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Frustration’

Jessiefless

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
1 am about to have a bit of a rant and appreciate that not everyone will have had the same experience I have.
43yr old female, 10wks from initial diagnosis - diabetic nurse awesome & DESMOND course good and informative but every doctor I’ve spoken to has left me feeling absolutely awful and I admit some tears have been shed.

I’ve only had 1 blood test it cane back as 62, BP - 114/85, Ch 4.6, prescribed 4 x 500mg of Metformin which I build up and persevered with all the symptoms, attend the DESMOND course, reduce calorie intake to 1300, reduce carbs to 100-150 per day, tracking meals, macros and exercise via MyFitness Pal lost 6kg in 10 weeks so feeling quite good.

Unfortunately every doctor I have spoken to has left me confused and frustrated. I’ve so far been told
1) My Metformin dosage is too high -
I should be on 3/day not’4.
2) Been told that my BP should be 140/80 and then 130/80, DESMOND says 140/80 either way i’m 114/85.
3) Been told that I should consider take more tablets for my BP?????!!
4) After advising I’ve lost 6kg in 10wks and then talking about the exercise I do (2-3 times/wk) being told it isn’t just about the exercise and I had I thought about joining slimming world......I’ve just told you I’ve lost
6kg with tracking???
5) Being told that my measurement is now 62 , I corrected, the measurement is the only
One I’ve had and is pre Metformin and lifestyle changes.
6) Told I need a 24hr BP check - no the 24hr BP check recommendation was just an additional check pre-diagnosis and this has since been checked and I have also been signed off from the hospital. It was also requested in Jan and the appointment was for 29/03, oh there was a comment about my BP always being in the correct range since 2002??!!!

I had no symptoms and ended up with a diagnosis from a straight forward eye test. I appreciate all the support I have to date from the NHS but out GP practises need to start to listen and treat us as individuals - I am intelligent adult, stop treating us like imbeciles and think we don’t realise you are trying to hit a set of numbers which gives an indication that you are a ‘good practice’, I will be the judge of that and you are currently failing me right now as you contradict yourself and fail to actually listen.

And breathe......
 
It sounds like you are doing really well! Diet and lifestyle change can have a massive impact so keep it up!

I came to realise that I needed to be responsible for my own health and to do that I needed to educate myself and make my own decisions. I ignored my old GPs advice (take lots of drugs) and made my own decisions. I also have a new GP who listens and pretty much tells me to carry on now.

If you don’t have one, buy a BP monitor and check yourself easy enough to see if you are OK but your BP sounds perfectly fine at those levels (normal is less than 120/80) so I don’t see why you would be taking any medication for it.

Same goes with your glucose levels monitor them and see what you can do to make them better (you have the big ones already carbs, weight and exercise). There is lots of good info here and it sounds like you are already across.

It is a big adjustment so give yourself some time to adjust mentally. Your body will also take time to adjust to a different diet. But, you sound like you are doing great and if you keep it up I suspect you are going to be very happy with the results!
 
Brilliant you!! Fabulous work. Good rant.
The only thing I can say is that each person who speaks to you or advises you only knows and hears what he/she is saying. They don't know what others have told you so I think you should point out contradictions in anything to save them from being an ar**********.
 
Keep doing what you doing, it is working and will continue to work for you. Unfortunately you are right in that the system seems flawed, we are viewed as statistics not individuals, we should be congratulated on our successes and not discouraged because someone didn’t fully read our notes and have the intelligence to see that what is in them is often out of date by the time you are sat in front of them. It seems to me that our doctors and nurses are not on board with the low carb benefits and continue to give out of date advice. We are all individuals and our bodies have different needs and respond in different ways to things like medication, diet and exercise so why do they insist on us all attaining the same results and numbers?
 
keep doing what you are doing @Jessiefless xx Our HCP providers don't take a holistic view of patients unfortunately. We are all stats and data to them, the amount of times I've accompanied my Hubby to apps (he is T2) and thoughts that the entire consultation is just an exercise in number crunching-this number for BG, that one for BP, another for cholesterol and BMI. People are not simply a collection of symptoms !
Surgeries have targets for the amount of medication/patients they prescribe and yes....I am very cynical.
 
Jessie, all I will say is don't hold your breath. You will see many different individuals with regard to your diabetes and they will all have differing opinions and ideas. As others have said in the end you research all you can, listen to the 'experts' and then you look after yourself and your body. I would never advocate being reckless with your medication but as long as you know what it is, how it works and how it affects YOU then you're doing alright and this will be reflected in your results. When you reach that point (and you are well on your way) you can take solace in the looks on their faces!
 
You're doing great, congratulations! And yeah... It's hard to get heard. Out of the 7 or so people I saw since diagnoses, the only one to actually listen to me is my GP. I'm her guinea pig, as I seem to be the only one in her practice to stop gliclazide/metformin/statins and improve on diet only, without quitting after a month. She's gung-ho to learn, so she takes loads of notes, and lets me do alllll the tests I want... And that helps...! But the rest were contradictory and unhelpful (and dangerous) for the most part. Sadly, that is the state of things. But hey, you made an awesome start, and people here really know their stuff, so if you have questions, this is the place to be! Good luck!
 
Hi. You seem to be doing fine but sadly you appear to have been told a lot of nonsense by your surgery. Metformin 4 x 500gm is a normal max dose and is fine; I was on 2000mg for many years. Read the leaflet with the packet and it should confirm that. To be honest Metformin never makes a huge difference so the dosage isn't that important. Your BP is fine with the 85 number being marginally on the high side but still fine. Based on that you shouldn't need any BP tablets. There is a lot of nonsense talked about BP. First it's best done at home in the calm. The 'normal' BP level varies a lot with age so it's important to take account of age. Typically a level of 140/80 is when tablets are offered although the USA has just reduced this to 130 probably so they can sell more drugs. You should get another HBa1C blood test in 3 or 6 months so do arrange that. You don't need to join any slimming clubs. Just keep the carbs down below around 150gm/day and ignore calories as they have no real meaning for us. In summary keep up the good work and be prepared to challenge some of the things the surgery is telling you.
 
Thank you for all your positive comments - good to know that I’m not the only one that’s had this experience (which is unfortunate)! Xx
 
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