Hello folks

localshop said:

Probably should have put this in the 'introductions' thread but never mind. New to the forum but been T1 since 1988. I've just been booked on to a DAFNE course (they have said if I do that then I can get a Freestyle Libre) and was wondering what people's thoughts were on the course and the device? Cheers Nick

Click to expand...

Hi Nick and welcome to the forums.

Haven't done DAFNE as down where I live they run IMAGE (Insulin Management And General Education) but they told us at the hospital that it's similar. I had already been diabetic for 3 years by the time I attended this but it was interesting even though I don't wholeheartedly support the NHS viewpoint on everything T1 related.

I tried Libre and it was a great tool for seeing trends and what's going on during the periods when you aren't finger pricking. It's a revelation to see exactly when your glucose levels start to rise. I had to give it up due to allergy issues but I recommend giving it a go.

@localshop . Welcome to the forum.
The DAFNE course generally gets positive feedback. Personally I found it absolutely great fun and extremely informative.
As a long term T1 a lot of what they tell you may already be knowledge you have. Carb counting and dosage adjustments are the main premise. The best thing though is being in a room with up to 9 other T1’s. It’s amazing what you can learn from others and probably in your case teach others.
Definitely worth going with an open mind.

Where I am they do a CHOICE (Carbohydrate(CHO) and Insulin Calculation Education) course, I went on it some 40ish years after I was initially diagnosed , I was apprehensive about going cos I thought 'well what the heck can they tell me that I don't already know' however it was actually really useful and whilst I had the carb counting thing already sorted it was the other bits that helped - namely they helped me sort out my doses, which helped immensely when I changed my fast-acting not long after as I knew how to work it out now.

localshop said:

cheers guys. What the hell do they talk about to make it last a week?!

Click to expand...

Hmmm, I only had to do 1 afternoon each week for 4 weeks so I have no idea. They must be quite thorough round your way!

edited. to add ...and it's probably aimed at people who know nothing about the lovely condition that has been bestowed upon them.

localshop said:

cheers guys. What the hell do they talk about to make it last a week?!

Click to expand...

If memory serves me right we started around 9a.m and finished about 4 p.m. An hours dinner break , so roughly about 6 hrs a day. Last day was a shorter day and included a quiz last thing.
Each morning first thing was a chat with each participant to discuss the previous days readings. ( first day was introductions)
After all this I guess the actual “ course “ probably amounted to 20 hrs.
They cover a lot. Carb counting, different foods, exercise, sick days, dose adjustment, related health issues. It is all good fun and laid back ( my course was ).

urbanracer said:

Hmmm, I only had to do 1 afternoon each week for 4 weeks so I have no idea. They must be quite thorough round your way!

edited. to add ...and it's probably aimed at people who know nothing about the lovely condition that has been bestowed upon them.

Click to expand...

Actually the course I attended only had 2 people with less than 10 yrs of being type 1. It’s surprising how much we think we know. We actually had one guy who had an artificial leg and no one knew until day 3 and he was doing his 2nd DAFNE course.

I think @MeiChanski has just done DAFNE, she'll know about what's happening on the course

I have no clue about DAFNE, as no such thing in the Netherlands, but I have been using Libre for over 2 years now (self funded) and I really don't want to do without.
Mine always read lower than a finger prick but they still make life so much easier! For one it usually means I catch my hypo's before they're even there, enabling me to just slightly nudge up my bg instead of full out hypo frenzy. At least as important, I see a lot better what happens when, leaving only the why to figure out. Before Libre all 3 factors, what, when and why, were guesswork most of the day, so this makes understanding a whole lot easier.

urbanracer said:

Hmmm, I only had to do 1 afternoon each week for 4 weeks so I have no idea. They must be quite thorough round your way!

edited. to add ...and it's probably aimed at people who know nothing about the lovely condition that has been bestowed upon them.

Click to expand...

Mine was the same as yours @urbanracer

localshop said:

Probably should have put this in the 'introductions' thread but never mind. New to the forum but been T1 since 1988. I've just been booked on to a DAFNE course (they have said if I do that then I can get a Freestyle Libre) and was wondering what people's thoughts were on the course and the device? Cheers Nick

Click to expand...

