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Are our diabetes courses adequate and balanced ?

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
I too have done the DAFNE course finding it useful but nothing really new in its content. Again it was taken by my DN who is the local area Senior Diabetic Specialist Nurse responsible for all training of both patients and nurses and also deals with the financial side with the local area Wyre Forest committee.
I was first seen by her when I attended a hospital check up for my diabetes and asked to remain with her stepping away from my Dr's practice.
One thing though on my course were some T2 people who definitely thought they were treated as second class when compared to T1's.
 
helli said:
I find the pump much more complex than injecting and requires greater accuracy with regard to carb counting
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Hello @helli In my opinion for good Diabetic control, accuracy in all areas is best practice be it needle or pump.

Best
 
mark king said:
I find the pump much more complex than injecting and requires greater accuracy with regard to carb counting.
Hello @helli In my opinion for good Diabetic control, accuracy in all areas is best practice be it needle or pump.

Best
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With MDI the basal is an average for what is needed for 24 hours so some times of the day you have "spare" basal on board which can "mop up" under counting.
With pump, the basal matches the needs at that time of the day much closer so there is no "spare" on board.
Coupled with with the pump being able to dose much smaller amounts of bolus (my pump does 0.05units), approximating to the nearest 10g carbs doesn't work.
Hence my comment about needing more accuracy with a pump.
 
I haven’t done DAFNE and the only attraction for me would be meeting other Type 1s. I’ve done no courses about Type 1 at all. I’ve done the training for each different pump I’ve had but that’s it.
 
As a type 2, my course was excellent.
If you go in, expecting everyone to agree with your personal viewpoint you will leave unhappy.
If you go in with an open mind, you will learn a lot.
Yes, many type 2's don't want to change
The majority probably.
So the courses are targeted at improving their lifestyle.
Me, I probably was different.
I actually talked to the course supervisors.
Over a coffee when others had left.
Both those who didn't want to change, and disgruntled low carbed I imagine.
I did get good referrals to both exercise, and dieticians, and test strips on the NHS.
I did a low fat diet, coupled with an NHS referral to an NHS gym.
I did the Newcastle diet.
I reversed my type 2.
So, definitely a very good course for me.
I never low carbed, never needed to, worked with the NHS, and never looked back.
 
travellor said:
As a type 2, my course was excellent.
If you go in, expecting everyone to agree with your personal viewpoint you will leave unhappy.
If you go in with an open mind, you will learn a lot.
Yes, many type 2's don't want to change
The majority probably.
So the courses are targeted at improving their lifestyle.
Me, I probably was different.
I actually talked to the course supervisors.
Over a coffee when others had left.
Both those who didn't want to change, and disgruntled low carbed I imagine.
I did get good referrals to both exercise, and dieticians, and test strips on the NHS.
I did a low fat diet, coupled with an NHS referral to an NHS gym.
I did the Newcastle diet.
I reversed my type 2.
So, definitely a very good course for me.
I never low carbed, never needed to, worked with the NHS, and never looked
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Agree 100% and i did go in with an open mind and didn't expect everyone to agree with my viewpoint. What i did expect is a balanced course that would cover those that wanted or needed to use medication but also cover those that wanted to reverse the disease.
What i got was a course designed to carry on as you were but expect a different outcome which to me is nuts.
You yourself just explained how you succeeded to turn things around without doing low carb but nothing mentioned about the Newcastle diet and i did ask her if she was aware of Professor Roy Taylors research but not interested .
 
Required to do course before moving to pump, over 5 days & enjoyed it, some already knew some not. Showed importance of carb counting skills to match insulin, more importantly getting basal dose right.

Second last day was about potential complications from condition & how good control exercise healthy balanced diet can help avoid them, nothing really to moan about & met some nice people along way.
 
I have been sent an invitation to one of these Type 2 courses (correction, they sent me 3 letters, all exactly the same!), which I received nearly two months after my diagnosis; I do accept that the NHS is struggling. I wasn't that fussed about accepting but am sure I won't be after hearing what others who have attended a course have to say. I don't take this decision lightly as I was also a bit concerned by what my practice nurse said to me at a recent visit. I quote 'Your HbA1c level wasn't a worry (apparently it was 49). You should join Slimming World, not cut down on carbs and don't bother with a Glucose Monitor.' Slimming World's diet, in my experience is high carb, low fat. She did admit that she wasn't an expert in Diabetes; but she is my only contact. I am so glad I have found this website - in 4 weeks with a change to my diet and lifestyle I have lost 4 kg and occasionally have gotten my BG down to 5.7, I have also been on 500mg of Metformin for 3 weeks which has helped. I am beginning to feel so much better and agree that a restricted carb diet should be considered by the NHS.
 
