Diabetes education course

[Mini-Vicki]

Ive been attending a diabetes education course, similar to DAFNE, but in my area it's called sometjing different. Anyway, it's been slightly useful, but yesterday they were teaching us about the GI index of foods. I did an Xpert course when I was originally disgnaosed as type 2, so it's not new to me.
But the sheet they gave us listed high GI foods in red - with the advise not to choose them, medium in amber and low GI in green with the advise that low GI foods were healthy choices...
Some examples of low GI foods were obvious, such as porridge etc, and then a few I didn't agree with at all:
All fruit including fruit juice, white tortilla wraps, jam and honey.
I didn't want to challenge the nutritionist in front of everyone, and things may have changed since I did my last education course, so I wondered what you guys thought?

 

[Rosiecarmel]

If you can use fruit juice to stop a hypo, it's hardly low GI is it?! I wouldn't call honey low GI either. Or any "white" food when there's a brown available.

Did you learn anything useful on the course?

 

[Mini-Vicki]

Not really! It's 4.5 hours in the evening, from 5pm, so it's a huge chunk of time to give up! This week, about 90 minutes of that was discussing each other's food diaries, which I didn't find useful at all.
This week just gone I thought would be most useful, as it was about exercise, which I find more of a struggle than anything else, but all I learnt was to test lots and see what works for me... which is what I do anyway!
Pizza was also listed as low GI, but there was no discussion about the often long, high peak with a pizza, and I offered up the suggestion about how fat slows carb release was kind of brushed to one side

 

[Bubbsie]

Not really! It's 4.5 hours in the evening, from 5pm, so it's a huge chunk of time to give up! This week, about 90 minutes of that was discussing each other's food diaries, which I didn't find useful at all.
This week just gone I thought would be most useful, as it was about exercise, which I find more of a struggle than anything else, but all I learnt was to test lots and see what works for me... which is what I do anyway!
Pizza was also listed as low GI, but there was no discussion about the often long, high peak with a pizza, and I offered up the suggestion about how fat slows carb release was kind of brushed to one side

Hi Mini-Vicki...I am due to go on a course in Mid November...the course is for newly diagnosed t2's...DESMOND...by the time I get there it'll be six months since my DX...learnt so much on this forum...testing regularly...getting to know what I should and shouldn't eat...getting to grips with managing my diabetes...slowly...do not want to attend the course...however...will probably go just so I am not seen as non-compliant...I can understand your frustration.

 

[Mini-Vicki]

Don't get me wrong @Bubbsie, I think the courses can be really useful! Especially when the information give is actually helpful 😛 I hope the Desmond course will be good for you - I've been telling everyone on my course how useful this forum is 🙂

 

[Martin Canty]

All fruit including fruit juice, white tortilla wraps, jam and honey

That's quite a shocker, makes me question the effectiveness of these courses..... Unfortunately some people will take them as gospel.

 

[Bubbsie]

Don't get me wrong @Bubbsie, I think the courses can be really useful! Especially when the information give is actually helpful 😛 I hope the Desmond course will be good for you - I've been telling everyone on my course how useful this forum is 🙂

Thanks MV...have a couple of friends who have been...said very simple...they didn't agree with what heard...and where told don't need to test for type 2...got DX during a massive infection...newly registered at GP's. ..sent to.hospital...massive doses of intravenous antibiotics for 14 days...at the same time attending anti-coag clinic for DVT...in the midst of that...sent an appointment for mammogram...could never have attended...knew nothing about it until I found the letter when I got home... still in the acute phase...now see on patient notes listed as non attending...will take that up with practice and ask for an amendment...hate the thought of being labelled as a non-attendee again.

 

[Mini-Vicki]

Unfortunately some people will take them as gospel.

