I’m a has-been drip under pressure…*
I’m on a six week “X-Pert” diabetes awareness course, an option I was delighted to be offered an opportunity to attend. (Diabetes is a Chronic incurable condition that tends to lead to lots of unpleasant complications over time, but knowledge is power and a sensible lifestyle can delay the need for intervention).
It is rather odd attending a course with ordinary members of the public, some of whom obviously left school at an early age and never touched a text book again. To hit the right target audience it inevitably has to be dumbed down somewhat but I found that reconciling the various prescribed medicines explained to the notes afterwards was rather difficult. (My friend JMB the retired pharmacist would no doubt excel at this though).
I sat next to a Lady who seemed to want to say “aah” in a loud voice after every minor point was made by the instructors, as though she was getting some form of divine revelation. I’ll make sure I don’t sit next to her this week!
I wasn’t paying too much attention as I was reading my handouts, but two old soldier types in blazers also turned up who insisted that they needed to sit with a table in front of them. After much huffing and puffing, the staff managed to track down a table and I noticed during the break that they both had sip-cups. I scurried off to the Supermarket to buy cakes for work (it was my birthday) and when I came back before the end of the break, they had gone, the only evidence of their possible presence being a pair of empty milk bottles. I’m curious about it now on reflection and will enquire if I remember.
I also met quite a few people who had the condition much worse than myself to the point that it interfered with their work and home life. It was interesting that one long term sufferer revealed that this was the first opportunity he had been able to find out about his condition outside of a hospital or surgery. (The event was in a health centre but the room was also the Creche).
We have been promised a trip to the Supermarket on week 4, in the company of a dietitian. That will make a change!
(*Well, I will be in five more weeks. The X-Pert Programme website is here)
This sounds like an excellent idea and make sure you get as much as you can out of it, despite them dumbing it down to the lowest level. Ask lots of questions. Make sure you get answers. Knowledge is power.
I’m afraid since I worked in hospital pharmacy and we only saw unstable diabetics at their worse or coincidental diabetics there for surgery, I don’t know so much about outpatient diabetic treatment although several of the hospitals have very good outpatient diabetic clinics with dietitians helping with that part of the equation and doctors refer patients to them.
Is it a new program, or just new to you?
Comment by jmb — April 16, 2008 @ 3:07 am
“It is rather odd attending a course with ordinary members of the public” - as opposed to extraordinary?
Comment by Liz — April 16, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
Liz- clumsy words, yes. I mean in the sense that most training I go on is specialised, highly targeted and and attended by those who have had higher qualifications and are still participating in lifelong learning.
Comment by Shades — April 16, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
I wasn’t being critical! It just made me smile wondering what ordinary people look like!
Comment by Liz — April 16, 2008 @ 10:36 pm
JMB, the program is relatively new, maybe running for four or five years now. I was told about it last year when I went on a dietitian half day course but they suggested leaving it a bit.
Liz, I’ve heard people in Retail refer to “The Great British Public”, sometimes “The Great Unwashed” as a collective noun for life’s rich tapestry.
Comment by Shades — April 17, 2008 @ 8:14 am