Want to do DAFNE Course

Hi, I am 28, have been type one for 10 years now, and to be honest havent really taken it seriously..

my BG are usually in the 8-20range, i tend to go higher to avoid the lows, not best i realise :/

I want to have more control, and the flexibility DAFNE could potentially offer also would be good.

Problem is I am currently seen by my doctor which does not offer DAFNE, i see that the Derby hospital near me does do the course but the dafne site states the following..

If you do not receive your care from a current DAFNE centre you cannot access a DAFNE course. DAFNE can only be offered by a diabetes unit that have DAFNE trained educators and doctors. There are no private DAFNE courses available. However, any diabetes unit can train to become a DAFNE centre.

Does that mean i cannot get a course at the hospital because i dont see them normally?

thanks in advance, Steve.

just to clarify, i realise that my doctors cannot offer it, but i am very prepared to goto the hospital, if they allow me to do this..

Hi Steve

When you say you are seen by your doctor do you mean your GP? Do you go to the hospital at all, for eye tests or anything?

Hi,

Yes i mean my GP at local doctors surgery, and for eye tests i goto a optician, and pay for all the additional tests, including the 3D scan thing etc..

OK. Maybe you have a different setup where you live. But I go to the hospital for just about everything - eyes, consultant, dietitian, nurse, etc. My GP cannot offer this range of services. I would definitely look into getting your care at the hospital. It makes more sense to have everything in one place, so your doctor can see your eye test results and everything else. And in my experience GPs and GP surgery nurses know nothing or very little about diabetes. I think the fact they are generalists means they can't know a lot about every single condition in detail, not enough to help you manage it. And if the hospital are seeing you already, you can get onto the DAFNE course too.

I have to say I'm suprised , but not shocked, Steve. Government policy is to push the treatment of Type 2's into GP surgeries but NOT type 1, NHS Diabetes policy is that Type 1's should be seen by consultants at a hospital Diabetes centre. As Lizzie suggests generally GP's are NOT sufficiently trained to treat Type 1 and its potential complications. You should also be getting eye screening carried out at least once a year ( when they take pictures of your retina for potential damage). If you are covered by the same PCT as the hospital then you ARE eligible for a DAFNE Course, unfortunately you usually need to be referred and thus the 'problem' with not being seen by a Diabetes Consultant who fully understands the issues and necessary treatment.
Can I suggest you contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) here at your local PCT and get them to find out why you are NOT being seen at yuor local hospital by a Diabetes Consultant. Worst case they should be able to put you in contact with the Diabetes Centre at the hospital or even the DAFNE Educator and they should be able to tell you firstly how you get the treatment you are entitled too and secondly how you get onto a DAFNE Course at the hospital. Unfortunately a lot of centres have long waiting lists for the course, but if you are not on the list they you won't get on it !

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

thanks all for the detailed replies! a great help, and to be honest i dont think its their fault, more when i was younger, i never really went to the centre, guess i didnt take it seriously, and they sent me a letter saying they were passing my care onto the doctors now instead.
At the time i was happier, mainly because my GP had taken extra courses/training in diabetes etc, however i have since moved to another area of derby and had to move to a different doctor, and ive seen him twice but he really doesnt seem to know much about it at all, definatly not to the same levels as my older doctor.
Either way, I have decided id like to take more care of it, and i like the look of DAFNE because i dont really have much idea of things like carb counting etc etc and it would be very useful.

Again, thanks for your time and efforts, will keep you posted, steve.

I was similar, Steve. I also had years of not taking care of myself.

I would say take it slowly. After not thinking about diabetes, having a solid week of nothing but diabetes is really stressful. It can feel daunting at first. There is a lot to learn, and others who already have a good grip on their diabetes and just need a bit of a polish may move faster than you. Just take it at your own speed and keep us posted on your progress.

I managed to fall of the hospital list when I moved house. I was looked after by my GP surgery for a while but was alarmed when the nurse got confused with ratios and wanted me to go from glargine to insultard despite me saying it didn't work for me! I wrote to my GP and asked if I could be referred to the diabetes clinic at the nearby hospital and I was seen again within about six weeks.