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Doctors appointment went just how I expected.

AngiH

Well-Known Member
Messages
336
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I've just come back from seeing the Doctor and he confirmed I am prediabetic and has referred me to the National Diabetic Prevention Scheme. No other info given, and when I mentioned testing my blood levels he said absolutely not, you only do that if you are on insulin....
He has also put me on a 3rd blood pressure tablet as it's still high..
So not sure what to make of it all, but I guess I'll find out more once I received my 1st appointment at this prevention clinic.
Angie
 
Hi @AngiH, don't we just love it when given a diagnosis and left hanging about what it is, what it means.?
And I could almost bet he measured your BP after he made the announcement. Even if it was before, you would have been likely to be on tenderhooks anyway so was the BP a true measurement, unaffected by stress??
In Australia the general advice given by my GP was that he never diagnoses high BP in a patient on one or two measurements but orders a 24 hour BP monitoring.
One wears a BP cuff with a small machine for 24 hours and it automatically checks your BP every hour.
The 'read out' from this machine is used to best assess what your true BP is like. 24 measurements vs one or two to work with.
I have also read that about 10% of people with true high BP have an underlying cause which requires checking out, usually at the beginning as some tests are influenced by certain BP medication.
Best Wishes with the denouement of this mystic term 'pre-diabetes' that your GOP bestowed upon you. You could 'cheat' by looking it up on the Home page.
When you visit your GP next you have some questions to ask about your BP. And perhaps he deserves a dose of his own 'medicine". You could take your time answering questions. You had to wait ? weeks until seeing someone at the Prevention clinic.
Would it have harmed him to have given you some time to provide an explanation about pre-diabetes? Or is time so short or he too lazy to make the effort?
 
What was your HbA1c that he used for diagnosis?
As @kitedoc I suffer badly fro "white coat syndrome" (raised blood pressure when at the doctors) where blood pressure is concerned but after the 24 hour monitor and significant weight loss mine was normal. I bought a home meter so I could check it myself when not stressed by being at the docs. A very worthwhile investment.
My mother was on blood pressure lowering meds for a large part of her adult life until she had a fall and was found in the hospital that her BP was extremely low. Because she had white coat syndrome she'd been taking meds needlessly for decades!
 
Thank you both. I've been on blood pressure meds for about 4 years, I don't drink or smoke and my weight has only increased this year and my normal dieting has not worked. I monitor at home so know it's not white coat syndrome, my reading vary anything between 155/85 to 180/95 and that's on 2 meds.
My HbA1c is only 43 so the plus side is I've found out now rather than a few years down the line...my doctor just said make sure I have yearly blood tests.
 
In your shoes I'd certainly try cutting down on dietary carbs like bread, pasta, root veg, rice, cereals and start eating more nutrient dense foods instead. From an HbA1c of 43 it should be quite easy to get back to normal levels and may even help with your blood pressure.
 
AngiH said:
and when I mentioned testing my blood levels he said absolutely not, you only do that if you are on insulin....
Click to expand...

This is what all doctors say, but it is not good advice. I hope you will be ignoring him. If you don't test you will never learn which foods your body can cope with. 12 months is a long time to wait to see if your new food choices are helping or not.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
This is what all doctors say, but it is not good advice. I hope you will be ignoring him. If you don't test you will never learn which foods your body can cope with. 12 months is a long time to wait to see if your new food choices are helping or not.
Click to expand...
Yes I will monitor, I posted the other day about monitor or not...and it was a resounding yes
 




I had never heard of this until a few years ago,when my doctor told me about it. I never felt worried/afraid but up went my BP every time I saw her. Good luck.
 
Like you, @AngiH Mrs Typin has a high BP when tested at the Docs, around 150/80. We invested in a home monitor (actually very similar to the one at the surgery, so they don't use expensive ones!) and in a more relaxed environment she often has a BP of around 120/75.
 
I do monitor at home and it's high, normally around 155/80 but can be much higher..
 
I have found that if I sit and relax before I test and concentrate then my BPs are lower. It seems to take a few minutes to get lower reading. Not worrying seems to be key for me!
 
In this instance the HbA1c only tells half the story. The bigger issue is that you’re struggling with weight. This indicates insulin resistance to the point that your blood insulin concentration is almost permanently elevated.

Bluntly, you need to act now and heavily reduce carbohydrate intake. There’s tons of information on here and heaps of very helpful and friendly folk. As for the comment about not testing your own glucose unless you’re using insulin, I firmly believe that someone should be prosecuted for permeating this dangerous advice through the healthcare profession.
 
Thank you Jim, I've was a dancer in my young days and very slim. Once I had my son 16 years ago, my weight went up although only slightly. Up til last year I was only about 6lb over the top end of my ideal weight for my height, but this year it's changed and I can't control it. I will be starting the low carb diet and also see what the national diabetes scheme has to say.
I will start monitoring too.
I'm glad to say the doctor I saw is retiring at the end of the month!!!
 
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