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Difficulty with Doctor

S

StewM

Well-Known Member
Messages
396
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was wondering if anyone had been in a similar position and could offer help.

I am currently having severe issues with the Omnipod 5 and Libre 2 plus sensors. Since the start of the year I have found the quality of the Sensors to be atrociously bad.

Sensors are frequently finding Phantom Hypos (I.e. Low Blood Sugar events that cannot be verified by repeated Blood Tests). Eventually the automatic suspensions of the Omnipod 5 send me high because I was never low in the first place etc.

I have reported these faulty sensors to Abbott who always replace them but I’m always stuck with them until my next pod change because of the syncing with the Omnipod 5 and site rotation etc.

Most sensors are not lasting “go bad” on day 2 or 3, a lot go bad on day 4.

I reported this issue to my Doctor but they are refusing to take anything I say seriously because “the fundamental problem is you have too many hypos so you need to scale back your Bolus.”

This is despite me showing all my Blood Sugar readings. This despite is my time at high blood sugar levels increasing despite this.

I just had an hour long meeting with my diabetes nurse who gaslit all my concerns and refused to provide any help of any kind until I reduced my Bolus doses. Despite outlining my position clearly and calmly, she point back refused to do anything to help me until I made change that, for me, is completely unjustified. As the frequent unjustified basal suspensions are already causing me to go high after every meal.

I am really concerned I am going to be unable to do my job on Monday if I’m essentially forced by my nurse to take insufficient insulin to deal with my food, and broader level that I am going to lose my job if I have to do all my work whilst my Blood Sugar is persistently very high (as I find it exceptionally difficult to think when my Blood Sugar is like this).

But as my Nurse is refusing to offer any help if I don’t do this, I feel like I’m currently being forced to chose between ruining my life in one of two ways.
 
Documentation.
Put your concerns in a letter with clear evidence of your glucose level trace. The libre app will provide this. Enter your blood strip test results as note.
Ensure that you are drinking plenty water - this being one of the issues with libre variability.
 
I provided documentation to my nurse, via the Glooko app, as I have set-up my blood sugar meter to send all readings to Glooko. My Nurse can look at this but chooses not to.
 
StewM said:
I was wondering if anyone had been in a similar position and could offer help.
Click to expand...
Hi @StewM it has been my experience when dealing with a complaint, of any nature, you need to let them know you intend to be taken seriously and will peruse the matter further if need be.

@Bill_St Suggested putting your complaint in writing.:bookworm:
If I can expand on this make sure any correspondence you have is via registered delivery, get a signature and receipt to prove they have received your letter. So it can not be ignored. It is surprising as soon as you generate a paper trail how people respond it sends a clear message that you intend to follow up and there will be consequences if you are not take seriously.

The medical advice you are receiving could be perfectly correct, or it could be the wrong advice for your situation.
Sorry can't comment on this but it is clear you feel you are not being listened to and fobbed off with a standard response that dose not take you as an individual into account.

Let then know the outcome you are looking for, to review your readings which you have provided, reconsider your treatment after taking your readings into account.

Sorry I know this does not help you predicament in the short term, but if you have to go down this road it well help in the long term.
:bag:
 
Bill_St said:
Ensure that you are drinking plenty water - this being one of the issues with libre variability.
Click to expand...
Would you mind explaining the issue with water consumption relating to libre variability please?

Its a new one on me.

Thanks

Tony
 
Tony337 said:
Would you mind explaining the issue with water consumption relating to libre variability please?
Click to expand...
True for any CGM - they measure interstitial fluid - if you're dehydrated the readings can be skewed as the glucose in the fluid is concentrated.
 
StewM said:
I was wondering if anyone had been in a similar position and could offer help.

I am currently having severe issues with the Omnipod 5 and Libre 2 plus sensors. Since the start of the year I have found the quality of the Sensors to be atrociously bad.

Sensors are frequently finding Phantom Hypos (I.e. Low Blood Sugar events that cannot be verified by repeated Blood Tests). Eventually the automatic suspensions of the Omnipod 5 send me high because I was never low in the first place etc.

I have reported these faulty sensors to Abbott who always replace them but I’m always stuck with them until my next pod change because of the syncing with the Omnipod 5 and site rotation etc.

