Diabetic Clinics

[Propertyoflife]

Hi,

I haven't been on here for a very long time but feel kind of stuck and I wondered if anyone else has experienced something similar....

I was diagnosed many years ago incorrectly as type 2 then correctly as type 1 and found everything very daunting. Initially I went to my consultant, nurse,dietician, eye and foot checks however due to poor experiences I stopped going and pretty much ignored my diabetes.

7 or 8 years later I have had abscesses in my kidneys and been in HDU and have yo have laser on my eyes due to diabetic retinopathy. I also suffer from diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

I started going back to the nurse who was very lovely and I felt comfortable however yesterday I attended my first consultants appointment. My appointment was for the consultant and dietician and was to be at 3.50pm. At 5.10pm the consultant came and explained to me that due to her clinic running late I would need to wait for a month or two to see the dietician as there wasn't time today.

The consultant finally seen me at 5.20pm. Before seeing me she asked me to fill in a firm regarding what I wanted to discuss. Amongst other things I ticked kidneys and eyes due to previous issues. I also ticked pregnancy and weight issues.

She never took the paper from me and when I tried to say about my kidneys and eyes she told me it wasn't important. When I tried to discuss the fact that I have gone from just over 6 stone to nearly 11 and a half since March she said it wasn't important. When I said I was looking at starting a family with my fiance who I have bee with for 10 years she turned around and looked at me completely horrified as though I had said I was Rose West and was looking for a child....and told me it would be completely inappropriate and irresponsible to have a child just now and told me I had to use contraception at all times. She also told my fiance he must use a condom aswell. I wanted to discuss the continually high bs readings. She said it wasn't important. I was also due to go a libre meter, she said this wasn't important and could be looked at later.

She then proceeded to tell me she couldn't do anything until I had seen the dietician but unfortunately she had advised her to see a different patient in her last appointment because the other patient was easier to deal with than me and I could see the dietician in a month. Until then she couldn't do anything wit me as I have never been taught how to carb count.

I asked about the pain from the neuropathy and she said it might not seem like it but it was most likely in my head.

She said she wanted some bloods. The nurse couldn't get any and neither could she. She said they weren't that important and could wait until next month...

Is this what everyone experiences and is normal?

Sorry about the long lost I just feel a bit all at sea just now....

Thanks

 

[CarbsRok]

No it's not normal. Write a strong but factual letter of complaint and also add the being told my condition or myself are not important is extremely hurtful also ask to be referred to someone else with a better Dr/patient manner.
If I had been in your shoes I would have walked out after the very first dismissal of it's not important.

 

[Tanny35]

Everything that has been said to you isn't important - is very important.
Agree with above comment, write a letter of complaint. Make sure u document everything in the letter. And also that you wish to be seen by someone different in future.
Maybe she advised not to get pregnant because of the retinopathy, is it active? As pregnancy can make it worse. It was pregnancy that brought mine on, and it has been in the background since until more recently.
But once u have tight control they should be able to work with u throughout a pregnancy


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[tim2000s]

Hmmm. That's really not good enough from the consultant @Propertyoflife . You should contact the PALS service at your hospital to make a complaint, because that's a totally unacceptable way to be dealt with.

 

[dancer]

I agree with everything above. That was totally unacceptable treatment.

The weight you have put on is important, as it does affect diabetic control. I presume you haven't been on a "See Food" diet and eating everything in sight, so why not visit your GP and explain what happened at the clinic. Hopefully they'll be able to take blood from you and get it tested. . . You could have an underactive thyroid. My sister-in-law put on stones in just a few months before she found out about her thyroid condition.

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @Propertyoflife - absolutely unacceptable, literally everything you have listed here has not been handled correctly. The NHS has a 'duty of care' to manage you and your condition. I cannot see anything about the care you have received as being acceptable. Personally I would find out what the complaints procedure is and write a letter - they will have to respond to this, so please do this and ensure you have listed everything here.

In regards to your care - demand that they enroll you onto DAFNE and get this course under your belt - call up your GP tomorrow to get your bloods taken and checked, also have you been given a follow up appointment ?

Big hug - on top of everything else, I really hope you're ok x

 

[richyb]

my DAFNE course was arranged through my the diabetic nurse at the GP surgery.

 

[Propertyoflife]

Thanks everyone - I'm glad this isn't the norm.

I'm hopeful the consultant was having an off day and this isn't going to become an acceptable level of care.

I think I will see how things go next month with both the consultant and dietician and hope things are different. Obviously if nothing changes then I will look to follow the valuable advice given here.

In the meantime I will pay my GP a visit and see if they can help.

Thanks for your replies - sometimes I think it helps just knowing you aren't alone.

H x

 

[Snapsy]

@Propertyoflife I'm horrified to hear how you were treated. That is utterly unacceptable!

It's absolutely not normal - please, please complain. Firstly you deserve an apology, secondly they need to answer your questions and not fob you off.

Disgraceful!

Hope you're okay after such a horrible experience.

Love Snapsy x

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Obviously unacceptable treatment. In the meantime I would try to get the excess weight down by following a low-carb diet. This may help any consultant take you seriously (it shouldn't matter but based on your last experience....). I personally wouldn't treat seeing the dietician as a priority as you can get all the diet advice you need on this forum. I assume you are on the Basal/Bolus insulin regime; let us know if not.

 

[Propertyoflife]

Hi Daibell,

I am attempting to follow a low carb diet at the moment so hopefully my weight will get better. Unfortunately my consultant has said if I want to see her it needs to be done in conjunction with the dietician and will not see me until after my appointment with the dietician. I am on basal/bolus.

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[tigger]

How horrible! All good advice above. For future reference if you're tense it can stop the blood flowing in blood tests and i'm sure you were after that experience! Good luck in getting a better doctor.

 

[fairylights]

That sounds horrid, but if you were getting on well wit your nurse I would keep seeing her, I find that although most of the consultants are lovely sometimes they are a bit dismissive - whereas the DSN always seems to have time to chat through any issues and can also get you much quicker access to a dietician, also at my hospital they will see you as often as you need help or to get you through a rough patch ....