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

Did the X-pert course in July/August!

zand said:

I am type 2. I have never been offered a place. The only advice I have really been given by my GP and DN is to cut down on sweet things and to avoid Heinz tomato Soup and pears.

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Random.

I went on the DAFNE course before going on the pump, about 6 years ago. As it was more than 20 years since diagnosis there were a lot of changes I had missed, like it wasn't my fault I got diabetes which was what I was told when diagnosed. I would heartily recommend.

I am T2 .. When first told of this a random person working at my health centre read out loud from the Diabites magazine .. She held her finger under each word like she was reading a Janet and John book. I was told not to ask questions and at the end of this very boring waste of time she handed me the magazine to take home and read myself.. I dropped it in the bin as I left her room and thanked her for wasting an hour of my life. She did say I would be sent to a dietician.. But I would have to stop being vegetarian first ! Needless to say I have not been to see the dietician!

Enclave said:

I am T2 .. When first told of this a random person working at my health centre read out loud from the Diabites magazine .. She held her finger under each word like she was reading a Janet and John book. I was told not to ask questions and at the end of this very boring waste of time she handed me the magazine to take home and read myself.. I dropped it in the bin as I left her room and thanked her for wasting an hour of my life. She did say I would be sent to a dietician.. But I would have to stop being vegetarian first ! Needless to say I have not been to see the dietician!

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That is outrageous!! (But the Janet and John reference made me laugh out loud )

I am t2 and have never been offered a course

Sounds like they're a waste of time from all the comments

I have never attended one in 37 years. I started to use an insulin pump pre DAFNE so slipped through that net and although I have asked a few times I was told I seemed to be doing fine and DAFNE wasn't available in my area.

Avocado Sevenfold said:

That is outrageous!! (But the Janet and John reference made me laugh out loud )

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You had to be there, was TOLD my wife had to attend .. She did .. But was put in a corner too far away to hear anything that was being read out to me ! When she asked if she could sit closer to me .. She was told NO .. Did try to report this to the admin at the medic centre .. But was told I had no witnesses ! It was my wife and My word against their trusted staff !

cold ethyl said:

I went on the DESMOND about 9 weeks post diagnosis. Can't say it was helpful as full of outdated dietary advice and a bit simplistic, though i guess it is hard to pitch it at a suitable level as a wide range of ages and abilities, both physically and mentally, attended mine.

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I went on a DESMOND course about a year after being diagnosed T2, by which time I had found this forum and was well into low-carbing. Apart from the time factor my views echo cold ethyl's.
I was invited to sign up for a general "Self-Management for Life" course but declined because it wasn't the X-pert course devoted to diabetes. I wrote to my surgery explaining why and offering to get involved in any local diabetes group activities, but didn't get a response.
Having taken part in a project run by the local clinical research facility which seems to be trying to document everything about everybody on a single IT system that actually works, I'm now being asked to participate in surveys on eating habits ("do you find it hard to resist eating tempting high calorie foods?") and diabetes and dementia (should be right up my street).

I also attended a living with diabetes day

I attended the DAFNE course about 14 months after being diagnosed so I was out of the 'honeymoon' period, tbh I don't know where I would be if I hadn't attended and I would highly recommend it.

Never had any course in 30 years of T1. Got a pump as well. Was taught by a nurse to count exchanges and just modified myself to counting carbs without thinking of exchanges.

Never refused a course, but never offered one either!

I has been given a date for a Desmond course last October, which was inconvenient I had just started a new job and was on my probation period, so I asked if there was another one I could go on at a later date. She was very helpful until I mentioned I'd started a low carb diet, at which point she said "oh you're obviously doing your own thing, I'll leave you to get on with it, and I'll probably contact you in the new year" she hadn't been in contact yet, and by her tone I don't think she will.

At the time of diagnosis, West Middlesex Hospital was running a regular weekly course - one half day session with:
Dietitian - standard NHS-DUK diet which I recognised as basically low GI;
Nurse - advice on recognising diabetic problems;
Pharmacist - get to know your local pharmacist & build up a relationship as they are a good source of on-going advice to supplement the doctor;
Podiatrist - foot care advice.

Very useful basic stuff. My blood sugars improved & my initial worries (I've got the disease that will cause my death, whatever can I eat?) faded & for several years I felt I had my condition under control. BUT, they also told me diabetes was progressive, & my condition would worsen. As it did.

After 8 years my active life was over, & I came to this forum still thinking I had followed the best advice, & that my neuropathy was due to the disease progressing. Fergus put me right - a point he made that I still remember was:

After a year or two on low carb, I reported my improved health to the organiser of the local Cardio/Diabetes support group, & he suggested I contact the dietitian who runs the X-PERT course. The same one who gave advice at the hospital. She welcomed me as one who had got the disease under control, & reduced her carb amount to 130-150 g daily. 18 months later I was invited onto a refresher X-PERT course.

I've also attended the Diabetes UK "Living with Diabetes Day" last September, which I found very useful. I think Hounslow was the first, possible because we have a support group attended by around 50 people each month.

I won't bore you all.

Waiting to go on the Desmond course. From what I hear it could be a while before I hear from them.

Attended an ICE (Insulin Carbohydrate Education) course at St Helens hospital. prior to getting my pump. Great course, learned a lot from it.

I was offered a DESMOND course when diagnosed. It happened about 2 months later. Three overweight nurses insisted that Type 2 diabetes was our own fault because we were obese and drank too much; there was no other explanation possible. I and one other attendee clearly did not fit that description. It took 4 more years before I was finally diagnosed as having Hereditary Haemochromatosis. Even then, the diabetes nurse said, in disgust at my Ferritin test results "How much do you drink?". My answer was "none". Years wasted, and probably years off my life. The medications I have been prescribed made me really ill, quite unsuitable. Some aspects of the NHS are excellent, for example the nurses who do my venesections, and our local surgery is good, but mostly it is run by people who just have to shift commodities, i.e. patients, through the doors.

I self-referred and I'm nearly half way through the X-Pert course (well, have attended 2 out of the 6 sessions). So far I haven't learned anything I had not learned on this forum already, but I can see that the course is useful for some people. We have several in our group who, after having been diagnosed YEARS ago, claim they still haven't been told what they should eat (the mind boggles why they haven't asked questions, bought a book or joined this forum).

We get some basic education about what diabetes is, and over the next few weeks will cover topics such as carbs, food labels, complications, etc. Got a good (although VERY basic handbook as well).

On the downside.... During both sessions I attended we were offered biscuits during coffee break. To my comments that I considered this inappropriate I was told that we can eat anything, just in moderation. The Eat Well plate was held up as the gold star of what we ought to consume.

I confess, I do ask a lot of questions and queries, which kind of throws the DN somewhat. Her presentation is like repeating a well memorized lecture which offers little interaction until she starts to breathe again (by which time, I am bound to say: 'Yes, but....')

Would I recommend going? Yes, probably, although I will only take information from the X-Pert course that does not contradict something I have learned on this forum and tried and tested and found it worked.