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Diabetes:M app

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
JimBear

JimBear

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi folks,
I am working my way around my first(!) smart phone - please be gentle! I have downloaded the app from Diabetes:M as I should be going on to the basal/bolus regime in just over a week and I am trying to understand how the app will help me carb count and adjust insulin accordingly.

I am sure it's really intuitive for others, but it's all a bit alien to me. Does anyone use this or know of tutorials/demos how it works? I've looked on YouTube and apart from a couple of promotional videos about how wonderful it is, there's nothing instructional...

Thanks for your time,
Jim 🙂
 
I'm not sure that particular app will help you with carb counting, though it will certainly help with recording results and trends. The best app for estimating carbs is probably Carbs and Cals, which has loads of photos of meals with the scores attached. It's certainly the most popular.
 
Hi jimbear
My friend uses the app I think, if it's the same one there's a user guide and FAQs and the like here https://sites.google.com/view/diabetes-m-userguide. She says it's super easy to use but I've no personal experience of it, she sent me the link when I was looking for a reasonable app to use That said she's not dead comfortable with apps so if she thinks it's easy it's probably pretty straightforward, there's a bolus calculator bit she uses regularly not sure how much of the rest of the functionality she uses though. If it's not the same app just ignore me 🙂
 
mikeyB said:
I'm not sure that particular app will help you with carb counting, though it will certainly help with recording results and trends. The best app for estimating carbs is probably Carbs and Cals, which has loads of photos of meals with the scores attached. It's certainly the most popular.
Click to expand...
Hi Mike,
I explored and downloaded the Carbs and Cals app, and it seems quite good on the surface but generally received shockingly poor reviews (such as photos being handy but only available where wifi is present, malware etc). I liked the idea of the photos though, and they seem to have quite a lot of handy stuff on their website too. Thanks for your input 🙂
 
Northerner said:
Hi Jim, great news that you are going on to the basal/bolus regime 🙂 It might be worth asking your nurse for a 'smart' meter which can help with bolus calculations/corrections etc. I think the one most often mentioned here is the Accuchek Expert, although there are others:

https://www.accu-chek.co.uk/help/blood-glucose-meters/aviva-expert

Afraid I know nowt about smart phones and apps!
Click to expand...
I've just had a look at the accucheck meter and it seems pretty amazing! I was surprised to hear a British voice on the video too! I will certainly ask about some kind of smart meter when I visit next week. I just hope our NHS trust isn't so strapped for cash that they can't afford to provide something like this.
 
KookyCat said:
Hi jimbear
My friend uses the app I think, if it's the same one there's a user guide and FAQs and the like here https://sites.google.com/view/diabetes-m-userguide. She says it's super easy to use but I've no personal experience of it, she sent me the link when I was looking for a reasonable app to use That said she's not dead comfortable with apps so if she thinks it's easy it's probably pretty straightforward, there's a bolus calculator bit she uses regularly not sure how much of the rest of the functionality she uses though. If it's not the same app just ignore me 🙂
Click to expand...
Thanks for that link KookyCat - that's really helpful and I'll have a proper look through it if I can ever get my head to stop spinning so I can concentrate and learn!
 
JimBear said:
I've just had a look at the accucheck meter and it seems pretty amazing! I was surprised to hear a British voice on the video too! I will certainly ask about some kind of smart meter when I visit next week. I just hope our NHS trust isn't so strapped for cash that they can't afford to provide something like this.
Click to expand...
I have the Aviva Expert and I absolutely love it, as soon as you have it set up correctly for your specific needs it's great, also if your on different ratios for different meals you just let the certain time blocks know your ratios and away you go, I hope you can get this or at least another brand, Good Luck 🙂 x
 
JimBear said:
Hi Mike,
I explored and downloaded the Carbs and Cals app, and it seems quite good on the surface but generally received shockingly poor reviews (such as photos being handy but only available where wifi is present, malware etc). I liked the idea of the photos though, and they seem to have quite a lot of handy stuff on their website too. Thanks for your input 🙂
Click to expand...
I was put off purchasing because of the bad reviews,though many seem to like it on here.
 
