• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Anybody else panic at the doctor's?


Just looked where you live. Same place as me. I think we are very lucky judging by comments on here. Also, attended a diabetes conference and was horrified by some of the stories. It seems terrible that we have one NHS but such vastly different care.
 
Hi Jay- I've been Type 1 for 58 years so have seen many diabetic specialist quacks in my time. I used to feel a bit intimidated like yourself but managed to get over it by meeting it head on and by almost making a joke over a poor HBA1c by saying to him something like " I suppose you're going to give me a bloody great bollocking this time eh? ! Well I don't care because it's MY DIABETES AND MINE ALONE! They usually say " oh no I'm not going to do that" your control isn't too bad or acceptable or words to that effect. They back pads like mad- its a joy to watch! Don't be frightened of these guys is the key in my opinion, they are human beings after all and **** and defecate like everybody else on the planet! it's your Type 1 NOT THEIRS!
 
I went to my gp and told him I was going low carb
I told him I found this site. Well talk about body language I felt uncomfortable he couldn’t even look at me just kept his eyes on the computer. He obviously doesn’t agree with low carbing giving the chat we had. I had been keeping a food diary along with my hba1c results which I thought were good. He didn’t want to look at it. He said it wouldn’t be a true record. I came out thinking to myself well I’ll show you just wait until my next clinic appointment which of course should have been December. So I’m thinking the longer it takes for them to send me an appointment my levels and weight should be better. At my next appointment the conversation should be interesting. I have printed out some interesting information. What I have learned after being type 2 for 13 years is that you just need to look after yourself because they are not really that interested it they don’t have the time.
 
Hi there

I’m Type 1 and a GP too. I would be the first to admit that not all GPs are clued up about diabetes, be it type 1 or 2. Does your Practice have a specific nurse for diabetes? If not and you are not in a position to change surgeries I would respectfully request a referral to your local Diabetes Specialist Nurse. It is completely unacceptable these days not to have a source of advice and support to help you manage your Diabetes. It also sounds as though your GP might be lacking in empathy. Never a good thing!
 
JayLeigh3679 said:
I feel like changing to a GP with more knowledge would be ideal, I'm stuck with where I am for the moment though.

It is worrying when the person who is meant to be helping you has said that I know more about Diabetes than them..
Click to expand...
You will know a lot more than them the longer you have had this truly horrible disease. They don't have to live with it every hour of every day of every year like you.
 
Awful attitude. It's like a brick wall. Even when your next figures are better, they will dismiss it. If so, you must carry on.
 
Our local diabetes nurses are no better.
 

Spot on - Type 2 or Type 1 - it's down to you to look after yourself as best you possibly can to avoid serious complications down the road ahead. Like you say- they don't really have the time at the clinic or docs to make that much of a difference. " Going through the motions" is most of the quacks I've ever seen Good luck Bud !
 
NewTD2 said:
My GP told me that my A1c of 46% is “normal”, which clearly isn’t!!!

She hasn’t got a clue about diabetes so I changed GP/surgery straightaway!
Click to expand...
I think HbA1c of 46 is very good. What do others think?
 
Thanks for your reply much appreciated. Although I’m just checking through the threads and think I have posted this in the the type 1 section by mistake sorry about that I’m new to this.
 
Find another GP. My GP and Endo have frequently told me that 'we' (Dr and I) need to work out how to improve my HbA1c, but neither have NEVER made me feel like a failure, exactly the opposite and I have had some horrible HbA1c results. When you find a great GP hang onto them. My Dr visits are oh gooddy I'm off to see a friend. All they need to do is provide tea and a cake or preferably a beer! NB and CM your the best!

I hope you do find a great GP it will make all the difference. Both my Drs would be horrified if they knew one of their customers (yes I deliberately did not say patient) was suffering like you and totally change their approach.

I have seen my GP (whilst waiting) squat down to be on the same level as a ~ 4 year old girl have a chat then take her by the hand and walk off from the waiting room to her consulting room, with the Kid saying mummy you don't need to come (obvisally the kid is frequent visitor, why I don't know).
 
It might be worth contacting your local CCG to see if they hold information on GOs in your area with a special interest in diabetes. Failing that you could try speaking to the secretary in your local hospital diabetes department and asking them if they know who the “good” GPS are as far as diabetes is concerned . You might strike lucky as they often are a mine of information, always assuming you don’t come up against what a call a “brick wall” secretary! In our practice (small) both I and one of my two nurses have Type 1. So, Captain Sensible, some of us DO know what it is like! But even if the doctor does not have diabetes, what they need is an ability to see things from your point of view. I always say to my patients with diabetes that of course they live with it 24/7 so they HAVE to know how to look after themselves, but we are there for the more “techie” bits like reviewing blood tests, discussing and explaining diet, lifestyle and medication and helping them to look after themselves as well as possible. It’s a partnership, definitely not a one way thing and no Doctor should EVER be patronising or make a patient feel as if they are not worth bothering about. Of course we all have our bad hair days, doctors and patients alike (we’re all human after all) but you get to know what your doctor is like pretty quickly, especially if you have a long term condition like diabetes. Don’t put up with second rate Care. You are worth every bit as much as anyone else. I am sure I have patients who think I am a **** doctor. My advice to them is that we don’t get along with everyone and they might be better off seeing someone else who they DO get on with
 
