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how long should it take for PN to make contact after diabetes diagnosis?

manhattan

Active Member
Messages
40
Location
Scotland
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
i was diagnosed as newly diabetic yesterday after Hba1c bloodtests gave results of 54mmol and 53mmol.. receptionist said gp has left message with PN to contact me.. how long would it normally take for practice nurse to get in touch? and should i be concerned if no contact is forthcoming?
 
Hi Manhattan and welcome to the Forum, the best corner of the internet for us diabetics! It’s anyone’s guess how long your Practice Nurse takes to get back to you but in the meantime you can go someway to start helping yourself improve those numbers. 54mmol/l is not drastic at all, I was diagnosed at 70 and I’ve seen numbers higher still posted here.
First I’ll tag in @daisy1 who will post loads of useful info for you.
Now I was diagnosed 9 months ago and found this forum that night. From reading around and asking questions I went down the low carb diet and self monitoring route. Carbohydrates all turn into sugar once eaten, so logic told me that I shouldn’t eat carbs as my body can’t deal with loads of sugar. Self monitoring has helped me learn what foods I can eat. My GP put me on Metformin a very mild diabetic drug which helps a tiny bit. My blood tests now show non diabetic levels.
Any questions ask away, there’ll always be a reply or several!
 
I would warn that Metformin has a minor effect on diabetes but can cause absolute havoc with side effects.
I was prescribed it and a statin and was in a dreadful state for the few weeks I took them, then there was quite a long recovery period afterwards.
 
Welcome to the forum @manhattan. Getting that diagnosis is a shock and takes a bit of time to get your head around it all.
When I was told I was T2 diabetic by my GP, she asked the receptionist to make an appointment to see the PN, and I think I saw her a week later. But it varies from one GP Surgery to another.
If you are worried ring the receptionist to ask for the appointment.

The PN doesn't usually do more than weigh you, check blood pressure, do a poking test on your feet to see if you are developing neuropathy (losing feeling in feet), and refer you for retinopathy (eye) screening. She might give you some advice about diet (mine didn't), but it will be the standard NHS 'Eatwell' plate advice - that you should continue to eat carbohydrates. But starchy carbs like bread, pasta, potatoes and rice turn to sugar in our bodies, so aren't good for T2s.

Have a read round the forum and ask any questions you want to. The people on here are friendly and supportive and you will get a lot of good advice.
 
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My A1C was 111 and I was not even given an option to be seen by a Practice Nurse. Just as well as the GP’s advice involved no discussion at all about lowering my CARB intake and more about “lay off the sugary drinks and sweets when you are away”...

54 is not bad at all.. I got mine down to 59 in three months just by changing a few things in what I ate, and getting back into an e exercise routine, whenever I was back home. I am now making sure I travel with a lot more lower carb options to limit what I have to rely on when I work away.

Check out a lot of the info you will find about Low Carb, healthy fat - and you will learn to check the carb numbers of anything you buy.

You might find things a lot easier to take things into your own hands.
 
thanks everyone for the replies.. i’ll give it a week and if no contact i’ll get in touch with the practice.. if it’s ok could i ask one more question?.. from what everyone has said.. 54 isn’t too bad.. for the last couple of weeks i’ve been having headaches, lighthead and slightly nauseous nearly every day.. could that possibly be related to the diabetes?.. i’ll make sure to bring it up with the PN.. abd thanks again for your help and your friendly welcome to the site
 
@manhattan

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
It could be due to something else. I'm not a HCP, but wouldn't have thought it was due to diabetes as your figures aren't high.

If you have been eating low carb since you were diagnosed it might be due to 'carb flu' where your body reacts to not getting the level of carb intake it was getting before. Some people get it after starting low carb, but it usually goes after a week or two.
 
@manhattan


Welcome to the forum. Lots of others have posted useful information but as you numbers are similar to what mine (52 in June 2017) was I thought I would add in my say J .