I was (belatedly) offered an NHS course for my type 2. Only a Misrosoft teams remote thing with another 6 T2's. Had one session so far and didn't learn anything new. To be fair it's only the first and covering the basics. I'll report back on the next session, hopefully it will be more use to me. The presenters from Dorset Healthcare University were "carb aware" not like others on this thread, perhaps that's a good sign.
Cheers Tony
 
Orphy54 said:
I have been sent an invitation to one of these Type 2 courses (correction, they sent me 3 letters, all exactly the same!), which I received nearly two months after my diagnosis; I do accept that the NHS is struggling. I wasn't that fussed about accepting but am sure I won't be after hearing what others who have attended a course have to say. I don't take this decision lightly as I was also a bit concerned by what my practice nurse said to me at a recent visit. I quote 'Your HbA1c level wasn't a worry (apparently it was 49). You should join Slimming World, not cut down on carbs and don't bother with a Glucose Monitor.' Slimming World's diet, in my experience is high carb, low fat. She did admit that she wasn't an expert in Diabetes; but she is my only contact. I am so glad I have found this website - in 4 weeks with a change to my diet and lifestyle I have lost 4 kg and occasionally have gotten my BG down to 5.7, I have also been on 500mg of Metformin for 3 weeks which has helped. I am beginning to feel so much better and agree that a restricted carb diet should be considered by the NHS.
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SW is as high or low carb as you want it to be.

Wife did course 2 year back after being told she was pre diabetic, meals contained loads of veg & protein, lost 5 stone reversed diagnosis.
 
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I did the MyDesmond Course which was developed by the Leicester Diabetes Centre but the training sessions seem to be focused on low fat and calories rather than carbohydrates which I feel gives people the wrong impression that they don't need to watch the carb. There are other good aspects though so if this is one you are offered as newly diagnosed don't completely dismiss it.
 
On the course I did in 2017 we were told that baked potato and beans was a good choice for lunch.
I did not say much - but I saw one of the people who did the course at the same time as myself, at the supermarket before the lockdown - he'd lost one foot and the other was all bandaged up and in a sort of rubber sledge.
I have regretted not making more of a fuss ever since.
 
OMG - that is so sad Drummer. As other members have said food choices are up to the individual but at least give them good advice to work with. My sister who has been type 1 since she was 16 and is now in her 50's says she is often advised by her dieticians to eat low carb. @nonethewiser - well done to your wife for losing so much weight. The lady that lead the class I belonged to pushed the high carb low fat regime so that is what most of us stuck to.
 
nonethewiser said:
SW is as high or low carb as you want it to be.

Wife did course 2 year back after being told she was pre diabetic, meals contained loads of veg & protein, lost 5 stone reversed diagnosis.
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That's a brilliant result.
Congratulations to her!
 
kentish maid said:
I thought I had gone back to playgroup when I went on mine. We spent at least half an hour in small groups playing with the sort of pretend foods they have in playgroups and discussing amongst ourselves which section of the 'Eatwell plate' we would put them in. The woman running the course then came round to 'see how well we had done'
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That made me LOL @kentish maid. 😛 Did you get a gold star?😉
 
Orphy54 said:
OMG - that is so sad Drummer. As other members have said food choices are up to the individual but at least give them good advice to work with. My sister who has been type 1 since she was 16 and is now in her 50's says she is often advised by her dieticians to eat low carb. @nonethewiser - well done to your wife for losing so much weight. The lady that lead the class I belonged to pushed the high carb low fat regime so that is what most of us stuck to.
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I've had half a century of arguing against low fat and 'healthy' carbs.
At diagnosis in late 2016 I was almost spherical and about 50lb just dropped off me in the following few months - I never recorded my highest weight.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Not even a ‘sticker for sitting nicely on the carpet’? 😱
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The silly thing is the course was only 5 hours. By the time we had gone round the circle of 8 introducing ourselves and why we were there, then nearly an hour spent on that activity, a coffee break and a lunch break I felt it was poor use of the time. Had it been a course spread over several days, like the DAPHNE course seems, to be then an 'ice breaker' like that may have been a good idea.
 
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Orphy54 said:
@nonethewiser - well done to your wife for losing so much weight. The lady that lead the class I belonged to pushed the high carb low fat regime so that is what most of us stuck to.
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No asked wife she said no high carb foods were pushed, she still ate them but in reduced portions, but as said before loads of salad veg protein made up meals. Obviously low fat was as its weight loss group so needed to reduce calories, still follows principles loosely & maintaining weight.
 
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