Type 1 since 1974 and new here

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Birdwatcher

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello,

I am new in this Forum but have had T1 diabetes for 48 years! Still alive and kicking, though. My hobbies include e-biking and birdwatching, usually combined. I am from Finland where they discontinued the diabetes discussion group, so I am here.... If you allow foreigners to join, it would be great! I have some issues which I would like to discuss and reveive some hints from others.
 
Welcome to the forum @Birdwatcher

Sorry to hear the diabetes forum in Finland isn’t running any more :(

Yes we have a few members from different countries, across Europe, and as far away as Australia (which is about as far as you can get from the UK!)

Well done on your 48 years with T1!

Are you on pens or a pump? Do you use a continuous sensor or any apps or fancy gizmos?
 
Hi and welcome from me too.

No restriction on people from other countries joining us and we have several members scattered around the globe, so make yourself at home here. It is good to have your experience and wisdom added to the forum, but feel free to pick our brains too.

Would you like to tell us a bit about how you manage your diabetes.... which insulin(s) you use? Injections or a pump?Hopefully you have a Continuous Glucose Monitoring system (CGM) like Libre or Dexcom or some other brand.

Ask away with whatever questions you have...., Look forward to getting to know more about you.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @Birdwatcher

Sorry to hear the diabetes forum in Finland isn’t running any more :(

Yes we have a few members from different countries, across Europe, and as far away as Australia (which is about as far as you can get from the UK!)
Click to expand...
Hi,

Thanks for your kind reply! Nice to hear that you have members from different countries.

I have used many insulin brands and gadgets, including pump during these years. Now I am content with the following combo: Toujeo, Liprolog + Actrapid and Libre 2 sensor. The pump was not optimal for me as the canyl was somehow "stuck" very often and the blood sugar was raised very rapidly.

This community seems to be very supportive and well organized. Thanks for being able to join it!


everydayupsanddowns said:
Well done on your 48 years with T1!

Are you on pens or a pump? Do you use a continuous sensor or any apps or fancy gizmos?
Click to expand...
 
Interesting that you use Liprolog and Actrapid. Do you follow a low carb way of eating?
 
It seems that my digestive system has slowed so that if I use ultrafast insulins like Fiasp, I will have a hypo during the meal . I figured out that if I use a combination of 1 unit of Liprolog (fast acting) and 5-6 units of oldfashioned Actrapid with much slower action profile, my blood sugar level is good during and after meals. This was my own idea which my GP supported. I eat small meals of healthy foods, although sometimes chocolate is also enjoyed .
 
TheClockworkDodo said:
Hi @Birdwatcher and welcome to the forum 🙂

There is a thread about birds on the off the subject board here: https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/my-garden-river-birds.87072/ - would be interesting to hear about the birds you see in Finland and find out how many are the same or different from the ones here.
Click to expand...
Hi,

thanks for the link! It was wonderful to see that there are so many birdwatchers in this forum. It seems to me that the majory of common bird species are the same in Britain and Finland, especially those dwelling in gardens and fields.

I have met here in the Oulu region ( central Finland, coastal city/town) some British birdwatchers who were most interested in the local Eastern species living on the outskirts of their range, such as great grey owl, pine grosbeak, grey-headed chickadee etc. Also they wanted to see some local specialities such as Terek Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit.

Do you know Robert E Fuller’s Youtube channel? There are barn owls which I would very much like to see some day. They are so beautiful!
 
I passed a barn owl sitting on a fence post by the side of a main road a few weeks back in the middle of the morning! I had to look twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things!
We sometimes have one hunts the overgrown bankside above my house at dusk, but haven't seen it for a while!

I am in an area where they reintroduced red kites and they have absolutely flourished here and watching them wheeling overhead is impressive but I wonder if perhaps they have been too successful at a cost to other birds.
 
Birdwatcher said:
I have met here in the Oulu region ( central Finland, coastal city/town) some British birdwatchers who were most interested in the local Eastern species living on the outskirts of their range, such as great grey owl, pine grosbeak, grey-headed chickadee etc. Also they wanted to see some local specialities such as Terek Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit.

Do you know Robert E Fuller’s Youtube channel? There are barn owls which I would very much like to see some day. They are so beautiful!
Click to expand...

No, I don't tend to watch things on Youtube, but I'll have a look. I have held a barn owl (at a bird of prey sanctuary) - I didn't think I'd be able to take the weight of something that size on my arm (as I'm disabled and not that strong) but they are incredibly light, they are almost all feathers! They are beautiful birds, as you say, but apparently they are not the brightest. They seem to be very placid though, unlike little owls - do you have those? They are tiny but incredibly aggressive, I'm not sure I'd want to handle one!

