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Hi all,
I've just had a truly awful appt with my GP.
In summary I was diagnosed as Type 2 by my GP last Dec and due to normal BMI yet high bg readings (18 - 19) was put straight onto metformin. Around Feb time the nurse practitioner changed my meds to prolonged release metformin and doubled the dose. Since that time I've lost about 1/2 stone in weight to a BMI of 23, have watched my diet but bg is stubbonly stuck at around 9.2 at each 3 monthly check-up. My GP was on hol and another doc at my surgery saw me on referal after my last check because nurse practioner thought I needed increased meds. He put me on gliclazide in addition to the metformin and also said he thought chance I might not be Type 2 - might be MODY or some other type so he referred me to the Diabetic Clinic at the hospital and told me to come back 3 wks after start of taking the glic. I arranged that appt for today not knowing that my hosp appt by chance would come through for yesterday.
So yesterday I saw the specialist who thought I was too old for MODY (I'm 36) but didn't want to entirely rule it out. She agreed with 'locum' doc that not necessarily Type 2 either and may possibly have early onset Type 1. So I had some blood tests done and will get the results in 6 weeks, or so. In the meantime she said to see my doc and for doc to prescribe a monitor and some testing strips and for me to test twice a day, at random times before meals eg; before breakfast and tea one day, before lunch and at bedtime the next etc. She also said that if my diary still showed raised bg doc should up my gliclazide dose in the meantime pending the results of the blood tests. She said likely my meds woudl change whether I remained dx type 2 or changed to type 1 etc.
So I saw my GP today. She said what the specialist had suggested about the monitoring was against all normal procedure and she wouldn't prescribe any of it, stating monitors are down to the hospital in any event and that even type 1s only get one box of test strips per year. I was stunned. She's kept hold of the prescription request note from the hospital and is going to call them on Tuesday so I have to wait to find out whether I should be testing or not and presumably as to who will be prescribing. I'd buy the things myself but we're on a tight budget due to hubby being out of work due to redundancy since April and I work p/t and we have two small kids.
Is it normal for GPs and specialists to disagree in this way? What happens if I turn out to be type 1? Will I have the same battle to get a monitor and testing strips?
I've gained 4lbs in weight in the 3 weeks I've been on the gliclazide. It's really depressing. They won't change it to something else, understandably, until they know precisely what type of diabetic I am. Is there something I should be mentioning/asking for as an alternative?
I've lost all faith in my GP :-(
Sharlie
I've just had a truly awful appt with my GP.
In summary I was diagnosed as Type 2 by my GP last Dec and due to normal BMI yet high bg readings (18 - 19) was put straight onto metformin. Around Feb time the nurse practitioner changed my meds to prolonged release metformin and doubled the dose. Since that time I've lost about 1/2 stone in weight to a BMI of 23, have watched my diet but bg is stubbonly stuck at around 9.2 at each 3 monthly check-up. My GP was on hol and another doc at my surgery saw me on referal after my last check because nurse practioner thought I needed increased meds. He put me on gliclazide in addition to the metformin and also said he thought chance I might not be Type 2 - might be MODY or some other type so he referred me to the Diabetic Clinic at the hospital and told me to come back 3 wks after start of taking the glic. I arranged that appt for today not knowing that my hosp appt by chance would come through for yesterday.
So yesterday I saw the specialist who thought I was too old for MODY (I'm 36) but didn't want to entirely rule it out. She agreed with 'locum' doc that not necessarily Type 2 either and may possibly have early onset Type 1. So I had some blood tests done and will get the results in 6 weeks, or so. In the meantime she said to see my doc and for doc to prescribe a monitor and some testing strips and for me to test twice a day, at random times before meals eg; before breakfast and tea one day, before lunch and at bedtime the next etc. She also said that if my diary still showed raised bg doc should up my gliclazide dose in the meantime pending the results of the blood tests. She said likely my meds woudl change whether I remained dx type 2 or changed to type 1 etc.
So I saw my GP today. She said what the specialist had suggested about the monitoring was against all normal procedure and she wouldn't prescribe any of it, stating monitors are down to the hospital in any event and that even type 1s only get one box of test strips per year. I was stunned. She's kept hold of the prescription request note from the hospital and is going to call them on Tuesday so I have to wait to find out whether I should be testing or not and presumably as to who will be prescribing. I'd buy the things myself but we're on a tight budget due to hubby being out of work due to redundancy since April and I work p/t and we have two small kids.
Is it normal for GPs and specialists to disagree in this way? What happens if I turn out to be type 1? Will I have the same battle to get a monitor and testing strips?
I've gained 4lbs in weight in the 3 weeks I've been on the gliclazide. It's really depressing. They won't change it to something else, understandably, until they know precisely what type of diabetic I am. Is there something I should be mentioning/asking for as an alternative?
I've lost all faith in my GP :-(
Sharlie