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

Pollylocks said:

Been diabetic Type 2 since 1999, never been offered any sort of course, maybe they didn't have any when I was diagnosed or maybe they're for people who are newly diagnosed....?

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When I went on the DESMOND course, there were people who had been diagnosed diabetic for years. You should ask your GP for a referral if you want to go on a course.

Never been offered a course but I'm T2 with so far fairly stable results in the low 6's so guess maybe if I was really struggling,and I know there's further to go, I'd hope to be offered some help. I'll let you know if something unexpected comes of this round.

I went to DESMOND one month after T2 diagnosis. I had so many questions in my head and I found the course very helpful in a allaying my fears. My wife attended with me and she helps me with the dietary side. The course leader recommended this web site (I usually avoid medical stuff on the net as there is so much conflicting and often scary info).
It appears to me that people who had been diagnosed for some considerable time or had been on various web sites of forums do not hold these courses with much regard. Perhaps if like me, they had been given this course just after diagnosis and before looking on the net they might have had a different opinion. How the course is delivered depends largely on the people delivering it and the willingness of the attendees to participate. I may have been lucky as the instructors were really good and the whole group interacted well.
Someone in an earlier post said that the session on diet involved too many carbs. The way it was put to me was a demonstration of a normal balanced diet with 25% carbs, however it was stressed that you should keep carbs low and select slow release carbs where possible. Using the info I got from the course and new info I get from here has given me a good start at keeping the devil at bay.

I'm sat in the clinic waiting room about to start my Desmond course. Hopefully it will be useful (especially since I had to take a days leave)!

Hi
Apart from a briefing and some notes by the Diabetes Nurse I've not had anything else offered (but learning from here and other sources).
I'm T2 diagnosed this year and testing with kit I bought myself. I've had 2 HBA1c tests both around 44 / 6.2. My original alarm was sounded during a Company medical when Their test was 7.4. So no really dreadful results but obviously caution needed.

What training should I have been given as a matter of interest?

Be good to know what should be provided, my DN is not great on motivational skills and generally focuses on what I'm doing wrong. So far lost 2.5 stone and got my BG down from mid 7s to low and under 6. So what I've read here has been a good help.

As soon as I was diagnosed with type 2, I was put down for the Desmond course,it lasted all day (6) hrs,and was ok,however although I was given a pamphlet that was written by Diabetes UK, the trainer didn't really explain about carbs or a low carb diet,although she did focus on the healthy "plate" I have learnt so much more by coming onto this website, I have now lost 1.8lb through using the LCHF diet, I am so happy about it

I went on the Desmond course a week ago. It was nice to meet other people who were newly diagnosed. I was by far the highest hba1c (93) at diagnosis. (I'm such an over-achiever!). The dietician was shocked at how little carbs I eat and that I still have such high BS numbers. Afterwards she came up to me and said that she would recommend that I ask my DN for a c-peptide test. This is the second person to say this to me. My DN said ok, even though she's never done that before so I'm off to the hospital tomorrow. Overall it was fine but a lot of the info was out of date and even the course leaders acknowledged that it was pretty basic. I'm doing the Xpert 6 week course in January as I live in the town where they're based and it's convenient.

I'd be very interested in hearing from when ur course in January is finished I find the same problem that only my gp & dn seem to have all the right modern info & I found that if really want to no something these two are the most reliable & I get a great deal of confidence when I speak to them best wishes in January

babsy2 said:

I'd be very interested in hearing from when ur course in January is finished I find the same problem that only my gp & dn seem to have all the right modern info & I found that if really want to no something these two are the most reliable & I get a great deal of confidence when I speak to them best wishes in January

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Thanks. It's a 6 week course on Monday afternoons starting the 18th of January. I'm going to miss two weeks as I'm in London for work and then on holiday. I'll let you know how I get on. My DN has been very supportive and open to suggestions and ideas. My GP seems quite on the ball. She didn't put me on statins and quoted the new research on saturated fat so fingers crossed. It's reassuring!

Great have a great Xmas & happy new year hear from you in January

I've not been on any course.
I'm not sure I'd qualify anymore - diagnosed in Dec'11

I went on the juggle course here in Nottingham, was very good

MellitusTrap said:

I've not been on any course.
I'm not sure I'd qualify anymore - diagnosed in Dec'11

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I don't think you'd have a problem attending if you asked for help to improve your control. I was diagnosed in 1971 and recently attended a DAFNE course; it's strong on carb counting, I found some theory useful. Nutritional advice is the standard low-fat...

