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Hi. Type 1½??

everydayupsanddowns said:
Most BG meters that also offer blood ketone checks just need special different strips. As @trophywench says, these are often individually packed in foil rather than supplied in a tub. I think they are about £2.50 per strip 😱

You might find there was a sample one in the box your meter came in?

The much cheaper (though less accurate) alternative is urine ketone strips, which you can buy from a chemists for about £5 for a pot of 50.
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probably you are right 🙂 i wasted 3 strips . they didn't worked probably they were ketones strips 🙂
 
Seniz said:
probably you are right 🙂 i wasted 3 strips . they didn't worked probably they were ketones strips 🙂
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What colour were the strips? Were they in foil or in a pot? What error message did you get?
 
Diabetes nurse gave me set for free. it was 10 strip inside the plastic bag, all white colour. 3 of them didn't work. didnt give any error code just machine made bip noises and screen were blank.
 
Seniz said:
Diabetes nurse gave me set for free. it was 10 strip inside the plastic bag, all white colour. 3 of them didn't work. didnt give any error code just machine made bip noises and screen were blank.
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That doesn’t sound like ketone strips to me. They usually look different to the blood ones on any dual meter I’ve had.
 
Inka said:
The beta cell function can decline erratically. One thing I was told was that you might still make your own insulin but very erratically. Another thing was that, because the whole system is failing, it can release insulin either too late or/and too much. That is, you can go high after food then plunge down hours later as your own insulin kicks in.
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Hi
Just read your post.Im on insulin ..type 1 just diagnosed after a year they think. Last 2vdays im having hypos then drops.How did you manage these?
Jill
 
HI @jtg1964 - what @Inka is referring to is the so-called "Honeymoon period" (Dreadful name as it is anything but!) where your pancreas every now and again decides to start working again and send your BG plummeting - I had this for 2yrs after diagnosis and it is difficult as it is so unpredictable - but the only thing you can do is keep a close eye on the downward arrows on your CGM (presuming you have one?) so you can stave off the hypo before it gets seriously low (that's what I did anyway) - as the honeymoon has come to an end I have had to double my insulin ratios/doses (slowly and safely though) and it is generally well-managed now but the honeymoon period can unfortunately be very unpredictable
 
mashedupmatt said:
HI @jtg1964 - what @Inka is referring to is the so-called "Honeymoon period" (Dreadful name as it is anything but!) where your pancreas every now and again decides to start working again and send your BG plummeting - I had this for 2yrs after diagnosis and it is difficult as it is so unpredictable - but the only thing you can do is keep a close eye on the downward arrows on your CGM (presuming you have one?) so you can stave off the hypo before it gets seriously low (that's what I did anyway) - as the honeymoon has come to an end I have had to double my insulin ratios/doses (slowly and safely though) and it is generally well-managed now but the honeymoon period can unfortunately be very unpredictable
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Hi
Yes I've a Libre ...I had had a good run so this has thrown me. I feel awful and outvoted control. I'm on nova30 at present. Appreciate your reply.
Jill
 
jtg1964 said:
Hi
Just read your post.Im on insulin ..type 1 just diagnosed after a year they think. Last 2vdays im having hypos then drops.How did you manage these?
Jill
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Jill do you mean Hypers ie highs and then drops? Hopefully you don't mean that you are hypo and then dropping lower still after treating a hypo.

With you being on a mixed insulin and only injecting it once a day, which is a very unusual situation, it will be difficult for you to compare notes with others and draw any useful conclusions, but it is common to experience erratic BG levels during the so called honeymoon period, however I think your insulin regime is part of the problem in your case and I really find it odd that they started you off on a mixed insulin, which is so out of date thinking in my opinion.
 
rebrascora said:
Jill do you mean Hypers ie highs and then drops? Hopefully you don't mean that you are hypo and then dropping lower still after treating a hypo.

With you being on a mixed insulin and only injecting it once a day, which is a very unusual situation, it will be difficult for you to compare notes with others and draw any useful conclusions, but it is common to experience erratic BG levels during the so called honeymoon period, however I think your insulin regime is part of the problem in your case and I really find it odd that they started you off on a mixed insulin, which is so out of date thinking in my opinion.
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Yes I meant hypers then I drop.
Totally agree I think they need to review my insulin.
 
jtg1964 said:
Yes I meant hypers then I drop.
Totally agree I think they need to review my insulin.
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I started on mixed insulin when I was diagnosed more than 30 years ago @jtg1964 It demands a routine: same amounts of carbs, meals at the same time each day.

How long have you been on insulin? If the drops have just started in the last two days, could it be the heat or extra activity? Are you counting the carbs in your meals, and are you injecting the correct amount of time in advance?

If you’re doing all those things and it still happens, then yes, it might be the honeymoon period. You can sometimes deal with these later drops by having a small carby snack at the appropriate time, ie before you drop.
 
Sorry if you have answered this before. @jtg1964 do you have a CGM like Libre of Dexcom?
If so, I recommend setting your low alarm higher so you have time to have a snack to avoid a hypo as your BG falls.
I know your diagnosis I has not been confirmed so you may not be prescribed a CGM until it is. If that is the case, you could benefit from the free trials available on both the Libre and Dexcom websites if you have a compatible phone.
 
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I do have a libre prescribed now. Ive set it to 4.5. Not sure if this is right for at night though as we all naturally drop at night. Would you still react?
 
jtg1964 said:
I do have a libre prescribed now. Ive set it to 4.5. Not sure if this is right for at night though as we all naturally drop at night. Would you still react?
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If your by is dropping to hypo level, I would increase the lower alert to 5.0. if you think this is too high at night, you could reduce it when you go to bed.
 
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