Feeling very belittled by the pharmacist

uart

Well-Known Member
Messages
424
Type of diabetes
Type 1.5
Treatment type
Insulin
You are very astute Uart. Yes I am overweight and I have been all my adult life, despite an active, hard working, good living lifestyle :-(. The only time I was a "healthy" weight was just before I diagnosed, I had dropped 4 stone in weight, very quickly, with no effort. Despite that obvious type 1 symptom, my GP insisted I was type 2 because I was fat. After 2 years of struggling to control my blood glucose and literally starving myself to keep my sugars down, I begged for insulin and was finally referred to hospital where they the full range of tests, Low and behold, I am Type 1.

Wow FlakeyBake. That's interesting to me, as it really does mirror many aspects of my own case. In my case however, I struggled with pre diabetes and insulin resistance for quite a long time before gradually gaining weight over many years. Then like you did, I had extremely rapid weight loss over just a few weeks prior to being diagnosed T2 with extremely high BGLs.

You may already know this, but perhaps I can give you more insight into your particular case, as some aspects seem so similar to mine. I believe that you probably had insulin resistance over many years, which makes it very easy to put on weight and close to impossible to lose it. This is a metabolic disorder in which the body has difficulty using carbs for energy as efficiently as a normal person does, which in turn makes it much more likely that you'll turn these unutilised carbs into fat. Moreover, the low fat high carb diets that all the "experts" recommend only exacerbates this situation!

During the prediabetes phase the body compensates for your difficulty in moving glucose from your blood into your muscles and cells (where they can be used for energy), by producing more and more insulin. This of course leads to weight gain. As you gain weight the insulin resistance gets worse and eventually you move to full type 2 diabetes or (and this is what I think happened in my case and probably yours as well) the pancreas burns out from over producing for so many years and pretty much stops making insulin. So now you've kind of got the characteristics of both T1 and T2, in that you are at least somewhat insulin resistant and you're also not producing very much of it.

In my case it wasn't until just this year when I started a low carb high fat diet (using dietary fats for energy instead of carbs), that I was suddenly able to not starve and yet lose weight. I've lost 10kg so far, and only probably only need to lose about another 5 or so to be in a relatively healthy weight range. To me this pretty much dispels the myth that weight loss is just "calories in calories out" and "will power". Metabolism, and metabolic problems in particular, plays such a big roll as well. I know for certain that I've tried much harder (and gone a lot hungrier) in the past and had very little success with weight loss. The LCHF diet doesn't exactly cure insulin resistance, it's more like it just bypasses the metabolic problem by shifting from carbs to fat for the bulk dietary energy. If you want to reduce your insulin demand, which in turn greatly helps with weight loss efforts, then take a serious look at the LCHF sub forum here. :)


I was ridiculously relieved, it wasn't my fault anymore. I have lived on the other side and my heart goes out to the type 2s, who faced with so much discrimination every day.
I assume that when you say "relieved it wasn't my fault anymore", that you are referring in to how other people perceived your condition rather than how you genuinely felt about it yourself. It really is a shame the way that so many people, including a large percentage of healthcare professionals, see it that way.

The problem is that it's basically a "chicken and egg" situation, in that being overweight can cause insulin resistance, but equally validly, insulin resistance very strongly drives weight gain. So the question arises as to which of the two occurred first? The reality is that (depending on the individual case) it may have happened either way. However the "it's all your fault crowd" simply assume that it was the former. From my own personal experience however I now strongly believe that the insulin resistance metabolic disorder can be the primary cause rather than the result in many cases.

Take a look at this video to see why it's NOT all your fault. :)
 
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Flakey Bake

Well-Known Member
Messages
160
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Wow FlakeyBake. That's interesting to me, as it really does mirror many aspects of my own case. In my case however, I struggled with pre diabetes and insulin resistance for quite a long time before gradually gaining weight over many years. Then like you did, I had extremely rapid weight loss over just a few weeks prior to being diagnosed T2 with extremely high BGLs.

You may already know this, but perhaps I can give you more insight into your particular case, as some aspects seem so similar to mine. I believe that you probably had insulin resistance over many years, which makes it very easy to put on weight and close to impossible to lose it. This is a metabolic disorder in which the body has difficulty using carbs for energy as efficiently as a normal person does, which in turn makes it much more likely that you'll turn these unutilised carbs into fat. Moreover, the low fat high carb diets that all the "experts" recommend only exacerbates this situation!

