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

Diabetic nurse advice

D

Diseased_Bunny

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Just been for my latest checkup, and due to issues my BG had gone up since last time. When I explained to the nurse why, she was happy that I knew why it happened and that it was getting addressed (work related issues, basically). However when I said I need to try LCing again, all I got was "no, no, whole-wheat based is what you must follow,e plenty of bread, etc". When is the NHS going to educate their staff about this incorrect information? Whenever I mentioned low carb she said I should just do what she's telling me ( I've only been diagnosed for 15 years, so obviously don't know what works for me).
 
Hello Bunny, it's a common occurrence hearing your story and being told lo carb is a no no, the tide will turn eventually but in the meantime do what you feel is intuitively right, you know better than anyone else what works for your body.
 
In my opinion you must eat the diet that you know suits you. Health care professionals can only advise, some do well others don’t, they are not there to dictate. It’s your diabetes not hers and your life to do as you wish. The tide is turning (slowly) my GP and nurse don’t advise LC but support my decision to take that route as they can see from my numbers that it works.
Prove your nurse wrong with an improved HbA1c next time.
 
That this is still happening across the NHS is nothing short of a travesty. I agree with Juicyj, listen to your body and do what is appropriate for you. Hope your problems resolve and that you get back to previous low A1c's as soon as. Good Luck.
 
Typical diet advice.... this is part of the reason why it is considered a progressive disease. How could it not be when people follow detrimental advice like what you've been given.
 
My family has a long history of nursing and midwifery and the first thing on their to do list was open the windows and let in some fresh air. Those were the days of coal fires and gas lighting and rooms kept closed were killing people.
I think - metaphorically - that the NHS should be treated to the same refreshment.
Just think what could be done if the lowering of cholesterol was abandoned in favour of some properly researched treatment - if statins were only prescribed when they were needed - if diet and testing was the first treatment for type twos.
 

If she had persisted along that path with me, she’d have gotten a two word response, and the second one would have been off.
 
Hi. Sad you are dealing with an ignorant nurse who doesn't keep up with her subject. I'm lucky as I have an excellent nurse who I saw today for my annual review and we discussed keeping the carbs down to help control my sugars.
 
Hi all, and my sympathies!

I'm newly diagnosed type 2 and had my first appt with the DN yesterday.
I told her I was following a low carb diet and she asked me for eg.s of meals.
Every meal I described such as scrambled eggs she said add toast or add a jacket potato, or add pasta or rice.
She said diabetes is in my genes and I was always going to get it.(My grandpa was T2)
She said the disease will progress and get worse eventually it's inevitable.
Every time she said the word diabetes, she said it in a horrified whisper.
Boy, was I glad to get out of there. So grateful for this community x
 

Gee. That’s a story we don’t hear much around these parts
 
Jim Lahey said:
Gee. That’s a story we don’t hear much around these parts
Click to expand...
What are you talking about Jim? This is completely new information!

It's an endemic of these know-it-all medical professionals that really do get to me, I still have nightmares of the nurse session I had in December that I would be going on insulin come March but to keep to a healthy carby diet.

Dodged that bullet as effectively as Neo from the Matrix.
 
Caeseji said:
Dodged that bullet as effectively as Neo from the Matrix.
Click to expand...

Ohhh, you're good

Glad you got it under control, diet is important and so is managing stress. Which the OP mentions. There are quite a few factors.

Still. it is just unbelievable to me that this horrid advice to eat a lot of starch with every meal exists today after so many decades of failure. It just defies common sense. Who keeps trying the same failed method over and over?
 
Tophat1900 said:
Who keeps trying the same failed method over and over?
Click to expand...

The thing is, in the minds of those dolling out this dangerous advice, it is entirely effective since it results in exactly what they are expecting - degeneration and worsening of the “disease”. Given recent changes in UK policy, any practice still pressing this life threatening treatment onto their patients (in the UK) should be reprimanded in some way, and individuals who refuse to adjust their way of thinking should be struck off and even prosecuted. None of this should be shrugged off. We are talking about shortening people’s lives completely unnecessarily.

I’m going to have to refrain from reading these discussions as it winds me up!
 

I think these conversations wind up a lot people. And for good reason when individuals can see the obvious flaws and defy the expected outcome by doing the opposite of what is standard practice. How can you not get somewhat irritated, infuriated (Take your pick) by a system that refuses to budge from such horrible, detrimental advice?

I won't say anymore, don't want you throwing a brick through a window.
 
Tophat1900 said:
I won't say anymore, don't want you throwing a brick through a window.
Click to expand...

I’ve often contemplated throwing a brick through my surgery window with my blood work tied to it. As someone who has already suffered serious complications it makes me feel sick knowing what would have happened if I’d actually followed the advice that was pressed upon me by the “experts” in there.
 
@Diseased_Bunny

There is definitely resistance to change within the NHS.

At my local surgery attempts are being made to sweep out the old and bring in the new but it takes time. I found out the other day that the DESMOND people are being lined up for a local diabetes event and am crossing fingers that they are already converted to a LCHF friendly curriculum.
 
When I was diagnosed I told my GP I wanted to try low carb first - at my first appt with the nurse she asked why wasn't I on statins and metformin, she thought the GP had forgotten! She was very suspicious about low carb and handed back the letter I'd printed from the lowcarbprogram without reading it. At the 3 month checkup my HbA1c was already into the normal range and my triglycerides, etc had also fallen in the normal range - and she took a note of the web address to read up on low carb.
Sometimes our good results do have an impact!
 
Funny ironic, not funny haha.
 
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.…