Doctors aren't always right

[Concordjan]

A lot of people just don't know about lchf, I didn't for 9 years. Many do just trust their healthcare team and assume they are getting the right information. I keep putting things on Facebook to try and help spread the word. Every little helps!

 

[carty]

My daughter lives in Ireland and when she went to the GP with a problem he asked if she had Googled it !
CAROL

 

[James2]

hi rob2465
first of all congratulations ,unfortunately your doctor is one of many as is mine, i am sure that i am one of many who trusted there medical team NO longer !!
i am taking two of the prescribed metformin half the prescribed dosage, i had a blip for two days and the odd lapse but i have learnt so much from this forum and whilst i have a significant amount of weight to shift it is coming down and my numbers are improving my doctor wont do a HBa1C until February ,but i have bought a blood sugar monitor ( GP refused said on type 2 i did need one!! )and i am learning which foods give me a spike .

i have gone from take away,ready meals and restaurants ,high carb ,cheeses with everything to making my own meals the recipes i have downloaded from this site are great and

 

[James2]

Hi All diagnosed August with Hba1c of 92 and told to take metfomin, refused this and said I would try something different. He said ok come back in 3 months but you will definitely be on Metformin. 3 months later and 17 kilos lighter and low carb as suggested on here, Hba1c 35 and no action required, not even an appointment or a question how I did it. Come back in 6 months written on my notes. Thanks to all on here who have done the same and inspired me

 

[James2]

hi rob2465
first of all congratulations ,unfortunately your doctor is one of many as is mine, i am sure that i am one of many who trusted there medical team NO longer !!
i am taking two of the prescribed metformin half the prescribed dosage, i had a blip for two days and the odd lapse but i have learnt so much from this forum and whilst i have a significant amount of weight to shift it is coming down and my numbers are improving my doctor wont do a HBa1C until February ,but i have bought a blood sugar monitor ( GP refused said on type 2 i did need one!! )and i am learning which foods give me a spike .

i have gone from take away,ready meals and restaurants ,high carb ,cheeses with everything to making my own meals the recipes i have downloaded from this site are great and

Hi All diagnosed August with Hba1c of 92 and told to take metfomin, refused this and said I would try something different. He said ok come back in 3 months but you will definitely be on Metformin. 3 months later and 17 kilos lighter and low carb as suggested on here, Hba1c 35 and no action required, not even an appointment or a question how I did it. Come back in 6 months written on my notes. Thanks to all on here who have done the same and inspired me

 

[James2]

hi Rob2465
my hospital was no better admitted with non diabetic problem informed admitting nurse i was type2 , i had a symbol on my bed indicating i was type 2 and assured me the kitchen would automatically know .

when the options arrived i querried was this the diabetic options and told yes ( with a look as if i was gaga!)

breakfast choice ;
orange juice , porridge, Wheatabix , rice crispies , corn flakes.

dinner;
orange juice , pasta bake or chicken with roast potatoes and carrots and rice pudding
tea
a tiny sugar free pot of jelly , with sandwiches
supper sandwiches
thankfully from a food point of view only in for two days , the nursing and medical care was professional, efficient and thorough so excellent experience from that aspect
James2

 

[Stallen]

I must quite lucky my GP and I wasn't seeing eye to eye on my Heath matters, after an initial 2 months of crossed swords they have been marvellous, during the past 11 months everything that I've asked for I've been given, meds that I don't agree with have been dropped, extras needed such as test strips and ketosis have been prescribed, as for Google my GP has openly used it in front of me, when they've been stumped for information. I have had some major problems with health an they last few years and it has taken a long time for diagnosis and treatment but it is now a two way street in both dialogue and treatment.

In my case I demonstrated how serious I was/am despite being a somewhat of a noncompliant patient to the normal diabetes patient my results over the year proved I'm taking everything seriously.

An Underlying hormone condition meant I was overweight, unrelated to the diabetes that is now fixed and I'm taking a replacement hormone, hence I'm 30kg lighter than this time last year. Health care providers put all my ailments done to diabetes or my ankylosing spondylitis but were way off the mark.