Most sensors are not lasting “go bad” on day 2 or 3, a lot go bad on day 4.

I reported this issue to my Doctor but they are refusing to take anything I say seriously because “the fundamental problem is you have too many hypos so you need to scale back your Bolus.”

This is despite me showing all my Blood Sugar readings. This despite is my time at high blood sugar levels increasing despite this.

I just had an hour long meeting with my diabetes nurse who gaslit all my concerns and refused to provide any help of any kind until I reduced my Bolus doses. Despite outlining my position clearly and calmly, she point back refused to do anything to help me until I made change that, for me, is completely unjustified. As the frequent unjustified basal suspensions are already causing me to go high after every meal.

I am really concerned I am going to be unable to do my job on Monday if I’m essentially forced by my nurse to take insufficient insulin to deal with my food, and broader level that I am going to lose my job if I have to do all my work whilst my Blood Sugar is persistently very high (as I find it exceptionally difficult to think when my Blood Sugar is like this).

But as my Nurse is refusing to offer any help if I don’t do this, I feel like I’m currently being forced to chose between ruining my life in one of two ways.
Click to expand...
My libre tells me I am low when I lie on it. I've had trouble at night because of this, and now try to remember to sleep on whichever side does not have the libre on it. I understand this is quite common - people talk of a "compression hypo", which is rubbish as its not a hypo at all!
I know exactly what you mean about high sugar affecting work. I had some limited proof nearly 30 years ago when I had to do IQ tests (Ravens matrices) as part of a job application. Long story why, but I did it twice, once when in range, and once at about 14/15. When in range my IQ came out a fair bit higher.
 
There is no Spoon said:
Hi @StewM it has been my experience when dealing with a complaint, of any nature, you need to let them know you intend to be taken seriously and will peruse the matter further if need be.

@Bill_St Suggested putting your complaint in writing.:bookworm:
If I can expand on this make sure any correspondence you have is via registered delivery, get a signature and receipt to prove they have received your letter. So it can not be ignored. It is surprising as soon as you generate a paper trail how people respond it sends a clear message that you intend to follow up and there will be consequences if you are not take seriously.

The medical advice you are receiving could be perfectly correct, or it could be the wrong advice for your situation.
Sorry can't comment on this but it is clear you feel you are not being listened to and fobbed off with a standard response that dose not take you as an individual into account.

Let then know the outcome you are looking for, to review your readings which you have provided, reconsider your treatment after taking your readings into account.

Sorry I know this does not help you predicament in the short term, but if you have to go down this road it well help in the long term.
:bag:
Click to expand...
I’m not averse to making complaints. I make them as part of my job. NHS cases, however, it is my experience, you need to wait until after something untoward has already happened before you can complain for there to be sufficient evidence to make a worthwhile complaint. But what I’m trying to do here is resolve the matter before I’m unduly hurt by the situation.
 
EllieM said:
Thinking outside the box here - could you change to Dexcom?
Click to expand...
Well I was hoping for this option, but both my Doctor and Nurse insist that “the Dexcom is actually worse than the Libre” and would only consider this option “if I experienced an allergic reaction to the Libre”.

Though, and this is the part I find a little frustrating, other people in the same area with the same doctor and nurse have been given the Dexcom without this rigorous criteria (this is anecdotal based on what other diabetics in the area have said in passing conversation). So I don’t know, if that’s right, why I’m being treated differently particularly when my experience with the Libre 2 Plus has been terrible.
 
Yeah that is an option, though I’m not sure how I’ll get them to consider the evidence that would produce when they’re not considering the data I’ve collected about my issues with the Libre.
 
StewM said:
however, it is my experience, you need to wait until after something untoward has already happened before you can complain for there to be sufficient evidence to make a worthwhile complaint.
Click to expand...
I'll bow to your experience here @StewM.
The registered letter is to let them know you are gathering evidence and are prepared to take it further.

It is frustrating that they seem to take there que's from the plot of a bad thriller,
"Sorry mam we can't do anything about the man harassing you. But rest assured after you murder we will look into it." :banghead:

Good luck with it all Stew.
:bag:
 
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