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Hello from Geordieland

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Hi and welcome

What part of Geordieland are you in? I'm just next door in County Durham. I've only been on insulin for 2.5 years , so you have a bit of a head start on me with that. Which insulin(s) do you have and how are you managing with them?
Is there anything particular which brings you in search of other diabetics at this time? Are you having any particular difficulties or need some support?
The forum has been and amazing resource of knowledge and wisdom and camaraderie for me since diagnosis. I hope you will find it equally beneficial.
 
Spend fair amount of time in Geordieland, just there on Wednesday. Great people great towns & citys, mixed feeling about Newcastle fc takeover but at least club might see some glory years ahead.
 
Hi. I'm in Newcastle. Thankyou for getting in touch. I'm hoping to get support as I often feel dejected when my attempts at good control fail and wonder how other diabetics cope. I lost 3 stone 3 years ago and put 2 stone back in during lockdown but I have joined Digital Weight watchers and it is good for controlling my carbs (until I have to correct hypos). I also started using Freestyle Libre 2 in August (self funded) and it is excellent at improving my control. I like the hypo warnings, it is reassuring.
 
LenGeorgeB said:
Hi. I'm in Newcastle.
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So definitely a proper Geordie then! 😉 There are a lot of pretenders to the title!

Lockdown was difficult for many people in lots of respects, so don't beat yourself up. The thing is that you are still a stone down which is very admirable and aiming to make up on the lost ground. And you know that you have done it before, so you can do it again.
Great that you have been able to self fund the Libre and that it is helping to improve your control. I still have the original version without the alarms and that works brilliantly for me so I am reluctant to upgrade. I have reasonably good hypo awareness so I don't find them too much of a problem and I don't worry about them like I used to, especially now I know that I will wake up when I get them through the night. Do you get many false alarms? ie compression lows from lying on the sensor arm etc? That is my concern with alarms of any type...House alarms, car alarms etc Too many false activations and I value my sleep
Which insulins do you use? Are you on a basal bolus system?

It is really helpful to connect with other diabetics just to compare notes and experiences and I think it helps mentally to understand the range of "normal" that can exist. Sometimes Health care professionals impose targets which can be nigh on impossible to achieve and make you feel like you are failing, even when you are trying really hard, although I have to say my consultant and nurses have all been very supportive, but I know it isn't always the case. Getting an idea of how other people manage and learning tips and tricks from more experienced people can really make a difference, so hopefully being part of the forum will give you a boost.

Anyway I have rabbited on quite enough so will look forward to hearing more from you soon.
 
Welcome to the forum @LenGeorgeB. 🙂

It's normal to feel worn out by it all sometimes, I think most of us can relate. But it's great to hear you are taking steps to lose weight again and have found the Libre useful.

Good luck with your exercise routine, hopefully with some trial and error you'll be able to reduce hypos during/after exercise. Please feel free to ask questions on the Exercise/Sport section of the forum if you ever need specific advice.
 
Hi. Thanks for getting back to me. Fortunately I do not get any false alarms but I feel the sensor readings are calibrated to be slightly high as I get hypo alarms but do not have the hypo sensations I used to get. My metered readings show about 1 higher than the Libre. I am on Novarapid and glargine. I am also taking Byetta with terrible nausea side effects.
 
Many people find that the Libre reads lower at low levels and slightly higher at the top end. Most of my Libre sensors have been about 1mmol lower and I'm fine with that. My last sensor was less than 0.5mmol out across the whole range which was the best accuracy I have had but the current one is about 1mmol low most of the time. As long as it is consistent you can live with it and the other benefits far outweigh that, but occasionally you can get a rogue one that just doesn't get anywhere near the finger prick result, so it is worthwhile checking each sensor at least every few days, particularly if you are using it to bolus from.
Are you on set doses of NR or have you had an education course to carb count and are you able to adjust your Glargine as well. I initially got the impression that once your basal insulin was set that was it, but I find that it needs quite regular adjustment for me in order to keep my BG levels stable in the absence of food. If your basal dose isn't right (or the basal insulin you are on doesn't match your body's basal needs) then it makes everything much more difficult to manage because you are not playing on a level playing field. Us Type 1 usually have access to a quite intensive education course (DAFNE or whatever local equivalent) to help us manage our levels and insulin doses but I am not sure that Type 2s have access to that which seems stupid if we are all on the same insulin regime. Ie Basal/bolus MDI system. Balancing insulin with food and exercise and all the other things which impact our BG levels is a very complicated business and potentially dangerous so surely everyone should have access to a good level of education. Will step down from soap box now 🙄.

Sorry to hear the Byetta is making you feel sick. Is that to help weight loss? We have had a few people on the forum using Ozempic which I am guessing must be similar and I believe nausea is a side effect of that along with appetite suppression but I haven't heard many people mention Byetta. Have you discussed the nausea with your GP or nurse?
 
Welcome to the forum @LenGeorgeB

Well done for your 30 years of successful diabetes-ing! Well done on the weight loss. Hope the WW helps you drop that bit of weight that has crept on.

Sorry to hear that you are getting nausea with the Byetta. How long have you been on it? Do you think it might settle down?

Howay tha toon!
 
Hello. I did a course in carb counting etc when I first went into insulin but my condition has deteriorated since then. I am on variable doses of insulin. The Byetta is to help weight loss but it also reduces blood sugar. It is the second time I have been in it and requested it as it helped with weight loss 3years ago. Nausea is a very common side effect. I had previously tried another type (I cannot remember the name) but the nausea was horrendous. I will investigate Ozempic to see if that would be better. I have been on Byetta this time since August.
 
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