New type 2 and GP Practice doesnt have appointments for 6 months or more

Jellytott

Newbie
Messages
2
Hi I am type 2 but told it is because I am fat 13 stone , I have a professional job and have early starts so I need to drive back home and get an appointment then or on every other Friday I do not work.
My GP merged , now I cannot get to see my diabetic nurse unless I go to this **** surgery elsewhere , no appointments to fit in with work and nothing at all given except Glucophage which gives me the trots.
I have been on probation at work due to being off at first.
No monitoring
No advice except give up potatoes - not happening - love mash , jacket and sometimes chips
Really feel my GP has shafted me and I'm almost out of meds as I cannot see anyone.
The next nearest doctors is also this alliance , in fact 70% is all the same 45 mins on hold to get an appointment , reported to the nhs commissioner , now they are on measures.
Sadly this does not help.
by next month I will have dropped out of the meds radar unless I get an appointment before then.
 

Guna108

Well-Known Member
Messages
179
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi I am type 2 but told it is because I am fat 13 stone , I have a professional job and have early starts so I need to drive back home and get an appointment then or on every other Friday I do not work.
My GP merged , now I cannot get to see my diabetic nurse unless I go to this **** surgery elsewhere , no appointments to fit in with work and nothing at all given except Glucophage which gives me the trots.
I have been on probation at work due to being off at first.
No monitoring
No advice except give up potatoes - not happening - love mash , jacket and sometimes chips
Really feel my GP has shafted me and I'm almost out of meds as I cannot see anyone.
The next nearest doctors is also this alliance , in fact 70% is all the same 45 mins on hold to get an appointment , reported to the nhs commissioner , now they are on measures.
Sadly this does not help.
by next month I will have dropped out of the meds radar unless I get an appointment before then.
Hi @Jellytott I am sorry to hear about your situation with the G.P. When he/she diagnosed you did they refer you to the local Diabetes Education Team? If so, then you should get a letter soon inviting you to a DESMOND course which some people have found really useful. This forum has helped me so much and you can get answers to your questions on here whilst you wait for an appointment. I'm early on in my 'diabetes journey,' but have found the other posters on here to be a valuable source of information and support. My GP diagnosed me, told me not to eat rice and then said come back in 3 months for another HbA1C test, so I can understand your concerns. I teach, so can only get day time appointments at half terms. Best wishes.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi I am type 2 but told it is because I am fat 13 stone , I have a professional job and have early starts so I need to drive back home and get an appointment then or on every other Friday I do not work.
My GP merged , now I cannot get to see my diabetic nurse unless I go to this **** surgery elsewhere , no appointments to fit in with work and nothing at all given except Glucophage which gives me the trots.
I have been on probation at work due to being off at first.
No monitoring
No advice except give up potatoes - not happening - love mash , jacket and sometimes chips
Really feel my GP has shafted me and I'm almost out of meds as I cannot see anyone.
The next nearest doctors is also this alliance , in fact 70% is all the same 45 mins on hold to get an appointment , reported to the nhs commissioner , now they are on measures.
Sadly this does not help.
by next month I will have dropped out of the meds radar unless I get an appointment before then.

You sound quite ticked off, and rightfully so. And yeah, glucophage (metformin)'ll do that to you. I lived in the loo until I stopped that stuff. On top of that it's not an especially effective med, as it doesn't do much about the carbs you ingest. Just tells your liver not to dump glucose, but that's a fraction of what is going into your bloodstream; foods impact your body more than your liver's dumps do.
...And it sounds like you love your carbs. It doesn't happen often that a doc actually gives sort-of good advice, like cutting spuds from your diet (there's a lot more to cut, but hey, it seems they're getting slowly clued in), but if you're not willing to do it, well... That does leave only medication, and you'll need to see someone about that somewhere, sometime. It's insane you can't be seen sooner...

You're going to hate me for this, I'm sure, but if you run out of medication and you're not in a position to get any elsewhere, the only option that remains for bloodsugar control is, and I'm sorry to say this, cutting carbs. That's not just spuds, but bread and related products too, as well as pasta, rice, cereal, fruit... (Told you, you were going to hate me). Bacon's back on the menu though, if that's any consolation.

