DAFNE

This blog first appeared on the Diabetes UK blog site on 6th February 2013



As part of the REPOSE trial I talked about last month, I recently attended a DAFNE course.  I'll be honest and say that a couple of weeks beforehand I was still pretty skeptical about attending.  Not so much because I didn't think I'd get any benefit from it, but more that I'd never been given any information about what DAFNE was beyond "it'll help with your carb counting" and couldn't understand how it was a five day course.

That said, after I'd had the pump on for a few days, I was really eager to get started and by the time the course started I honestly couldn't wait.   I didn't feel too apprehensive at the start, as I'd already met half the people on the course when we'd had our pump induction, and I knew that everyone there was in the same position as I was.

I thought the DAFNE course (Dose Adjusted For Normal Eating) itself was very well structured.  We followed a daily timetable with 4-5 sessions per day, building on regular daily topics such as insulin dose adjustment and carb counting/nutrition as well as discussing other topics such as alcohol and exercise.

For the afternoon session on the second day, we were invited to bring along a family member to give them the opportunity to see what the course entails, and to speak openly about their experiences of living with someone with diabetes.  I think that helped a lot as it allowed us to reflect on what those we love have to deal with, which I would guess is a point of view we don't often stop to consider.  I think that afternoon worked really well and having everyone participate in the exercises was great.

What I found surprising (and a tad embarrassing) was the amount of the history/biology about diabetes that I either didn't know or that I'd forgotten.  While I suppose it's all a matter of personal preference, I enjoyed the sessions that touched on that information as I felt like it provided a great base for all the other topics we were discussing.

There were, of course, some more difficult sessions, and the one we spent discussing the long term complications of diabetes could have been uncomfortable to talk about.   We spent the time in two teams, playing a game of which complications could be specifically diabetes related, how they were caused and what could be done to prevent them.  It lightened the mood and allowed us to learn at the same time.

I think as a group we all agreed that being in a safe, open and honest environment with people all in the same situation was one of the best things about the week.  As I may have mentioned previously, I've not actually met anyone with Type 1 diabetes before and so to be able to share experiences, tips and frustrations with a group was such a positive thing.  I was also relieved to find out I'm not the only one who sometimes forgets to change needles and lancets as often as I should!


As part of the course (and over the next two years as part of the trial) we are all recording our BG readings, carbohydrate portions and insulin doses on a daily basis.  We began and ended each day with a review of the numbers.  I think that really helped to build a great spirit in the group and allowed us to share advice with each other.  It was pretty nerve wracking presenting your numbers back to the group for the first time, but by Friday, it was an experience we'd all got into and were going to miss quite a lot.

Being in that environment gave everyone a lot of confidence to speak up and discuss their own situations without feeling judged or under pressure.  That similar feeling when sharing BG levels (some not always the numbers you'd hope for) was valuable in discussing our progress.

It would be remiss of me to talk about the course, the environment and the structure that allowed us all to benefit so much from the week without a mention for our DAFNE Educators.  We were lucky to have three Educators supporting our course all week, two diabetes specialist nurses and a dietician.  Their enthusiasm and encouragement kept us going for the week and I personally think they did so much to help foster the environment that allowed the course to work so well.  Thank you Carolin, Val and Val.

After a full week using the pump with insulin I'm starting to get accustomed to it and DAFNE has put me in an excellent position to feel confident using it and adjusting my doses where necessary.  On a personal level, one of the hardest things I've had to do is learn to curb my desire to try and fix everything at once and adopt a more patient and measured approach to fine tuning my regime.  I'm not quite there yet, but having the confidence and knowledge to be able to make changes should hopefully mean I'll have all my BG levels within target very soon.

As a final word, I'd encourage anyone to follow this link to the DAFNE User Action Group’s e-petition and sign it to lobby for a centrally funded diabetes education programme.  Studies have shown that not only does education help diabetics manage their condition with better glycaemic control and fewer hypos, but that the education will effectively pay for itself within five years.  Please take the time to follow the link and encourage as many others as you can to do the same.

Whilst I may have been skeptical before I started, I'd nopw say I'm a huge DAFNE advocate!  I'd be keen to hear on your own experiences of diabetes education courses, DAFNE or others.