Don't know whether to feel mad or sad ...

[Ryan's_Daughter]

I feel I have to get this off my chest or I'll just give up. I was diagnosed Type 2 two and a half years ago and am currently on Alogliptin (Vipidia) and a small dose of Metformin. I was on Dapagliflozin but after an horrendous dose of thrush was taken off this. My levels are coming down slowly but my Diabetes Nurse thought I should be referred to the Intermediate Care Team. I had my first appointment yesterday and was left in tears and feeling so stressed. The nurse I saw was, she said, blunt - I would say rude. She told me not to test my blood as it would just get me tied in knots. I mentioned the LCHF diet but she said that wasn't advisable as fat creates fat round your middle and I am trying to lose weight. Although I said I had read quite a lot about diabetes she said I 'needed educating'. In short she treated me like a 6 year old, making judgements about me when she'd only just met me. I alternated between feeling distraught and feeling angry for the rest of the day, and at the moment l'm thinking of giving up, stopping my meds and starving myself. Any advice?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi,

Ignore her. She is wrong and in cloud cuckoo land, and is the one who needs educating.

Have a good read all round this forum and gather as much information as you can about suitable diets for type 2s and the role of carbohydrates. Most of all, please don't give up. Be proactive and take charge of your own health.

Buy a meter if you haven't done so already and start to learn from that which foods are good or bad for you personally. It is your best friend, and the only tool you have to help (alongside a food diary).

Ask questions.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I feel I have to get this off my chest or I'll just give up. I was diagnosed Type 2 two and a half years ago and am currently on Alogliptin (Vipidia) and a small dose of Metformin. I was on Dapagliflozin but after an horrendous dose of thrush was taken off this. My levels are coming down slowly but my Diabetes Nurse thought I should be referred to the Intermediate Care Team. I had my first appointment yesterday and was left in tears and feeling so stressed. The nurse I saw was, she said, blunt - I would say rude. She told me not to test my blood as it would just get me tied in knots. I mentioned the LCHF diet but she said that wasn't advisable as fat creates fat round your middle and I am trying to lose weight. Although I said I had read quite a lot about diabetes she said I 'needed educating'. In short she treated me like a 6 year old, making judgements about me when she'd only just met me. I alternated between feeling distraught and feeling angry for the rest of the day, and at the moment l'm thinking of giving up, stopping my meds and starving myself. Any advice?

Some time ago I mentioned the Aged P in Dicken's Great Expectations. When introduced to the Aged P the lawyer Mr. Wemmick said something like Smile and nod Mr. Pip, Smile and nod, he likes that. Treat your rude nurse like that.

Subsequently someone on here changed the image to Churchill the dog in the insurance adverts. Oh yes etc. I like that too. Don't let ignorant nurses wind you up. They are doing their job but have not been adequately trained to give advice on diabetic matters.

 

[bulkbiker]

When I was diagnosed and told that Type 2 was a progressive disease and I would end up on insulin I used my anger as a springboard to change my life. After adopting LCHF I have lost weight (5 1/2 stone so far) and have near non diabetic blood sugar readings most of the time. Just awaiting my most recent HbA1c which I hope should be good. Don't get upset get angry and use the anger to your advantage. Take control of your health and diet and prove them wrong.
Hope that helps and if you ever need a boost we are all here to help.
Regards
Mark

 

[ickihun]

I had a dietician like that last year.
I have a new dietician. She is working with me.
I respect and im looking forward to seeing her in september.
Losing weight is a different journey for everyone. (Depending on their medical conditions).
I can recommend lchf to finding what food works for your body and keeping your blood glucose levels at good healthy levels.
Some still need meds but I would say even the success story posters have their diet status as 'work in progress'.
All at different stages.
A great diet to get wayward bgs in check.

 

[Lamont D]

I have a long list of advice given by doctors and dsns, including a specialist diabetic GP, that, As well as giving me really stupid dietary advice, told the wife to eat jacket spud and beans every day for lunch, with a slice of wholemeal bread!
That is suppose to be healthy for a T2 diabetic.

As you can gather by the response you have had already.
They don't have a clue about treating the condition by diet.
They would rather treat you with meds!

