new to this!

Hi,
I heard of DAFNE after having an eye exam yesterday, I have been diabetic for 17 years diagnosed at 7. My control has been difficult for about 3 years and this was recommended to me. The waiting list for DAFNE in my area is 18months and i really don't want to wait that long! I was wondering if i can do the change with just online support?
Eagerly awaiting your reply,
Robyn McMurray

Hi,

I did a 5 day course and I think this could have been compressed into 2 or 3 days, but there are quite few things that you need to get sorted such as Background and mealtime ratios, sickness rules, exercise etc... The first hour of the day was going through everyones BG diary and working out the best course of action for everyone, by doing this as a group you could see the changes you needed to make in different situations, you might not have a hypo that week, but someone else in the group would so you could discuss how to react to these things.

I would guess not really, support after the course online is perfect, but I think the basics need time.

If you're having control issues now there are a couple of important things from DAFNE that might help. It all becomes alot easier if your Background insulin is holding you at a steady BG, I had to do a weekend carb free to prove this to myself. Don't overcorrect hypos as you go sky high after and are chasing your tail all day (do you correct high BGs, if so don't between meals as this can cause yo-yoing too) then, 20 carbs or 2CP in DAFNE parlance (little carton of Orange Juice is exactly 2CP Chocolate is not a good hypo cure as the fat in it slows the sugar absorbtion ) is usually enough to bring you up and if more than an hour before the next meal 2CP of starchy carbs to keep up.

Do you currently carb count? You could look this up online and just get used to estimating carbs per meal as this will be useful.

Hope this helps. These are just hints for now, but I feel you will have to wait for the course though.

Phil

Hi,

Just thought of another thing, knowledge is power with DAFNE, if you don't know your current BG how can you react, how often do you test a day? With DAFNE its every mealtime, bedtime and any other time you eat or exercise, this might be something you need to get used to if you don't test this often. Check your GP doesn't mind you using this many test strips?

You can then record your BG and try to see patterns etc...

Phil

Hi,

18 months! I would consult your consultant/clinic or GP and ask if you can be sent to another PCT where they could "buy" the course for you. I can't recommend it highly enough for someone like you as I was in a similar position as you. There are some basics to the course that you can pick up from the website but really the benefit I found was how you combine them to make life easier.

I go with Phil here, first port of call is regular testing. Carb counting is a good start, not as easy as it looks, but it's like any other skill - the more you do it, the better you get at it. And if you GP is not happy with prescribing more strips - get a new GP that understands the needs of a diabetic. I have just changed to the other partner in my GP practice because she is very pro-DAFNE.

also

BDEC Learning Programme

Still worth doing DAFNE when the opportunity comes though.....