Type 1s can certainly get the Expert no prob but not sure about T2s, since mine came directly from my hospital clinic rather than the doc. Way back when I had mine originally my DSN said that Roche didn't give em away free to them like they do their ordinary meters and said they cost them about £50. Now, I dunno how true or false this was then or is now.
 
Hi I tried to get the Aviva expert from my practice nurse who I see for diabetes but she said no way, apparently I also do not meet the criteria to be seen at diabetes clinic at hospital. I am on basal bolus and have basically taught myself the whole way through, carb counting, correction doses etc. It does annoy me that at least in my area t2 on basal bolus are discriminated against in this way. I use an app called rapidcalc which again I worked out myself to help calculate bolus doses, record both basal and bolus doses and carb totals. I use carbs and cals app/book to help carb count. Take care
Jo x
 
jocat said:
Hi I tried to get the Aviva expert from my practice nurse who I see for diabetes but she said no way, apparently I also do not meet the criteria to be seen at diabetes clinic at hospital. I am on basal bolus and have basically taught myself the whole way through, carb counting, correction doses etc. It does annoy me that at least in my area t2 on basal bolus are discriminated against in this way. I use an app called rapidcalc which again I worked out myself to help calculate bolus doses, record both basal and bolus doses and carb totals. I use carbs and cals app/book to help carb count. Take care
Jo x
Click to expand...
It really is ridiculous that Type 2s on insulin are treated so differently from Type 1s 😡 I wonder if Diabetes UK have a position on this - I'm going to find out! 🙂
 
@JimBear , I hope the will provide you with the meter you want.

@jocat and @Northerner, It's the same here next to nothing for T2s on insulin. My practice nurse said I could go on a DERIK course, I decided not to go as it didn't cover insulin or carb counting and was really for T2s who were new to diabetes. When I saw my nurse again, she said I could probably have a couple of hours with a DSN, answer was no as like Jocat I don't meet their criteria.
TBH, I feel that with out you guys here, I would have been up the creek without a paddle.
Don't get me wrong, my nurse is pretty good really, but her eyes do tend to pop out of her head and I swear I can see her heart pounding, if I mention the word insulin.
 
Ljc said:
@JimBear , I hope the will provide you with the meter you want.

@jocat and @Northerner, It's the same here next to nothing for T2s on insulin. My practice nurse said I could go on a DERIK course, I decided not to go as it didn't cover insulin or carb counting and was really for T2s who were new to diabetes. When I saw my nurse again, she said I could probably have a couple of hours with a DSN, answer was no as like Jocat I don't meet their criteria.
TBH, I feel that with out you guys here, I would have been up the creek without a paddle.
Don't get me wrong, my nurse is pretty good really, but her eyes do tend to pop out of her head and I swear I can see her heart pounding, if I mention the word insulin.
Click to expand...
Such a poor situation :( I've emailed DUK - if they don't already have a position on this, I'm sure it's a campaign they'd support 🙂 I seem to remember that I have heard about a couse for Type 2s on insulin - might be an 'XPert' course? - but probably not available everywhere, and subject to the postcode lottery :(
 
Northerner said:
Such a poor situation :( I've emailed DUK - if they don't already have a position on this, I'm sure it's a campaign they'd support 🙂 I seem to remember that I have heard about a couse for Type 2s on insulin - might be an 'XPert' course? - but probably not available everywhere, and subject to the postcode lottery :(
Click to expand...
@Northerner , Thank you, I will look into that.
 
When the basic Xpert courses were discussed a few weeks ago it seems the availablity is as you suspected another postcode lottery.
 
I went on a t2 on insulin course but it was half a day and was mainly for those on twice daily fixed doses of mixed insulin, there was two of us there on basal bolus and It did not cover carb counting, adjusting insulin etc all the skills needed for basal bolus. The best part was that it was run by a "proper" dsn and she was interested in what I was doing and confirmed that what I am doing is right, she spoke to me out of class and was very interesting
Jo
 
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