Whilst seeing a GP about a diabetes related issue 3 months after diagnosis of type 1:
Me: Can I also get a prescription for more testing strips
GP: How often are you testing?
Me: About 4-6 times a day
GP: That's too much, you've been diagnosed for 3 months now, why are you so pre-occupied with checking?
Me: Maybe I'll test less in the future but I've been asked to check it at every meal and I'm having 2-3 hypos a day still
GP: Well after 3 months you should know what's happening without testing. I'll give you a prescription now, but just because you get free prescriptions doesn't mean these don't cost money. You need to start taking this seriously, if you'd done so you wouldn't need to test by now.
I was so upset I drove all the way home with me handbrake on. Thankfully the next GP I saw wrote an angry email to this one telling her she was wrong and not to say this to anyone else.
I worked in a hospital pathology laboratory for more than 30 years and had some appalling experiences with doctors managing (or not) diabetics. Two stories, request from a doctor for a blood alcohol. "The patient is lapsing in and out of consciousness and smells strongly of alcohol" In those days we measured alcohol by a roundabout method called osmolality. For the method to work the patients plasma glucose had to be less than 10. The conversation went something like this;
Me - sorry can't do an alcohol, the patient's blood sugar is too high.
Doctor - well how can I get an alcohol done?
Me - I don't think you need to, the glucose level is 51
Doctor - well they smell strongly of alcohol so I suppose we'll just have to keep an eye on them
Me - the glucose is 51, what you can smell is acetone, the patient is in a hyperglycaemic coma and is keto-acidotic, I would suggest you transfer her to ICU before she dies.
Doctor - are you trying to tell me my job
Me - well someone has to, I'm ringing my consultant now (it was 3am in the morning) and phoning ICU because I'm interested in saving her life even if you're not.
ICU came and collected her and when I knocked off at 9am we had got her glucose down to the low 20's and her blood gases were stable.
I got a verbal warning for my conversation.
The second patient was a woman in her late 40's she had previously had an alcohol problem. She was admitted at about 8pm to the private patient ward smelling of "alcohol" and I was requested to do a blood alcohol. Same scenario, glucose through the roof, previously undiagnosed diabetic. Phoned the ward to tell the doc, there were no doctors still on. Asked which consultant she was under, no-one seemed to know, no admitting paperwork. Phoned switchboard to find out who was on medical take, they weren't interested because she was already in hospital. Made umpteen phone calls but couldn't get anyone interested. She died. I wrote out a formal clinical incident form. My lab consultant tore it up in front of me telling me I didn't know the details.
OK so this isn't exactly funny things that a Dr has said to me but a quote from the leaflet in the antibiotics that I am taking. 'You may experience psychiatric reactions. Your symptoms may become worse under treatment. In rare cases depression or psychosis can progress to thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts or completed suicide. If this happens stop taking the tablets and contact your Dr immediately.' Excuse me for being thick but if suicide is completed???????
OK so this isn't exactly funny things that a Dr has said to me but a quote from the leaflet in the antibiotics that I am taking. 'You may experience psychiatric reactions. Your symptoms may become worse under treatment. In rare cases depression or psychosis can progress to thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts or completed suicide. If this happens stop taking the tablets and contact your Dr immediately.' Excuse me for being thick but if suicide is completed???????
Why don't you adjust your own insulin?Dr:"I've seen your blood glucose levels have been inconsistent lately."
Me:"That's why I have been measuring at least twice as much as recommended per day."
Dr:"You ask way too often for new test strips. I will only prescribe you 4 instead of 6 packs for now."
Me:"Maybe we should adjust the amount of insulin I inject so that my levels get better and I need less strips."
Dr (making a face that says "this is such a pain in the...):"Your amounts are fine as they are. Please come again in 3 months."
I did that a while (worked rather well) but then I was questioned because my insulin spending did not fit the amount they calculated.Why don't you adjust your own insulin?
I did that a while (worked rather well) but then I was questioned because my insulin spending did not fit the amount they calculated.
Why don't you adjust your own insulin?
Must admit if I was a GP and money tight then I would query issuing excessive test trips if a patient wasn't using the info provided to adjust insulin.
Simply give a clear explanation of what you are doing and why, surely it's your condition and you need to treat your diabetes so it keeps you well.
Yes, I totally get that, it's like
'Sometimes, with diabetes, your more susceptible to disease and illness'
It's very reassuring,
Once when I was in hospital vomiting, losing fluids, and cramping the hospital staff checked everything, did a blood count, X-ray, hba1c and then just said I have got nothing and maybe it's just my diabetes 'playing up' and that I am fine
... Well that's it then, if your diabetic you are supposed to treat excrutiating pain and sickness as a normality
On Wednesday I had my diabetes clinic appointment. The doctor was a stand in from another hospital, because mine was off sick.
Doc, Is there anything you would like to ask ?
Me, Yes, Could you look in my files to find the date I was actually diagnosed ?
Doc, why do you want to know ?
Me, because I know it was August 1989, but cannot remember the actual date and because I am the one who has diabetes, I would like to know, but I am nosey too
Doc, is looking through my file, he says, I can't find anything that says the date, but it does say you were diagnosed in 1989
Me, I know that
Doc, maybe it's in an older file
Me, oh, right
Doc, would you like a blood test
Me, what now
Do you normally have one?
Me, the last one I had was in November 2014
Doc, Ah yes, your last count was 7,0, that's the best one I have seen today
Me, well, as I'm here I will go and have one, will I get the results in a couple of weeks or when I have my next follow up appointment ?
Doc, er, what do they normally do ?
Me, well I would like to know, if it's gone up or down
Doc, I will see what the secretary does( as I don't work here) and l will try to get them sent to you, hmmmmm
These are making me cry with laughter and sheer dismay!! I was diagnosed 19 years ago as a 20 year old. I was totally confused and terrified. My first meeting with my GP, a mere 48 hours after diagnosis, began with him saying...."well, I suspect you already know more about diabetes than me". At which I promptly left and haven't used a GP for my care ever since!
I'm Type 1 and have been for about 6 months. I got called into my docs to see the diabetic nurse as the doctor thought I was using too many testing strips. So I go in and sit down:
Nurse: "So how many times do you test a day"
Me: "Depends on what i'm doing that day, what i'm eating, if I'm exercising, if I'm driving etc. But normally 6 - 7 times a day"
Nurse: "Really! so you prick your finger that many times a day."
Me: "Yes"
Nurse: "Doesn't it hurt"
Me: "No, you get used to it, it's just like tying your shoe laces before you go out really."
Nurse: "Are all the tests you do actually necessary? I know a lot of diabetics who test and don't do anything with result"
Me: "Yes it's necessary if I don't want to collapse or die earlier than I want to"
Nurse "I'm just thinking of your fingers really as they must really hurt"
Me: "I'm thinking about not going blind and having my feet amputated but thanks for your concern"
I ended up getting more test strips with each prescription. I honestly think he was an idiot.
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