Anyways, having been successful for both me and the wife on a low carb diet, my GP, my dsn and the surgery have changed their attitude towards the treatment.
I have actually heard my GP telling a patient if he has drastically reduced his carbs!

For weight loss, it is about control and getting rid of the foods (mainly carbs and sugars) that put the weight around your waist. You will be surprised by just reducing your carbs slowly and steadily, reducing your plate size, and increasing your exercise if you can.

Have a read of the low carb forum, there is some great information, ideas and recipes.

I've lost five stone and counting, the wife just over two stone.

Low carb works.

And you can still enjoy the food!

 

[ally1]

My diabetic nurse told me not to test, to eat carbs and sugar things. Thankfully I have ignored her and I get all my help and information from here.
Yesterday I did post about this, that I got weighed yesterday as I was seeing the nurse about my stopping smoking. I asked what my weight was in march and the diabetic nurse had put 89kg. I knew that was way out as yesterday I weighed 107kg. The nurse said I had put on 18kg. I knew I had, t so I checked my diabetic book where the diabetic nurse had put 114kg. That was around what I expected. I asked the nurse to change it but she said she could, t after I rang yesterday with the right weight.

 

[Jasperville]

I am medically trained, and so a belief that cholesterol and saturated fat are bad is in my DNA. I have sympathy with NHS staff who promote starchy carbs, as they don't know any different, and it is difficult to be a maverick and go against the crowd. However, thousands of people are discovering low carb high fat is the way forward for them, so please stick with it. If I ever waver, then this forum gets me back on track. Also, worth reading anything by Gary taubes, Malcolm Kendrick.

Ignore the nurse.

 

[Snapsy]

@Ryan's_Daughter you are your own expert in your diabetes. I know it's horrible when this happens - I've had it too, infuriatingly and often hilariously, from my GP surgery's diabetes 'expert'.

Take everything with a pinch - no, bucket - of salt, smile sweetly and don't slam her door on your way out!

There is so much to draw on right here on this forum, and you are gaining experience and expertise all the time. We are all different, and more importantly we are all human. That means we don't have to beat ourselves up when the numbers sometimes go squiffy. Notch it up to experience when this happens, dust yourself down and carry on.

Love Snapsy

 

[Snapsy]

Yesterday I did post about this, that I got weighed yesterday as I was seeing the nurse about my stopping smoking. I asked what my weight was in march and the diabetic nurse had put 89kg. I knew that was way out as yesterday I weighed 107kg. The nurse said I had put on 18kg. I knew I had, t so I checked my diabetic book where the diabetic nurse had put 114kg. That was around what I expected. I asked the nurse to change it but she said she could, t after I rang yesterday with the right weight.

At my last annual review my BMI had plummeted - but only because I'd been measured as 1m 87cm tall! 4cm out - and I wasn't wearing heels.....

 

[Pinkorchid]

Yes you can't really blame the nurses they only quote the guide lines they have been trained to follow but that is no excuse for rudeness. We have to remember there is only a small minority who do low carb among the vast numbers of diabetics world wide so it will be slow if ever for the advice to change. We are better not to mention it to them just let them think we are doing it their way and carry on doing what we think is best for us and then they are happy and so are we

 

[zand]

Yes you can't really blame the nurses they only quote the guide lines they have been trained to follow but that is no excuse for rudeness. We have to remember there is only a small minority who do low carb among the vast numbers of diabetics world wide so it will be slow if ever for the advice to change. We are better not to mention it to them just let them think we are doing it their way and carry on doing what we think is best for us and then they are happy and so are we

But then they will think it's their advice that is working for us. Then when their advice doesn't work for others they will blame those people for not following the advice when they may be following it to the letter. I have had this sort of treatment myself when their diets didn't work.

 

[magsiesss]

Is it easy enough to avoid seeing her in the future? I just hope that you have a brilliant GP to make up for her. Failing that, there are so many knowledgable people on this forum who can provide answers and suggestions to questions you may have

I would buy a testing kit if I were you, no doubt about it - how else can you know whether you are doing well on a regular basis with it?