I am taking the DESMOND course on Feb 15 2015 ... but judging by people's replies it may be a waste of time.
What a shame really, no guidance by my GP, or anybody in the medical profession.

I had to find things out on my own.
Diagnosed T2 in Sept 2015 with 8.4 mmol/L, put on metformin and some blood pressure pills.
In late November I had drop down to 6.1 mmol/L and now (20/01/16) I am at 5.8mmol/L.

Lost 1.18 stone (7.5 kg) and I went from 85kg to 77.5kg.
I wasn't obese or anything like that, but those extra 'love handles' that I lost made a huge difference.

I am on a very low carb diet, and I intend to keep it that way.
I stopped taking any pills about a week now and I am monitoring myself. If I manage to keep my blood sugar level at 5.8 and below, then i will tell my GP to take me off the medication.... so far so good .. rock solid 5.8 mmol/L every morning.

As an academic I am curious to see and hear what kind of course DESMOND will present.

I attended the DESMOND course a few months after diagnosis 6 years ago. I found it very limited in terms of both information and teaching technique and fed back my reservations (in detail) to the team who developed it in Leicester. As far as I am aware, it has not improved - a recently diagnosed friend of mine attended last month and had the same complaints that I did. This website is FAR more useful!

Annieok said:

I went on the Desmond course a week ago. It was nice to meet other people who were newly diagnosed. I was by far the highest hba1c (93) at diagnosis. (I'm such an over-achiever!). The dietician was shocked at how little carbs I eat and that I still have such high BS numbers. Afterwards she came up to me and said that she would recommend that I ask my DN for a c-peptide test. This is the second person to say this to me. My DN said ok, even though she's never done that before so I'm off to the hospital tomorrow. Overall it was fine but a lot of the info was out of date and even the course leaders acknowledged that it was pretty basic. I'm doing the Xpert 6 week course in January as I live in the town where they're based and it's convenient.

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Hi, I have been referred to a DESMOND course, haven't had a date through yet but as I work full-time it will be a pain as they don't run it at weekends in my area. Do you think it's worth taking a day's leave for? I'm a bit worried by the number of people saying that the information is very basic and out-of-date.

There were no courses in our area when I was dx'ed. I was a User Representative when they were discussing DAPHNE and DESMOND, and attended several seminars and meetings. I did go on a diet advice course (1 day) that later became integrated into them, and it was 'eatwell' low fat. of course. That was the closest I got to NHS supported advice,

Since then (some 8 years after dx), I did the DCUK hypo awareness course, and have reached week 10 of the LCHF course. Virtually everything I know about diabetes and meds has come from the web. And all of this from a single pinprick in a supermarket carpark. I only wanted a doughnut !

Petros01 said:

I am taking the DESMOND course on Feb 15 2015 ... but judging by people's replies it may be a waste of time.
What a shame really, no guidance by my GP, or anybody in the medical profession.

I had to find things out on my own.
Diagnosed T2 in Sept 2015 with 8.4 mmol/L, put on metformin and some blood pressure pills.
In late November I had drop down to 6.1 mmol/L and now (20/01/16) I am at 5.8mmol/L.

Lost 1.18 stone (7.5 kg) and I went from 85kg to 77.5kg.
I wasn't obese or anything like that, but those extra 'love handles' that I lost made a huge difference.

I am on a very low carb diet, and I intend to keep it that way.
I stopped taking any pills about a week now and I am monitoring myself. If I manage to keep my blood sugar level at 5.8 and below, then i will tell my GP to take me off the medication.... so far so good .. rock solid 5.8 mmol/L every morning.

As an academic I am curious to see and hear what kind of course DESMOND will present.

Click to expand...

I went on a Desmond course and found it quite interesting, although the people who ran the course did not seem too experienced with teaching.my advice would be to write down all of your queries before hand, they will ask you for queries. I would not say that the course was a waste of time, you have to listen and get things clear in your own mind, then it starts to make sense!

Never attended a course as I have never been offered one, I did ask my consultant about attending one but he said it would be a waste of time.