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@Fiona asks: Hi there – am looking for some advice please! My 16 year old (almost 17) son has been offered a place on a DAFNE course and is just starting to get cold feet about attending. Think I am just looking for reassurance that I am doing the right thing to encourage him to go. He is an intelligent young man and I think it would really help him now and in the future when he has to fend for himself at uni etc. Has anybody out there been on a DAFNE course and if so, would you recommend it? Thanks v much
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Hi @fiona, I’ve done a one week DAFNE light course (my hospital has different practices to some parts of DAFNE) whilst my wife did the full DAFNE scheme and we’d both recommend it.
It may be hard work depending on how your son currently controls his diabetes but it made a lot of sense for me, and got me under a lot better control & health.
The best part (for me) was talking to others with the condition & finding that you’re not alone. In my case I found some other health problems I was having were related to my diabetes.
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Hi @fiona, tell your son that by completing the course it will enable him to take care of himself when he leaves home; it will allow him to indulge in drinking sessions which he can adjust/ accommodate his insulin regime for and he will be able to have any type of food with a sound knowledge of how much insulin to have so he is neither hypo or hyper. Lets face it at 16 its a scary place to be and he will want to fit in with his peers. With the “carb knowledge” he can master most problems.
My hospital ran its own version of Dafne and having had diab 35 years I thought I knew most of it any way. Yes I did know most of it but the people there where great lots of laughs and everyone had time to listen to each other. I don’t know if its available but there was a research programme for teens with mobile to put in their insulin ratio what carbs they would eat and it worked out their dose. You could phone Bournemouth hospital to see if its available. It was through the research that I managed to have my pump so anything is possible these days!
Good Luck to him and well done you for caring.
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Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply – and that includes Dave and Alison’s Dad, Brian! Am sorry it has taken a while to get back to you. After a summer of music festivals, surfing and teenage antics of which I’m probably blissfully ignorant, my son had a great time and looked after himself.. Fast forward to first weekend back at school – a party – too much alcohol and a night in A&E – something a mother with a lively teenage son always dreads. Anyway, it has happened and it makes me more certain that going on a DAFNE course has to be a positive step – even if it is just to have shared experiences with others who truly understand!
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@fionac – oops! There’s nothing like a night in A&E
I do think a DAFNE course would be a good thing. As you know, booze is okay for us diabetics if you know how to handle it best. I have to confess to having being wildly pissed but – with some moderately sensible precautions (mainly, making sure to eat before bed) I haven’t ended up in A&E. Yet.
The worst post-booze hypo I had was after a wedding, where I had also been dancing all night too. By 3am my BG just went off a cliff. I had fruit pastilles by the side of the bed and all was soon well again, but not much fun for poor @Katie!
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