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Poll: Which diabetes course(s) have you attended?

Which of the following structured diabetes education courses have you attended?

  • DAFNE

    Votes: 122 18.8%

  • DESMOND

    Votes: 122 18.8%

  • X-PERT

    Votes: 70 10.8%

  • ASPIRE

    Votes: 3 0.5%

  • Freedom4Life

    Votes: 2 0.3%

  • Other (Please state in a post)

    Votes: 67 10.3%

  • Never attended one

    Votes: 291 44.8%
  • Total voters
    650
Astronomer said:
To give it the full name, I use the Medivo OnTrack Diabetes app, and I use it to track BG, BP, weight, estimated HbA1c, pulse, medicines and exercise. I have an android phone, though I think it should be available for iPhones. Try looking in health & fitness category if you have one in the app store.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll have a look
 
I was offered a diabetic course, but opted out. I did my own research and came up with tools that work for me.

I was also offered time with a dietician, but she didn't agree with my low carb - high fat choices and started a minor tirade with me about how I am going to put my health at risk. I chose not to see her again, but when my first significant hba1cs came back at 5.5 down from 7.9 I made it a point to show them to her. I know, it was boasting and prideful, but I am proud!
 
I've not been offered one. Asked before but ignored.
 
Just been on my 1/6 sessions of X-Pert for an audience of newly diagnosed, mainly non-insulin T2s. Well intended, but the staff besides being very nice and polite, didn't seem to be an expert...
Key concepts so far:
-major cause of T2 is genetic / !
-no need to test if not on BG lowering meds / ?
-when I mentioned I am on Dapagliflozine / Forxiga, the staff had no idea what it was, even though the workbook she gave out mentioned it / ?
-balanced, healthy diet emphasised, with carbs in each meal / ?
-when she asked if we know what HbA1c is, I replied Glycated Haemoglobin, to which she looked confused, and explained it as the glucose attached to blood red cells /!?

So, I'll keep attending, hoping next week when another lecturer will join, will be more "scientific" ;-)
 
Pretty much got bullied onto DAFNE when I did not want to go. My HBA1C was perfect and I already knew how to carb count as I was lucky enough to be taught that upon diagnosis in 1997 but they would not leave me alone over it. I knew most of it and spent the time feeling guilty that someone who really needed it wasn't in my place and bemoaning the prices of the bus to get there. I fell out with them when they insisted a baked potato was 70g of carbs at 200g unlike the 35g it is if boiled. Every time I did their 70g ratio I went hypo so they accused me of overeating! Now I take tell my pump 35g for my baked tattie and we get along just fine that way. I am now a master ninja at avoiding the nurse and dietitian that ran the course when at clinic. I don't really like dietitians after upon diagnosis I was told I couldn't eat strawberry yogurts. My mum, a D of 22 years at that point said that was nonsense, fed my my evening yogurt as normal and my bloods were happy as could be.

I did the standard 2 day thing for my pump when I got that but other than that no. I would turn up at clinic to be told 'we've decided we're talking ****, do this now' for most of my 17 D years. I have not even heard of anything on that list other than DAFNE.

Courses are fantastic of course but my diabetes just never seems to fit the rule book. I baffle every professional that stumbles upon me but they insist on trying to get me to fit a box XD
 
STILE Course for Type 1. Even after nearly 50 years as a diabetic I found it invaluable. Learned far more than I had known previously.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
MosheBenYehuda said:
Just been on my 1/6 sessions of X-Pert for an audience of newly diagnosed, mainly non-insulin T2s. Well intended, but the staff besides being very nice and polite, didn't seem to be an expert...
Key concepts so far:
-major cause of T2 is genetic / !
-no need to test if not on BG lowering meds / ?
-when I mentioned I am on Dapagliflozine / Forxiga, the staff had no idea what it was, even though the workbook she gave out mentioned it / ?
-balanced, healthy diet emphasised, with carbs in each meal / ?
-when she asked if we know what HbA1c is, I replied Glycated Haemoglobin, to which she looked confused, and explained it as the glucose attached to blood red cells /!?

So, I'll keep attending, hoping next week when another lecturer will join, will be more "scientific" ;-)
Click to expand...
Second lecture, went much better.
New lecturer with wider knowledge, within guidelines but flexible about "what works best on individual level".
Lots of good information mingled with outdated guidlines, being told nevertheless, that diabetes management has changed very much over last 5 years, and still changes.
An interesting duplicity noticed, ie while the instructor advised the NICE/NHS endorsed number of carbohydrate portions, we were warned about the dangers of carbohydrate over-consumption. For some reason, fats while mentioned, did not receive the expected emphasis, as once...
Alternative diets as the Atkins diet, were mentioned as a way of weight loss, with a mention about limiting them to no more than 6 weeks.
As I privately mentioned during break my results with LCHF, she seemed curious and appreciated my efforts to loose weight and control my BG, emphasizing and acknowledging that controls are very individual as they should indeed be.
So overall, positive evaluation so far.
I'll come back next week with session 3 insights.
 
