Diabetics R Us

[Bluetit1802]

It is on my notes that carers and nominated family members can order and pick up my repeats. This had nothing to do my drugs and everything to do with ticking boxes. I do not want a review and I refuse to be bullied into having one especially, most especially, when the review has been booked with a HCA!

As you can prpbably tell I am still incandescent with rage.

So what are you going to do? I would also be incandescent with rage.

 

[Guzzler]

So what are you going to do? I would also be incandescent with rage.

I'm not sure, I can't think straight. If it wasn't for my pain meds I would sack the whole shabang, Diabetes included. I just keep thinking why the condition that troubles me the least (in real terms of day to day wrt QoL) is getting all the attention and that if they had concentrated this hard on my primary condition my QoL would perhaps approach somewhere near normal.

The blood draw is tomorrow noon but the review isn't scheduled for two weeks. I could cancel both appts but the same thing would happen next time I need a rep script (if they don't decide to throw me off the Practice list in the meantime). I don't know what to do.

 

[BloodThirsty]

It is on my notes that carers and nominated family members can order and pick up my repeats. This had nothing to do my drugs and everything to do with ticking boxes. I do not want a review and I refuse to be bullied into having one especially, most especially, when the review has been booked with a HCA!

As you can prpbably tell I am still incandescent with rage.

Tsk! Tsk! This will push your bloods up you know.
Seriously, this has nothing to do with the GP who has no time or inclination to bother checking review dates.
This is an intransigent administrator (but I bet you can think of a better name).
Been there myself and totally sympathize.

 

[Guzzler]

Tsk! Tsk! This will push your bloods up you know.
Seriously, this has nothing to do with the GP who has no time or inclination to bother checking review dates.
This is an intransigent administrator (but I bet you can think of a better name).
Been there myself and totally sympathize.

Indeed, the receptionist said, after reading the almighty screen, that she'd have to check with the Practice Manager. I shall Practice Manager his a** up and down our street if he tries this trick again.

 

[Guzzler]

One ray of sunshine on this lousy day was that someone finally took the statin off my rep script list. Yay!

 

[Bluetit1802]

I'm not sure, I can't think straight. If it wasn't for my pain meds I would sack the whole shabang, Diabetes included. I just keep thinking why the condition that troubles me the least (in real terms of day to day wrt QoL) is getting all the attention and that if they had concentrated this hard on my primary condition my QoL would perhaps approach somewhere near normal.

The blood draw is tomorrow noon but the review isn't scheduled for two weeks. I could cancel both appts but the same thing would happen next time I need a rep script (if they don't decide to throw me off the Practice list in the meantime). I don't know what to do.

Just bite your tongue and go. Have the bloods taken, see the HCA for the review, nod and smile, say nowt of any importance, go home, and that will be that until the next time. If your pain meds are about to run out before this review, then you need to get on the phone and do some foot stamping.

 

[Guzzler]

Just bite your tongue and go. Have the bloods taken, see the HCA for the review, nod and smile, say nowt of any importance, go home, and that will be that until the next time. If your pain meds are about to run out before this review, then you need to get on the phone and do some foot stamping.

I got my meds but they wouldn't give me the script until after I'd made the appts. It's tantamount to blackmail.

 

[JohnEGreen]

Yes it is blackmail but the important thing is you have your meds, let them have their little victory but stay steadfast in your determination to have the last say in your treatment. Big hugs for you and the stress they have caused you.

 

[SaskiaKC]

It is on my notes that carers and nominated family members can order and pick up my repeats. This had nothing to do my drugs and everything to do with ticking boxes. I do not want a review and I refuse to be bullied into having one especially, most especially, when the review has been booked with a HCA!

As you can prpbably tell I am still incandescent with rage.

I would be too. I have had problems myself getting a doctor to refill ativan prescriptions, and you can't just quit that cold any more than you can most pain meds. With many pain meds, opioids in particular, the doctor can't even phone the prescription into the pharmacy. You have to take in the written one yourself.

Sorry, I don't know what an HCA is.

 

[SaskiaKC]

I'm not sure, I can't think straight. If it wasn't for my pain meds I would sack the whole shabang, Diabetes included. I just keep thinking why the condition that troubles me the least (in real terms of day to day wrt QoL) is getting all the attention and that if they had concentrated this hard on my primary condition my QoL would perhaps approach somewhere near normal.

The blood draw is tomorrow noon but the review isn't scheduled for two weeks. I could cancel both appts but the same thing would happen next time I need a rep script (if they don't decide to throw me off the Practice list in the meantime). I don't know what to do.

I would be absolutely furious and also really stressed and frustrated and scared. Does it help to talk to your pharmacist? Sometimes mine will fax in the refill request to my doctor since we all know each other by now.

 

[SaskiaKC]

@JoKalsbeek I just looked at your lunar eclipse photograph again. It is absolutely beautiful.

