Re: Have you done the DAFNE/DESMOND courses or anything simi
To be honest, I haven't heard of either course, though I attended a 3-hour 'course' when I was first diagnosed as type 2 in 2007. I was diagnosed when I changed doctors after moving.
There were about a dozen people, some with a relative or friend. We were talked at by a 'trainer' who READ ALL of the handouts that they gave us. It was very confusing and difficult to follow, even on completing the 'test' at the end. We were allowed to ask questions, then told to ask more from our diabetic nurses at the surgery.
I was told by my diabetic nurse and the doctor that I didn't need to worry about anything. Just eat sensibly and attend the nurse once a year for a foot check. I was discouraged from testing my blood.
I admit to having moved around, due to work, but one would asume the same healthcare exists throughout the country. Obviously not.
Since then I have been on Metformin, having the dose increased bit by bit. I felt so ill and my doctor (at the time) continually assured me that he had experienced everything that I was telling him. I asked if I could come off my medication to see if it made a difference and he said 'yes, that's fine, we'll check on you in six months'. Needless to say, I began to feel worse and worse so I went back to the doctor and went back on Metformin. I had a bad reaction to it so I was prescribed Glypizide and had blood tests every three months. My blood sugar readings were 120mols. After a year of this and my sugar levels still being over 100, (not to mention feeling so ill that I thought I would die!) last May (2012) he referred me to the Diabetician at the hospital.
She put me straight onto Novomix 30 twice daily, with training and lots of support. All over my notes there is written 'badly managed'. I am being investigated for scaring on my liver which has appeared in the last three years and gastric problems, which I feel should have been investigated before, had my doctor actually FELT my stomach.
I still attend the hospital clinic and have changed the doctor at my surgery as well as finding a fantastic diabetic nurse who actually cares about my health and treatment. I'm still knackerd, but not exhausted. My blood sugar testing is showing varied readings, mostly still in double figures, but my two-monthly checks are down to 9.4
which is great!
Before being diagnosed I was healthy and fit. I felt well and had a fullfilling life. In just over five years I feel older than my years. Does this happen to everyone?
The 'training' is not sufficient and seems to be a 'one size fits all' deal, with no follow-up as the disease progresses.