Diabetes educational sessions

Laney77

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi all, was put forward by GP to attend a educational course for type 2 diabetes. The venues are not close to where i live and would mean either getting a taxi or public transport (2 buses ) to an area that i do not know and could be expensive travelling by taxi. Had to decline the offer due to transport problems, has anyone managed to obtain on-line tutorials?, i am interested but due to lack of own transport i feel that i am unable to attend these educational sessions.
 

Fruitella

Well-Known Member
Messages
304
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all, was put forward by GP to attend a educational course for type 2 diabetes. The venues are not close to where i live and would mean either getting a taxi or public transport (2 buses ) to an area that i do not know and could be expensive travelling by taxi. Had to decline the offer due to transport problems, has anyone managed to obtain on-line tutorials?, i am interested but due to lack of own transport i feel that i am unable to attend these educational sessions.
Hi, someone will be along soon I expect with details of an online one but depending on circumstances you can claim back travel costs. Have a look at this to see if you could claim: https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Pages/Travelcosts.aspx
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,886
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi and welcome to the Forum, you could probably get better advice here! I’ll tag in @daisy1 for introductory info.
 

Boo1979

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,849
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I read somewhere that the nhs Desmond course can be accessed online. Havnt done it myself
 
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woodenone46

Well-Known Member
Messages
75
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
as said earlier you will probably get better advice on here & there ae people on here far better than myself to help wiyj any queries you may have.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Laney77

Hello Laney and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

Sue192

Well-Known Member
Messages
594
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
A member recently posted links to online courses run by a Denmark (?) university (in English). I'm sorry my info is so vague but a search online might throw up the courses. I think you had to enrol but one of the courses was free. Hopefully the person who posted the link will be along! Have you had a search of the threads @Laney77?
 

Sue192

Well-Known Member
Messages
594
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,867
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I got a three part course at a local library run by two people from the local hospital.
A chocolate tea pot might have been more useful, as long as it was over 80 percent cocoa.
Misinformation and bewilderment at my dropping to Hba1c of 47 from 91 - advised to continue using urine testing despite never getting a single reaction, advice to stick to Eatwell plate, even to someone who was very ill with hyperglycemic symptoms and very bad feet. Not really worth the bother of my getting there, a five minute drive away with convenient parking.