Hello, I'm Grumpy...

[Grumpy]

Just been diagnosed T2 (thought I was going blind after huuuuge course of steroids) and am extremely disgruntled about it all. Frankly, I wish they'd never found out...I'm being sent on courses without a by-your-leave and the diabetic nurse is like a head prefect....sigh. :roll: So I need cheering up about all this business and you seem like a nice cheery lot! Promise not to be glum all the time, but I thought I'd let you know what you're in for! And you can let me know what I'm in for... Were you all as hacked off as me? Or am I a drama queen?

 

[sugarless sue]

Welcome to the forum Grumpy.Yes we probably all were as disgruntled as you!!!
Well you've got it,what are you going to do with it?
Have a good read round the forum and you will find a lot of help and support and a lot of humour as well.There's lots of ideas on how to control your diabetes and if you've got any questions just ask!!

 

[Grumpy]

My first instinct was to ignore it, but I realise that wasn't sensible...and probably not practicable with the Bulldozer Head Prefect Nurse! It's all so very confusing, and books say one thing, charts say another and people say something else again. But you're all (mostly!) such a happy lot that I suspect life might be all right after all! Thanks for your welcome!

 

[sugarless sue]

It is confusing because we do actually go against what the main-stream advice is re diets etc. Have a good read in the different parts of the forum ,see what makes sense to you.

 

[ChocFish]

Hello Grumpy and welcome to the forum

You are no drama queen, I think we all felt like you do when we were first diagnosed. Joining the forum was an excellent move, look around the various threads, ask lots of questions and the more you learn about diabetes the less grumpy you will be.

What does this wonderful diabetes nurse advise you to do? Is she of the old fashioned stock of eat bread, potatoes, rice and pasta with your meals, bananas and cereal in the morning and no. you dont have to test so I am not giving you a tester and test strips? I hope not

Are you still taking the steroids now and what for? And yes I for one was very p...ed off when I got my diagnosis, in fact so bad that I went straight into denial for several years, read my story in the Success Story thread and please dont go down the path that I took at first, I was not very clever at all.

All the best

Karen

 

[sugarless sue]

Karen I love that one! I'm going to pinch it! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[suzi]

What, his bum Sue :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[sugarless sue]

Oh my!! :shock: :lol: :lol:

 

[dippydeedi]

Here we go again, step away from the glow worm guys!!! :lol:

 

[Grumpy]

That's amazing; that poem's my favourite, and I've got it stuck to my dressing table mirror! Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do....that's the Twilight Zone theme tune for those of you who aren't musical...
The steroids are for my lungs. Or the holey paper bags with which I was issued in place of lungs...so when the asthma gets really bad or I get a bad infection, they hit me with 40 microthingys of prednisolone for 5 days, which was when I thought I was going blind. Scary.
The Diabetes Nurse is very good, gave me a free machine and an open-ended scrip for tester strips and stabby things. I think she fires info at me a bit too fast; to echo what was in another thread, I'm not thick, but she makes me feel thick... Yes, she's big on bananas (oo, matron) and said a sarnie at lunchtime will do me good, as long as it doesn't contain anything interesting or fun. :roll: I usually go for salmon or tuna...
I go to this course on How To Be A Diabetic (I can't actually remember what it's called, but I know it eats into my Friday Afternoon Ginny Thing when myself and a couple of friends have a G&T to round off the week. If they say I can't have a G&T I'm walking...) in a couple of weeks' time. I'll report back if anyone's interested. I read a truly depressing and confusing book on T2 ('The First Year', I think it was called) which I shall be giving to the Diabetes Nurse asap, because it just frit and depressed me...spent a few days wondering exactly which day me feet were going to fall off.
Thank you all for your welcome; I'm glad it's not all po-faced and 'my diabetes is worse than yours' type stuff!

 

[hanadr]

Hi Grumpy
You seem to have landed in a better place than many of us. Strips on prescription, A course.
that's far better than most get. Just read some of the posts.
My PCT doesn't fund strips OR run courses.

 

[Grumpy]

I realised that on reading through the forum; instead of moaning, I ought to get my legs slapped, really... basically I hate being told what to do (self-employed, see!) but I'll try to be good!

 

[suzi]

Hi Grumpy,
just a quick observation on your steroids, your dose of 40mg a day for 5 days, is that it, because taking a high dose and stopping abruptly can cause problems. At the present i'm on 40mg a day for 7days, then 30mg for 7 days, then 20 mg for 5 days and 10mg for 5days. i usually get prescribed them for asthma/chest infections, but this time round its a last ditch attempt to get my sinus' in order or go for surgery.
Stay around Grumpy, your finding it tough now ,but you have a great sense of humour, may i ask, does your nurse look like Hattie Jacs by any chance (oo matron) love it.
Take care, enjoy your G&T with slimline tonic, 1 ain't gonna hurt
Suzi x

 

[Grumpy]

I'm good with G&T...one pint won't hurt with skinny tonic, will it?
No the DSN looks like a jolly hockey sticks head prefect - she's lovely, really, but I do so hate being told what to do....she has a terrible job on with me, bless 'er.
I always used to do the 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 mode of steroid use but they changed it recently. I have a chest infection about once a month since having pneumonia a few years back. I think the docs are as prone to trends as every other jib, and now the trend with steroids is a short sharp course rarher than the decreasing thing. If I wait another year or so I spect they'll go back to the decreasing thing! :\
Good luck with your sinus op. My hubby says I have sinus trouble - 'sinus a cheque for this...' :lol:

 

[deadwood2]

I'm good with G&T...one pint won't hurt with skinny tonic, will it?

Not above once an hour, mind.

IKWYM about the info - keep it fast and keep it vague seems to be my GPs MO. We'll see what Nurse Gwladys has to say next week.. I feel a defining moment coming on!

Dave

 

[Grumpy]

You and i seem to be having the same experiences, Deadwood. What throws me is that the asthma nurse and the DSN say opposing things - it's as though the Asthma nurse sees me as naughty lungs in a bod, and the DSN sees me as a naughty pancreas in a bod, but they don't consider the effects of one on the other...

 

[deadwood2]

Sorry, mate - having difficulty getting to grips with pages on the forum and missed your reply :?

I think you're right about the lack of joining up the dots - see my first experience with nurse gwladys!

That said, she seemed to know her stuff, but I felt she was constrained by "the script", if you know what I mean..

I can't tell whether the hopelessly unambitious targets are some sort of reverse psychology to help them meet targets, or to spur us into action!

Either way up - I reckon you can learn more here.

 

[Grumpy]

I'm learning a huuuuuuuuge amount; I can't get over how informative yet unstuffy this forum is. I'm going great guns on low carb, although I was forced to have a Smokescreen Danish today - my ma (84) doesn't know I'm diabetic, and since <i>her</i> ma was T1 she knows AAAAAAAAAAAAALL about it (30 years out of date). Had I gone without the usual monthly Danish she'd've smelt a large rodent, so I nobly ate it. Hope I don't suffer tomorrow...
Low Carb hasn't dented the BS yet, but I feel much better on it. I'm wondering what the DSN will say about it! I bought the Diabetes 101 book - excellent, I learned a lot from that too.

 

[deadwood2]

Tell me about it - mine's a retired pharmacist :?

I haven't told her either. Way too much like hard work.

so I nobly ate it.

It's a far, far better thing, etc! I'm waiting on Bernstein and the Carb Counter from Amazon, having drawn a big blank at Waterstones.

Fortunately small dietary variations like that don't seem to affect me, but remembering to take the blasted tablets is proving a challenge!

ttfn