME FOR LIFE)
ENJOY A PIECE OF PIE OR ICE CREAM CONE NOW THAT YOU CAN BUT IM SURE YOU REALIZE THAT YOU STILL NEED TO MAINTAIN A GENERALLY HEALTHY DIET TO AVOID DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS       ALL THE BEST   DEAN

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: nutty
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:01 AM

Hi Dean .... hope your wife gets stable soon. I know how rotten you can feel when it all goes wrong.
I'm hoping this will get mine right but I have the added complication of coping with pain which has my sugars yoyo-ing (if you know what I mean).
It's amazing the things I am looking forward to :-

1. A jam sandwich
2. A jam doughnut
3. A really gooey cream cake
4. To use proper sugar when baking

I don't want this all the time but previously I only had to look at sugary things for my blood glucose readings to be reaching for the sky (or so it seemed)
I'm just keeping fingers crossed that it works.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:41 AM

As a Type II with a friend who's a very brittle Type I, I hope the best for everyone! Fortunately my sugars have been fairly constant of late (the last HbA1C was 5.6!!), but I'm still watching it and taking the pills.

My friend has yo-yoed from 27 to over 250. She's thinking of a pump.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Alice
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 12:31 PM

congrats nutty, that is wonderful!

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Bee
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 01:40 PM

My Dad, a type one brittle diabetic, was able to eat this way the last few years of his life, but he had the assistance of my mother, who fanatically measured and calculated every bite that went into his mouth and chased him with a glucose monitor several times a day. His blood sugar only got out of hand whenever he was hospitalised for something, as the hospital dieticians never seemed able to balance his meals.

Good luck with it - having flexibility and choice makes a huge quality of life improvement!

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 02:50 PM

I quite fancy a bit of a freesom, Eye Lander, but don't tell the Mrs... :-)

I'll pass this news onto son #1 (about the new system that is, not the freesom) He has been type 1 since the age of 14.

Thanks nutty

Cheers

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Escapee
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 03:03 PM

Congratulations, nutty. That occasional treat seeems to make all the rigamarole easier to deal with. Good luck.
SKP

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Peace
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 04:54 PM

Good news, Nutty.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 03:42 AM

Reduced or restricted carbohydrate intake? Wasn't this what Atkins was banging on about a few years ago?

Hope it works out for all of you... my mother is a type II diabetic and it looks like my sister is heading the same way...

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: nutty
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 06:21 AM

Thats the whole point Liz....

There's nothing reduced or restricted about it. I can eat absolutely anything. I just calculate my carbohydrate intake and inject accordingly.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Tig
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 07:18 AM

Great stuff Nutty!

My sugar levels have been much more stable since I went on Basal Bolus thaks to your help. Now it looks as though if I find this course it would be even easier :-)

Hugs
Tig
xxx

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: nutty
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 11:41 AM

Glad that things are better Tig.

You need to be referred to DAFNE through your clinic or GP but be prepared for a long wait.

I applied in October 2007 and was given an appointment for July 2008. Luckily for me someone cancelled and I was contacted at short notice. If I'd been working it might have been difficult to arrange.

As with everything of benefit .. funding is desperately short.
In Cleveland there are only 4 courses a year. That's only 32 people who are given the opportunity to change to the DAFNE regime.

When you think of the saving hospitals could make by not having to deal with people with complications it seems criminal.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: nutty
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 03:57 AM

REFRESH

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Rapunzel
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 07:43 AM

For anyone out there who is Type 2 diabetic (not on insulin) there are also similar courses. Here in Blackpool they run a course called XPERT which I believe is a national programme and should be available elsewhere in the UK (depending on whether your local PCT delivers it). I think it runs one session a week for about 6 weeks and covers everything you'll ever need to know and is also a great opportunity to meet other folks with the same condition and with similar experiences. Again, you'll need to ask your GP, practice nurse or community matron to refer you.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: nutty
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 12:20 PM

Yes - there's also an initiative called DESMOND for newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetics.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: Severn
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 01:15 PM

Thanks for this thread. Coming off of Chemo treatments, I couldn't hold food in for three days and my blood sugar spiked to 1100. I was put in the hospital for three days and the spike has caused me to be, at least temporarily, treated as a diabetic, giving myself two insulin shots a day, 75% Lantus and 25% of a bolus, and I'm glad to be learning anything I can on the subject and to be in contact with others who have the disease. So far, I've only seen the endochrinologist twice and am very new to all this, but seem to be doing well on my low carb-low sugar diet regimen.

I will continue to follow the thread and give the occaisional update.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetic Heaven
From: nutty
Date: 15 Apr 08 - 06:45 AM

I've had my first jam (and cream) doughnut. It was worth waiting for.
Simply scrumptious.