Finding a sympathetic doctor

[spinningwoman]

Given that we are soon going to have more freedom to choose our GP, is there any way that we can share experiences of doctors or practices who have been prepared to support the use of LC diet as part of diabetic control? I am in the bizarre situation at the moment that my husband has been diagnosed as 'pre-diabetic' and come home with a diet sheet which would involve me feeding him about ten times the carbs we normally eat. I'm the one that reads all the books and doesn't mind arguing with doctors - he would really like to be told what to do by the medical profession. But I do the cooking and I just can't bring myself to feed him with more carbs when he already has quite a string of symptoms and I don't believe this is the way to go.

Background: we both went LC to lose weight quite successfully about five years ago; both of us put a bit back on when we loosened up, at which point I wasn't feeling good so I went back to being pretty low carb and have stayed steady at a bit more than I would ideally like to weigh, but quite healthy. He had got seduced back into being able to drink beer with his mates etc and also moved to a job with no canteen so lunches tended to be takeaway rolls etc, so he put it all back on more or less and gave up. Then he had some chest pains which the doctor decided were muscular after a skiing accident, but in the process of diagnosing that found his BP and BS were both too high. He's had a couple of the HS-thingy tests with (I think) numbers around 7.5?? though he didn't write it down so I'm not sure. Was told it was a bit high; pre-diabetic not diabetic, and to lose weight (on this high carb diet!) and get more exercise. Was told not to test himself as the home machines would give 'false positives'. I insisted we should do some testing and to get over the 'it will hurt' barrier did it on myself for a week or so, in the process of which I discovered that although my readings are fine when I low-carb, a rice dish or more than a slice of toast, or a bowl of noodles sends my +1hr reading up into the 8 or 9 region - in other words I've probably got the same pre-diabetic biology, I've just been sticking to a diet that doesn't cause me problems with it.

So, anyway, he is going along with me but I know it worries him to be going against medical advice on this and I'm afraid that as he got into the habit of cheating on the LC diet before, if he isn't 100% convinced in his own mind he'll just fall off it again. It would make a huge difference if I could get him to a GP who would support this way of treating his condition. We're moving soon anyway, so leaving the current practice won't be an issue.

Any ideas? We will be in East Devon, near Exeter

 

[cugila]

In relation to the naming of Dr's or Practices on the forum it is not at present allowed. If posted they are removed or edited.

Neither is criticism or praise of named individual Dr's or Nurses (HCP's). There is the very real possibility of someone being identified and negative comments made about the individual which could be called slander. This is not allowed under present forum rules.

There is nothing to stop someone pm'ing you with details of individuals/practices if they wish.

 

[hanadr]

I seriously doubt that there is a separate condition "pre-diabetes" . I think it's more likely that T2 develops slowly to begin with and can be reversed in the very early stages.
I would recommend anyone diagnosed pre-diabetic to behave as if they are diabetic ( which I think they are)
As to home BG meters. As far as I am aware, the different models are checked agains laboratory tests regularly and are pretty accurate. Whatever "false positive" means in this context, I can't think. It doesn't make sense. They measure Bloof glucose level at the momen of getting the sample.Since it's acontinuous scale, there's no question of positive or negative
The REAL reason for discouraging self testing is COST!! :twisted:
One thing I have noticed on this forum is that regular testing helps keep the BG levels down. I can only afford to test 2 x per day maximum. I am an OAP and buy my strips, but that's good enough for my control, which is pretty much at non-diabetic levels. (At the higher end of the scale )
Back to your original question
Unless there's a good reason not to, I would recommend you look for a doctor who knows what he/she is talking about.

 

[AliB]

I am T2 and my husband is 'pre-diabetic', so I am trying to ensure that I eat low-carb and that he does as much as he will let me! Actually he's not too bad, apart from a few bikkies here and there, a few potatoes sometimes and one sugar in his tea and coffee. I often do dinners with no starch and he's ok with that.

He's lost a bit of weight so he's happy with that too - not that he's that overweight but could do with losing the little middle-age paunch.

