Does your specialist have diabetes?

My Surgery nurse's son has type 1

Avocado Sevenfold said:

Not sure why it matters tbh. I was referred to a specialist this year - a consultant gynaecologist. He was a bloke

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I'm with you, I think knowledge is key, and if a doctor has saved many people, it's not because they were ill themselves to start with, it's because they're just good at their job.
But the op has asked the question, and the answer has piqued my interest now, so it would be interesting to hear of others that are type 2 who promote non mainstream control.

Avocado Sevenfold said:

Not sure why it matters tbh. I was referred to a specialist this year - a consultant gynaecologist. He was a bloke

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When I had my hysterctomy 20 + years ago my surgeon was female.
All the other 5 ladies had cut out sutures and drains put in by their male surgeon. They were having to stay in over weekend too.
I had dissolving, and no drains and discharged Thursday after op on the Tuesday.

I think as well that males breast cancer surgeons do not do such a good stitch up job as a female syrgeon when doing mastectomies. The rate of 2nd operations for tidy up jobs after mastectomy is huge. Honestly, its awful how many have to have 2nd ops because the 1st done so bad. I sounds bad to say it as I believe in equality for everybody but I'm not convinced on this one.

The DSN I referred to as having a mum diabetic was fantastic, the best I have had...

Jyst recently too I have had an assessment done on me by a non diabetic. She wrote a copy of the assessment to me. It had 21 errors in it. One huge error around blood testing and diabetes. She very obviously did not realise the seriousness of writing facts about diabetes and using correct terminology. I have written back listing the 21 errors and asking that the one particular gross error regarding diabetes be corrected on my records
and to persons she sent report to.

I certainly, for myself, have list confidence though in general for health professionals knowledge of diabetes whether male or female.

To me, I just wish that medical people kept up with research and knowledge as a whole.

douglas99 said:

I'm with you, I think knowledge is key, and if a doctor has saved many people, it's not because they were ill themselves to start with, it's because they're just good at their job.
But the op has asked the question, and the answer has piqued my interest now, so it would be interesting to hear of others that are type 2 who promote non mainstream control.

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You may get less T2's answering this question, as initially the question reffered to T1's...

Hope some more may join in..

donnellysdogs said:

You may get less T2's answering this question, as initially the question reffered to T1's...

Hope some more may join in..

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Surely many of type 2s, like myself, are only seen at the surgery and not referred to the hospital, therefore it seems you wll get fewer Type 2s responding on this thread?

Think it could include doctors as they are specially trained??

The opening question was not specific to T1 it was put by a T1 but was a general question to diabetics well as I read it any way.

JohnEGreen said:

The opening question was not specific to T1 it was put by a T1 but was a general question to diabetics well as I read it any way.

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Agreed, sorry...

Let's go for anyone then?

Maybe from the lack of responses, maybe open it up to anyone that has diabetes in the family, or knows a type 1 or type 2 even?
Doesn't have to be medically trained/

Any link?

The money I pay to see a specialist whether it's a eye or a vascular one, I do not want to know their health problems.

I want my problems fixed as i'm not interested in theirs.

Tipetoo said:

The money I pay to see a specialist whether it's a eye or a vascular one, I do not want to know their health problems.

I want my problems fixed as i'm not interested in theirs.

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Valid - BUT -
We are being treated by health professionals with only outdated text-book knowledge of diabetes T2. Many will have T1, & therefore will have a personal interest. T2 can be treated with simplistic advice & booklets issued by Diabetes uk with the dubious knowledge that diabetes is a progressive disease & so long-term treatment is simply a case of increasing medication & dealing with complications as they arise.

This forum, with the experience of real patients who are living with diabetes & achieving positive long term control is largely ignored by specialists who 'know better' than isolated individuals like us.

Specialists do need to learn from us, & they are now beginning to - see the specialists forming https://phcuk.org/

I would have thought that probability would be that as in the general population there would be far more with T2 than T1.

But as health professionals have as much right to privacy as the rest of us there is no way of knowing unless they volunteer the information.

To work in the medical profession is an honourable one and I don't believe that any one of them have to be diabetic to make them any better, or even more sympathetic. They are well trained and (usually) willing to listen and learn as they go along. The blogs above would certainly seem to support this opinion.
If I was unlucky enough to have a boil on my a##e I wouldn't expect to get a nurse who also had personal experience with one!

They studied once... and gained a qualification....

It does not make them experts in their fields..unless they continue to research and develop and keep interested...

Look at heart consultants, GPs (Dr Unwin) some research and develop
and question and CHANGE their thoughts on the standard NHS advice.

Until all professionals undertake to do more continuous study and research and to learn after gaining their qualifications then our advice on diabetes, heart disease etc is never going to change...

Sorry, I have never really had any professional really up to date. Ie.

My B12 leapt to 1598. Way above target. One diabetic consultant said to me "you dont look like you have cancer".... that was it. My GP's kept filing as normal.
6 months later I had a mastecomy due to cancer. There was research dine in 2013 that states high B12 is indicative of breast, liver and organ cancer.

Not one of my doctors progressed any investigations. I could have been spared such drastic agony.

I feel like I am more up to date than some of the professionals..... but I cannot refer myself to MRI's or a PET scan etc....

Jane Milburn said:

After having type 1 for 49 years I have never had a doctor, specialist or nurse who has diabetes. Just out of interest, have you and if so have they been able to help you more in your control?

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Very interesting question. As someone who is borderline diabetic but not yet tipped over, and with a serious obesity issue, I'm far less interested in whether my doc has diabetes or is chubby than if he or she has read up on the latest research into both and can give me realistic advice. So far, hasn't happened but luckily the internet and self-help work.

So let's think about this for a moment.

The person that you'd expect to know about Diabetes is a Diabetes Specialist, and not a GP. Especially in the case of T1 and T3, which are much rarer than T2.

Personally I'd expect that a GP would be up to date with the NHS required Continuous Professional Development (CPD) relating to all of these things. This will be different to what is the latest thinking and research on these topics.

I'd expect the Specialist to be up to date with research and ongoing development in treating a condition.

But I wouldn't expect either of them to be an expert in living with the condition, as the only way you can do this is to have it yourself and live with it 24/7 yourself. That's a totally different expectation of an HCP.

The point of the discussion is the treatment of chronic conditions that we have to learn to live with & control rather than acute & specific conditions that can be treated with medication or surgery.

Diabetes is a chronic condition which normally cannot be cured by a consultant's skill. Consultants & doctors can treat diabetes to the extent of medication, diet & lifestyle recommendations. The success of such 'treatment' depends both on the cooperation & condition of the patient. Diabetes education is also an important factor - the patient needs to understand his condition, & be given tools to assess his progress.

IanD said:

The point of the discussion is the treatment of chronic conditions that we have to learn to live with & control rather than acute & specific conditions that can be treated with medication or surgery.

Diabetes is a chronic condition which normally cannot be cured by a consultant's skill. Consultants & doctors can treat diabetes to the extent of medication, diet & lifestyle recommendations. The success of such 'treatment' depends both on the cooperation & condition of the patient. Diabetes education is also an important factor - the patient needs to understand his condition, & be given tools to assess his progress.

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I'm not sure what relevance this has to the thread. The OP's question was how many diabetics have seen a diabetic HCP. In every other way, I agree.

I also had a midwife with Type 1, which was reassuring - and a big surprise. The ward had purposely allocated her to me as she had day to,day experience of Type 1.