 

[Guzzler]

I would be absolutely furious and also really stressed and frustrated and scared. Does it help to talk to your pharmacist? Sometimes mine will fax in the refill request to my doctor since we all know each other by now.

I think I may have said it all wrong. There is no problem with my medications, the problem stems from being overdue for a Diabetes review. To force me to make appointments for the review they withheld the prescription. Once made, I was given the script no problem.

A HCA is a Health Care Assistant which (over here) is someone 'qualified' to weigh, measure and mop up.

 

[zauberflote]

Oh my gosh @JoKalsbeek what a shot!!!!! We had clouds by the time we got to totality after midnight so the 3 second peek I was granted looked very dirty and brown. All that staying up late for not as much as hoped for!

 

[SaskiaKC]

I think I may have said it all wrong. There is no problem with my medications, the problem stems from being overdue for a Diabetes review. To force me to make appointments for the review they withheld the prescription. Once made, I was given the script no problem.

A HCA is a Health Care Assistant which (over here) is someone 'qualified' to weigh, measure and mop up.

Before I qualified for Medicare I went to one doctor who would only refill blood pressure prescriptions for three months at a time. He would not refill after that unless I went to see him, and each time I went to see him he would just check my blood pressure and charge me $50. One time I had to borrow the $50 from a friend of mine, whose church funded it. I hated being charged for an office visit when I could have checked my BP free at the pharmacy. But, to do him justice, I think that was how he made his living, he did serve a lot of low-income people like me, so he had to have an income from somewhere. Another doctor didn't want to refill prescriptions after a certain time without doing blood work, and that cost over $100, plus the price of the office visit just to see him.

I'd never thought I'd look forward to turning 65, but doing so meant I could start seeing a doctor regularly and not having to pay out of pocket for it.

 

[Guzzler]

Before I qualified for Medicare I went to one doctor who would only refill blood pressure prescriptions for three months at a time. He would not refill after that unless I went to see him, and each time I went to see him he would just check my blood pressure and charge me $50. One time I had to borrow the $50 from a friend of mine, whose church funded it. I hated being charged for an office visit when I could have checked my BP free at the pharmacy. But, to do him justice, I think that was how he made his living, he did serve a lot of low-income people like me, so he had to have an income from somewhere. Another doctor didn't want to refill prescriptions after a certain time without doing blood work, and that cost over $100, plus the price of the office visit just to see him.

I'd never thought I'd look forward to turning 65, but doing so meant I could start seeing a doctor regularly and not having to pay out of pocket for it.

One of the reasons (but by no means the main reason) that I havn't been for a review is that I was told in person and by letter that I would have to have the blood draw in the next health center or at the local hospital. This would leave me out of pocket when to be honest there are a dozen people who could (and have in the past) do a blood draw at my Practice.
In England we can under certain circumstances have Patient Transport (non medical ambulance) take us for appointments/tests etc but I prefer not to use this service as it is stretched almost to breaking point. We do have the option of claiming back the cost of transport to and from hospital appointments too but again I prefer not to claim for the same reason.

 

[heh]

Morning all

Reading about your doctor issues makes me thankful for our GP practice. I can't fault their service. Maybe we are just lucky. Also my DIL is a GP so we can ask her for general advice (obviously non specific).

It's warmer this morning and raining here. Hope the rain stops for my walk to work.

Have a good day.

H

 

[Antje77]

It's officially cold today. Woke up and had to warm up my meter before it would work. It advertises as working at 4 degrees Celsius and above, the main reason why I chose this meter, as my last one gave up below 8 or so, which meant I had to warm it up most of the winter in my bedroom.
Not sure if it was below 4 in my bed this morning, but the kitchen felt positively balmy while the thermostat there said it was 5.5 degrees. I guess it's almost time to keep my insulin in the fridge to keep warm at night

 

[Ponchu]

It's officially cold today. Woke up and had to warm up my meter before it would work. It advertises as working at 4 degrees Celsius and above, the main reason why I chose this meter, as my last one gave up below 8 or so, which meant I had to warm it up most of the winter in my bedroom.
Not sure if it was below 4 in my bed this morning, but the kitchen felt positively balmy while the thermostat there said it was 5.5 degrees. I guess it's almost time to keep my insulin in the fridge to keep warm at night

Now that’s some serious in door cold!

Negative °15 F here but in house a balmy 45!

Under the cold, If the meter gives you a really healthy reading, it’s just got to be accurate.

 

[SaskiaKC]

It's 1 degree below freezing outside here, very clear and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. I want to go out and play but it's far too cold. One thing I like about the climate here is that most of the time in the wintertime when it's very cold it's also clear, and when we do get "precipitation" it's usually warm enough that it's rain and not snow. Tomorrow is expected to be about 20 degrees warmer than today and I hope the rain will hold off long enough for me to go pick up a prescription and mail a package.

 

[Antje77]

We have snow, yippee!