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Help - I think Im having a breakdown

U

unigirl

Member
Messages
10
Hi All

Diagnosed a month ago and found this fantastic site. Firstly, let me apologise up front if this sounds like a rant or a mad person speaking.

Went for my first offical appointment with the Diabetic nurse yesterday who just happens to be the same practice nurse I see anyway.

Ok so the opening sentence is "I can offer you the flu jab today" response "why" because "your diabetic" well blow me really .... anyway I refused stating I had never had the flu and honestly felt that I needed time to adjust before I start thinking about flu jab etc. To be asked the flu jab question just made me feel as if "i was sick".

At this point she said I was in denial - I told her no not denial however just not willing to accept the situation at this she laughed and accused me of being silly denial and acceptance are the same thing.

What I was trying to express was that I do not deny that the blood test came back high (7.3) non fasting (60) for the other however that had came down from (9.3) (70) from two weeks before. When the bloods had been taken I had just returned from 3 weeks in the USA where I had ate Mickey Mouse and a cruise ( so you get the picture in terms of food choice) and I had been experiencing severe anxiety.

I explained that since mid Jan I had lost 25 lbs in weight and was exercising for one hr a day on the cross trainer. Her response was it may not matter and anyway I still had a further 21 kilos to lose which would bring me to 9 stone 6 ( I cant remember ever being 9 stone anything). Then the exercise was good but not the right type of exercise as I need to lose "abdominal girth" direct quote and should be doing sit ups etc.

Then on to blood pressure - last time it was taken if was high 154/95 this time due to the weight loss and execise I believe it was down to 138/78 her response was "well really we need that below 130".

So to sum up the weight loss is not enough, the exercise is good but not good enough, blood pressure is ok but needs to be better. All in all a very negative experience. I came away feeling defalted to say the least.

I need to be feel in control of this and I was very positive that if I changed my lifestyle which ofcourse is the NHS matra that it would go away.

Does this stablise with diet and exercise because according to this nurse it seems that no matter what I do I have no control and will be no meds no matter what.
 
Hi Unigirl,

Don't have a breakdown! Sounds like your nurse could have handled it better, but I had a similar experience so can understand.

I think the bottom line is that we are diabetic - the tests are pretty black and white.

But like you I will try and tackle this positively - it sounds like you are making some great progress with diet and exercise and I'm sure you can bring your numbers down more.

Keep it up and get tested again in a few months? Good luck....
 
HI

Thanks for your response. In some ways it makes me feel slightly better that Im not the only one who had not had a great experience.

I will continue to be positive. Good luck to you too and thanks again for your response it helps I have great friends and family but I have bored myself talking about it to them so I can only guess how bored they must be.

I do know the tests are black and white but I have to hold on to the hope that I can sort this out myself without meds.
 
Unigirl, you sound exactly like me! I have my BP at 130/78 but its not good enough, I have lost 20lb but its not enough, my cholesterol is 5.8 which is too high. They gave me metformin which didnt agree with me, then SR Metformin which was just as bad. They told me I couldnt possibly control this with diet alone but I mustn't test my blood to check. So I bought a meter, changed my diet and proved them wrong.

I have now been told that I have stage 2 kidney disease and got no support. In fact I was told over the phone like they did with the diabetes.

The diet and the diagnosis has really got to me over the last few days and I felt so low, I spent sunday crying and sleeping.

I realise that if I want to see my son grow up then I must tackle this head on and not give in.

Keep up the good work and you will take control of this situation. X

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi

Im sorry to hear about your latest diagnosis. Is this related to your diabetes ? ( sorry) but im asking because nurse told me if I continue low carbing my kidneys will pack in (lovely eh)>

When you say you proved them wrong what do you mean ? I also have two boys and worry that I wont see them grow up.

Thanks for your kind response its appreciated.

unigirl
 
Hi, Unigirl

All I can say is well done.(keep on enjoying yourself that is good medicine )

Your are in control, does the nurse think your stupid or something.


I bypass our so called Diabetic Nurse simply because of the same reasons you have experienced.

I collect copies of my test etc; and try to understand them so I can work out whats best for me to keep control.

My GP seems to have a better understanding of diabetes thank goodness.

I do not think the nurses are fully aware of how negative they can be, (sorry but they are not trained how to advise patients).

best of luck,

Roy.
 
Hi Unigirl,

I'm saddened that you had a negative experience with your practice nurse! Unfortunately, more and more GP's are keeping specialist services in-house, it seems!

I am still only diagnosed as type 2, but under investigation for type 1 or lada. Average Blood pressure is 110/60, Cholesterol 3, so no arguments there. I am lucky enough to be under the care of a specialist diabetic unit at my local hospital, and my DSN is second to none, she can advise on every issue I get!

Hang on in there, it can be controlled, and you'll get to the point where you are in full control!



Bob
 
Do these nurses go to the same school of pig ignorance or what?
I was just at the hospital not about my diabetes but an orthopaedic surgeon, who was very surprised at my 20lb weight loss in 5 weeks, and getting my bmi down from 52.4 to 47.2. he asked how long I had been diabetic I told him I was diagnosed just 5 weeks ago.
He said low carb diet is a very good diet and would help me no end in getting my weight down even more.