Currently the fittest I've been in a couple of decades and full of beans.
Although my GP missed a few opportunities over the years to spot the real problem, I can't hold it against them as I'm just one of a few thousand that they have to deal with.

 

[Teetwodee]

Hi All diagnosed August with Hba1c of 92 and told to take metfomin, refused this and said I would try something different. He said ok come back in 3 months but you will definitely be on Metformin. 3 months later and 17 kilos lighter and low carb as suggested on here, Hba1c 35 and no action required, not even an appointment or a question how I did it. Come back in 6 months written on my notes. Thanks to all on here who have done the same and inspired me

Something is not right here
Very difficult to lose 17 kilos in 3 months without specialist help
Did you have a simple urine test for glucose? What was your blood glucose level when your Hba1c was 92? You have had a dramatic drop from 92 to 35 in just 3 months!
It is not possible as the Hba1c would take at least 3 months to change after any intervention be it diet,drugs or surgery.You need to go back to your health professional to be reassessed

 

[Freema]

Something is not right here
Very difficult to lose 17 kilos in 3 months without specialist help
Did you have a simple urine test for glucose? What was your blood glucose level when your Hba1c was 92? You have had a dramatic drop from 92 to 35 in just 3 months!
It is not possible as the Hba1c would take at least 3 months to change after any intervention be it diet,drugs or surgery.You need to go back to your health professional to be reassessed

I have lost 18 kg in 3,5 month on purpose 1000 calories a day, and that can be done... also without any other reason than a strict diet..

 

[Brunneria]

Something is not right here
Very difficult to lose 17 kilos in 3 months without specialist help
Did you have a simple urine test for glucose? What was your blood glucose level when your Hba1c was 92? You have had a dramatic drop from 92 to 35 in just 3 months!
It is not possible as the Hba1c would take at least 3 months to change after any intervention be it diet,drugs or surgery.You need to go back to your health professional to be reassessed

Have a look on the low carb success stories thread.

Turn arounds like this take a lot of effort, determination and grit, but they aren't uncommon here on the forum.
Although i think they are virtually unheard of in the world of standard T2 treatment.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/low-carb-success-stories.3763/
Welcome to the forum, by the way!

 

[chalup]

Something is not right here
Very difficult to lose 17 kilos in 3 months without specialist help
Did you have a simple urine test for glucose? What was your blood glucose level when your Hba1c was 92? You have had a dramatic drop from 92 to 35 in just 3 months!
It is not possible as the Hba1c would take at least 3 months to change after any intervention be it diet,drugs or surgery.You need to go back to your health professional to be reassessed

Hi and welcome to the forum. For some going very low carb can decrease blood glucose readings from the 20's down to 4-5's in a couple of days. It can also cause very rapid weight loss, particularily if the person has quite a lot to lose. It also seems to happen more quickly for men, probably hormone related.

 

[nanny_ali]

Hi All diagnosed August with Hba1c of 92 and told to take metfomin, refused this and said I would try something different. He said ok come back in 3 months but you will definitely be on Metformin. 3 months later and 17 kilos lighter and low carb as suggested on here, Hba1c 35 and no action required, not even an appointment or a question how I did it. Come back in 6 months written on my notes. Thanks to all on here who have done the same and inspired me

Brilliant

 

[welovedzig]

Hubby was diagnosed type 2 18 months ago. He was just over 11 stone and 5 foot 10. Diabetes is on all of his Dad's side. Whilst not offered metformin the dr wanted to put him on statins immediately. We were given an appointment with the nurse who had less idea about diet than I had in my 3 days of researching. So we did it all ourselves, wish I had found this place sooner though. Due to change of diet i.e. no carbs, he lost over 2 stone in about 6 weeks and went down to 9 stone. He is now bottomed out at 10 stone. We went back after 3 months and the doctor said it was like a miracle as he was now classed as prediabetic and after 2 fasting tests he is off the diabetic register with the reassurance that he can have a blood test every year. He used to have pineapple juice, cornflakes, toast and a yoghurt drink for breakfast, butties for dinner and loads of baked beans for tea or similar. Now he is in a bowl of porridge with blueberries and a Tesco Cholesterol Blueberry drink with not much sugar for breakfast, fritatta or such for dinner and he can tolerate potatoes nicely so say chicken, spuds and loads of veg for tea. He has spiked this weekend for the first time in ages and we are wondering if it is the antibiotics he is on but he stopped them 2 days ago and his test strip was pure blue today. Good luck everyone, every day is a challenge but worth it - even all the cooking from scratch that takes me ages!!

