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Too tight control?

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@helli @Thebearcametoo @Merluza @trophywench @Inka @CliffH @everydayupsanddowns @Kol @nonethewiser

Thanks for everyone's input on the above it's been interesting reading everyone's thoughts. I've developed a system that works for me personally and I'm a bit more relaxed than I was at the start of my post DKA diagnosis just over a year ago. I use finger pricks to do my dosing and libre to give me an idea of how things are going on generally. I'm comfortable cruising in the 4's until about 4.5 when I would nudge my levels. I don't want to take unnecessary sugar especially when libre likes to ping off then suddenly your not low as it changes as it does. Libre reads about 1 mmol below a finger prick for me which I'm happy with.

For me the finger prick guides my dosing as mentioned above I don't do tonnes of of pricks a day just to add. This works for me with libre combined. I actively change Basal/Bolus analysing patterns not reacting with more insulin unless i need to if I react too much likes to back fire with hypos etc :rofl:
 
As long as the cost to the rest of your life is not too great.
I compare dedicating your life to perfect BG with dedicating your life to a well paid job and having no time to spend the money,
Hi @helli

Maybe I should have expanded on "if you can make it work" it was nearly 1am 🙂

'If you can make it work for you while still enjoying life' might have been a better comment 🙂
 
@helli @Thebearcametoo @Merluza @trophywench @Inka @CliffH @everydayupsanddowns @Kol @nonethewiser

Thanks for everyone's input on the above it's been interesting reading everyone's thoughts. I've developed a system that works for me personally and I'm a bit more relaxed than I was at the start of my post DKA diagnosis just over a year ago. I use finger pricks to do my dosing and libre to give me an idea of how things are going on generally. I'm comfortable cruising in the 4's until about 4.5 when I would nudge my levels. I don't want to take unnecessary sugar especially when libre likes to ping off then suddenly your not low as it changes as it does. Libre reads about 1 mmol below a finger prick for me which I'm happy with.

For me the finger prick guides my dosing as mentioned above I don't do tonnes of of pricks a day just to add. This works for me with libre combined. I actively change Basal/Bolus analysing patterns not reacting with more insulin unless i need to if I react too much likes to back fire with hypos etc :rofl:
Don't forget if you drive readings need to be above 5 minimum.
 
Don't forget if you drive readings need to be above 5 minimum.
Technically not quite correct, if it’s above 4, but below 5 you can eat a snack and carry on (provided you’re not getting hypo symptoms at that level). See p2 of the guidance leaflet.
(I am aware that a lot of nurses give the advice 'five to drive' because it rhymes and is easy to remember).
 
Technically not quite correct, if it’s above 4, but below 5 you can eat a snack and carry on
It seems to be a little more nuanced than that and specific reference is made to being above 5 in certain situations

• You should switch off the engine, remove the keys from the ignition and move from the driver’s seat.
• You should not start driving again until 45 minutes after finger prick glucose has returned to normal (at least 5.0mmol/L). It takes up to 45 minutes for the brain to recover fully.
• If you use a real time (RT-CGM) or flash glucosem onitoring (FGM) system to check your glucose levels and the reading is 4.0mmol/L or below, you must stopd riving and confirm your finger prick glucose test reading.
• Your finger prick glucose level must be at least 5 .0mmol/L before returning to driving.

Given this I think just sticking to not driving below 5 is the safest/most sensible option.
 
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It seems to be a little more nuanced than that and specific reference is made to being above 5 in certain situations

• You should switch off the engine, remove the keys from the ignition and move from the driver’s seat.
• You should not start driving again until 45 minutes after finger prick glucose has returned to normal (at least 5.0mmol/L). It takes up to 45 minutes for the brain to recover fully.
• If you use a real time (RT-CGM) or flash glucosem onitoring (FGM) system to check your glucose levels and the reading is 4.0mmol/L or below, you must stopd riving and confirm your finger prick glucose test reading.
• Your finger prick glucose level must be at least 5 .0mmol/L before returning to driving.

