Introductions

Hi
Just signed up and am looking forward to exchanging thoughts and ideas. I contracted Diabetes at the ripe age of 25 (after just one year of marriage. I "coped" with things really until I went on the Daphne course in 2003 at The Leicester Royal Informary. Waht a revelation- freedom to eat what and when I liked and keep my blood sugars under control. I take every opportunity to spread the good word to anyone I know with Diabetes. Now the only invention left for some bright inventor is to make a carbohydrate scanner- point it at the food and get an accurate CHO reading- I HAVE A DREAM!

HI,
I'm Paul and aged 38. I was diagnosed with type 1 in Aug 2004. Leicester is one of the leading centre's for DAFNE study and as soon as i found out about the DAFNE course i had my name on the list, about one year from diagnosis. My Hba1c was initially 6.9 but has recently climbed to 7.5 and now down to 7.1. I try to keep on top of things but like everyone other things get in ther way. I sometimes eat the wrong things, forget to inject, take the wrong insulin dose, lazily work out the carbohydrates........ I think it's being human. My main aim is to reduce complications as i work as an Occupational Therapist and i see the results of people who have not, for whatever reason, been able to control their diabetes. I had a recent result of 'background retinopathy' which has caused me to become more focused on my diabetes and has got me over a lazy period where i stopped recording and looking at my results. I think DAFNE is brilliant and i think this forum is just what is needed. I look forward to liaising with others and discussing the the ups and downs of life with diabetes. Well done to those who have made the effort to get this forum started!

Hi and Good Day from Ireland. My name is Philip K and I have just finished my course which was held in Beaumont hospital Dublin . Many thanks to both Sonja and Emer who were very patient in my many ramblings and questions during the last five days.
Been one of the first to register from Ireland it is always great to see that progress in the form of DAFNE is begining to take off and in time people will see this as an imperitive stepping stone in getting educated to what exactly you can do with Diabeties. I look forward to looking throught this site during the next few months/years,
Best regards and Wishes
Phil Kane

Hi

I'm Amy, I did DAFNE in April 2007 in Norwich. I was diagnosed as type 1 in 2004 at the age of 21. I was studying in America when I became ill and lost a lot of weight but it wasn't until I returned to the UK that I got myself to the doctors and was diagnosed, just in time for my final year of uni!

Pre DAFNE I think I rebelled a bit against being diabetic, very determined that I wasn't going to let it affect me to such an extent that I nearly ignored it at times. Since DAFNE I have had far better control of my diabetes and I'm so pleased I had the oportunity to do the course. I also took up running after DAFNE and completed my first half marathon last year, currently training for a 10k in 3 1/2 weeks time.

Hi Im Damian
I am from Penzance originally but now living in London i was introduced to the DAFNE course last March in Chelsea & Westminster.
I would like to say how motivational the staff were, and how much Alison and Miranda devote their time and efforts to DAFNE. Its apparent it is not just a job, and that firstly encouraged me on to the course and secondly made me feel comfortable and confident dealing with the change.
I found out i had diabetes at 15, and that means next year will be 20 years. I was the first patient my doctor diagnosed, and I will never forget the look on his face when I entered his room at the end of surgery saying I had a drink problem. One way to explain the symptoms of dehydration!

A few hospital hypos and one episode of keytoaci.... whatever its called after and DAFNE came along to rescue me.
I am one that has found DAFNE not so much of a lifestyle change (as I have always tended to do what i wanted to do), but more of a liberation. I was able to exercise and loose weight, which before was thwarted with hypos dealt with by chocolate indulgence, or standing in front of the fridge until I felt better. DAFNE does mean more of a choice and control - I think the slogan should be "feel normal again".
I would recommend DAFNE to anyone who is in need of understanding why there is a need to test. It certainly helps to understand what to do with the results which before were meaningless.