The continuous advocacy of the 'Establishment' on the 'benefits' of plenty of carb for Diabetics is ridiculous. High carbohydrate is no good for anyone, let alone Diabetics and is a huge contributor to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes and other 'Western' diseases that we are surrounded by. I do wonder if the people who advocate this course have shares in pharma companies or something!

When you look at the proportion of the World who are well and don't suffer with these issues or diseases that plague our carb-oriented society, the fact that their diets are low or relatively low, and certainly not processed just logically screams that high-carb is totally the wrong road.

Personally, the rubbish treatment I and mine have had from the Medical Profession over the years and the damage they have wreaked on me, has caused me to be extremely sceptical of anything they purport to be 'right'.

Actually, the recommendation years ago for diabetics was to eat a low carb diet. So much for progress! It will all come out eventually - and there will be a lot of very red faces at the end of it. How many times has the 'Establishment' been proved wrong? Do they never learn?

At the end of the day it has to be better to go with what feels right for your body, and what works best for you (and your husband). Although I knew that low-carb was better for me, and although I felt better and lost weight when I was following it, I allowed the carbs to creep back in and eventually ended up not only on medication but insulin as well and was still fat.

I spent years feeling sorry for myself even before the Diabetes. Why am I fat? Why me? Why can't I eat all those scrummy carbs? Now I have got past the 'poor me' and feeling deprived thing and realised that actually the carbs are damaging everyone to a greater or lesser degree, I no longer feel sorry for myself, but feel sorry for everyone else who hasn't twigged it, I am much more 'tuned-in' to low-carbing. Just wish I'd got to this point long before I became Diabetic - I might not have got to this point.

 

[spinningwoman]

Hanadr, I totally agree about the 'pre-diabetes' thing. As far as I can see it just means you haven't crossed an arbitrary line on the sand. I originally went low carb mainly to support DH as I wasn't that overweight, but I felt so much better in so many ways - I wouldn't be at all surprised to be told that I was already having some BS problems back then.

The only value I could see in labelling it 'pre-' is if that meant that they were plugging that this a a stage where the effects are reversible, and doing everything possible to help with that. One of the questions I want to ask his present doctor is how many of her patients do succeed in reversing on the diet they are given. But a) I bet she wouldn't know and wouldn't tell me if she did and b) I would guess that there would be at least some people in those stats who quietly went off and low-carbed their way to health but didn't tell the doctor that that's what they were doing.

Of course, the 'pre-' diagnosis does also have the advantage in some ways that your medical record doesn't say 'diabetic' - that's something that concerns me as his life-insurance is a fixed term thing which ends when our mortgage does, so no doubt that would affect any renewal.

The cost of strips is high, of course, but if it stopped someone progressing the saving would be enormous. And anyway, I don't think there would be a huge demand - offered one mode of treatment which required self-testing and responsibility and another which said 'do this and come back in three months to see how you are doing' I'm sure 90% of people would choose the second.

I suppose it makes sense that naming doctors wouldn't be permitted, but I'd certainly be happy to receive any private messages from people in the area!

I am thinking about talking to the new practice before we join, to see what their attitude is.

 

[AliB]

And that is a very good idea.

I saw in the paper the other day that the Government is going to free things up so that people will actually be able to choose their Doctor. What a great idea. More like they do in the States.

And so it should be.

We have a friend who kept going to her Doctor because she didn't feel well - yes she is somewhat preoccupied with her health but it is only to be expected because she has had a lot of health issues to deal with. In the end the surgery barred her.

Her husband took her to another surgery. The Doctor there sent her for the tests that the other one wouldn't and she turned out to have Endometriosis! Her husband wrote a stinking letter to the original Doctor, but what use was that? They should work on a points system or something. Let people vote with their feet. Someone said that rural surgeries might get left behind, but then it should make them all work harder to keep their patients. If a surgery gets a good reputation then they won't have anything to worry about.

Sometimes even Doctors need educating...............