Newbie

[Tiggy's]

Hello everyone my name is Tiggy, i am female 60 years young
I was diagnosed 15 years ago T2 and other health issues have arisen since then.
I was in and of hospital from October 2022 until the end of January 2023 i was seriously ill during November 2022 and January 2023 i was in CCU 2 time and ITU 4 times not good but i am still recovering, but 1 good thing to come out of it, was learning more about Diabetes which is why i am here, Oh and to meet people who may know more than i do and make friend's a long the way.
Sorry its a bit long winded but thought its to let you all know it was the worst 4 months of my life.
I'm Finished

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Hello @Tiggy's - welcome to the Forum.

 

[Tiggy's]

Hello @Tiggy's - welcome to the Forum.

Thank you, I am also on Treseba but was changed from NovaRapid to Fiasp still trying to get a happy medium as my bloodsugars are still very irratic.

 

[AceFace]

Hello everyone my name is Tiggy, i am female 60 years young
I was diagnosed 15 years ago T2 and other health issues have arisen since then.
I was in and of hospital from October 2022 until the end of January 2023 i was seriously ill during November 2022 and January 2023 i was in CCU 2 time and ITU 4 times not good but i am still recovering, but 1 good thing to come out of it, was learning more about Diabetes which is why i am here, Oh and to meet people who may know more than i do and make friend's a long the way.
Sorry its a bit long winded but thought its to let you all know it was the worst 4 months of my life.
I'm Finished

Good Morning Tiggy's a very warm welcome to you, I sorry you have been through a rough time, I hope your recovery is going well, there is vast experience on this site, I'm sure you are going to find the answers your searching for, I'm also sure your going to meet friends, they are a great bunch here.

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Tiggy's
Sorry that you are finding things difficult at present.

Are you carb counting your meals and making your own adjustments to your meal boluses?
Your quick acting FIASP is likely to need to be different at each meal unless you stick to the same number of carbs each time. Have you been able to check your basal insulin Dose?
Sorry about all the questions but it helps us to answer your questions more fully.

There is loads of experience to tap into on here, so just fire away with any questions that arise.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Thank you, I am also on Treseba but was changed from NovaRapid to Fiasp still trying to get a happy medium as my bloodsugars are still very irratic.

Hi again Tiggy, busy day here so will hope to extend our dialogue later or tomorrow.

I'm very happy with Tresiba; I realise its not for everyone - but frequently find users haven't been advised that it needs a different mindset so they are changing doses too frequently or even thinking split doses might be helpful which results in unsatisfactory outcomes - or doesn't help.

I haven't tried Fiasp yet. My Consultant has twice suggested it will help me; I'm hesitant to change something that I'm making work, albeit it's pretty slow at times. Currently so busy after moving house that I haven't tried to make the time to understand the Fiasp implications.

Have you got access to any CGM, such as Libre? How long since you moved to Fiasp?

 

[Tiggy's]

Welcome to the forum @Tiggy's
Sorry that you are finding things difficult at present.

Are you carb counting your meals and making your own adjustments to your meal boluses?
Your quick acting FIASP is likely to need to be different at each meal unless you stick to the same number of carbs each time. Have you been able to check your basal insulin Dose?
Sorry about all the questions but it helps us to answer your questions more fully.

There is loads of experience to tap into on here, so just fire away with any questions that arise.