HI there is no easy way here. I DID the Newcastle Diet in spite of active discouragement from the GP. After I got my blood sugars down I phoned them up and almost scolded them , and I got a weak response i.e
' ' er---congratulations --- but we don't recommend that because most people cant do it...' I pushed on, complaining at later visits until one GP confessed she would have done the same as me if she had high blood sugar, but she ''could not advise me '' as it was ''not in the NICE guidelines '' Later I got a second opinion on that from a young dr in a hospital canteen and the guidelines are just that - guides not regulations. She could have advised me if she wished, and she admitted it was the best treatment after I pushed. So the GP's in that practice were dissembling. I got NO SUPPORT and the diabetes nurse was ignorant of cholesterol ratios , triglyceride levels, and wanted to put me on statins. [ I definitely don't need them according to information and lectures freely available on line . These people are singing from the wrong hymn book.
I demanded to see a consultant and wished to pay privately. They did not even want to give me a name. When I did go off and find one and got in to see this specialist I asked him if he '' followed the work of Prof Roy Taylor'' and he sort of admitted he didn't !
So no joy there ?
However I think he was more receptive after we talked for nearly two hours and I showed him my improved lab results.
Now that the double blind clinical trial [ DIRECT] is over and Prof Taylors hypotheses and ' cure ' is proved perhaps things will change.
If you are nervous why not print out your lament above and this reply and perhaps some others and go in with several copies and slam it on their desks. See what happens next.
Good luck .
 

Dr Bailey,

I’m very sad to tell you that my first meeting with my Diabetic Senior Nurse was quite an unpleasant experience.

I was diagnosed at Barnet A&E with diabetes after a severe Ketoacidosis last Sept 2017.

Unfortunately I was discharged the next day due to “lack of beds” and didn’t hear anything from my GP or Diabetic team until around 6 weeks later!

When I finally had a meeting with my DN, she immediately pricked my finger, showed 9mmol/l and told me I need to be put on insulin straightaway without any explanation whatsoever.

She very quickly and abruptly showed me how to inject myself in a very rushed manner, and “off you go and goodbye, get on with it”, sort of attitude.

The whole session lasted less than 6 minutes.

Literally in tears and I went home shocked, completely helpless and lost. And the worst thing was the frequent hypoglycaemia attacks which was all new to me and didn’t know what to do. I also made several mistakes with injecting myself with insulin!

I tried to call my DN several times but the office was always on voicemail, the whole team were always out.

I ended up conducting my own research online and thank God I found this site and all the wonderful people here!

Andrew
 
That’s truly appalling and something no-one should have to put up with but sadly it happens. My nephew was diagnosed with Diabetes in 2016. Losing weight ++ and so obviously type 1 to anyone who had eyes to see. GP registrar referred him to diabetic specialist nurse and was told he should be contacted in a month or so. Kicked up a stink and was seen earlier to be told that he probably had type 2 and we’ll see you in a couple of months. Dietary advice consisted of “don’t drink alcohol at all as it has sugar in and don’t eat sweets and we’ll see you in a couple of months. Fortunately I was able to advise, otherwise he would have ended up in ketoacidosis pretty quickly. Patients must not tolerate care like that. One word of advice though. Never tell a doctor or nurse like that that they are useless, even if they are. Just respectfully request a second opinion and if it doesn’t happen, a.) complain formally and b.) vote with your feet if you can. Good doctors and nurses encourage constructive criticism, bad ones don’t.
 
I get around the whole GP issue by not going to see them. Definitely not recommended, but my experience with GP, and the consultant I was assigned to means it's a waste of everyone's time.
 

I just changed surgery straightaway because I felt all alone and uncared for.

Now my new GP is excellent and my go to person/people now are NOT my DN or diabetic team but from this wonderful forum.

Thank you for your advice Dr Bailey I really appreciate it.

I hope I can also come to you if I have questions?
 
Sure, no problem. I’m currently laid up having broken my leg falling off my bike (No, exercise IS good for diabetes, at least if done sensibly!). So, for the next 3 weeks or so I have time on my hands though posting here is something I wouldn’t normally have time to do. The disintegrating NHS is wholly another subject all together. I’d like to think that most of us DO care but it’s not easy when you’re fighting fires every day of every week. I hope that you get the care that you deserve.
 
JayLeigh3679 said:
Anybody else panic at the doctor's?
Click to expand...

Only if my appointment runs into more than the twenty minute mark when it will cost me $120.00.

Or if he snaps on a latex glove, and says "drop your pants and bend over".

Get panicky then...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…