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Frustrated.

C

Clayman

Member
Messages
17
I know this is long winded but needed to get it off my chest before my head exploded.

When I joined this forum I didn't really have any intention of ever posting, simple reason being I didn't feel I needed to talk about anything and just wanted to pick up diet tips and such however that's all changed the last few weeks.

I was diagnosed in February; I'd never been to hospital since I was 15 some 30 years ago when I fell of my bike and needed some stitches. I'd never been to the doctor for 20 plus years since I'd been for a medical for a job interview and they said I should go to my doctor, my doctor did a medical and found nothing wrong with me. Anyway one night in February I was having stomach pains so went to hospital where they said I have a fast heartbeat and wanted to keep me in, well they did a few tests and found my blood sugar was high. They actually clocked it at 20 but the nurse didn't write it down so the first written count was 16.

So why am I posting this? Frustration simple bloody frustration with the medical profession, it's as though none of them are singing from the same hymn sheet.

Firstly I go to a health centre and so far I've seen 3 different doctors, the first doctor was okay gave me a prescription for 2 metformin a day and sent me for a blood test (I'll get to the other doctors). The next person I saw was the practice nurse who measured me and weighed me, I forgot how much I weighed but it must have been around the 17st mark anyway reason I forgot the weight was because she said I was 5ft 8 1/2in reason why that stuck in my head was I always thought I was 5ft 10in so she gave me a photocopied sheet telling me what I could and couldn't eat. Personally thought I'd have got more information but alas no.

I then went for my first eye exam which was ok, bit nervous at first as my big fear is people messing with my eyes. May sound stupid but I probably fear death less than I do people touching my eyes, anyway that result goes to the doctors and I get to see my second doctor who prescribes me 3 metformin per day and sends me for another blood test I also go for my second eye test the one where they pump yellow fluid into you. That didn't go great, firstly the nurse gives me this list of stuff that can go wrong and tells me to sign it she then takes my blood sugar level and it's 11.1 she says it's still high but I'm thinking it's gone down from 20 to 11.1 in a few weeks but at this stage I'm getting a bit panicky, she then takes my blood pressure and says its high well to be honest no wonder she’s just told me I could have fits or pass out with this injection and then takes my blood pressure.

I then get to go to my first foot exam, they do the test and they tell me I have some hard skin on my foot but should be okay if I out cream on it. The lady who saw me was great put me at ease not only with my feet but also spoke to her about my blood sugar reading and such whilst she was checking my feet, she reckons that the best thing is for it to gradually go down rather than plummet like a stone so I go away happy for the first time.

My happiness does take a knock when they say I need laser surgery, petrifies me honestly does. So I cancel the appointment and ask to talk to a doctor about the procedure, they agree. My happiness really takes a body blow when I see the practice nurse for the second time, she states I have problems with my feet, I then tell her the foot doctor said I only had to go for an annual check she replies with "but you have problems with your feet". She then states I have problems with both eyes but the person who has arranged for me to talk about the laser surgery says it's only my right eye, she then weighs me and I come out fighting as I've lost over a stone in weight great I think maybe some praise and not the depression she seems intent on piling on me nope instead she informs me I'm 5ft 7in wow wait a minute lets back track a few weeks ago. Yes I was 5ft 8 1/2in but I've lost 1 1/2in how the heck do I shrink that much in a few weeks. She then gives me my latest reading which is 8, get in there even taking away the unregistered 20 my first registered score was 16 I've halved it can't be bad, the nurse of doom however doesn't share my joy as she informs me she wants it to be 7 but wait 8 is next to 7 but in her logic it's at least a thousand numbers away so the joy is short lived anyway I feel like I've been in the ring with not only Mike Tyson but Frank Bruno and she hits me with let’s take your blood pressure, oh that's high, I wonder why. I could have actually told her it would be high as I could feel it popping out of my head.

As a finale she asks me do I suffer from depression, no but seeing you is making me lose the will to live so she makes me an appointment with my third doctor about my blood pressure.

