confused yet again : )

[stevie2065]

Hey guys, i had my first visit to a diabetes introduction yesterday run by our local nhs, i was amazed when one of the the audience asked a question about whether she could get lancets and test strips on prescription and was told by the lady giving us the course that people with type 2 do not get free lancets and strips on the nhs as they have no need to test their blood sugars because they cant get hypoglycemia especially if their on metformin and that its a waste of public spending, she said a hba1c test by your local surgery 3 times a year was quite sufficent , does anyone have any views on this, if so i would love to here them ?

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

The real problem is that in addition to saying that type 2 diabetics shouldn't test, they say type 2s should eat lots of carbs. That's a deadly combination.

 

[stevie2065]

The real problem is that in addition to saying that type 2 diabetics shouldn't test, they say type 2s should eat lots of carbs. That's a deadly combination.

i totally agree mate, im shocked to say the least

 

[Angiejean]

Hey guys, i had my first visit to a diabetes introduction yesterday run by our local nhs, i was amazed when one of the the audience asked a question about whether she could get lancets and test strips on prescription and was told by the lady giving us the course that people with type 2 do not get free lancets and strips on the nhs as they have no need to test their blood sugars because they cant get hypoglycemia especially if their on metformin and that its a waste of public spending, she said a hba1c test by your local surgery 3 times a year was quite sufficent , does anyone have any views on this, if so i would love to here them ?

My dad has type 2 and he was diagnosed over 20 years ago he was given a test kit and strips. He tested for about a week and gave up. It stressed him too much. He was told look for the carb value that is sugars if they are low then the good is ok to eat. He eats no sugary products, uses sweetners in his tea. He has shredded wheat for breakfast and 4 rounds of toast. Fish or chicken with potatoes for lunch and more toast or pizza in the evening. He only drinks tea and diet drinks. But he has no cakes, biscuits or any desserts. He sticks to these foods every day and I thought as he has his blood tested every 6 months I would asked him since my daughter has been diagnosed with type 1 what his HbA1c is, gave him the talk about adding up all he carbs he eats and how he should start to test again and his result was 48%. It has been like this for years. So I don't really have the answer to whether carbs are bad at all with type 2 just not the sweet ones

 

[sanguine]

Hi Stevie

Plenty of threads discussing this issue, with much the same conclusions, but this was a particularly good summary:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/thr...logically-answer-no-to-these-questions.62679/

 

[Mike d]

How do some people get to a station in life where they know nothing of what they preach?

Just dumb.

 

[stevie2065]

im absolutley stunned by what they told me, the lady asked me how did i find out i had diabetes and i told her that for a little over a year i had been experiencing burning sensations in my fingers and toes and sharp stabbing pains in the balls of my feet if i walked any great distance plus pins & needles, so i was sent to the hostpital for a HBA1C test which was 48, or 13, i dont really know what that means either to be honest but anyway she told me theres no way i would ever have Peripheral neuropathy with a HBA1C of 48 !! so am imagining these pains? i can honestly say the meeting was a total waste of 2 hours of my life, she asked me on the way out if i would like to sign up for a course called diabetes expert that is over a course of 2 days and i said no thanks, theres more info on this site than they could ever give, thanks for your imput guys, i really apreciate it.

 

[DeejayR]

im absolutley stunned by what they told me, the lady asked me how did i find out i had diabetes and i told her that for a little over a year i had been experiencing burning sensations in my fingers and toes and sharp stabbing pains in the balls of my feet if i walked any great distance plus pins & needles, so i was sent to the hostpital for a HBA1C test which was 48, or 13, i dont really know what that means either to be honest but anyway she told me theres no way i would ever have Peripheral neuropathy with a HBA1C of 48 !! so am imagining these pains? i can honestly say the meeting was a total waste of 2 hours of my life, she asked me on the way out if i would like to sign up for a course called diabetes expert that is over a course of 2 days and i said no thanks, theres more info on this site than they could ever give, thanks for your imput guys, i really apreciate it.

Well my HbA1C was 48 for a year or so so and I've got similar sensations in my feet to yours and I'm having a struggle to get anyone to acknowledge the fact at the surgery, either GP or nurse. I'm seeing my GP tomorrow so I'll have another go.
48 is Type 2 entry level so not high at all.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

I also got peripheral neuropathy with not so high blood glucose levels. It is pretty common, but many HCPs don't know this and don't believe it's related to diabetes unless blood glucose levels are very high. I eventually saw a doctor specializing in treating diabetics and he said that 99% of cases of peripheral neuropathy are due to diabetes.

