Great Desmond Course and Coping

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I love the 'Aaaarrrggggghhhhh'! Just about sums up the frustrations so many T2 people must feel when dealing with all too many of the specialist healthcare professionals ... so many of them, so much out-of-date given what's now understood from research?

But if you're newly diagnosed, how are you meant to handle this? It's taken me a while to really take on board the low-carb diet, and the absence of support from my local diabetic nurse (I never see a GP) is more than depressing.

I was fortunate, I was diagnosed November 2017 and told to go home enjoy Christmas and they would see.me in the new year. Came home long chat with Dr Google, found the forum, job done. By the time I went back in the new year I had a good amount of info behind me. By the time I went to the Desmond Course in February I was confident enough to tell most of the they were eating the wrong stuff for lunch. This forum saved my life.
 
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Syd

Well-Known Member
Messages
93
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Good luck on your journey to better health and as Hypocrites said Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food. Fuel your body better with REAL food, Good health is wealth, nothing is sweeter than success and being in remission [and reversed mild retinopathy] is worth more than a slice of bread, biscuit, cake or piece of fruit xx

Who is Hypocrites? Are hypos named after him or her?
 

HarryBeau

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,815
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Being diagnosed alone (ie purely diet controlled) doesn’t get you the same entitlement
I believed that was apparent from my response...if you are not on any diabetes medication there is no need for a diabetes medication prescription however if she were able to 'drop' the Gliclazide and rely on Metformin or diet & exercise only with approval from her health care professionals of course... it's very likely they will stop issuing testing strips & a meter on prescription.
 

HarryBeau

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,815
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
By the time I went to the Desmond Course i
Exactly the same here xfieldok..the one I attended was no help whatsoever...the first question we got was 'so what type of diabetic are you all'...we looked puzzled since the DESMOND was for T2's only & answered tentatively thinking we may have come on the wrong course when we replied one by one 'type 2' we were told to give ourselves a big pat on the back...form then it just got worse & worse...from having to individually tell the other members what out HbA1c was to guessing how many calories were contained in the plastic food they passed round.
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Who is Hypocrites? Are hypos named after him or her?
Hippocrates is offer regarded a the father of medicine. He lived in Greece about 400BC. Doctors take the Hippocratic oath which is named after him. Hypo is the Greek prefix meaning "under" so hypoglycemia is low sugar and a hypodermic goes under the skin.
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Ironic that the hippocratic oath is "do no harm".
 

HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,465
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I believed that was apparent from my response...if you are not on any diabetes medication there is no need for a diabetes medication prescription however if she were able to 'drop' the Gliclazide and rely on Metformin or diet & exercise only with approval from her health care professionals of course... it's very likely they will stop issuing testing strips & a meter on prescription.

Perhaps I was being pedantic but you said
If you are diagnosed as diabetic you will not be charged for your prescriptions
And that’s not quite accurate.

The exemption is for all prescriptions not just diabetic medications so potentially a diagnosed but unmedicated type 2 could believe they can get the rest of their prescriptions free as a result of your statement. Another common misconception is that an exempt persons simply doesn’t pay and ticks the back of the script. An exemption certificate from the dr is also required first.

I appreciate you may well know these facts but not everyone does and I was just posting for clarity.
 

HarryBeau

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,815
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Are you suggesting doctors purposely harm their patients? That seems to be taking cynicism too far.
I wouldn't say it's cynical or that patients are deliberately harmed however ignorance which is a major factor is not acceptable...there are health care professionals who give outdated or little advice on T2 diabetes management...I have met several from my GP who when I asked him how much he knew about T2 said 'not much' as he tried to increase my medication to the maximum amount despite dropping my HBA1C from 17.4 to 7.6 on my first review to the DSN who was critical of my BG testing and labelled me 'excessive'...the DESMOND course was ineffective...the advice I received form the GP /DSN was ineffective that's more than coincidental...if I had followed the advice I was given by the HCP's I have encountered I would be on maximum medication by now & encountering complications.
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I wouldn't say it's cynical or that patients are deliberately harmed however ignorance which is a major factor is not acceptable...there are health care professionals who give outdated or little advice on T2 diabetes management...I have met several from my GP who when I asked him how much he knew about T2 said 'not much' as he tried to increase my medication to the maximum amount despite dropping my HBA1C from 17.4 to 7.6 on my first review to the DSN who was critical of my BG testing and labelled me 'excessive'...the DESMOND course was ineffective...the advice I received form the GP /DSN was ineffective that's more than coincidental...if I had followed the advice I was given by the HCP's I have encountered I would be on maximum medication by now & encountering complications.
I would agree that doctors who have not embraced change or who are not prepared to refer patients where their knowledge is deficient could be accused of negligence. I would however stop short of the position taken by some posters that the whole medical profession is out to get us.
 

