Anybody else panic at the doctor's?

[donnellysdogs]

Hi Susie,
How about a contract. You get yourself sorted, so will I.

Ive been putting off registering with a GP for about 6 weeks and yes I am panicking at the thought of actually doing it .

I officially left France at the end of November. I have six months supplies of pump consumables, 4 months of strips and enough insulin for about the same time .
I have to explain to a GP that may think only young people get T1 that I was diagnosed 14 years ago at the age of 53 (and yes they did all the tests and I had to spend 10 days in hospital and no I'm not as thin as I was at diagnosis)
I have to explain to a new GP that I use a pump but unfortunately I am using an old pump.This is becaus the French now rent pumps by the day rather than buying them as they used to do.The company that rents them out insisted I had to return it. Fortunately, the nurse who I have seen for the last 12 years about my pump felt dreadful about her employer's ruling and made sure I had enough supplies and we checked my old 'mothballed'pump was still functioning . Since I really need a new pump, I need to ask my new GP for a referral to a department that I know is 'pump' friendly.
Oh and I need to tell the GP that I also have hypothyroid and I need a prescription for thyroxine
I have got documentation : Here is my prescription and here are all my x rays, blood tests, mammograms, scans etc for the past 14 years; Sorry but they are all in French and use different units to the UK.

How to approach it, I don't really know but like you Susie I need to face it.
Any tips Dr Bailey?

Docs in UK dont look too much at notes from other hospitals to be honest.

You will see a consultant and all they may have in front of them is a blank bit of paper as they start from scratch logging things on to the computer systems. Different hospitals cannot view another hospital computer files.

I've moved hospitals 3 times in 2 years and honest... every consultant has just started off with a blank file...

 

[donnellysdogs]

Also the best thing for taking to a new GP is just a copy of your last prescription..... that way they can ensure they select and issue the correct drugs again... shouldnt be difficult.
Majority of GPs here do monthly prescriptions.

You would need to oay for them until you have completed an exemption form from GP and you have received the card.... other wise you can get hefty penaltys.

 

[tigger]

@phoenix consider giving input a call. They can advise you on which hospitals are pump friendly. They have details on their website too. You need a GP first to get into the system. Do it now, it won't take long and do the hospital yourself. GPs don't usually have budgets for pumps. Most of my stuff comes from the GP (insulin, strips) but all pump consumables are from the hospital (I call up medtronic and say which hospital I'm with as they set up my account).

Good luck. Take someone with you to the appointment if you're concerned.

 

[duranie]

Hi, I hate going to my GP.
I have other earth conditions, not least being in remission from cancer. Yet I am alsways made to feel like I am wasting his time or being a nuisance. The surgery has just installed a new online service for prescriptions and appointments etc, and you can see what they have as your conditions too. They had me down as Type 2 Diabetes. When I queried this, I was told ‘well you were and you progressed to type 1’. No, I never was. I was misdiagnosed as type 2 15 years ago as I was in my 30s, however I was put onto insulin after 3 days and rediagnosed by an endocrinologist within a month. This stupid GP has made me fear going even when I am unwell, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
He also lectured me about breast cancer, when I had colorectal cancer...I’m currently looking at changing GP but to be honest, the past 2 have been so bad, I fear I I will never find a good or useful one..

 

[herosmum]

Panic ? No. I just don't go to see one anymore. They are not there to cure you, that's for sure, so why really bother ? The only thing they do is **** you off. When i have high hba1c, they tear me apart. When i have normal hba1c, they still tear me apart, then because i'm not working, not socialising, not going out of home.

I have done exactly that too. I used to be in fear of what the doc or diabetic review nurse would say and then I realised - I'm an adult, my health is all down to me and I will not be treated like an errant child because I have a disease that isn't going to be cured by the drugs they supply. Maybe some folk will say I'm an idiot to go this way but I am only happy when I feel ok and in control of my diet etc. I slowly came off all the prescribed , meds hideous Metformin and the others to combat its side effects except the high blood pressure tabs but reduced that to 25% of doc dose and my bp is now stable. Of course I care hugely about my health but not at the cost of self confidence in myself.

 

[hooha]

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
I went to a specialist recently for a pre op general check, and in the interview gave her some website links I had been using to control [ and to reverse ] my type 2 diabetes. She shoved them in the file without more than a glance. Not interested in another nutty patient with his diabetes theories ? A few months later I went in with my new lab results. '' What is this ? Are you taking any medications ? '' ' No. '' '' How did you do this ?'' I told her it was in the slips I had given her and she scrabbled through her file to find it. How ? Exercise and diet, a combo of Prof Roy Taylor and Dr Michael Mosley and the internet and low carb... .But most GP's are NOT interested until they see ' Evidence based results ' or clinical trials etc . So hard to talk to them. Things must change soon.

 

[hilmat01]

Hi hooha well done. You are right the GP’s are not interested until they see the good results. I was at my yearly diabetic appointment last week. The results were very good. The doctor and I had a chat and he came to the conclusion that as far as he was concerned I was on a HEALTHY DIET. They are a joke. I haven’t been able to exercise at the moment but can you imagine what my next results will be like when I get back to my swimming. It will be interesting as to what he will have to say then. This low carbing is working great for me why don’t they just recognise it and say well done. I have heard that they are sending some diabetic nurses over here to low carbing sessions. The mind boggles. I do hope that things do change soon.