We have black-tailed godwit overwintering in the UK, but only a tiny number of breeding pairs, and I think they are on the red list. We don't have great grey owls in the wild but I've seen those in bird of prey sanctuaries too. I'll have to google the other birds you mention 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum @Birdwatcher . I am glad that you have found us.

Interesting hearing about you using a mix of Bolus insulins to adapt to your needs.
One of the joys of this forum is that there are so many individual ways of managing our diabetes.
I look forward to hearing more from you
 
Birdwatcher said:
Toujeo, Liprolog + Actrapid and Libre 2 sensor.
Click to expand...

I had to look up ‘liprolog’ as it wasn’t a name I recognised.

Sounds like it a form of Lispro, which is more commonly prescribed under the brandname Humalog in the UK.

Actrapid takes me right back!

I think it was the first human bolus insulin I used when I switched from mixed insulin (Mixtard) in the early 1990s.

I can’t remember how long afterwards I swapped to the fancy new ‘analogue’ NovoRapid which was supposed to be so much quicker you wouldn’t need to prebolus (hahahahahahaha!)
 
Hei Hei @Birdwatcher
Lovely to see someone from Finland. I used to visit Helsinki a couple of times a month and still have some friends there. When I visited regularly we would be out partying in Karlei 8 after tacos in Cantina West. Last time I was there the Mexican restaurant had closed but the bar/club was still going. Not that that bothered us much, we had both grown up a bit and slowed down. Coincidentally, my friend is now into birdwatching and took out around a frozen bay (with an old fashioned cafe with hot chocolate to warm be afterwards) to see the birds. Sadly it was too cold for most of them that day but the chilly wasteland was beautiful.
Anyway, thank you for the chance to reminisce and welcome to the forum.

I have realised, Finland is a large country and you may not live/know Helsinki. What part of the country are you from?
 
rebrascora said:
I passed a barn owl sitting on a fence post by the side of a main road a few weeks back in the middle of the morning! I had to look twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things!
We sometimes have one hunts the overgrown bankside above my house at dusk, but haven't seen it for a while!

I am in an area where they reintroduced red kites and they have absolutely flourished here and watching them wheeling overhead is impressive but I wonder if perhaps they have been too successful at a cost to other birds.
Click to expand...
You are lucky to live in an area like that! I have never seen either of them.
 
TheClockworkDodo said:
No, I don't tend to watch things on Youtube, but I'll have a look. I have held a barn owl (at a bird of prey sanctuary) - I didn't think I'd be able to take the weight of something that size on my arm (as I'm disabled and not that strong) but they are incredibly light, they are almost all feathers! They are beautiful birds, as you say, but apparently they are not the brightest. They seem to be very placid though, unlike little owls - do you have those? They are tiny but incredibly aggressive, I'm not sure I'd want to handle one!

We have black-tailed godwit overwintering in the UK, but only a tiny number of breeding pairs, and I think they are on the red list. We don't have great grey owls in the wild but I've seen those in bird of prey sanctuaries too. I'll have to google the other birds you mention 🙂
Click to expand...
In February and March one can hear and see some little owls, such as boreal (Tengmalms's owl) and pygmy owl quite frequently if one knows where to look. The larger species are more rare or they live so far away from my home that I have not had the energy to go and look for them.

In the YouTube channel which I mentioned my favorite bird was Finn the barn owl, but he has passed away. What a peculiar and lovely character he was, very curious and loving. The "widow", a female called Gylfie has now paired with a male called Dryer and they have laid eggs now. I follow them as if it was a soap opera!
 
helli said:
Hei Hei @Birdwatcher
Lovely to see someone from Finland. I used to visit Helsinki a couple of times a month and still have some friends there. When I visited regularly we would be out partying in Karlei 8 after tacos in Cantina West. Last time I was there the Mexican restaurant had closed but the bar/club was still going. Not that that bothered us much, we had both grown up a bit and slowed down. Coincidentally, my friend is now into birdwatching and took out around a frozen bay (with an old fashioned cafe with hot chocolate to warm be afterwards) to see the birds. Sadly it was too cold for most of them that day but the chilly wasteland was beautiful.
Anyway, thank you for the chance to reminisce and welcome to the forum.

I have realised, Finland is a large country and you may not live/know Helsinki. What part of the country are you from?
Click to expand...
Hei and thanks for the warm welcome! I live in Oulu, a coastal town in Central Finland. Fortunately we have a large and enthusiastic community of birdwatchers here so that many interesting species are reported (in the Tiira web service). If your friend is still interested in birds, I recommend to google Tiira system. Tiira means tearn.you can find the latest news of birdlife there.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top