Krystyna23040

Expert
Messages
7,064
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I would agree that doctors who have not embraced change or who are not prepared to refer patients where their knowledge is deficient could be accused of negligence. I would however stop short of the position taken by some posters that the whole medical profession is out to get us.
I'm being really silly but the following quote popped into my head "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you"☺. So apologies for going off topic and being silly.
 
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HarryBeau

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,815
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
the whole medical profession is out to get us.
Our NHS relies on private practice far too much so it's often about ticking those contractual boxes...meeting those contractual obligations...as GP' surgeries are essentially private practices with the NHS as their biggest contractor I feel there is little room for deviation from standard NHS advice which in respect of my diabetes doesn't work for me & many others here...there are also the local CCGs who dictate how surgeries will spend their budgets although not a statutory body I often wonder what would/could they do if GP practices didn't tow their line...there are a few surgeries who are more enlightened and embrace alternative ways to manage T2 those are few & far between...for me there no doubt T2's are not given the best when it comes to managing their diabetes...the courses are often unfit for purpose...the advice is out dated & archaic the disinterest shown when you hear 'well you might as well take the medication as it will progress irrespective' is not the best care considering this condition can lead to horrifying long term consequences if not addressed...GP's/DSN's need to make more effort and offer more effective care to T2's.
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Are you suggesting doctors purposely harm their patients? That seems to be taking cynicism too far.
My neurology team are second to none. The diabetes team are very hit and miss. Some are right behind me, others are not.

T2s are discouraged from testing and told to eat brown bread, rice and pasta etc. Personally consider this advice harmful.
 

HarryBeau

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,815
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My neurology team are second to none. The diabetes team are very hit and miss.
I have had excellent care from the NHS when I had an infection that required two full weeks of intravenous antibiotics...from the haematology department...the vascular scientist's...the ultra sound team...my diabetes was diagnosed shortly after those problems surfaced...the difference in the level of care & support (minimal & indifferent) I received for my diabetes fell far below the standard of the other departments...it does seem like we're pretty much left on our own to figure out how best to deal with it
 
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Krystyna23040

Expert
Messages
7,064
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
T2s are discouraged from testing and told to eat brown bread, rice and pasta etc. Personally consider this advice harmful.
I agree that this advice is harmful.

What really stuck in my mind was the advice that my Yeo Valley Organic natural yoghurt was very harmful and that I should eat low fat yoghurt. The DN showed me pictures of the yoghurts that were "safe" for me to eat. When I pointed out that they were full of sugar and additives she was still adamant that my organic yoghurt was dangerous and the low fat yoghurt was good for me.

I was taught how to inject insulin to cover the 70g carbs I had to eat with each meal. Thank goodness I found this site and this forum.
 

Krystyna23040

Expert
Messages
7,064
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
the difference in the level of care & support (minimal & indifferent) I received for my diabetes fell far below the standard of the other departments...it does seem like we're pretty much left on our own to figure out how best to deal with it
That's exactly how I felt until I found this site and forum and the best DN in the whole of Norfolk - and maybe the best in the whole of the UK. I now feel totally supported on my low carb journey.
 

New Haven Neil

Well-Known Member
Messages
126
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Arrogance, awkward people
I'm new to this, T2 diagnosed 3 weeks ago so I am still in the confused and waiting for medical information stage, however I do have a work colleague (my assistant really) who has been really, really helpful, as is this thread!

I am testing (that lovely colleague gave me a meter she no longer uses) 3 or 4 times a day to get a handle on it all, (HBA1C was 6.8%) and have seen BG from 4.2 to 12 - trying to isolate the foods that cause the spikes now, but am really confused and annoyed at the conflicting information. Not had my DESMOND yet, I forsee disagreement looking at previous comments, my GP seemed a bit 'You're T2 so what, get on with it' and the DN was sort of....helpful but rather 'oh another overweight bloke with T2' (14st 5'10'). We'll see how things develop, I'm hopeful we can have a better relationship than the first appointment felt.

Doesn't feel too good does it, at first!
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I'm new to this, T2 diagnosed 3 weeks ago so I am still in the confused and waiting for medical information stage, however I do have a work colleague (my assistant really) who has been really, really helpful, as is this thread!

I am testing (that lovely colleague gave me a meter she no longer uses) 3 or 4 times a day to get a handle on it all, (HBA1C was 6.8%) and have seen BG from 4.2 to 12 - trying to isolate the foods that cause the spikes now, but am really confused and annoyed at the conflicting information. Not had my DESMOND yet, I forsee disagreement looking at previous comments, my GP seemed a bit 'You're T2 so what, get on with it' and the DN was sort of....helpful but rather 'oh another overweight bloke with T2' (14st 5'10'). We'll see how things develop, I'm hopeful we can have a better relationship than the first appointment felt.

Doesn't feel too good does it, at first!

Hi and welcome Neil
I'll post a link to the forum intro
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/

Lots of great info at www.dietdoctor.com as well

Its all about cutting carbs which usually helps with blood sugar lowering and weight loss too (if you have a few pounds to lose).
Depending on dietary preferences most of us have found the lower you go the better.