During the prediabetes phase the body compensates for your difficulty in moving glucose from your blood into your muscles and cells (where they can be used for energy), by producing more and more insulin. This of course leads to weight gain. As you gain weight the insulin resistance gets worse and eventually you move to full type 2 diabetes or (and this is what I think happened in my case and probably yours as well) the pancreas burns out from over producing for so many years and pretty much stops making insulin. So now you've kind of got the characteristics of both T1 and T2, in that you are at least somewhat insulin resistant and you're also not producing very much of it.

In my case it wasn't until just this year when I started a low carb high fat diet (using dietary fats for energy instead of carbs), that I was suddenly able to not starve and yet lose weight. I've lost 10kg so far, and only probably only need to lose about another 5 or so to be in a relatively healthy weight range. To me this pretty much dispels the myth that weight loss is just "calories in calories out" and "will power". Metabolism, and metabolic problems in particular, plays such a big roll as well. I know for certain that I've tried much harder (and gone a lot hungrier) in the past and had very little success with weight loss. The LCHF diet doesn't exactly cure insulin resistance, it's more like it just bypasses the metabolic problem by shifting from carbs to fat for the bulk dietary energy. If you want to reduce your insulin demand, which in turn greatly helps with weight loss efforts, then take a serious look at the LCHF sub forum here. :)



I assume that when you say "relieved it wasn't my fault anymore", that you are referring in to how other people perceived your condition rather than how you genuinely felt about it yourself. It really is a shame the way that so many people, including a large percentage of healthcare professionals, see it that way.

The problem is that it's basically a "chicken and egg" situation, in that being overweight can cause insulin resistance, but equally validly, insulin resistance very strongly drives weight gain. So the question arises as to which of the two occurred first? The reality is that (depending on the individual case) it may have happened either way. However the "it's all your fault crowd" simply assume that it was the former. From my own personal experience however I now strongly believe that the insulin resistance metabolic disorder can be the primary cause rather than the result in many cases.

Take a look at this video to see why it's NOT all your fault. :)
Yep yep yep check and check. I agree and can empathize with everything you have said. I was diagnosed as polycystic ovary syndrome at aged 22 (hormone imbalances but no ovarian cysts) and over the years I have played around with my diet and have found higher carb leads to greater hormone imbalance, bloating, hunger, extreme fatigue, aches and pains and diminished general wellbeing. I have no doubt that I have suffered with insulin resistance for many years resulting in weight issues prior to autoimmunity type 1 developing. What a ****** mix!. I moderate carb, but I don't think it is enough. I keep gearing myself up to go low carb, but balancing that with family meals is proving a challenge. Some work to do I think.

To answer your second question as to whether I was relieved it wasn't my fault anymore". I went for 2 years assuming type 2 only, my own fault, I was disgusted with myself. Disgust is such a strong word, but appropriate to how I felt at the time. The rational side of me knows better, and gets intensely annoyed with people who label me fat, lazy, weak-willed etc and absolutely bloody furious about the way type 2 are societies "new lepers" in the press, but at the same time some of their nastiness seeps through the armour. So at times, I do blame myself. At times I feel slightly crazy with the swings in emotions regarding diabetes. Anyway, I am going to go and watch the youtube video you posted because I think it will be motivational. Thank you Uart for all your support xxx
 

Ladybirdy75

Well-Known Member
Messages
281
I had a bad experience at Lloyds pharmacy today. I admit I screwed up a little. For several reasons, including massively changing insulin requirements, I did not get my repeat prescription ordered in time with enough of a safety net to ensure that I do not run out early next week. So I thought I would ask at the pharmacy, where I collect my repeat prescription, for and advance on my prescription/emergency prescription. I have never had to do this before. I am normally very organised. I was immediately met with a lecture on how I should be more organised and threats of being fined by having to pay the full private costs of insulin. I was so angry and upset. They made me feel like I was 5 years old (though I would speak to a young child with far more respect and compassion). I did point out that I have never screwed up before, that I don't intend on making a habit of it and juggling 7 prescriptions that all run out at different times, whilst working full time, travelling a lot for work, raising a 5 year old child, and several disasters this week I have had to deal with, is VERY difficult, which had no effect whatsoever. The threats of fine were repeated and I was told I was only allowed one mistake in my life (NHS policy apparently). I admit I kind of shouted a bit at that point and was essentially told that writing additional prescriptions is wasteful and I am a drain on the NHS. I left (with my insulin) but shaking uncontrollable and in tears.
I am having a really tough time controlling my diabetes and am feeling drained and down generally, I am just about hanging on in there by the skin of my teeth. This mornings confrontation has put me in an emotional tail spin. I have spent the day in bed just crying. I can just about handle all life throws at me, but not the shi££y attitudes of officious jobsworths who are meant to help us. Why can't people show more compassion. SHAME ON YOU LLOYDS!!!!!!!