One good thing though: You didn't get diabetes because you are, as you put it, fat. Your weight is a symptom of becoming a T2, not a cause of it. When you can't process carbs because you're insensitive to your own insulin, and the resulting blood glucose can't be burned off, instead of burning it, it just gets stored in fat cells. When those stores are full, the glucose overflows into your organs, bloodstream, urine, and boom, THEN you're diabetic. It's a cause-and-effect thing, and genetics, so... No-one can blame you there. Just so you know. (Hope you hate me a little less now. ;) )

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ is a little quick-start guide, should you, even temporarily until your medication gets sorted -and there's more in the world than glucophage/metformin- choose to control your bloodsugars this way. It's better in the long run to go for diet, whether with medication or without, as it reduces the odds of complications drastically, but it's your choice. At least you know you have the option if medication's turning out to be troublesome to get.

Good luck eh.
Jo
 
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M

Member496333

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If you buy a meter and test your blood glucose often, I suspect you may soon change your position on not giving up certain foods. The choice is yours though, of course.
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi I am type 2 but told it is because I am fat 13 stone , I have a professional job and have early starts so I need to drive back home and get an appointment then or on every other Friday I do not work.
My GP merged , now I cannot get to see my diabetic nurse unless I go to this **** surgery elsewhere , no appointments to fit in with work and nothing at all given except Glucophage which gives me the trots.
I have been on probation at work due to being off at first.
No monitoring
No advice except give up potatoes - not happening - love mash , jacket and sometimes chips
Really feel my GP has shafted me and I'm almost out of meds as I cannot see anyone.
The next nearest doctors is also this alliance , in fact 70% is all the same 45 mins on hold to get an appointment , reported to the nhs commissioner , now they are on measures.
Sadly this does not help.
by next month I will have dropped out of the meds radar unless I get an appointment before then.
Your health will affect you for the rest of your life so it is worth making a small sacrifice. If making appointments by phone is difficult why not visit the surgery in the evening or on one of your Fridays off and make an appointment. If that means taking a half day off work to see the doctor surely it is worth it. You should bear in mind that Glucophage has very little effect on blood sugar, so unless you are happy with the doctor prescribing an ever increasing strength of drugs, you need to modify your diet. It is your health and adopting an attitude of "It's not going to happen" about your diet, will only result in you suffering in the end.
 

TriciaWs

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,727
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
If you decide to try lowering carbs then hopefully you'll come to enjoy the substitutes. I make my own cauliflower rice (in the oven) but you can buy it ready made - it's good with curries. Then there is 90 second bread, made in the microwave, and halloumi 'chips' for dripping into eggs.

I was lucky and got my diabetes under control by going to 85g of carbs - this allowed me to have some 85% or stevia sweetened chocolate.
And full fat greek yogurt with fresh raspberries (or raspberries and double cream) makes a good dessert.
There are so many options, and plenty of good sites, even recipes for low carb pizza bases.
 

Norfolkmell

Well-Known Member
Messages
249
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Tattoos, carers calling me lovey or duckie when I've only just met them
Hi Jellytot
You are not alone, all of us were newbies once and some of us are still learning. Does your surgery offer online appointments and prescription requests? Most do these days. Have you got nurse practitioners at your practice, it might be easier to see one of those instead of a GP? Also they must surely offer same day appointments? I found at a previous practice all I had to do was keep saying "and I need to see someone today" usually got results. The practice I'm with now run a triage system, you ring and a Doctor rings you back and you just have to say "I need to see a Doctor today no it cannot be sorted over the telephone" or " I need to see Dr A this week as he is the only one that understands my medication " that usually works especially as I have over 20 different things and the other doctors don't want the hassle.
Buying a blood glucose monitor is the best way to find out what foods spike you and those that have minimal effect. Keep a record and test before and two hours after eating and what you you have eaten.
Look around these forums there's loads of helpful advice and support.
111 is a good resource as well but don't wait until you are out of medication. Yes Metformin doesn't help in lowering blood sugar and it does take some time to adjust to your system but it does have some benefits.
Let us know how you are getting on, there is light at the end of the tunnel but you may have to use your own torch as my Dad used to say.
 
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xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi @Jellytott and welcome to the forum. Not as drastic as your situation, but in November 2017 I was told I was diabetic T2 and told to go away, enjoy Christmas and they would see me in the New Year. I left the surgery feeling abandoned, no meds, told I would probably be put on insulin and I didn't even have the knowledge to ask what my HbA1c number was.

BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME. Yup, shouting that from the rooftops.

I came home, got on the computer and had a long discussion with Dr Google. I found this forum which saved my life. It became glaringly evident that as a T2 my body could not process carbs and if I wanted to improve the situation, I had no alternative but to change my diet. I would also have to get a glucose meter to see how food was impacting me.

