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1st visit with diabetic nurse

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basher132

Member
Messages
19
Just come back from my 1st appointment with the nurse. The advice she sat and gave me she was reading directly from the diabetes.co.uk website that she had printed off, and had it in front of her whilst talking to me.
The dietary advice was directly from the website, ie healthy diet, cut sugar, lose weight, etc. There was no specific advice to cut carbs, even though 1. I need to lose weight, and 2. she knew enough to tell me that carbohydrates get converted to glucose !
Also, no meter, although I did ask. Apparently, if type 2 diabetics monitor their blood sugar too closely, they get anxious, and their blood pressure suffers......
Incidentally, my latest figures are 5.8 after waking , and 7.6 two hours after a meal. I know that the 5.8 isn't bad, but what should it be after eating?
Cheers,
John
 
It seems odd to me that the general view on this forum is that reduced carb diets are most beneficial for people with diabetes, particulary type 2. but as you say the information on the main site regarding diet is similar to that of diabetes UK etc.

Maybe your GP would prescribe you some test strips if you already have a meter.

what should it be after a meal can be difficult with differing opinions. usually health care professionals will say 7-10 is acceptable. i would be inclined to say that the lower the better and if you can get your post prandials back to what they were before the meal then thats ideal. but when people are on insulin being in range at 2 hours can cause hypos at 4 hours. so it's as low as possible without risking hypos. my personal target is 5-7.5 after meals.
 
I wonder if it was from here,diabetes .co.uk or from diabetes UK which is what they usually go by?
 
Desirable BG levels are No higher than 7. That is known to be the level at which vascular damage begins. Anything higher is hurting you. Look at Diabetes 101. there the figure quoted is 7.8, which you need to divide by 1.12 to get the value as a wholeblood calibrated meter would give it 7.8 / 1.12 = 6.96. 7.8 is on a plasma only calibrated meter.
 
Apparently, if type 2 diabetics monitor their blood sugar too closely, they get anxious, and their blood pressure suffers......
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The expression "horse ****" may be banded around a lot these days, however... :shock:
 
sugarless sue said:
Where you been then,Lion?
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Working lots. Selling I.T services from your own company gets a lot harder when Gordon Brown is telling everyone they can't afford it (i.e. "WE IN A RECESSION, PANIC NOW!"). But I'm back, er, and not for entirely unselfish reasons as you may notice in my new thread.
 
basher132 said:
Also, no meter, although I did ask. Apparently, if type 2 diabetics monitor their blood sugar too closely, they get anxious, and their blood pressure suffers......
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That doesn't happen if they discover the truly appalling effects of the diet and use the meter thuswise

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm

That almost inevitably causes a reduction in blood pressure and lipids also.

It really is worth buying your own, and your own strips, and testing a LOT initially (you can cut back later as your BG becomes more predictable). Then you take in graphs of the result and tell them how you achieved it. They DON'T like that <evil grin>
 

The thing was, after I asked for a meter, she asked me whether I had bought one, to which I replied I had, she wanted to know what my latest figures were ! So much for not needing a meter.
John
 
Hi John, I too had similar problems with my nurse, i.e. reading from script and just plain ignorance. Words of wisdom from the diabetic nurse: "Your not the same as other people, when you eat a bar of chocolate your body won't process it the same". I've kicked her into touch and insist only on seeing my GP now. Take the advice of the people on this forum; don't listen to idiots.
 
Popps,while agreeing that not all DN's are well versed in diabetes not all HCP's are idiots!Each must be taken on merit.
 
Hi Sue, I didn't say that all HCPs are idiots. There's competent and incompetent people in all professions. What I said is don't listen to idiots - take advice and make your own considered judgement. I get the impression that some - not all - HCPs are comfortable in dealing with compliant patients. That's something I've experienced - the I'm right, you're wrong opinion, even if the advice given is clearly idiotic.
 
Well I agree with you there,Popps.Take some of them out of their comfort zone and they are floundering about,lost.It saddens me that a lot of so called DN's seem to have done very little in the way of advanced practice training on the subject.
 
sugarless sue said:
Well I agree with you there,Popps.Take some of them out of their comfort zone and they are floundering about,lost.It saddens me that a lot of so called DN's seem to have done very little in the way of advanced practice training on the subject.
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I've never met a "diabetic nurse" as such at our practice, but the nurses I have met seem to know their stuff and unlike the doctors they don't seem to be so constrained in what they are "allowed" to tell you. At least one has mentioned low carbing and another pointed out the benefits of looking at the GI. They didn't look over their shoulders so much as the doctors when suggesting such heresies.
 
That's good then,Trink.All the nurses I have toe the party line and tell you that you just don't have to test etc etc.
 
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