Thanks, I know lots questions, I was originally on Novamix 30 and Metformin then they add NovaRapid, but fifth time i was rushed into hospital because my Hi bloodsugars had got so high i was out off it and was drinking everything and anything i drank 12 pints of milk in 3 hours, so I've been told by my poor son who didn't know what was going bless him, (he does all the cooking, I'm not safe cooking anymore)
But i was unconscious again and they couldn't get a reading of my bloodsugars and my Ketones were really high, i was rushed in again (each time it was on my notes that i had to be Catheterized) when i came to 5 days later to find i had High Sodium, Anemia, and i had Malnutrition, they got the High Sodium under control and constantly checking me, they put me on Fruisabin drinks twice a day, then i had an iron transfusion put up 4.5 hours i had to stay on the bed, not that i was upto going anywhere
I was in hospital 5.3/4 weeks that time i had Pneumonia 3, UTI 2, and Covid.
They took me off Metformin 2000mg slow release, and a lot of my other medications, changed me off NovaRapid, but increased my Novamix 30 to twice a day, even while hospital they were getting irratic readings.
Just coming upto 6 weeks they said i could go home, but i would have Distict Nurses coming in twice daily, and Carers twice daily.
I started a Journal listing everything i had to eat or drink not matter what be it small or large it went in the Journal, i was slowly gaining confidence.
The game changer my Specialist Diabetic Nurse had said to one of the District Nurses in June 2023 about giving me the
Freestyle Libre 2 and to see what my thoughts on it were, i couldn't wait i read up on it a lot.
When my Diabetic Nurse came out to see me the District Nurse who had helped was there as well which gave me great confidence.
From that day i have had the sensor and never looked back, it does everything i needed warning of impending Hi's or Lows, because fingers were so bruised and sore it was such a relief not to have to fp all the time, i still have to on occasions but i can live with that, it was then that my Insulins were changed to Treseba 26 units Fiasp is 7 units AM and judgement through out the rest of the day and thats still a work in progress.
I will never get back how i was before September 2022 i can't remember any of it my mind is blank.
So its like starting all over again.
Which is why i have come to try and learn a lot more.

 

[Tiggy's]

Hi again Tiggy, busy day here so will hope to extend our dialogue later or tomorrow.

I'm very happy with Tresiba; I realise its not for everyone - but frequently find users haven't been advised that it needs a different mindset so they are changing doses too frequently or even thinking split doses might be helpful which results in unsatisfactory outcomes - or doesn't help.

I haven't tried Fiasp yet. My Consultant has twice suggested it will help me; I'm hesitant to change something that I'm making work, albeit it's pretty slow at times. Currently so busy after moving house that I haven't tried to make the time to understand the Fiasp implications.

Have you got access to any CGM, such as Libre? How long since you moved to Fiasp?

 

[Tiggy's]

Yes ive Libre 2
I have been on Fiasp 4 months it about adjusting units for each food source.

 

[Tiggy's]

Good Morning Tiggy's a very warm welcome to you, I sorry you have been through a rough time, I hope your recovery is going well, there is vast experience on this site, I'm sure you are going to find the answers your searching for, I'm also sure your going to meet friends, they are a great bunch here.

Thank you x

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Thanks, I know lots questions, I was originally on Novamix 30 and Metformin then they add NovaRapid, but fifth time i was rushed into hospital because my Hi bloodsugars had got so high i was out off it and was drinking everything and anything i drank 12 pints of milk in 3 hours, so I've been told by my poor son who didn't know what was going bless him, (he does all the cooking, I'm not safe cooking anymore)
But i was unconscious again and they couldn't get a reading of my bloodsugars and my Ketones were really high, i was rushed in again (each time it was on my notes that i had to be Catheterized) when i came to 5 days later to find i had High Sodium, Anemia, and i had Malnutrition, they got the High Sodium under control and constantly checking me, they put me on Fruisabin drinks twice a day, then i had an iron transfusion put up 4.5 hours i had to stay on the bed, not that i was upto going anywhere
I was in hospital 5.3/4 weeks that time i had Pneumonia 3, UTI 2, and Covid.
They took me off Metformin 2000mg slow release, and a lot of my other medications, changed me off NovaRapid, but increased my Novamix 30 to twice a day, even while hospital they were getting irratic readings.
Just coming upto 6 weeks they said i could go home, but i would have Distict Nurses coming in twice daily, and Carers twice daily.
I started a Journal listing everything i had to eat or drink not matter what be it small or large it went in the Journal, i was slowly gaining confidence.
The game changer my Specialist Diabetic Nurse had said to one of the District Nurses in June 2023 about giving me the
Freestyle Libre 2 and to see what my thoughts on it were, i couldn't wait i read up on it a lot.
When my Diabetic Nurse came out to see me the District Nurse who had helped was there as well which gave me great confidence.
From that day i have had the sensor and never looked back, it does everything i needed warning of impending Hi's or Lows, because fingers were so bruised and sore it was such a relief not to have to fp all the time, i still have to on occasions but i can live with that, it was then that my Insulins were changed to Treseba 26 units Fiasp is 7 units AM and judgement through out the rest of the day and thats still a work in progress.
I will never get back how i was before September 2022 i can't remember any of it my mind is blank.
So its like starting all over again.
Which is why i have come to try and learn a lot more.

