JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 5,994
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Diabetes, to most doctors (and yes, that includes specialists) it's just something that means a slow end to you. They can't or won't keep up with developments, ( think funding, lack of time, research....) and when there is a clear solution like a low carb lifestyle, years of indoctrination about the EatWell plate or unwillingness of patients to do something more than take a magical pill that'll fix everything, will basically not motivate them to mention the alternative, if they even know about it. They just don't know how to help you. Some do. Some are interested. My doc is clueless about T2, by her own admission, but I'm her guinea pig in all this, and willingly so, because she's learning right along with me...! The only one in her practice who went low carb (Not surprisingly, as the DN doesn't advice it), and ended up beating T2 into submission. Needless to say I am NOT seeing the dietician anymore (I had two, one in the hospital and one at the GP, and both pushed low fat, high carb... Of course. And both realised they got to me too late because I was cutting carbs already and seeing results, so sticking with that!). And I haven't seen the practice's DN more than once either. She was nice, (And her last name was Cat, so I couldn't do anything but love her) but she was clueless.I have a really good relationship with my Dr. Great guy who has been very supportive through suicide planning, strokes etc.
But when it comes to my Diabetes I cant help but feel very let down.
Blood test tells him I am pre-diabetic. Doesn't explain what that actually means or what I should do about it.
Second test confirms Diabetes.
Sent to Diabetic nurse. She checks feet, gets me put on medication, weighs me, looks at me critically and tells me I could "lose a few pounds" ( I am 6'4" tall and weighed 15st at the time) ..and that was it.
No advice about diet. No advice about lifestyle. Nothing.
Subsequent visits have seen me told not to eat grapes, my weight, once down at 14st 5lb, has still had the "well you could lose a few pounds" comment and my feet are always fine.
I have asked what I should eat and been told, "No grapes and no sugar..if you can help it!" and that's the extent of any dietary advice.
So, in four years since diagnosis, I have felt woefully unprepared and very let down by a system that gives no guidance, no support and criticises when it goes wrong but is incapable of advice to get you back on track.
Anyone else ?
Basically it is a lack of information, too little time per patient due to time-constraints and finances... Which happens everywhere these days. When a doc takes the time to keep up to date and read books by Dr. Fung for instance, well.. It's rare. I do believe they'd want to, I think being a doc or nurse is a calling and extremely hard and underappreciated work... But T2... The professionals dropped the ball there. But then it IS a lot to take in, and we, those who live with it, have little choice but to make a study of it if we want to get better or achieve remission. We pour time into it (and money, what with all the test strips...), but hey, if it works...