The best kept DAFNE secrets?

[bennyg70]

I've never been offered the oportunity to do the Dafne course.

I was put on the basal bolus regime about 8 year ago, and told to match carbs to insulin. And that was that.

Over the years Ive leant to count carbs using scales, reading packets and from experience. Im not saying Im always great at it, but I feel my understanding is as good as it could be.

I test before I eat, and 2 hours afterwards. So I always know where I am. I have a good idea of where my bloods are heading at most times. For example, I pretty much can guarentee that i will be 2mmol lower before my next meal than I was at my 2 hour test for the meal before.

I have read lots of blogs, comments and reviews of DAFNE, and All of them start out with similar to what I am saying here... "I thought I knew it all but then I went to DAFNE". But No body ever says what these things are that helps them take the guesswork out of it.

So Dafne graduates... Tell me something I dont know? (This isnt meant to sound as cocky as it does btw!!! Just sounded cool )

Cyber Trophy for the person who offers me the most revolutionary peice of DAFNE based advice!

 

[jopar]

Tis hard to explain

Just before you attend the course, they take you HbA1c, weight etc, as your bench mark of control, this and all your future results get sent to dafne HQ as part of the constant monitoring program... My consultant did prewarn me, even he doubted I would learn anything new..

Not sure whether I would say I learnt something new as such, but certainly came with a better understanding of what I was doing, also a wealth of information based on other peoples experience, all resources/knowledge that could be used or adapted if necessary at a later stage...

If the opportunity arise to attend dafne again, I certainly wouldn't turn it down that's for sure

 

[noblehead]

So Dafne graduates... Tell me something I dont know? (This isnt meant to sound as cocky as it does btw!!! Just sounded cool )

It's a difficult one to answer Benny TBH without knowing what you already know.

DAFNE teaches many things, for example carb counting and dose adjustments, correction doses, basal testing and adjustments, effects of exercise, stress and illness on diabetes control and how to adjust insulin accordingly, the long-term effects of diabetes on the body plus many many more....

The greatest thing for me taking part on the DAFNE course was meeting other type 1's and sitting in the same room sharing experiences and discussing our day to day control, it was great to see people on the Monday struggling with hypo's and postprandial high's and by the end of the week both have vastly improved, the Q & A session with the consultant, DSN and Dietitian is a great opportunity to ask any niggly questions you may have about diabetes.

Overall I'd encourage anyone to go the course and give it a go, often we mistakenly think we know all the answers but sadly we do not, diabetes is a learning curve and we never stop learning no matter how long we have lived with the condition.