 

[stevie2065]

I also got peripheral neuropathy with not so high blood glucose levels. It is pretty common, but many HCPs don't know this and don't believe it's related to diabetes unless blood glucose levels are very high. I eventually saw a doctor specializing in treating diabetics and he said that 99% of cases of peripheral neuropathy are due to diabetes.

my surgery is the same, 5 weeks wait to see a doc and when

 

[stevie2065]

hi guys im the same, my surgery is a 5 week wait to see a doc and when i do get to see him he doesnt want to know, i had to pay £165 out of my own pocket to go private for the diabetes test as the previous 5 tests that my surgery done only showed my hba1c at 47 and the doc couldnt even be bothered to tell me i was prediabetes!! so i demanded he refare me to a specialist and they gave me sent me for the tests in hostpital, the health service is away to the dogs, 35 years of paying tax and stamp and your treated like this and any tom **** and harry can come into our country and use the health service, unbelievable

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

my surgery is the same, 5 weeks wait to see a doc and when

Unfortunately once the nerve damage is done it's mostly permanent. However, I found the symptoms diminished when I got my blood glucose under control through a low carb diet. Some days are worse than others, but not much pain anymore and the pins and needles feeling is rare now. For me the hardest part to accept is that I went to my doctor when I first had symptoms and he told me there was no known cause of my symptoms AND he failed to diagnose my type 2 diabetes. My feet got worse and worse since I wasn't controlling my blood glucose as I didn't know I had high levels. Most of my nerve damage could have been prevented if my doctor was not useless.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. NHS budget is a key issue on this as test strips are expensive and so a story has been concocted that says you don't need to test. Yes, and that together with 'eat lots of carbs' advice is deadly. It isn't going to change so we can only hope people find this site or are advised by friends or whoever that they need to buy a meter and test.

 

[stevie2065]

NoCrbs4me it looks like we are in the same boat, useless docs and nerve damage, nearly 2 years ive been running to him every 4 weeks complaining of pain and blurred vision in the left eye and everytime he looked at me as if i was a liar, i rarely ever went to the docs before all this started, they sit there in their £90,000 a year jobs and all they want to do is push a pen to write out prescriptions!! Daibell the government plenty out of our wages to cover a measley box of 50 test strips a month, they can cough up plenty for the self inflicted people who are shoving alcohol down their throats everyday and shooting drugs, thats where the lions share of the budget goes !! the system is all wrong and doesnt look like its going to get any better soon, this site is a god send for me, the health service is only too glad to let us go home and die of stroke or heartatacks, less money for them to spend on us then !!

 

[Paul59]

I've said this before, but with regards test strips, it has to be cheaper in the long run to give the strips than the cost involved in treating the complications because people are unable to gain control cause they are unable to test. Why should people that really want to gain control have to buy meters & strips. Not right. Those are the ones that save the Nhs money not having to treat complications. Totally unfair.

 

[stevie2065]

totally agree Paul, my friend has type 1 and is rationed to 100 test strips a month and the diabetic nurse told her it may go down to 50 a month, could you see herion addicts being rationed their meds? i think not

 

[donnellysdogs]

totally agree Paul, my friend has type 1 and is rationed to 100 test strips a month and the diabetic nurse told her it may go down to 50 a month, could you see herion addicts being rationed their meds? i think not

That goes against NICE guidelines and your friend should ask her consultant tonwrite to her GP telling him the qty that your friend needs prescibed.

 

[stevie2065]

she has alread changed surgerys because of this problem and now her new surgery is doing it, they say that cutbacks are the cause, but i shall pass on your comment to her Donnelly, thanks for your imput

 

[catherinecherub]

totally agree Paul, my friend has type 1 and is rationed to 100 test strips a month and the diabetic nurse told her it may go down to 50 a month, could you see herion addicts being rationed their meds? i think not

Tell your friend to print this letter and show her DSN.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa.../Safe-care-of-people-with-type-1-diabetes.pdf

 

[stevie2065]

thanks Catherine, will do