I visit my third different doctor who prescribes me 4 metformin per day along with an aspirin and another tablet for my blood pressure, he then looks at my last blood test and informs me my cholesterol is fine, yeah one in the top corner for the Clayman but he may have to prescribe tablets for it. Hang on a minute doc you said it's fine but you’re thinking of giving me tablets for it, this some kind of game you’re playing give him as many tablets as you can and see how loud he rattles so he decides another blood test is in order.

So a couple of days ago I go for my blood test, now don't get me wrong going for the blood test is fine in fact they're probably the nicest people I've met so far on the diabetic road. Well now I'm a couple of days away from my laser surgery, I decided to go ahead with it after seeing the eye doctor about it I'm still scared stiff about it but needs must. Then I have to go and see probably my fourth doctor about my blood test, there's actually five doctors at the health centre so I'm after the full set who knows I may get a personalised pill holder if I see all five.

So now I've bored you I'll sum up, I'm tired of seeing a different doctor each time as It's seems like they're trying to outdo each other with how many tablets they can give me, the practice nurse puts the fear of god in me on what doom and gloom she will hit me with next. The eye surgery tomorrow scares me, I get flashes in my head that just as he presses the fire button I get up and chin him and he takes of my right ear off with the laser. All in all I've seen and spoken to around a dozen people in the medical profession since I was diagnosed as diabetic and not once have two of them said the same thing, they all say different things. I feel frustrated and think no wonder my blood pressure is high.

Don't get me wrong I'd love people to reply but this was just to get things off my chest, I can't really talk to family because despite how many times they say to people that we are a close family we aren't really. And if you aren't bored with what I've written above you'll understand I don't feel at ease with talking to any of the medical profession, in fact apart from the nurse's who take my blood who would probably call for security if I started pouring my heart out so your kind of my last hope
 
Many of us have lost a little respect for the medical profession. They were like Gods but the more you see them the more you realise that they are not, they are flawed. Just a month ago I was greeted at hospital with, "Good morning, we've lost all your notes".

The photocopied diet sheets are a bit of a joke. I have one for hypertension and one to reduce cholesterol but I have never seen one for diabetics. I don't think one exists within the NHS. My dietitian gave some advice about eating carbs with every meal and my nurse threw her hands up in horror. My nurse is a BSc who moonlights as a sister in a local hospital and she is a bit more clued in than most.

You got a lot off your chest in your post. That part of the interview with your nurse where she asked how you are feeling is just the moment to ask if you can see someone. You can get referred to a shrink where you can talk your hind leg off. They are paid to listen. Use the facilities.
 
Hi Clayman. What a nightmare you are going through. Its hard enough to wrap your head around diabetes without the medical professionals adding to the load. But more often than not they are a problem all by themselves. I gave up on the diabetes nurse some time back because it was too frustrating and pointless. The hospital clinics always result in a different harried doctor. Here in Ireland the way theu solved the problem of long waits for appointments is to pack the clinics so they are like cattle marts. There are good doctors out there but they are the exception rather than the rule in my opinion. Is it possible to make an appointment with a specific gp? If you explain your frustration about the inconsistency they hopefully will accommodate you. I sympathise completely with your fear of laser treatment. I have an enormous fear of blindness and also hate anyone near my eyes or face. I had it done recently and was petrified. Eventually resorted to hynotherapy - it worked! Best of luck with your eye and your general medical treatment. Keep posting - there are a lot of understandiny people here.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Squire Fulwood said:
Many of us have lost a little respect for the medical profession. They were like Gods but the more you see them the more you realise that they are not, they are flawed. Just a month ago I was greeted at hospital with, "Good morning, we've lost all your notes".

The photocopied diet sheets are a bit of a joke. I have one for hypertension and one to reduce cholesterol but I have never seen one for diabetics. I don't think one exists within the NHS. My dietitian gave some advice about eating carbs with every meal and my nurse threw her hands up in horror. My nurse is a BSc who moonlights as a sister in a local hospital and she is a bit more clued in than most.

You got a lot off your chest in your post. That part of the interview with your nurse where she asked how you are feeling is just the moment to ask if you can see someone. You can get referred to a shrink where you can talk your hind leg off. They are paid to listen. Use the facilities.
Click to expand...