Yep that's exactly what worries me Martin. Luckily I'm quite clued up, but a few people are on the course so they can get a pump, because their diabetes is so uncontrolled, and i worry that this kind of misinformation won't help them

I'm glad I wasn't wrong in thinking jam and honey weren't low GI! I've used honey a few times to help with hypos in animals, and my dad! I did point this out, but was told it's a fairly ineffective hypo treatment

 

[Martin Canty]

With my Emergency Services on now... If we attend a patient with low BG, the first thing we do is look in the refrigerator for some juice, or regular soda before administering any of our on-board treatments

 

[mikeyB]

I'm glad I wasn't wrong in thinking jam and honey weren't low GI! I've used honey a few times to help with hypos in animals, and my dad! I did point this out, but was told it's a fairly ineffective hypo treatment

I've used jam on white bread as a cure for bad hypos for twenty years, and I'm still here. Beats jelly babies for sure in speed. Learned that from my mum, my T1 role model.

 

[Owen]

UK

With my Emergency Services on now... If we attend a patient with low BG, the first thing we do is look in the refrigerator for some juice, or regular soda before administering any of our on-board treatments

UK policy is to assist conscious patient to use their usual hypo treatment, recommended ones are fizzy drinks, jelly babies, dextrose and glucogel. If unconscious or airway is at risk or restricted then to inject glucagon. Honey? Not sure?.

 

[Radders]

UK
UK policy is to assist conscious patient to use their usual hypo treatment, recommended ones are fizzy drinks, jelly babies, dextrose and glucogel. If unconscious or airway is at risk or restricted then to inject glucagon. Honey? Not sure?.

Owen I don't understand the choice of fizzy drinks? I find them much harder to swallow than still. Is there something significant about the fizziness?

 

[Owen]

I was trying to avoid the word soda, sugary drink would be a better word

 

[Radders]

I was trying to avoid the word soda, sugary drink would be a better word

Oh I see. I wondered whether the fizz somehow hastened the glucoboosting properties! I seem to recall many years ago something about fizzy mixers speeding alcohol absorption so I thought maybe something similar was going on and I was missing out!

 

[Owen]

Oh I see. I wondered whether the fizz somehow hastened the glucoboosting properties! I seem to recall many years ago something about fizzy mixers speeding alcohol absorption so I thought maybe something similar was going on and I was missing out!

No but having been a former tequila slamming contestant, I can concur the alcohol thing.

 

[Ralph-YK]

UK policy is to assist conscious patient to use their usual hypo treatment, recommended ones are fizzy drinks, jelly babies, dextrose and glucogel. If unconscious or airway is at risk or restricted then to inject glucagon.

There's also this jell(?) stuff that is squeezed into the mouth. It doesn't need swollowing.

 

[Owen]

There's also this jell(?) stuff that is squeezed into the mouth. It doesn't need swollowing.

That's the glucogel, we are not allowed to use if the patient is unconscious, as there is mild risk of choking. Airway is always a higher priority as hypoxia is more critical.

 

[DaveB]

Ive been attending a diabetes education course, similar to DAFNE, but in my area it's called Freedom4Life. Anyway, it's been slightly useful, but yesterday they were teaching us about the GI index of foods. I did an Xpert course when I was originally disgnaosed as type 2, so it's not new to me.
But the sheet they gave us listed high GI foods in red - with the advise not to choose them, medium in amber and low GI in green with the advise that low GI foods were healthy choices...
Some examples of low GI foods were obvious, such as porridge etc, and then a few I didn't agree with at all:
All fruit including fruit juice, white tortilla wraps, jam and honey.
I didn't want to challenge the nutritionist in front of everyone, and things may have changed since I did my last education course, so I wondered what you guys thought?

Well, it's obviously wrong - what a surprise. They just make it up as they go.

 

[Martin Canty]

That's the glucogel, we are not allowed to use if the patient is unconscious

Same here, nothing oral if they are unconscious.....

I wondered whether the fizz somehow hastened the glucoboosting properties

It's nothing to do with the fizz, but more about what is readily to hand & can be found in most homes

 

[Owen]

Same here, nothing oral if they are unconscious.....

It's nothing to do with the fizz, but more about what is readily to hand & can be found in most homes

Spending time both sides of the pond, I got the soda straight away, but was not sure anyone else would.
There was a recent post by @Rosiecarmel after she accidently injected way too much insulin. She was advised not to eat, a lot of people thought this was stupid and in a way possible is. But the protocol is clinically correct as it is more dangerous and quicker to die from a blocked airway than it is to recover from hypoglycemia.