Hello again

By | 11 April, 2018
Fruit Pastilles, falling out of favour

Fruit Pastilles, falling out of favour

Gosh, it’s been a while hasn’t it? How’s things? Things have been mostly happy and uneventful at this end in the two years since I last blogged. Although – shock horror – I have split up with two of my diabetes old-faithfuls. Here’s a round up…

*Spoiler alert*: I’ve not been cured.

  • The child has learned to read and count and now issues a judgement on any meter reading. “Wow that’s a big number!”. This is in no way helpful.
  • I’ve started using new, rocket-fuel-based insulin Fiasp. More to come on that, but in brief, it works for me.
  • I’ve abandoned Fruit Pastilles as my hypo treatment of choice. I was getting a bit bored with them, plus I felt I needed some thing less sweet-like so as not to confuse the child. So I’m back on glucose tabs. I almost like the raspberry ones but get annoyed by the stupid plastic tube they come in that rattles in your pocket.
  • I’ve abandoned by trusty old Optium Xceed meter (manufactured circa 1905, no flowers please) and have switched to the Contour Next. It does the job perfectly well but irritates me by not switching itself off quickly when I’ve finished with it.
  • I’ve started using kinesiology tape (basically duct tape for humans) to tape down my CGM transmitter. I know some people are happy to let it hang free, but I’m not one of those. I like the confidence that comes with knowing it’s not going anywhere. This stuff doesn’t even move after a day in a water park. The downside is it feels like you’re at risk of surgically removing a kidney when you take it off.

So, clearly, life changing stuff has been happening. How are things with you? Any news?

16 thoughts on “Hello again

  1. Tim

    Ah, welcome back co-writer! Abandoning Fruit Pastilles? The world will stop spinning on its axis!!

    Reply
    1. Alison Post author

      That surely happened when I changed my meter. At the very least the earth’s magnetic poles reversed.

      Reply
  2. Angie Logan

    I’m personally disappointed to know that you have not been cured – I was hoping you were going to say you had been and share your secret with us all (it’s cinnamon, isn’t it?

    I have also created a tiny human! And so enjoyed the wonders of a diabetic pregnancy (and found your posts on this very useful!)

    I am also very much a fan of ALL the tape on my dexcom – otherwise it would not last at all! Plus you can get kinesiology tape in all kind of cool colours and patterns 😀

    Glad to see you back!

    Reply
    1. Alison Post author

      Congratulations on the mini diabetes assistant Angie. I hope you’re both doing well. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without one!

      Sorry about failing in the cure bit, I did consider claiming that I’d just woken up one day and diabetes was gone, but there’s enough morons out there doing that already, I don’t think they need me as well 😉

      Reply
      1. Angie Logan

        He has already appointed himself Chief Pump Investigator!

        I would like to say that I’m sure Shoot Up readers are of a different class but, well… 😛

        Reply
  3. Dave S

    Welcome back! FPs are gone for me now too but more because of me sulking over their consistency change.

    I do hope the joint videos will return. Even if location is a problem a split screen Skype call would do 🙂

    Reply
    1. Alison Post author

      A consistency change? That’s shocking. I had no idea.

      We’ll have to think about something Tim and I could bear to speak to each other about for another video. The first lot were painful enough to make, although the copious amounts of port consumed the night before can’t have helped with that!

      Reply
  4. Tim

    So…the tape stuff – would that work to hold down a Libre sensor when mountainbiking do you think? I always worry I’m going to sweat it off or have it ripped off by a violent bike-falling-off incident, etc.

    If you do apply it over a sensor, can you pull the tape off without pulling off said sensor?

    Reply
    1. Angie Logan

      I’m not sure about pulling it off without pulling off the sensor, but I’ve seen some people cut out a bit of card or something, and then put that over the sensor and then the tape over that. I’ve also seen people use something called vet wrap, which seems to be some kind of special cling film that you wrap all the way round your arm, and I think that works well for sports. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Alison Post author

      You’re lucky to get the tape off without removing vital body parts, so in most cases I suspect the sensor would come with it. I sometimes put a layer of paper over the sensor so the tape sticks around it, rather than to it, like Angie suggests.
      I assume you could scan through the tape? It doesn’t affect my Medtronic sensor, but I’ve never used Libre.

      Reply
      1. Tim

        Yeah, you can scan through anything – I think it needs to be within c. 4cm. I’ve scanned through 19 layers of winter clothing…

        Reply
  5. Katie Price

    Glad you are back! Looking forward to hearing your views on Fiasp – when will you be posting this please? I’ve heard mixed opinions, but I would like to try it

    Reply
    1. Alison Post author

      Hi Katie. It should be up on Monday. In brief, not life changing stuff but a good, small step forward for me.

      Reply

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