The practice nurse has given me nothing to be honest, the first time I saw her I expected to be walking out with a bag full of leaflets and a brain full of information overload. She said nothing about losing the weight which I was kind of proud of losing over a stone, part of me however was wanting her to say something not for the praise but to say "well you had nothing to do with it" most of the info that helped me lose weight was down to sites like this.
 
Thundercat said:
Hi Clayman. What a nightmare you are going through. Its hard enough to wrap your head around diabetes without the medical professionals adding to the load. But more often than not they are a problem all by themselves. I gave up on the diabetes nurse some time back because it was too frustrating and pointless. The hospital clinics always result in a different harried doctor. Here in Ireland the way theu solved the problem of long waits for appointments is to pack the clinics so they are like cattle marts. There are good doctors out there but they are the exception rather than the rule in my opinion. Is it possible to make an appointment with a specific gp? If you explain your frustration about the inconsistency they hopefully will accommodate you. I sympathise completely with your fear of laser treatment. I have an enormous fear of blindness and also hate anyone near my eyes or face. I had it done recently and was petrified. Eventually resorted to hynotherapy - it worked! Best of luck with your eye and your general medical treatment. Keep posting - there are a lot of understandiny people here.
Click to expand...

No idea about the specific gp, although they even confuse me on where I should go let alone which doctor. See I can either go to the local surgery which is like 500 yards away but isn't open all the time or I can go to the health centre which is around 2 miles away, to be honest it doesn't matter to me but sometimes I'll ring the surgery and get a "we're closed you'll have to go to the health centre for your appointment" or I'll phone the health centre and get a "you don't live here so you'll have to phone the surgery for an appointment there". To be honest I feel way better when I go a week or two without seeing any of them, then I'm ok before my appointment then for about a day or two after my appointment I'm kind of feeling down. The diabetes is fine I'm pretty much handling that, actually and I don't want to sound weird the finding new recipes and more exercise is kind of a buzz it's the medical profession that's the downer.
 
We hear stories like yours all too often. I take the docs/nurses advice with a pinch of salt now. They are a necessary evil as you need them for certain things like prescriptions, certain blood and eye tests but apart from that most of my knowledge has been gained trawling these pages and asking questions.
Hopefully, the act of you writing your post has made you feel a little better and also knowing you're not alone. Good luck with the future and keep us posted.
No practical advice to offer unfortunately !


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi,Clayman :)

I have herd of people being let down by the NHS, but 3 inches has got to be some kind of record.(those tablets must be heaver than you think)

Like you to my own knowledge I have been 5ft 10 inches, when I was told I was actually 5ft 9 inches. I thought never. "lord knows how you feel" , do you know now what your true height actually is?

Jokes aside You should be proud of losing over a stone and well done.

Best of luck with your eye treatment.Keep us in touch.

Roy. :) :)
 
Clayman said:
The diabetes is fine I'm pretty much handling that, actually and I don't want to sound weird the finding new recipes and more exercise is kind of a buzz it's the medical profession that's the downer.
Click to expand...

That's not weird, that's a very fine attitude and one I share. I once said that I never had so much fun with my clothes on before.

I learned quite early on that the medical profession runs a blame culture. You smoke or you're too fat or lazy. It saves them doing anything if they can put it onto you. It is not in their interests to say "Well done" about anything because that is not a good basis for negotiation. You, the customer, have to be in the wrong so they can give you pills for it.

Don't let them get you down.
 
mo1905 said:
We hear stories like yours all too often. I take the docs/nurses advice with a pinch of salt now. They are a necessary evil as you need them for certain things like prescriptions, certain blood and eye tests but apart from that most of my knowledge has been gained trawling these pages and asking questions.
Hopefully, the act of you writing your post has made you feel a little better and also knowing you're not alone. Good luck with the future and keep us posted.
No practical advice to offer unfortunately !
Click to expand...

