frustrated with NHS etc - having a moan

[juliekem]

hello, I was diagnosed with type 2 dibetes in 2009 and have got increasingly frustrated with the lack of real help i can get from the NHS. Their diet doesn't really help me and I have to buy blood testing strips and needles etc for myself.
I do not understand why we are advised not to eat diabetic chocolates when they don't affect my blood sugar - we all need a treat occasionally and lets face it - they are self limiting (as anyone who has eaten too many will have discovered.)
I struggle with food so I tried one week on Atkins and my blood sugar returned to that of a non-diabetic but I couldn't keep it up (also it is not very healthy long term, of course.)
Do they expect us all to be saints? i feel patronised by th advice available and I feel that it is set up for us to fail. It is as if the medical profession want to be ableto blame the patient for their own condition! I am fed up with being told that my condition is due to poor diet and lack of execise - I have walked dogs every day since my marriage 30 years ago and have never eaten a high fat diet. In spite of this I have slowly but steadily gianed weight depsite trying every diet out there!

Consultant was a bit more open-minded - he did comment that there was a relationship between diabetes and body weight but they don't know which way round it is!

 

[badcat]

Dont start me!!
Since the menopause, my diabetes has been much harder to control and at my last diabetic review, my Hbalc had shot up from 6.5% to 8% - the response of the doctor SHO I think) who had never met me before and who I saw first at this appointment was to come out with a patronising and rather flirtily delivered" you've been being naughty havnt you!!". I told him I was actually eating exactly the same as before and if he had bothered to look at my notes he might be better able to judge the siuation.
he then called in the consultant, who Ive seen on most visits, who told him the same and then suggested I go on another medication (Januvia). I deceided having read the possible side effects of januvia to try restricting carbs and re-testing self to find out what foods specifically effect BM's - 5 weeks on and completely unaided by the NHS, Ive lost a stone and have had consistent morning BM's in the 5's for the past month whereas they were 8-10's previously

 

[izzzi]

Hi,

You are absolutely correct in what you say. :thumbup:

The meter and strips that we have to buy are the only daily link we have to guide us with some kind of control.

This forum has been so good and fully understand our requirements.

I also take my dog for walks, yet they tell me I should run with the dog instead of walking. What planet are they on !

( I now let the dog drive the car with a rope attached around my stomach so I can run and follow a little faster )

Luckily I have a better time sorting my diet out my way. ( with family help.)

Good Luck

Roy

 

[the east man]

hello, I was diagnosed with type 2 dibetes in 2009 and have got increasingly frustrated with the lack of real help i can get from the NHS. Their diet doesn't really help me and I have to buy blood testing strips and needles etc for myself.
I do not understand why we are advised not to eat diabetic chocolates when they don't affect my blood sugar - we all need a treat occasionally and lets face it - they are self limiting (as anyone who has eaten too many will have discovered.)
I struggle with food so I tried one week on Atkins and my blood sugar returned to that of a non-diabetic but I couldn't keep it up (also it is not very healthy long term, of course.)Do they expect us all to be saints? i feel patronised by th advice available and I feel that it is set up for us to fail. It is as if the medical profession want to be ableto blame the patient for their own condition! I am fed up with being told that my condition is due to poor diet and lack of execise - I have walked dogs every day since my marriage 30 years ago and have never eaten a high fat diet. In spite of this I have slowly but steadily gianed weight depsite trying every diet out there!

Consultant was a bit more open-minded - he did comment that there was a relationship between diabetes and body weight but they don't know which way round it is!

I think the clue is in this sentence. You dont have to be as strict as the Atkins diet, but a low carb diet is possibly your best option. I dont think it has been proven anywhere that a LCHF diet is not healthy in the long term. Keep your head up!!!

 

[Mileana]

Aye, the general starting advice on here is normally 'cut your carbohydrates/starches in half, then adjust from there'.

Having half the pasta/potatoes etc compared to normal would probably be more tolerable for a start than atkins introduction. Some find they want or need to go all the way to there, some don't.

Make up for lost calories with a bit more healthy fat (nuts, olives, avocado....) and green leafy veg like spinach, brocolli etc.

Have your chocolate by all means Just try to get a good, dark regular one that will be more strong flavoured, lower in sugar etc - the diabetic version I think personally just is a way of slightly delaying matters and earning the company a good extra coin when the high cocoa content one is actually better for you and really not that bad in smaller quantities - do compare labels.

Not enough can be said about the crappiness and randomness of much of the established advice sometimes....

 

[juliekem]

I don't like dark chocolate and the emotional content of a square of high cocoa chocolate is almost zero . Compare that to a Thornton's diabetic choc- it is like telling someone to eat a Ryvita instead of a choclate digestive!!!!! I have never eaten chocolate as such, preferring choclate covered confectionery. There are other things such as a Atkins capuccino bar that are deicious and don't affect the blood sugar so why not eat one some times? Who ever eats only because things are good for you anyway? As far as I can see it is sheer madness to tell people not to eat something because it "confers no benefit to the body" - what planet are these people from? We are human beings who eat as much for pleasure as any other reason.
I do not understand your comment about "delaying matters" what do you mean?
As for veg - I eat more veg than most people and always have.

 

[))Denise((]

Some people find that diabetic chocolate has unwanted side effects with their bowels, so it is best avoided. The sweeteners in it can also raise blood sugars. If you don't have these problems then a small amount of it will be ok.

Most of us fall off the wagon now and then. The best thing I found for my diabetes was that I can't eat wheat. Cutting out all bread and not replacing it with anything else has really lowered my levels.