I found out that my HbA1c was an eye watering 122. I decided that low carb was too high carb for me and elected to go keto, less than 20 carbs per day. I downloaded the mySugr app to record my readings and food diary. Boy was that enlightening and highly motivating.

Four months later, I had an unexpected HbA1c test. I tried to wriggle out of it, I wanted another month of keto diet, I didn't believe the estimated HbA1c that mySugr was providing. No chance. Anyhoo. The nurse went quiet, stared at the gizmo thingy for a while. I asked what it was, she said "never seen anything like it, 35". Ha! Take that T2!

I know you are angry and frustrated. Use the time to research this site, read the stories. You will get the best support here. Yes you will grieve the loss of your spuds (I so look forward to Christmas day, roasties done in beef dripping and the meter in a drawer) but you are looking at your long term health. There is a lot of amazing food out there, once you know how to search for it.

Research, research, research. Get The Diabetes Code by Dr Jason Fung. Watch his YouTube videos. This is your life we are talking about here, not mine nor anybody elses.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. You are unlucky in having such a poor surgery system. As others have said, Metformin only ever has small effect so don't worry if you need to stop it. Metformin SR (Slow Release) is much kinder so try to ask the GP to change the script. Why isn't your Metformin on repeat? Surely it should be. You need to insist on online access to your records and medication re-ordering; CCGs now encourage that. The only real solution for you is to go low-carb long-term to get the weight and BS down. Forget the mash and only have it occasionally like I do. It will take time to re-align yourself to a different diet but we have all had to do it and it works. Get a meter and then you can see what foods affect you most.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
You say that you love potatoes - but do they love you back?
If you are a type two diabetic then it is the starches and sugars in your diet which are the problem - but a far bigger issue is how much do you want to get back to normal levels of blood glucose and maybe lose some weight (which can be so easy eating low carb foods).
My surgery don't seem to care much either - but I just changed my diet and I am officially in remission now so I don't need attentive doctors or specialist help.
I take tablets for my failed thyroid - but I just ask for a repeat prescription. If you want to continue taking tablets you could write and ask to be changed to the extended release version if you are not on them - if it is not on your next prescription point that out and ask for it to be corrected as an emergency - surely you can go to the surgery on the Fridays you are not at work to collect prescriptions.
Type twos are rarely monitored - we do not need to test according to the NHS guidelines - but it is possible to get low cost meters and test strips mail order, and it is a good idea to see just how high some foods push blood glucose.
 

BaliRob

Well-Known Member
Messages
596
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Noisy dogs and loud music especially low-note drumming
Hi I am type 2 but told it is because I am fat 13 stone , I have a professional job and have early starts so I need to drive back home and get an appointment then or on every other Friday I do not work.
My GP merged , now I cannot get to see my diabetic nurse unless I go to this **** surgery elsewhere , no appointments to fit in with work and nothing at all given except Glucophage which gives me the trots.
I have been on probation at work due to being off at first.
No monitoring
No advice except give up potatoes - not happening - love mash , jacket and sometimes chips
Really feel my GP has shafted me and I'm almost out of meds as I cannot see anyone.
The next nearest doctors is also this alliance , in fact 70% is all the same 45 mins on hold to get an appointment , reported to the nhs commissioner , now they are on measures.
Sadly this does not help.
by next month I will have dropped out of the meds radar unless I get an appointment before then.
I am sorry that I have to say this but your anger at being Diabetic will cause you to have an early death. You have the choice mashed potatoes and chips OR die early - it's quite simple. You will not miss leaving the offending food out of your diet. Please make the right choice. The other posters are just being polite and not helpful !!
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am sorry that I have to say this but your anger at being Diabetic will cause you to have an early death. You have the choice mashed potatoes and chips OR die early - it's quite simple. You will not miss leaving the offending food out of your diet. Please make the right choice. The other posters are just being polite and not helpful !!
Everyone goes through the anger phase, it's part of the grief process that goes with a diagnosis. Is diet a better option? Sure it is. We've both found that out the hard way, I take it. And I've said as much, too. But if someone really, really doesn't want to, isn't ready to change diet now, may never be ready to change diet for a multitude of reasons... That's their choice. Their life to live. And forcing something on someone when they're already angry, I have a feeling, is not going to help. My best friend always tells me he can't live without his spuds and rice. He's developing quite a belly now, indicating he's becoming insulin-resistant, and his mum's heart tore because of T2 complications. After a decade of living on the couch, unable to leave the house or even reach the kitchen, because her feet and legs just didn't function anymore. He was her primary carer, so he knows what complications look like, and he was by her side when she went to the hospital for the last time. If he loves his food more than he does his quality/quantity of life, then I'll continue to let him know that it may be a poor choice, but one HE makes. I'll love him and he'll be my friend regardless of his choices. And if he should change his mind and ask for help, I'll be right there too, to help him figure out his new lifestyle.

