Setting Preferences
Diabetes Pilot allows you to set several different options in the program. These options can customize the behavior of Diabetes Pilot to your needs and help save you time while entering data.
General Preferences
To set general program preferences, select "Preferences..." from the "Tools" menu. The general preferences screen allows you to set several options that determine how Diabetes Pilot works:
- Blood glucose ranges. Set your limits for high and low blood sugars and a target range. These values are used with various reports.
- Show BG Warnings: If this box is checked, a warning will be displayed when you enter a blood sugar that is below the "low" limit or above the "high" limit that you set above.
- Default Exer: This allows you to specify the exercise that appears as a default when you are entering a new exercise entry. If the exercise you want isn't in the list, just type a new one in the box.
- Default Med: This allows you to specify the medication that appears as a default when you are entering a new medication entry. If the medication you want isn't in the list, just type a new one in the box.
- Glucose Units: This item allows you to select between either mg/dL units (typically used in the United States) or mmol/L units (typically used throughout the world) for glucose measurements. Please note that if you change this setting, your existing glucose data and target glucose ranges will be converted to the system of measurement that you select. Please note that converting back and forth between the two systems of measurement may result in small changes to your data that are caused by rounding during the conversion process. For this reason, we recommend that you select the system that you prefer and then leave this setting unchanged.
Display Preferences
The general preferences screen allows you to set several options that determine how data is displayed on the main screen:
- For Meals Show: This specifies which nutrient is displayed on the main record listing screen for meal entries.
- Display newest records first: This allows you to select the order in which records are displayed on the main screen.
Insulin Calculation Settings
Diabetes Pilot can calculate an estimated insulin dose when you are entering a glucose reading or a meal. These calculations are based solely on parameters that you enter. To use the insulin calculation features, these parameters must be configured for your personal needs, and the feature must be turned on.
The insulin calculation feature is provided as an educational tool that some people may find useful. It is not appropriate for everyone or for all circumstances. THE INSULIN CACLULATION FUNCTION IS A SIMPLE CALCULATION, MUCH LIKE YOU MIGHT PERFORM YOURSELF USING A POCKET CALCULATOR - IT IS NOT INTENDED AS MEDICAL ADVICE AND SHOULD NOT BE USED AS SUCH. If you do not understand this feature, please do not use it. If you do not understand what values to use on the configuration screen, please consult your doctor. In any case, by using Diabetes Pilot, you agree to assume full responsibility for your health care and you agree that Diabetes Pilot and its authors are not liable for any direct or indirect consequences of any results (correct or incorrect) returned by the program.
ALWAYS VERIFY THE CALCULATIONS WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH PRACTITIONER.
Please note that the insulin calculations presented by the program when you are making glucose and meal entries consider only the current entry. The calculations do not consider any other factors, such as exercise, previous doses, previous food, or other circumstances that could significantly affect the amount of insulin that is required. You must use your own judgement to account for these various factors.
To configure the insulin calculation feature, select "Insulin Calculation..." from the "Tools" menu on the main screen. The configuration screen will be displayed:
- Calculate Insulin at Meals: If this box is checked, an insulin calculation will be displayed on the meal detail record screen when you are making a meal entry. Insulin is calculated by dividing the carbohydrate content of the meal by the value entered. So, for example, if you take 1 unit of insulin for every 15 grams of carbohydrate in a meal, you would enter "15" in the space provided.
- Subtract fiber from carbs: If this box is checked, the fiber content of the meal will be subtracted from the overall carbohydrate total when performing the calculation described above.
- Add 1U per ... Protein: If this box is checked, an additional quantity of insulin will be calculated according to the protein content of the meal. Insulin is calculated by dividing the protein content of the meal by the value entered. So, for example, if you take an additional 1 unit of insulin for every 7 grams of protein in a meal, you would enter "7" in the space provided. Note that this is in addition to the carbohydrate calculation described above and is only available when the carbohydrate calculation is used.
- Calculate Insulin Required to Lower Glucose: If this box is checked, an insulin calculation will be displayed on the glucose record detail screen when you are making a glucose entry. The insulin estimate is calculated by taking the difference between your target and the glucose entry you are currently making and dividing it by the factor that you have entered. (If the glucose reading you are entering is below your target, no correction is shown).
Editing Categories
Diabetes Pilot allows you to categorize your records however you would like. Many people like to use these categories to group their records by time of day. However, you can change the category names to anything that you'd like.
To edit the category list:
- From the "Tools" menu, select "Edit Categories..."
- Use the New, Delete, and Rename buttons to modify the list.
Because you can use any category name you want, Diabetes Pilot does not automatically know how to order the categories in reports. You need to tell Diabetes Pilot the order that you'd like the categories to appear.
To change the order of the categories in reports:
- From the "Tools" menu, select "Edit Categories..."
- Select a category by clicking on it in the list.
- Use the "Move Up" and "Move Down" buttons to change the order of the category.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the categories are listed in the order that you want them to appear