 

[welovedzig]

Hubby was diagnosed type 2 18 months ago. He was just over 11 stone and 5 foot 10. Diabetes is on all of his Dad's side. Whilst not offered metformin the dr wanted to put him on statins immediately. We were given an appointment with the nurse who had less idea about diet than I had in my 3 days of researching. So we did it all ourselves, wish I had found this place sooner though. Due to change of diet i.e. no carbs, he lost over 2 stone in about 6 weeks and went down to 9 stone. He is now bottomed out at 10 stone. We went back after 3 months and the doctor said it was like a miracle as he was now classed as prediabetic and after 2 fasting tests he is off the diabetic register with the reassurance that he can have a blood test every year. He used to have pineapple juice, cornflakes, toast and a yoghurt drink for breakfast, butties for dinner and loads of baked beans for tea or similar. Now he is in a bowl of porridge with blueberries and a Tesco Cholesterol Blueberry drink with not much sugar for breakfast, fritatta or such for dinner and he can tolerate potatoes nicely so say chicken, spuds and loads of veg for tea. He has spiked this weekend for the first time in ages and we are wondering if it is the antibiotics he is on but he stopped them 2 days ago and his test strip was pure blue today. Good luck everyone, every day is a challenge but worth it - even all the cooking from scratch that takes me ages!!

 

[welovedzig]

Oh and can I just say that my dad was also diagnosed 4 years ago and that was because he was fat. He went to the Desmond's programme and I felt like screaming at the people who were hosting it when I said he shouldn't be having bread and they were saying it was OK to have a couple of slices of the stuff that has seeds in and about 250 calories a slice not to mention loads of sugar. I really came to blows with one of them. I told my dad he just needed to lose weight and he did, was really good about it and now he is prediabetic. The NHS is throwing loads of money at the 'epidemic' but not in the right places IMHO. grrrr rant over

 

[rob2465]

All the info I have given is correct. Weight loss 17 kgs Hba1c 92 now 35 in 3 months. It can be done and I have done it. Very hard work and very little food, have since lost another 2kgs. Rob

 

[kokhongw]

Hi All diagnosed August with Hba1c of 92 and told to take metfomin, refused this and said I would try something different. He said ok come back in 3 months but you will definitely be on Metformin. 3 months later and 17 kilos lighter and low carb as suggested on here, Hba1c 35 and no action required, not even an appointment or a question how I did it. Come back in 6 months written on my notes. Thanks to all on here who have done the same and inspired me

Well done! Yet another "anecdoctal" evidence that the medical community dismisses...while screaming about the lack of resources and diabetes epidemic. Duh.

 

[prancer53]