Wow, @Tiggy's - you've been having a challenging time these last 12 months!

As I understand various posts in this thread before Oct 22 (exact date is unimportant) you were previously on a mixed insulin and oral meds. Could I ascertain were you originally started on insulin 15 yrs ago, or has that come about in recent years? I'm trying to understand how familiar you are with insulins in principle and then focus in on how comfortable you are with your current Multiple Daily Insulin regime (known as MDI).

It is great that you have Libre 2 and even more great that your DSN initiated the idea (many T2s have to vigorously plead for CGM) AND your DN was also fully involved. My own experience has been that different bits of the Health Care Practioner (HCP) teams can be pretty "unconnected and disjointed". Even though my body was not good friends with the device I still found it to be a game changer for improving my D management. This was at a time when I was feeling rough as I was recovering from major surgery, "enjoying my chemo excursions" [NOT - of course, the medical vocabulary seriously needs bringing into the 21st Century] and feeling really rough because my BG was yo-yoing between really silly lows and moderately high while only barely touching normal on its way past. Questions if I may, please:
- have you been advised about the limitations of CGM in general? It is most helpful to have a good background understanding of what is going on, so that when there are Libre readings that might not seem right you can add your own common sense to what you are seeing.
- 2nd Q: do you have a Libre Reader or are you using a smart phone and the LibreLink app?

I've seen that you are on 26 units Tresiba (once daily hopefully) and 7 units Fiasp am, then using judgement throughout the rest of the day (for other Fiasp doses - I presume). I'm not clear if you are carb counting for each meal or snack. If you are carb counting are you OK with that and is your son (=chief cook) also onside with that and happily weighing different foods to keep you both fully informed? Again I ask simply because from a previous regime with Novamix 30 carb counting is of limited use and it was then more a matter of just being carb aware and trying to sensibly avoid high carb meals.

MDI is the logical interim next step, without having a normal fully functioning pancreas (or a sophisticated artificial pancreas arrangement with a pump and closed loop technology)! It took me a long time to gain my own degree of "control" over my BG. I say control - but in reality we none of us fully control our BG, we just aspire to manage it as best we can; we know that duplicating yesterday doesn't always produce the same outcome today and we inevitably bounce along a bit from day to day. CGM such as Libre is terrific - but can become obsessive, particularly when you see a daily graph with all its peaks and troughs and think this can't be right or this must be bad ... In practice we are generally only seeing what any non-diabetic person is experiencing, but with odd moments of more peaks and troughs.

If I've bombarded you with too many Qs - please don't feel that you must answer them. Equally please ask any question if there is something that's bothering (or just perplexing) you - no question is stupid. Members are genuinely interested and willing to offer answers using their own experiences. Incidentally there are techniques for finger pricking that might be of use to you and it is possible that you have one of the lancing devices that is just downright unpleasant to use. Regular sore fingers shouldn't be the case; people have been testing by fp many times a day, before Libre came along, with minimum distress.

There is bucket loads of D related info both on the Forum and in the Diabetes UK website. Within the Forum we also chit-chat about nonD things from time to time. Sometimes it's just "nice" to be able to link up to other people who are, like oneself, just trying to deal with this challenging illness. All for now.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

From that day i have had the sensor and never looked back, it does everything i needed warning of impending Hi's or Lows, because fingers were so bruised and sore it was such a relief not to have to fp all the time, i still have to on occasions but i can live with that, it was then that my Insulins were changed to Treseba 26 units Fiasp is 7 units AM and judgement through out the rest of the day and thats still a work in progress.
I will never get back how i was before September 2022 i can't remember any of it my mind is blank.
So its like starting all over again.
Which is why i have come to try and learn a lot more.

Glad you have found the information from Libre helpful @Tiggy's

Hope things settle down with your new insulin regimen - managing diabetes with insulin always seems to involve a bit of juggling and fiddling doesn’t it?!