Nathanbrain20
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi I’m new to this but I’ve been diabetic for 17 years and I was just wondering if anyone know if I can get a dog that can help me when I have bad hypos as I live by myself
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Dog for diabetic
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Nathanbrain20
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Yes I’m wondering how I can get one because I’m really really bad in the mornings
Flower
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hello @Nathanbrain20 amd welcome to the forum,
There is the Medical Detection dogs site with the criteria you need to meet to apply - information here https://www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/
or if you are already a dog owner there's this group https://hypohounds.co.uk/ which helps train dogs to detect hypos.
There is the Medical Detection dogs site with the criteria you need to meet to apply - information here https://www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/
or if you are already a dog owner there's this group https://hypohounds.co.uk/ which helps train dogs to detect hypos.
rebrascora
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- Type 1
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- She/Her
Hi and welcome
A dog is a great idea but I imagine availability will be pretty limited, so it may be worth exploring other options to tackle your problem whilst investigating or applying for a dog.
I appreciate that you have had Diabetes a long time and will undoubtedly know much more than myself but sometimes we all can get stuck in a rut and sometimes don't see an obvious solution. Can you tell us a bit more about the type of insulin you are taking and the type of breakfast you normally have and when you are experiencing the hypos. Sometimes adjusting basal insulin or the timing of your bolus insulin, particularly on a morning can have a significant effect, or perhaps changing the food you have for breakfast..... I find it the most difficult time of the day to balance carbs with insulin so I usually opt for a very low carb \(mushroom omelette) breakfast.
Other technological options would be CGM (Constant Glucose Monitoring) systems. Some have inbuilt alarms, to warn you of a hypo and or pumps which just trickle insulin into your system more gradually, rather than multiple daily injections.
Apologies if you have already considered these options (I am certainly not wanting to "teach my granny how to suck eggs") but sometimes people who have been diagnosed a long time are left to their own devices if their control is reasonably good and are not made aware of new stuff which is available.
A dog is a great idea but I imagine availability will be pretty limited, so it may be worth exploring other options to tackle your problem whilst investigating or applying for a dog.
I appreciate that you have had Diabetes a long time and will undoubtedly know much more than myself but sometimes we all can get stuck in a rut and sometimes don't see an obvious solution. Can you tell us a bit more about the type of insulin you are taking and the type of breakfast you normally have and when you are experiencing the hypos. Sometimes adjusting basal insulin or the timing of your bolus insulin, particularly on a morning can have a significant effect, or perhaps changing the food you have for breakfast..... I find it the most difficult time of the day to balance carbs with insulin so I usually opt for a very low carb \(mushroom omelette) breakfast.
Other technological options would be CGM (Constant Glucose Monitoring) systems. Some have inbuilt alarms, to warn you of a hypo and or pumps which just trickle insulin into your system more gradually, rather than multiple daily injections.
Apologies if you have already considered these options (I am certainly not wanting to "teach my granny how to suck eggs") but sometimes people who have been diagnosed a long time are left to their own devices if their control is reasonably good and are not made aware of new stuff which is available.
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome to the forum Nathan. I do not know anything about accessing hypo dogs, but was interested to read the criteria that @Flower has given you the link to.
It is understandable that you will worry about hypos at night. You mention that you ‘are bad in the mornings’. I am not sure what you mean by this. Are you low? How you woken high after the possibility of a night hypo?
Have you discussed your worries with you DSN?
Sorry to bombard you with questions. The criteria for the dogs looks quite tight, so it would be worth looking at alternatives. Certainly the recent developments with Libre and pumps has transformed my control over the last few years, but apologies if you have already tried these.
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I think for hypos, Libre isn't particularly recommended (I think the criteria suggest CGM is more suitable, but the CGM criteria (because of cost) means almost nobody's likely to get one). I must admit I found the Libre really helpful for my hypos, even at night (since I can tell the next day what happened), though I certainly see the argument that without alarms it's not going to be as easy a sell as a CGM. (Roll on Libre 2, obviously.)
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I also found the Libre helped me overnight as I knew exactly (ish) what was happening each night.
This allows for finer adjustment of basal doses.
@Nathanbrain20 how do you manage your diabetes. Are you on Injections or a pump?
The pump can certainly make things a lot easier as you can adjust the basal insulin on an hourly basis.
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