Good luck

 

[Bluetit1802]

My diabetic nurse told me not to test, to eat carbs and sugar things. Thankfully I have ignored her and I get all my help and information from here.
Yesterday I did post about this, that I got weighed yesterday as I was seeing the nurse about my stopping smoking. I asked what my weight was in march and the diabetic nurse had put 89kg. I knew that was way out as yesterday I weighed 107kg. The nurse said I had put on 18kg. I knew I had, t so I checked my diabetic book where the diabetic nurse had put 114kg. That was around what I expected. I asked the nurse to change it but she said she could, t after I rang yesterday with the right weight.

I can see my medical records on line. Looking at the details of my waist measurements, last December there was a massive drop. The nurse had written 28cm. It was actually 28 inches. For goodness sake, 28cm is about 11 inches!!!! Still, the graph looks good. Lol.

 

[srobertson06]

From reading all the replies they have just about covered it all. My doctor and my diabetic nurse both give me a really hard time at each visit - they repeatedly offer me weight watchers or slimming world, they moan about my testing and tell me not to continue to do so, they complain because I am happy that my weight is coming off slowly - I find it extremely difficult to smile, nod and say yes to them they wind me up and make me annoyed....................
But after each visit I put it behind me and carry on with things my way - which is working for me - it did take a month or so of low carb high fat to begin to see results and it has taken longer for those results to become consistent. I did feel for a while that I was putting in all the work and not seeing results but the last couple of weeks I have seen consistent blood glucose readings with little movement throughout the day and my fasting level finally is beginning to drop also - the whole thing is finally showing really positive results it is making me feel positive and making my good food choices easier - it even allowed me to have an ice-cream over the weekend without too much of an impact.

From this I hope you can see you are not alone in your experience and for those of us that have been through trying it the NHS way and only ended up with even more medication and lectures on diabetic complications and then taken the advice on here and are now waiting for our next fasting HbA1C test to prove what we are doing is working and no doubt my doctor will take the view that the tablets are working but I know it is more to do with the food I eat. I hope you can take the positive steps towards taking control and getting the results we all want. Take care and ask any questions here as people have so much experience and knowledge far greater than I do.

 

[shubido]

I feel I have to get this off my chest or I'll just give up. I was diagnosed Type 2 two and a half years ago and am currently on Alogliptin (Vipidia) and a small dose of Metformin. I was on Dapagliflozin but after an horrendous dose of thrush was taken off this. My levels are coming down slowly but my Diabetes Nurse thought I should be referred to the Intermediate Care Team. I had my first appointment yesterday and was left in tears and feeling so stressed. The nurse I saw was, she said, blunt - I would say rude. She told me not to test my blood as it would just get me tied in knots. I mentioned the LCHF diet but she said that wasn't advisable as fat creates fat round your middle and I am trying to lose weight. Although I said I had read quite a lot about diabetes she said I 'needed educating'. In short she treated me like a 6 year old, making judgements about me when she'd only just met me. I alternated between feeling distraught and feeling angry for the rest of the day, and at the moment l'm thinking of giving up, stopping my meds and starving myself. Any advice?

Try to stay positive. I too was spoken to like a child over the phone by a practice diabetic nurse who didn't know me from Adam and had never met me. She has had a lot to answer for but after 2 years now I can just about shrug it off and I'm coming to terms with it all. Once you have enough facts and read lots ( incl these forums) you will know what's right for you. We are all individuals.

 

[prancer53]

@Ryan's_Daughter you are your own expert in your diabetes. I know it's horrible when this happens - I've had it too, infuriatingly and often hilariously, from my GP surgery's diabetes 'expert'.

Take everything with a pinch - no, bucket - of salt, smile sweetly and don't slam her door on your way out!

There is so much to draw on right here on this forum, and you are gaining experience and expertise all the time. We are all different, and more importantly we are all human. That means we don't have to beat ourselves up when the numbers sometimes go squiffy. Notch it up to experience when this happens, dust yourself down and carry on.