It made me feel better writing it down, more so that I posted it and even better that I got replies. I know I stated the reply part wasn't important but it helps to know that you aren't moaning for nothing and that people understand what your going through because they know people or have been in that position.
 
izzzi said:
Hi,Clayman :)

I have herd of people being let down by the NHS, but 3 inches has got to be some kind of record.(those tablets must be heaver than you think)

Like you to my own knowledge I have been 5ft 10 inches, when I was told I was actually 5ft 9 inches. I thought never. "lord knows how you feel" , do you know now what your true height actually is?

Jokes aside You should be proud of losing over a stone and well done.

Best of luck with your eye treatment.Keep us in touch.

Roy. :) :)
Click to expand...

Thanks Roy, yeah I've never really measured myself for years so did it today and I'm 5ft 9 1/4in not as tall as I thought but 2 1/4in more than the practice nurse stated the last time she did it, also made sure I was wearing the same shoes, measured myself 3 times and still never came close to 5ft 7in.
 
Squire Fulwood said:
Clayman said:
The diabetes is fine I'm pretty much handling that, actually and I don't want to sound weird the finding new recipes and more exercise is kind of a buzz it's the medical profession that's the downer.
Click to expand...

That's not weird, that's a very fine attitude and one I share. I once said that I never had so much fun with my clothes on before.

I learned quite early on that the medical profession runs a blame culture. You smoke or you're too fat or lazy. It saves them doing anything if they can put it onto you. It is not in their interests to say "Well done" about anything because that is not a good basis for negotiation. You, the customer, have to be in the wrong so they can give you pills for it.

Don't let them get you down.
Click to expand...

It's given me a new lease of life to be honest, although I've had to change all my clothes because none of them fitted anymore and it's cost me short term in the longterm it's cheaper as I don't need to send off for them anymore, I can even buy clothes in Tesco now :D And you saying the medical profession is the downer in my case couldn't be more right, I feel great 99% of the time it's just the 1% when I'm with the doctor or more so with the practice nurse. I actually feel better about tomorrow after talking on here and reading the replies, kind of a weight lifted off me. Thank you to you and everyone who has replied, been much appreciated.
 
Clayman said:
I can even buy clothes in Tesco now
Click to expand...

Every stitch I have on at the moment was bought in Tesco. What do you suppose the odds are for that?

You could always come on here and let us know how you get on. All the posters have an interest because we have all been through it.
 
Clayman you have obviously had a hard time to date. May I suggest you contact the health centre and ask to speak to the practice manager. He/she would then be able to tell you which GP has an interest in diabetes. You should then be able to book an appointment with that GP and then hope to build a relationship with them so you can share your fears and concerns with them. Consistency of care and follow up with a single GP (partner or salaried GP) should then help you get a handle on your diabetes and you can ask for a referral to a structured education course.

Regarding the laser all I can suggest is close your other eye and attempt to relax, they will let you stop them if it is too much, but the sooner they start the sooner you can go home. Have some pain killers at home just in case you need them afterwards.
Good Luck


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Squire Fulwood said:
Clayman said:
I can even buy clothes in Tesco now
Click to expand...

Every stitch I have on at the moment was bought in Tesco. What do you suppose the odds are for that?

You could always come on here and let us know how you get on. All the posters have an interest because we have all been through it.
Click to expand...

Will do, I go for the eye laser in another hour so let you know how that went. Bit calmer than I have been, I lip sing when I'm nervous so I maybe in a straight jacket later on :D
 
Westie2 said:
Clayman you have obviously had a hard time to date. May I suggest you contact the health centre and ask to speak to the practice manager. He/she would then be able to tell you which GP has an interest in diabetes. You should then be able to book an appointment with that GP and then hope to build a relationship with them so you can share your fears and concerns with them. Consistency of care and follow up with a single GP (partner or salaried GP) should then help you get a handle on your diabetes and you can ask for a referral to a structured education course.

Regarding the laser all I can suggest is close your other eye and attempt to relax, they will let you stop them if it is too much, but the sooner they start the sooner you can go home. Have some pain killers at home just in case you need them afterwards.
Good Luck
Click to expand...

I'm wondering if they'll let me close both eyes and have a couple shots of whiskey :wink: I know talking about the laser, doctors etc as helped and reading the replies as also helped.
 
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