When I was diagnosed I felt like I had been slapped in the face with a wet fish. It was a bit of a wake up call. I also found lots of contradictory advise out there some of it from the NHS (The Eat well plate!). So not only was I shocked I was also a little confused.

It took circa 3 weeks from being diagnosed to seeing the Diabetic nurse for me. As others have said, they weighed me, talked about a healthy diet. losing weight, more exercise – all he stuff we already know for a healthy life. The one thing they did do for me was book me on a Diabetic education course. Mine was with X Pert. I found this really useful and enlightening. If they don’t recommend this, ask about it. Some Trusts do put you on the course, other only do so if you ask.

I did change my diet after being diagnosed in June – taking the rational approach – eat more fruit and veg, cut out sugars etc. but after the course in Oct I switched to low carb. It’s a pain counting the carbs BUT I was tested last week and my HbA1c is now 44 (Pre – diabetic levels), so that’s down 8. I have also lost over 10 kilos (24 lbs), my BP and cholesterol is also improving. I am putting a lot of this down to the Low carb diet – you are what you eat after all.

Hopefully all the advice you are being passed is helpful and remember we are all in the same boat so ask any questions.
 

Hello and welcome,

One thing you can be doing is to buy yourself a blood glucose meter. These are important tools for us because they can guide us to the best food choices. At a glance we can see what particular foods have done to our levels which gives us the chance to experiment with smaller portion sizes of the carb elements, or eliminate some completely. Without a meter we are working blind.

Another thing is you need to ask the receptionist at your surgery (or the nurse if you see her soon) for print outs of your blood tests. These will contain the results of all the stuff they measured and not just glucose - cholesterol, lipids, liver and kidney functions are just as important for us as glucose. If you are in England your surgery may put test results on line so you need to ask how to register for this. You will be having a lot of blood tests in the future so it pays to watch out for trends, and having the results in black and white is more than useful.

I didn't have to wait to see a nurse - it was a nurse that called me in following routine blood tests. I have never seen a GP for diabetes related issues. In general, the nurses are more clued up than the GPs about diabetes. Mine is lovely.
 
Just to add to Bluetits comment. My surgery offers online access to your records - which includes all the details about Chloreserol, BP, etc, etc. Lots of GP's offer this service so it mya be worth asking about. Its quite useful as you can access your blood test results in about 2 days without ringing up the surgery and being put on hold.

It's also quite interesting as I can see hn I had the Flu Jab. my second knee op details etc but then I will admit to be a little bit geeky.
 
ixi1429 said:
It's also quite interesting as I can see hn I had the Flu Jab. my second knee op details etc but then I will admit to be a little bit geeky.
Click to expand...

I can do better than that. I can see details of my broken leg in 1952, when I had measles and chickenpox as a child, and when I had my baby vaccinations in 1948! I have no idea why these childhood stuff is there. There is then a big gap to 2000.
 
@manhattan welcome. It could be because your hungry. Its not uncommon to get a fright from the diagnosis. Its stressful but we are here.
Keep an eye on your symptoms and always rely any symptoms to your team. Unfortunately we aren't medically trained so cannot give medical advice but hugs, encouragement and sympathy; we're your guys!
We are huge listeners. We are here for you.
 
fortunately up here in Scotland blood glucose meters are free on NHS.. unfortunately at the moment.. we can only order repeat prescriptions online.. not yet able to access test results etc.. but thanks for advice
 
thanks for the lovely welcome!
 
manhattan said:
fortunately up here in Scotland blood glucose meters are free on NHS.. unfortunately at the moment.. we can only order repeat prescriptions online.. not yet able to access test results etc.. but thanks for advice
Click to expand...

I believe that in Scotland there is an on-line resource where you can see your diabetes results and various other things. I think it is called Diabetes My Way.
http://www.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk/
 
unfortunately even before diagnosis of diabetes. i already have CKD stage 3 and NAFLD along with high bp and microvascular angina.. so diabetes is now added to the list lol
 
I wouldn't wait to hear from the pn, if your surgery is anything like mine I had to wait for a month for an appointment.
 
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