Thanks for setting up this group, I had tried myself to do a social network for members on our course and we did manage meeting up a few times, but this chart and graph analysis as well as the forums is exactly what I need to keep me motivated and to better manage my diabetes.
Damian.W

Hi
Just signed up to Online DAFNE after completing an evening refresher course at Northumbria NHS just last night. It was good to catch up on some mistakes I was making and which healthcare folk had advised wrongly on - or the advice has changed. I think the online diary and course handbook are magic. My original course was a full week at the Wansbeck General Hospital in Northumberland and I'd say i felt very empowered afterwards. It was over 4 years ago so since things have moved on and I've got rusty the evening refresher was a real bonus.

Now I can see my out of target BG in bright red in the online diary I'm sure I'll try harder and last night's refresher will help me understand better how to fix it.
Thanks to the online team for setting it up
John
14 May 2009

Hi,

I've also just signed up after the Northumbria NHS refesher course. The refresher course was a useful reminder and it has encouraged me to get out the diary again. DAFNE's great as it gives you much more control and freedom and the website is a great addition. Particularly as the latest course notes are now on line. Having had a quick flick through the forums I'm somewhat suprised at some of the news and views being expressed but if the site can bring issues to everyone's attention it can only be a good thing. Hopefully we will get more contributions as more Dafne graduates are made aware of the Website.

Richard

Richard,
I'm glad you are finding the website useful as you say the more graduates we get signed up the better ! All views are welcome both positive and negative. Making all sides aware of issues can only improve DAFNE as a whole and help ensure that those who control it are aware of issues and can hopefully do something about them.

Welcome on board !

I'm Terry and a graduate of the inaugural Croydon Dafne course held in May 2007.

Diagnosed in 2003, I had the same level of education about the condition that most people get - 10 minutes on how to inject, some fixed doses of mixed insulin and a handful of NHS leaflets on eating for a healthy heart. Before long I was using the internet to solve treatment conundrums and tap the experiences of other diabetics, notably on the ASDUK newsgroup, which has since descended into pretty much of a bun fight, though there are still pearls to be found amid the argy-bargy there.

This led to me pushing for basal bolus and to dose adjustment according to carb intake, establishing the appropriate basal level etc.

What I hadn't realised is that I was so unusual and that many other T1s had never, apparently, got past those initial fixed doses and restrictive insulins.

So, for me, Dafne wasn't the Road to Damascus moment it was for others on the course. But it was significantly valuable in formalising a lot of knowledge picked up randomly elsewhere. And perhaps most significantly, it represented a rubber-stamp the professionals, particularly GPs, accepted, suddenly allowing me to have some sort of recognised input into my own treatment.

My passion for spreading peer knowledge led me into online forums and, when one of the better ones was threatened with closure, I became one of the founders of a replacement, in diabetes-support.org.uk.

I believe Dafne (or one of its clones, such as Bertie) is an absolutely essential starting point for any newly diagnosed T1. And, as with all such education templates, I think there is huge value in the likes of this forum where shared knowledge can enhance individuals' ability to adjust and refine those principles to meet their own targets and particular needs.

I look forward to getting to know you all here.

Hello you lovely people, may I introduce myself please. I am TerryG's partner in the diabetes-support.org.uk forum. I have never met him in person, the nearest we have come in "real life" is a couple of phone calls, but he is a person I respect and he is a firm friend in real terms. I "know" Terry and he has helped me as much as anyone since diagnosis in May 2003. I should really not belong here because I am officially diagnosed as T2 and therefore do not qualify for DAFNE. However, I took oral meds for only 4 weeks before the medics realised they were doing nothing and I was then put on Novomix insulin. Because of my age I was diagnosed T2. I have educated myself, I have managed on insulin alone (with no meds) since June 2003 and achieved an Hba1c sub 6 ever since. I have no hope of a DAFNE course, because although it has now been decided that I am "possibly LADA" but that doesn't qualify me either, perhaps this doesn't matter. I am now on Levemir and Novorapid - soon, very soon, to go onto Apidra as the rapid insulin.

What I am passionate about is education for people with diabetes. I am truly passionate about everyone having the best chance they can to manage the disease without complications. Education, education, education. For all people with diabetes, not just T1s but everyone.