Hi @localshop !
I've been T1D since i was 4 or 5 (2000) and i'm looking at doing a DAFNE course in the new year! I also want to be eligible for a Libre, however i've been told that to be eligible i need to be testing at least 8x per day! I did a trial run of it (for 1 month) 2 years ago and i loved it, so easy to use! Hope you get yours soon

Hi @localshop
I have been T1D for coming up 49 years, I done the DAFYDD (Welsh version of DAFNE) around 15 years ago. It is a really good course which I really enjoyed.
The Libre I was given last Feb(ish). And it is amazing. I recently purchased the Miaomiao which basically truns the Libre into a CGM. So I now have high and low alarms set on my phone/smartwatch

Hello thank you @Antje77
I did DAFNE last year November 2018, the course consisted of a week. It goes into very detailed ways in managing your diabetes from exercise to insulin profiles and diabetes complications/DKA/hypos/emergency and self care.
First day would be introducing yourself to the group and your team will talk about “what is diabetes?” Differences between type 1 and 2 and different diabetes- mody, late onset type 1, type 3 etc. As the days go on, you’ll be given ratios to work with your carbs, you’ll also do activities for exercise like a 45 min walk with your group to see how insulin affects you. You will also learn how to carb count, weighing it or visualise it with utensils like eat teaspoon of mashed potato is 10g of carbs and using carbs and cals book. You’ll do a group lunch without labels so you’ll need to use the tools you were given to carb count correctly for that meal. You also learn about the 3 main macros - carbs, fat and protein and you will go into detail about how fats affect the absorption of carbs and doing a split bolus. However with DAFNE they won’t let you do a correction until your next meal and they would urge you not to test inbetween meals unless it is needed. So I don’t know how this will respond to getting a libre. With a libre it’ll be interesting to see how your glucose levels are during DAFNE.

I did DAFNE because I was facing hypos and I have had accidents so I asked about a pump. My consultant said in order to be considered was to do DAFNE because it is essential that I must carb count effectively and correctly. A year on, I have been considered for a pump and as for the libre, my consultant prescribed it to me as well. I know a few folks in different CCGs need to be educated to learn how to use the libre correctly and understand the additional data.

localshop said:

that sounds about right, I've been doing at least 10 tests a day for years. My hypo awareness has dropped off a little which is one of the reasons they've put me forward. Did you find the disc comfortable to apply / wear?

Click to expand...

Yes i had no problem with it, didn't hurt more than a fingerprick to apply and it's waterproof once it's on you barely feel it, but it does stick out a little so you need to be careful pulling clothes on and off - the glue on one of mine pulled up ever so slightly so i started supplementing with fingerpricks - the readings were fine though they are so easy to use!

porl69 said:

Hi @localshop
I recently purchased the Miaomiao which basically truns the Libre into a CGM. So I now have high and low alarms set on my phone/smartwatch

Click to expand...

I need to make a note of this, as it's definitely something i would like to experiment with once i get the Libre

Shannon27 said:

I need to make a note of this, as it's definitely something i would like to experiment with once i get the Libre

Click to expand...

In 49 years of diabetes the Miaomiao is pretty close to the top of all the supplies I have ever used.....well apart from insulin
If you need any help at all give me a shout and am more than happy to help out. Do you use an Android phone?

porl69 said:

In 49 years of diabetes the Miaomiao is pretty close to the top of all the supplies I have ever used.....well apart from insulin
If you need any help at all give me a shout and am more than happy to help out. Do you use an Android phone?

Click to expand...

Yes i do although it's probably going to be a long road for me getting the Libre on prescription as i need to get used to testing a lot more regularly. Thank you

localshop said:

the miaomiao looks like an excellent investment, but it also looks quite big! Is it comfortable? Incidentally, my consultant did say that I *may* be eligible for a CGM, do you know anything about these? Or would that be a Libre + Miaomiao?

Click to expand...

That would probably be a Dexcom, which is fantastic news if you're eligible does the same thing as the Libre and MiaoMiao combo i think. I've heard its a bit more work than the Libre?