I just find it incredible how a practice nurse can suddenly become a diabetic nurse and have more say than your gp. (my experience)

Hopefully you will receive better treatment in the future. I would have been livid had my nurse spoken to me that way. although saying that she did ignore the fact that I had crumbling knees and told me to to the gym. also ignored hydracephilis and told me to go look it up.

Good luck in your journey keep asking questions on here and at your drs.
vonbon
 
My nurse is talking nosenses all the time and her first question is always about flu jab too She is nicer than yours though. Dont let other people to make you feel down. Youve achieved a lot so far so there is no reason for a breakdown
 
unigirl said:
Does this stablise with diet and exercise because according to this nurse it seems that no matter what I do I have no control and will be no meds no matter what.
Click to expand...

If she had said that to me I would have been tempted to put her on the spot. "So, you say it is OK for me to go out and buy a bag of jam doughnuts then?" I have never seen anyone say you can eat what you want, which is implicit in a statement that claims eating carefully makes no difference. Diet and exercise is the main treatment.

Most of my readings are in the 5s and 6s now. They used to be 9s and 10s. By watching what I eat, but I still eat well, taking exercise and losing weight my BGs are nearly always in the normal range. That is not the same as a cure but I am fitter and more active than I have been for years. Some people have lived with diabetes for decades.

There are different reasons to exercise. One is to burn off calories and help weight loss. Another is to improve cardio vascular fitness. Yet another is to stimulate the temporary production of hormones and enzymes which improve the insulin response. The latter, which may just be a short walk after every meal, is most effctive within the first 12 hours and is cumulative. Again, not a cure but a big help.

Once you start seeing 5s and 6s, you'll get more confidence.

They offer me flu jabs because of a heart problem which I had ten years ago. The problem was sorted out 7 years ago but, once your name is on the list, it must be there for a reason! It's just tick box healthcare.
 
I am told that the diabetes caused the kidney disease. I am not taking metformin or any other tablets and have been low carbing to keep my bs readings between 4.5 - 6.2 with no problems. I went to see DN who told me it was impossible for me to control through diet and took a chart of a weeks readings and she was amazed. I dont know if low carb causes kidney problems as such, its more likely to be high protein but I wouldnt say I eat 'high' levels of protein. Nurse seemed to think if I lost weight the diabetes would disappear somehow.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi unigirl like you I too was diagnosed only a few weeks ago and also seen the DN at my own doctors I was also told the same about the flu jab almost word for word sounds like the same nurse it went something like your diabetic so you can have the flu jab and before I even got a chance to say anything her next words were I will just go and get it now

I too turned it down and got the same about turning it down and refusing it tried explaining that as I was newly diagnosed and as this was my first visit there was a lot to take in and I wanted to concentrate on what was being said rather then just concentrate on a flu jab and would rather leave that until a later visit

I think sometimes these nurses are so set in their ways they just go onto auto pilot without actually listening to the concerns of the patient first
 
Mrs Yorks, who works in the Haematology Lab, tells me the flu jabs are government targets for the NHS. Wales for example (via welsh assembly) has a 75% target for an uptake of the jab.

The groups targetted are:

  • chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, COPD or bronchitis
    chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
    chronic kidney disease
    chronic liver disease
    chronic neurological disease, such as stroke, TIA, polio syndrome
    diabetes
    a weakened immune system due to conditions, such as HIV or AIDs, or treatments that suppress the immune system, such as chemotherapy

Obviously, if your name is on a list, you must obey orders otherwise we won't meet our targets.
 
they get paid extra for hitting their targets...
 
I'm appalled by some of the experiences mentioned on this thread. I am a Type 1 diabetic and in 20 years have felt blamed for my failings loads of times. The worst was when I was pregnant and really trying hard with my bloods and a specialist screamed: 'you are damaging your baby!'

Take the flu jab (and the free, non diabetic prescriptions) as a strictly optional perk, and don't let anyone make you believe that you're a 'bad diabetic' or that any of it is your fault, even if the figures are not perfect. Surely such blame is predicated on the idea that being good at this is easy? Diabetics are 3x more likely to be clinically depressed so we have to look after our peace of mind as well as the figures.

Good luck!
 
I've qualified for the Flu jab since having M.E. and until recently, I have always had the Flu jab. Two years ago however, I reacted to it really severely, and upon further tests found out I had an egg allergy. So I don't get pestered anymore unless they get the 'non - egg' vaccine in. But I had always noticed - my M.E was worse after the vaccine anyway.
 
i got diagnosed in october last year.. sent to see the pratcice nurse who was very patronising, tol;d i could only eat 1 banana a day .. then offered the flu jab. if it works for me and doesn't show any other complications i'm going to do it.. along with the advice here i seem to be doing ok although slip now and again .. but its all about getting back up and carrying on.

I got sent to a different nurse who seemed to know her stuff and was all for low carbing explained it all to me.. but sadly she was very good and has gone to a training hospital, not sure who i'll get next if anyone.. hope its not miss grouchy
 
kevinf1967 said:
hope its not miss grouchy
Click to expand...

My wife works in Haematology in the Path Labs and all the staff there have to deal with GPs and their receptionsists, the public via clinics such as the warfarin clinic, the doctors and nurses via the wards, surgeons in theatre and with A&E. All the Path Lab staff have a well developed sense of humour to cope with the huge range moods and personality types that they encounter.
 
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