The best we can do it give someone *all* their options, the hows and why's of them, so they can make an informed choice. What they do with that knowledge is up to them.
 
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HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,465
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
The best we can do it give someone *all* their options, the hows and why's of them, so they can make an informed choice. What they do with that knowledge is up to them.
So true. Lead a horse to water and all that. For some medication is and always will be their first choice over diet and we should respect that. So long as they understand it won’t undo all the damage being done - just slow it down - leading to a progressive disease and complications, in the very vast majority of cases.

I’m convinced though if every new type 2 got a meter for 3 months along with good guidance on how to use it to check their meals the results of that alone would convince a fair few diehard carb eaters to rethink.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
So true. Lead a horse to water and all that. For some medication is and always will be their first choice over diet and we should respect that. So long as they understand it won’t undo all the damage being done - just slow it down - leading to a progressive disease and complications, in the very vast majority of cases.

I’m convinced though if every new type 2 got a meter for 3 months along with good guidance on how to use it to check their meals the results of that alone would convince a fair few diehard carb eaters to rethink.
Not to derail, but because our cat's an insulin-dependant T3c diabetic, I happened to have a meter and strips handy. The day after I found out I had T2, I made a curve, testing every hour, on the hour. That was the last day I had buns for lunch, three years ago. Took me 3 months to figure low carbing out, for the most part, but I didn't need more than one single day seeing my numbers go nuts, to decide diet was going to be my thing! ;) Ah, if only we were in charge of the NHS eh... Meters for everyone! Strips galore! ;)
 
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JenniferW

Well-Known Member
Messages
561
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I've struggled since being diagnosed T2 in 2015, but only recently have started to see the whole carbs issue as more like an allergy in what it's demanding of me. In other words, having to accept that my body just can't process carbs in the way someone without this condition can. And that like most things, it's a mixture of drawing a short straw on the genes and the lifestyle I have of way less exercise than decades ago (I'm now in my 70s), and loads more food around than there certainly was in my family then. The food issues are way more difficult for some of us to get our heads around than it seems to be for some people. But then I always suspect those of us who struggle and often fail don't come here too often shouting out about that.

Do you know about the X-PERT courses? You're entitled to go on one of them and it's a self-referral system. You contact them direct to get your place. You need to have blood tests done for it - they'll tell you what - but you can get those done without seeing a GP.

My GP is as dire as yours sounds. I'd be lost without my X-PERT course, which made me understand just what I was facing, a local Diabetes-UK group with a lovely secretary who I can ring up about problems, this forum, plus the LOWCARBPROGRAM app, which I got onto via Diabetes UK posts on Facebook.
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi again. Ref carbs, you don't need to give them up but set yourself a daily limit of, say, 150gm, or less if you can.
 

HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,465
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi again. Ref carbs, you don't need to give them up but set yourself a daily limit of, say, 150gm, or less if you can.
I’d agree for some people reducing them slowly works best allowing chance to get used to one change at a time, for others it’s easier to cut them out cold turkey and get over the withdrawals and cravings more quickly as retaining too many carbs just provokes the craving for more.

For many type 2 it’ll need to end up a fair bit lower than 150g to get good results on diet alone though. However it could be a good starting point if doing it gradually.
 

Stephen Lewis

Well-Known Member
Messages
207
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Hypocrites, liars, donald trump (no capitals for emphasis)
Hi Jellytott
Hope you are still around and listening to what everybody says. Just over 12 months ago my so-called specialist said, "I can't do anything more for you, you are on your own." Sounds like your doctor. Then a friend told me about this site and forum and I discovered I was not on my own. I have had more help and information from the people here than all my medical professionals put together. The results - I have lost over 30 lbs about 2 st. and now down to about 11 st. Also sounds like you. I have stopped taking insulin and you don't want to get there. I still have Metformin but half the dose of 12 months ago but no other diabetic meds. I do eat very small quantities of potatoes at most meals but try to keep my daily carbs to about 50 gms (reduced to that level over a few months) and each meal to less than 20 gms. Do start testing as this is the only way you can see what foods have the worst affect on your glucose levels. You never know, you may be able to eat a higher amount of mashed occasionally.