Love Snapsy

Yes--often I just cannot believe what comes out of the mouths of medics with regard to diabetes but I just smile sweetly (as recommended.........) and work out how I can beat a hasty retreat whilst they carry on talking. I used to argue but smiling wastes less energy and dtops any stress developing as a result--

 

[prancer53]

I can see my medical records on line. Looking at the details of my waist measurements, last December there was a massive drop. The nurse had written 28cm. It was actually 28 inches. For goodness sake, 28cm is about 11 inches!!!! Still, the graph looks good. Lol.

This is so funny...................

 

[Lizzie2]

I feel I have to get this off my chest or I'll just give up. I was diagnosed Type 2 two and a half years ago and am currently on Alogliptin (Vipidia) and a small dose of Metformin. I was on Dapagliflozin but after an horrendous dose of thrush was taken off this. My levels are coming down slowly but my Diabetes Nurse thought I should be referred to the Intermediate Care Team. I had my first appointment yesterday and was left in tears and feeling so stressed. The nurse I saw was, she said, blunt - I would say rude. She told me not to test my blood as it would just get me tied in knots. I mentioned the LCHF diet but she said that wasn't advisable as fat creates fat round your middle and I am trying to lose weight. Although I said I had read quite a lot about diabetes she said I 'needed educating'. In short she treated me like a 6 year old, making judgements about me when she'd only just met me. I alternated between feeling distraught and feeling angry for the rest of the day, and at the moment l'm thinking of giving up, stopping my meds and starving myself. Any advice?

I was diagnosed with T2 last November - was told diet and exercise and another HbA1c in three months then it was either ok or on the diabetic register. Was given the 'carbs with every meal' diet sheet, was told to carry in as I was because my diet sounded healthy (so healthy I was on a prediabetic study until I was thrown off because I became T2)

I decided to take responsibility for myself, I bought this wonderful inspirational book - plus a blood glucose meter and did what it said in the book. I went back after three months, was no longer T2 and when I told the nurse that I was doing LCHF she looked at me and said 'Oh low GI' I felt as if she knew about LCHF but just didn't want to admit it worked. I know my new low carb diet is something I will have to stick with for the rest of my life but it will be worth it. As well as lowering my HbA1c I've also lost loads of weight simply by 'eating to the test'. I just can't recommend the book highly enough - that and this site and the Diet Doctor website.
Reverse Your Diabetes: The Step-by-Step Plan to Take Control of Type 2 DiabetesPaperback by Dr David Cavan

 

[Canadian_cousin]

I feel I have to get this off my chest or I'll just give up. I was diagnosed Type 2 two and a half years ago and am currently on Alogliptin (Vipidia) and a small dose of Metformin. I was on Dapagliflozin but after an horrendous dose of thrush was taken off this. My levels are coming down slowly but my Diabetes Nurse thought I should be referred to the Intermediate Care Team. I had my first appointment yesterday and was left in tears and feeling so stressed. The nurse I saw was, she said, blunt - I would say rude. She told me not to test my blood as it would just get me tied in knots. I mentioned the LCHF diet but she said that wasn't advisable as fat creates fat round your middle and I am trying to lose weight. Although I said I had read quite a lot about diabetes she said I 'needed educating'. In short she treated me like a 6 year old, making judgements about me when she'd only just met me. I alternated between feeling distraught and feeling angry for the rest of the day, and at the moment l'm thinking of giving up, stopping my meds and starving myself. Any advice?

My advice is get a new doctor, or go to your existing doctor and tell him or her how you were treated by this nurse. I understand though that switching doctors is sometimes difficult in some healthcare systems.Don't go off your meds, but stick with the low-carb healthy fat diet because it works really well even if you're not in ketosis. And you will lose weight steadily, although not as fast as if you were eating 20 carbs a day. I stick to about 50 carbs a day, and I am steadily losing weight for three months And my Bloodsugars have dropped five points, even with Dawn phenomenon. Nothing radical.You do not have to be extreme with the LCHF. Eat balanced, eat healthy. You can eat lovely tasty fresh real food and enjoy it without feeling like you're deprived.And if you're into starving yourself, then read Jason Fung about intermittent fasting because it works so much better and is so much easier than anylow-fat diet. Believe me I tried them all!