DAFNE principles on a pump

[Dory]

Hi folks,

just read a review through here on DAFNE uses but the author seems to be on manual injections.

What really interested me was the notion that pulses/lentils aren't to be counted as CHO; therefore you don't bolus for them. This seems odd (I have been doing so for the last 23 years!!) - what are others' thoughts?

I also saw something on 'splitting' and accounting for low/hi GI foods. The GI business I'm aware of (ie having a jacket potato on it's own is high GI but having it with tuna, or beans, will lower the GI etc) but would having it with tuna per se (ie a no CHO food) mean you having to re-calculate the CHO in the potato? The GI guidance I've been given so far is rubbish (just like the health services around me full stop really...). And what is splitting (if not using a multiwave or extended bolus?)

So many questions!! sorry!!!!

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hi Dory,
I was diagnosed in 1965 and always told to count everything that went into my mouth.
The splitting is refering to MDI. People bolus so much up front and the rest at a time most suitable for the meal just eaten ie high fat, high protien.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi Dory

As with so many things your approach to pulses will be what works for you. I tend to find that I get reasonable success by guestimating them at approx half their true carb value. Pulses tend to be fairly slowly absorbed, and counting them full-whack seemed to cause me hypos post-meal. These days I could probably extended/square wave it successfully, but old habits die hard!

As Sue says splitting doses is a simple MDI style way of extending bolus activity with a 'manual' dual wave - a proportion of the full bolus up front, the remainder some hours later.

I never seem to need to count protein, but some do (a proportion of protein is converted to glucose during digestion over 5 hrs or so). The long timescales involved can make protein tricky to handle with rapid insulins, so square/multi waves come in handy again if you find protein raises your BG.

 

[Dory]

Thanks Sue and Mike!