Clearly there is a lack of joined up thinking here on the part of medics...................55 years ago when I was diagnosed, aged 8, all medics involved sang from the same hymn sheet. I was taught well and after 3 weeks in hospital, for stabilisation & massive attempt to gain weight (I was 2 stone), I knew cho content of foods (had to weigh everything-still do) incl sweets and chocolate (allowed that because it was believed that putting a blanket ban on sweets for kids encouraged habitual cheating with ensuing dangerous consequences--so sensible)!! As long as I counted the correct amount of cho at the times I needed to eat I could eat what I wanted. Obviously, even as an 8 year old with a voracious appetite, I figured out that I could eat far more low cho foods plus lots of protein and most green veg with a meal/ buffer than a silly, skinny slice of cake!!! No brainer really!!!! Only time I really ate sweet things was at kids parties when I wanted to be the same as everyone else--I could have 50g cho at tea time so could eat a chocolate marshmallow @ 15g, scoop of ice cream (10g), chocolate digestive 10g and a slice of bread (if it was thin sliced) 15g, as much meat & cheese as I wanted & so on. I either took my own sugarless drink (only available at Boots--Roses Lime Cordial or Boots own sugarless orange or lemon---pop also that was sugarless made from water from Strathmore Springs--a real treat) but most of the time I just drank tap water or milk (but that had cho--10g for a 7 oz glass). I really liked water--I hate it now though--overdosed so went off it!!!! Can still remember making all these types of sweet foods last whilst eating so I didn't have to sit with no food watching others eat!!! Can also remember my Mother giving me buzz tests before parties to ensure I was confident in counting the cho allowed!!!! I just accepted that I had to be careful & I never ever wanted to feel the way I had before diagnosis. All these years later I still do exactly the same. 5 jabs a day which I adjust when necessary, numerous blood tests, & 100g cho daily split over 3 meals @ 30g each plus 10g before bed to stop night hypo (use favourite sweets for hypos too). HBA1C always between 4-7 & no complications.

 

[Freema]

Clearly there is a lack of joined up thinking here on the part of medics...................55 years ago when I was diagnosed, aged 8, all medics involved sang from the same hymn sheet. I was taught well and after 3 weeks in hospital, for stabilisation & massive attempt to gain weight (I was 2 stone), I knew cho content of foods (had to weigh everything-still do) incl sweets and chocolate (allowed that because it was believed that putting a blanket ban on sweets for kids encouraged habitual cheating with ensuing dangerous consequences--so sensible)!! As long as I counted the correct amount of cho at the times I needed to eat I could eat what I wanted. Obviously, even as an 8 year old with a voracious appetite, I figured out that I could eat far more low cho foods plus lots of protein and most green veg with a meal/ buffer than a silly, skinny slice of cake!!! No brainer really!!!! Only time I really ate sweet things was at kids parties when I wanted to be the same as everyone else--I could have 50g cho at tea time so could eat a chocolate marshmallow @ 15g, scoop of ice cream (10g), chocolate digestive 10g and a slice of bread (if it was thin sliced) 15g, as much meat & cheese as I wanted & so on. I either took my own sugarless drink (only available at Boots--Roses Lime Cordial or Boots own sugarless orange or lemon---pop also that was sugarless made from water from Strathmore Springs--a real treat) but most of the time I just drank tap water or milk (but that had cho--10g for a 7 oz glass). I really liked water--I hate it now though--overdosed so went off it!!!! Can still remember making all these types of sweet foods last whilst eating so I didn't have to sit with no food watching others eat!!! Can also remember my Mother giving me buzz tests before parties to ensure I was confident in counting the cho allowed!!!! I just accepted that I had to be careful & I never ever wanted to feel the way I had before diagnosis. All these years later I still do exactly the same. 5 jabs a day which I adjust when necessary, numerous blood tests, & 100g cho daily split over 3 meals @ 30g each plus 10g before bed to stop night hypo (use favourite sweets for hypos too). HBA1C always between 4-7 & no complications.

how extremely well you are managing, so fine wish you all the best of luck in the future too...

 

[Daibell]

Oh and can I just say that my dad was also diagnosed 4 years ago and that was because he was fat. He went to the Desmond's programme and I felt like screaming at the people who were hosting it when I said he shouldn't be having bread and they were saying it was OK to have a couple of slices of the stuff that has seeds in and about 250 calories a slice not to mention loads of sugar. I really came to blows with one of them. I told my dad he just needed to lose weight and he did, was really good about it and now he is prediabetic. The NHS is throwing loads of money at the 'epidemic' but not in the right places IMHO. grrrr rant over

I have seen many bad reports about Desmond on these forums over the last few years. Although some areas have the right balance, many don't and I think with the harm they can do to so many and the ridiculous length of 1 week to me means they should be stopped until the NHS gets the dietary advice right (never?) and reduces the course to, say, 2 days. The money saved could be better spent elsewhere.