Given this I think just sticking to not driving below 5 is the safest/most sensible option.
Yes, that’s in situations where you have been below 4 (or just on 4, not 'above 4') and I can see why nurses issue the blanket advice of being above 5, it’s just easier to grasp. But there are situations where you've just been pottering along just below 5, when if you told an employer you’d have to miss work, or you thought you'd have to miss a vital medical appointment, it might not have been necessary.
 
Technically not quite correct, if it’s above 4, but below 5 you can eat a snack and carry on (provided you’re not getting hypo symptoms at that level). See p2 of the guidance leaflet.
(I am aware that a lot of nurses give the advice 'five to drive' because it rhymes and is easy to remember).
Not only "rhyming and easy to remember" but to err on the side of caution, bearing in mind CGM and BGM accuracies.
Better to be safe than sorry.
I'll stick with 5 and above for driving.
 
Also, why complicate things, why not just keep it simple ??

5 to drive works.
 
But there are situations where you've just been pottering along just below 5, when if you told an employer you’d have to miss work, or you thought you'd have to miss a vital medical appointment, it might not have been necessary.
I have got into the routine of testing 20-30 mins or so before driving so I have time to correct things if I'm under 5 so I can be sure I'll not miss anything.

Would rather just stick to that than chance being under and that causing a problem.
 
Also, why complicate things, why not just keep it simple ??

5 to drive works.
It’s hardly complicated…. If you’ve been below 4 you need to wait till you’re 5 and have waited 45 minutes after fixing the hypo. If you’ve just been sitting in the 4s though have a snack and go, no need to wait.

If that’s too complicated to understand then I’m not sure you should really be driving at all! Driving itself is much more complicated than that!
 
It’s hardly complicated…. If you’ve been below 4 you need to wait till you’re 5 and have waited 45 minutes after fixing the hypo. If you’ve just been sitting in the 4s though have a snack and go, no need to wait.

If that’s too complicated to understand then I’m not sure you should really be driving at all! Driving itself is much more complicated than that!
:rofl:
 
It’s hardly complicated…. If you’ve been below 4 you need to wait till you’re 5 and have waited 45 minutes after fixing the hypo. If you’ve just been sitting in the 4s though have a snack and go, no need to wait.

If that’s too complicated to understand then I’m not sure you should really be driving at all! Driving itself is much more complicated than that!
How about not letting yourself go below 5 ?
Then theres no waiting around for 45mins etc ?
Time saving option.
The safe option.
 
How about not letting yourself go below 5 ?
Then theres no waiting around for 45mins etc ?
Time saving option.
The safe option.
You can’t prevent ever going below 5, and there’s no danger involved in going below 5. I have my libre alarm set at 5.0 but a fingerprick might be 4.8 or 4.9 when it goes off.
 
You can’t prevent ever going below 5, and there’s no danger involved in going below 5. I have my libre alarm set at 5.0 but a fingerprick might be 4.8 or 4.9 when it goes off.
Of course you can Lucy with ideal T1 management.
 
Of course you can Lucy with ideal T1 management.
How and why do you avoid ever going below 5.0?

I’m perfectly happy to drive in the 4s as I understand the DVLA guidance and have good hypo awareness.
 
How and why do you avoid ever going below 5.0?

I’m perfectly happy to drive in the 4s as I understand the DVLA guidance and have good hypo awareness.
I don't have ideal T1 management, wish i did, that requires correct predictions of insulin/food/timing/activity ratio's etc, etc.
I'm glad you are happy driving in the 4's within the guidelines.
I'm also glad that i suspect you would not offer me a lift anywhere 🙂
 
I'm also glad that i suspect you would not offer me a lift anywhere 🙂
I'm not sure what this means - I happily offer people lifts regularly, yes even with a bg in the 4s so long as I've had a snack and haven't been below 4. I've never had a crash or accident of any sort.
 
I think this is one of those situations where we just have to accept that different people are happy having different approaches within the same rules and guidance.

If @Kol chooses to aim to always stay above 5 for a little extra ‘wiggle room’ that’s fine.

Lucy’s autism can make these differences harder to understand, and the questioning is more about trying to work things out I think.
 
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