Attended a DESMOND day and found it very useful although it was some time ago and would like an update. I'm senior T2 so came into this late in life. It's a drudge I could do without at my age!
 
Soo49 said:
Attended a DESMOND day and found it very useful although it was some time ago and would like an update. I'm senior T2 so came into this late in life. It's a drudge I could do without at my age!
Click to expand...
Tell me about it ;-)
Same here, but 52, so welcome to this sweet club. Just returned from 3rd session of X-pert.
If would have gone by the "eat well plate" without testing and drastically cutting back on carbs, my Hba1c wouldn't have gone from 57 to 36 in two months...
Take care @Soo49 :-)
 
I attended my DESMOND education day on Friday 31st July 2015 - I did learn a little but most of it I had already got from the forum here so not news to me. They mentioned carbs converting to sugar but still recommended eating carbs and simply a healthy diet. No discussion on testing and whether it is worthwhile - only said to discuss with your own doctor.
Thanks to this forum I purchased my own kit and I am now working through testing on different food types and have found I have a slight rise in BG when I eat porridge oats and potatoes but a large spike when I eat any form of wheat based products mainly all bread and pastry items.
Very gradually I am beginning to look alternatives so I can have a sandwich now and then by making a paleo loaf - have yet to find the ingredients as it requires almond flour, but will certainly have a go when I can find it.
Does anyone know where you can buy such a loaf already made?????
I am beginning to come to this forum more and more and I read lots of the responses, so for all of you who do pass on your knowledge it is appreciated, because the info out there is so conflicting.
 
I don't know what is meant by DAFNE or DESMOND, but I did do a "Living with diabetes" day, which was excellent.
 
I was offered Desmond course,3 week's after being diagnosed,and carbs and cals,4 week's after that. I found Desmond basic but informative.as was the carbs and cals course. The DN's running both courses were very good. Any questions they helped. Did find that some of the people on the course,mainly those with long term diabetes were very anti......which made it hard for us newly diagnosed. Especially type 2 insulin . Even had a bus driver who admitted he hadn't told his work and doesn't 2 hourly test.....how scary is that. (D 's kept him back at end of course to advise). Yes, the course is very carb aware,and yes from forum and long standing members, now know to lose weight the carbs lessen/go.....but as you all know,NHS doesn't support this. Ultimately it comes down to us. So course helps with basics but long term advice forum members offer more.....
 
DAFNE is the only 'course' that I'm aware of and attended 12 months ago. Was recommended by my specialist about 8 years ago but could not attend a full week at that time. It's an excellent program.
 
Administrator said:
This month we're taking a look at structured diabetes education courses in the UK and how well they work.

Have you taken one since you were diagnosed? If so, how helpful did you find it, if at all?

If you haven't taken any courses - is that because you've never been offered a place, or because you just felt like you didn't need it?

Would you recommend the course(s) to any of your friends if they were to get diagnosed with diabetes?
Click to expand...


Oh I didn't know yet that there are diabetes courses so , I haven't attended any yet
 
None. The course of life, almost 27 years of trial & error and then refinement, then another trial another day. I should go on a course really, we can always learn something new.
 
Administrator said:
This month we're taking a look at structured diabetes education courses in the UK and how well they work.

Have you taken one since you were diagnosed? If so, how helpful did you find it, if at all?

If you haven't taken any courses - is that because you've never been offered a place, or because you just felt like you didn't need it?

Would you recommend the course(s) to any of your friends if they were to get diagnosed with diabetes?
Click to expand...
 
To be honest when my GP told me I had this issue Diabetes, I just thought no not another issues I already have a spinal injury and all that goes with this and now this. The GP who does try to help me gave me a sheet of paper with a few words of advice written on which said lose weight, end your sugar intake, and diet with food with no sugar .

I was then told my local clinic would be contacting me to tell me when they would be asking me to attend, so far all I've had was full up long waiting list no idea when you can come.

I get most of my advice from the On-line forums and the NHS, I'd stay away from the American ones as they seem to think they can cure this illness by simply either following a diet or in fact taking a magic drug that cost a fortune, you can of course control it but not cure it or at least not yet. Science is looking at ways of making the issues easy to control or perhaps cure in the future but not yet.

But cuts back in funding are seriously making this illness become more serious to people who may not have computers.
 
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