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DAFNE course

noblehead said:
DAFNE is designed for people on a basal/bolus regime.
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Hi noblehead - can I tweak that answer? It is usually delivered to people on basal/bolus, but it was actually designed for people on 2 injections a day, and there's no real reason why the principles can't still apply to those people.
If anyone is getting turned away because they aren't on basal/bolus, they could try fighting on those grounds and I'm more than happy to dig out some useful academic papers if they're needed.

Snodger (now entering scary final year of PhD on DAFNE...hence my silence of late)...
 


Of course you can Snodger be my guest, let's know how you get on in your final year
 
would be interesting because I don't see how!
The DAFNE myth presentation reminds people that it can be used with twice daily Isophane and regular at meal times; http://www.dafne.uk.com/uploads/224/doc ... ptions.pdf
 
Phoenix - I know, I have always used basal/bolus and I find it hard to imagine how you'd make it work on the other regime, but I suppose lots of the principles still stand. Carb counting's still going to be really useful, understanding the length of action of insulin and how it works is going to be really useful, learning not to over-treat hypos, learning all the stuff about annual review, etc. You'd have to allow for the fact that you are still going to have relatively inflexible amounts of carbs once you've taken your injection and you can't tailor your jab to your carbs, but still good to know how it all works in your body, even if it's less flexible.

Anyway the big studies that gave rise to DAFNE were done with the majority of the participants on 2 jabs a day - this is one of the references, but they don't go into detail about HOW they did it, they just say that they did it:
MÜHLHAUSER, I., JÖRGENS, V., BERGER, M., GRANINGER, W., GÜRTLER, W., HORNKE, L., KUNZ, A., SCHERNTHANER, G., SCHOLZ, V. & VOSS, H. 1983. Bicentric evaluation of a teaching and treatment programme for type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients: improvement of metabolic control and other measures of diabetes care for up to 22 months. Diabetologia, 25, 470-476.

in my research I spoke to some of the people who brought it to the UK and they confirmed that they originally based DAFNE almost totally on this model, just adapted it for UK foods (interestingly, the only thing they added was the healthy eating section. The Germans didn't have that).
 
I've been a diabetic since 1977.On my last check up (last week) I was told that I've got to attend the DAFNE course. What is this course ? I've been use to the portion diet since 1977 and have 200 grams of carbohydrate a day. Will i find the new way of measuring my food intake hard to understand or is it easy?
 
Hi glenmorey, I can only speak from experience of DAFNE, I personally have found it extremely helpful. It is probably a little different from your current regime, however, it is quite easy to adapt to, and can potentially really help your diabetes control. You may find for the first few days your BG rising a little ( I did, as did several people who took the course with me) but it will settle down within a few days. It was also great to be with other people with T1 and we did have some great discussions,and shared experiences through the week. Good luck and enjoy your course.
 


Take a read of the following which explains what DAFNE is all about:

http://www.dafne.uk.com/
 
11 years diabetic and and after several attempts still not been on a Dafne course. Only got introduced to carb counting last year (which is marvellous) first time something made being a diabetic 'easy'. Been fobbed off alot, and now they say they don't run the course? They were 'attempting' something different, never heard nothing more about it since.
 
I have now integrated diabetes in to my life for 52.5 years and I have recently started a Stile course. In the area I live this is what they call a course similar to DAFNE, only ours our 1 day a week x 4 weeks. Having attended day 1 - I have already learnt new things, and met some very intersting people. As it is rare to meet with other people integrating Type 1 diabetes into their lives, we are all learning from each other.

We have spent a week now taking the quantity of insulin the people running the course (dietician and nurse) calculated each individual needed for each 10gCHO we eat. This was calculated for me at 1.5iu/10gCHO. We are - if willing - going to present our results and discuss how and why some blood tests may be outside normal ranges. In the past I strictly ate a set amount of carbs per meal and had a set amount of insulin. Carb counting and sliding scale insulin is totally new for me and a bit scary, as I keep thinking I survived 52 years using my strict method. I must admit I enjoy planning my meals more, now I feel I can eat less or more depending on how hungry I am. No longer 130gCHO a day, but 120gCHO Friday and 150gCHO Saturday when I went out to lunch - how good it feels to have that flexibility .

So I will try everything they suggest, because despite knowing much of the pathophysiology - having taught that as a senior lecturer in nursing, I believe I have a lot to learn no matter what age I get to. I will accept what I feel is suitable for me and reject what I feel is unsuitable, again that is free will, a concept that some people who live with Type 1 diabetes appear to have knocked out of them by some professionals :cry: .

So should people go on the course - nobody can force you to. Have I as a diabetic of 52.5 years found it useful, so far yes. I will update what I have learnt on here as I go along.
 
diabetes51 said:
As it is rare to meet with other people integrating Type 1 diabetes into their lives, we are all learning from each other.
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That's the beauty of such courses db51 :thumbup:
 
Hi Noblehead, I did know we would learn from each other, I was just explaining that to those who are considering whether or not to do the course.

I have found small self help groups the best way forward since being diagnosed in Feb 1960, I prefer these to meetings through organisations - who have their own agenda to fulfil rather than meeting individual needs. Only way they can run large group meetings really is by agenda and the same people always seem to lead that.

Met up with great people when I lived in the North West, but since moving to the Midlands this is the first group I have attended. Hoping a small self help group will develop.
 

Thank you noblehead for the link, I haven't come across this course before, so will look into it.
 
I have done DAFNE carb counting. And sick day rules portion control I found it hard to understand at first I suffer also from a sleep disorder and when I did this course I fell asleep but stayed awake for carb counting and sick day rules have used them a few times it also saves you from going into hospital with DKA it helps you turn off the high keytones and also useful how and correct use of hypo treatments not a 300ml of lucozade but 125mls of the stuff and also jelly babies 4 and a head. Too much hypo treatment you end up with a rebound hyper so most times your chasing your tail 10grm of carbs weighted on scales counts as 1 unit of insulin an so on 20 grms is 2 and so on your given a ratio scale to work on but you will learn more on a DAFNE COURSE enjoy it
 
I been diabetic 15yrs.had hi on blood machine everytime i checked.i know have readings of 9 to 12.was on coarse july 2012.think its fantastic.recommend to all high reading diabetics.use to inject 5+.now 4.
 
I went on this course last year - had diabetes 20 years in August and I loved the course - the only downside is I wish I had been told about it 20 years ago - I think it should be compulsory for everyone to do it and be educated about diabetes - i learnt things I had never heard of from my health care providers.

I would definately recommend you go on it.
 


Certainly true Natalie and most would say the same thing that they wished they'd been on the course earlier. I personally think anyone newly diagnosed with type 1 should be offered a place within 12 months.
 

Great advice about the iPhone App - it's great. I have downloaded a couple of others and they were not as good. Being able to see a picture of what's on the place is a big advantage. Thanks.

Nigel
 
I use carbs and cals too, and also diabetes plus, which is like an electronic version of the DAFNE diary, I find it fab as it gives you your averages and also a projected Hb1 result, you can also email or print off all of your results, really useful for appointments.
 
I did the DAFNE course 5 years ago and it was so helpful, being 18 at the time, I was strongly rebelled against eating what I was told to eat and cutting out all kinds of food. Carb counting has made everything so much easier and know what foods affect my BG levels and by how much is extremely useful.
 
Hi guys,

I just done the Dafne course in August. I was wondering why my BG still rises after only eating meat? Please help

Thanks
Candice
 
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