What a horrid experience for you. Please try to not let it get to you for too long. As another commenter pointed out, you may have been on the receiving end of someone's very bad day. I'm having problems with Lloyds too, not ordering in my heart meds and various other things, so much so I've just taken myself off their prescription collection service.

Make sure you write to their head office as no matter what the problem is they should not be talking to their customers like that.

oooh i could crush a graaaape
 

lizdeluz

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,306
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
What a drag that you had to deal with this!
I've had some run-ins myself, for example, recently, when I was making sure I had enough insulin and test strips to take on a holiday. I was called 'Dear' in a snotty tone on the phone by the pharmacy assistant and was reminded of the blah blah number of days needed for the GP/pharmacy machine to creak its way slowly forward over the desert.
I asked if she would prefer me to telephone the next day and she seemed to find this acceptable! :)
Usually, though, these people are one-offs and an exception and haven't been doing their job long enough.
Usually, the GP/pharmacy/me link works ok.
 

tigger

Well-Known Member
Messages
558
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
registrars asking silly questions
I hope you get this sorted out. My experience has been that you get a much better service and relationship from independent chemists and bad experiences in chains. This is because independent chemists care about their business and are therefore keener to keep customers. All my independent chemists will advance me part of a prescription if they have it in stock. Recently my chemist went and borrowed a packet from another chemist as i needed something urgently and it was a very rushed prescription and not one of their routine stock. Build a relationship and they will chase the gp for you.
 
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spikyonyx

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Stupided bloody sensationalist news headlines about a cure for diabetes when they mean another possible treatment method for type 2 management.
Idiots asking if I'm watching what I eat... 'Why, no. Whatever for? I'm intentionally poisoning myself with every mouthful I consume!"
I switched from Lloyds pharmacy years ago, they were terrible. They aught not be so patronising and should work on their people skills!
However, any pharmacy you routinely use should sub you in an emergency and file for the script afterwards.
I recently got sent home from hospital with a 'goody bag' full of bloodpressure tablets and anti DVT shots and they totally forgot to give me back my insulin from the fridge. The pharmacist was shocked to find I had non whatsoever but was fine and allowed my partner to pop straight down to get some.
Prior to that,I had a batch get 'nuked' in a faulty refrigerator during the summer. I had no problems at all asking for and receiving an emergency supply without prescription or payment.
Change pharmacy... They are providing you a service and you don't need any **** off of them :)
 

Flakey Bake

Well-Known Member
Messages
160
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Thanks everyone. I have changed pharmacy, unfortunately it is another Lloyds, but hopefully the pharmacist will be more helpful.
 

happier than you

Well-Known Member
Messages
51
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
A lot of medical related (vaguely or otherwise) people seem to be very patronising to diabetics. I get talked down to all the time. They often assume you are stupid for some reason. And on benefits. I have a computer engineering degree, but i often get talked to like i'm mentally handicapped. Also they usually assume you are incredibly poor. I have no idea how much these 'fines' are, but i earn at least twice the average annual salary so i think i'll be ok somehow. If i got 'threatened' with a fine, depending on my mood, i may well have a pretty big strop!

I also found the pointless diabetic passport thing, no idea what happened to that because i never filled it in and just binned it, fairly patronising too. I got told i wouldn't get my insulin without it. Well, i still am doing and nobody has ever mentioned it since! And i really dislike that the online repeat prescription service won't let me order a repeat until a certain date. I'm not a crminial, i'm not just ordering it to sell on ebay thank you. I'm ordering it to avoid getting all deathy and that!
 
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