• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

I just had a phone call...

Chook said:
Interesting! I just had an email suggesting that the phone call yesterday may have been misinterpreted and asking if its convenient for me to be available for a conference call with the Practice Manager and other relevant parties at 12 today.

Now what????
Click to expand...

Wow!
Can I suggest that you have all the docs about Dr Unwin, and links to the educational module for medical professionals (put together by Dr Unwin) ready to hand, so that you can refer to them, if necessary, and send them over by email, following the conversation.
Stand your ground. :)
I will be rooting for you!
 
Further to @DavidGrahamJones answer above, the robotic-style guidelines and prescribing palaver ( in all countries) does stifle problem-solving and avoidance of problems.
For example, some drugs like a particular one for epilepsy ( name withheld) gives different levels in the blood .dose for dose depending on which brand is prescribed and taken.
Switching brands because one has become cheaper causes potential and real problems.
Also some persons may be sensitive to the fillers in a tablets rather than the actual drug or find the fillers somehow affect the potency of the drug.
That relates back to this thread in that a cheaper blood glucose strip may be less accurate used with its particular meter. And sometimes the provision of a meter and its strips where that meter can also use ketone strips is important. If i can avoid hospital admission by being able to check BSL and ketones, how many thousands of strips does that equate to in money saved? And what if the savings can benefit someone else?
 
Chook said:
Interesting! I just had an email suggesting that the phone call yesterday may have been misinterpreted and asking if its convenient for me to be available for a conference call with the Practice Manager and other relevant parties at 12 today.

Now what????
Click to expand...


Keep your cool! No matter how infuriated they make you. You can say (in a tone of very sweet reason) that you are very upset and angry (I find that upsets people very much for some reason - far more than if I yelled), but hang on!

A lot of men automatically write off an angry woman as "on the change, poor thing", or "must be PMT" - but sweet reason really gives them no excuse to ignore what you say.
 
ert said:
Could you ask to have a glucose tolerance test as evidence that you need testing strips to control your BG levels to avoid spikes that will cause you to have to move onto other medication including insulin? Don't do it yourself, it would have to be done through your GP or specialist where they measure your insulin and glucose over the two hours. My GP and specialist wanted to know about how my response to eating after fasting, phase 1 of phase 2 insulin production was impaired. I have no phase 1 insulin after eating, which suggests beta cell destruction, as well as 2 rising to 4 mmol/l of phase 2 insulin. It was very informative and it's how I manage my diabetes without insulin.
Click to expand...

You take no insulin at all ert?? I didn't think that was possible for a type 1? x
 
@Chook

Thinking about it, if you are intimidated by the inclusion of 'other parties' in the phone call, then you are at liberty to refuse a group call on exactly those grounds.

Simply say that the disapproving tone, condescending attitude and closed mind of the doc you spoke to yesterday makes you uncomfortable at the thought of him/her and others ganging up on you during the call.

Even if you go ahead with the phone call, it will give them pause and probably mean the conversation is a lot more positive for you.
 
lucylocket61 said:
@Chook is type 2. The type we are is under our profile photo, if we fill it in. Some type 2's need to keep on insulin, and some can come off it.
Click to expand...
The comment quoted a T1 member who said they manage without insulin.

Right guys - all back on track please.
Chook was upset by what sounds like a confrontational call from her surgery. Sensible advice and support please on the test strip issue.
 
Brunneria said:
@Chook

Thinking about it, if you are intimidated by the inclusion of 'other parties' in the phone call, then you are at liberty to refuse a group call on exactly those grounds.

Simply say that the disapproving tone, condescending attitude and closed mind of the doc you spoke to yesterday makes you uncomfortable at the thought of him/her and others ganging up on you during the call.

Even if you go ahead with the phone call, it will give them pause and probably mean the conversation is a lot more positive for you.
Click to expand...

Good idea. :)
 
Chook said:
Good idea. :)
Click to expand...
And from this site

How does blood glucose testing help to control diabetes?
Blood glucose testing can help to control diabetes in a number of ways:

In turn, this can lead to:

  • A reduction in HbA1c (improved long-term glycemic control)
  • A lower risk of serious diabetic complications
  • Reduced depressive symptoms
  • Improved confidence in self-management of diabetes
 
Oh my goodness. How can they be so ignorant of recent developments? Surely they have at least seen or read about news items. When I speak to my doctor or diabetic nurse I feel like I have entered a parallel universe and I start to doubt my own sanity. I can get better diabetic advice from my milkman! My nurse is still advising that fat clogs up your arteries, eggs are bad for you and you should be eating cereal for breakfast. Smile and nod . . . . .
 
best wishes @Chook look forward to hearing your take on the phone afterwards. knock'em dead - you are in the right - your results speak for themselves!
 
@Chook seeing this a bit late, but what an interesting development. Will be very interested to hear whether you decided to take the call, and what the outcome was.
 
Brunneria said:
Wow!
Can I suggest that you have all the docs about Dr Unwin, and links to the educational module for medical professionals (put together by Dr Unwin) ready to hand, so that you can refer to them, if necessary, and send them over by email, following the conversation.
Stand your ground. :)
I will be rooting for you!
Click to expand...

@Chook Agree with Brunneria but I would suggest sending the information prior to the meeting so the other participants have it in front of them to read.
In my (limited) business experience it is always better to have the information in front of all participants when discussing it. It usually sinks in better than getting it later when your mind is on other things and the meeting is fading in your memory.

Rooting for you!
 
Noting that I have been fortunate to always have test strips on prescription. I was given a free meter from the drawer full of samples the nurses had been given and have had strips on prescription ever since, including when I changed surgeries due to moving location.

However I'm not a heavy regular user of the strips, just running the occasional test campaign, so probably not seen as a major drain on the surgery budget.
 
KK123 said:
You take no insulin at all ert?? I didn't think that was possible for a type 1? x
Click to expand...
My diagnosis is type 1 by I think I'm type 2 like chook. My body still produces insulin. Just long-acting (phase 2) and not much, but enough to clear 6 -12 grams of carbohydrates in a meal over 6 - 8 hours. So just two meals a day. Nuts and cream stop me from losing weight and HBa1c results are impaired, rather than diabetic. It's not much fun, but I'm holding on to try to demonstrate I'm type 2 and not type 1. If I were type 1 wouldn't I need insulin by now, after two years? I do get GP's questioning my use of testing strips, as I'm not on insulin. I just point them towards my glucose tolerance test. C-peptide results don't mean so much to them, just my specialist.
 
Last edited:
ert said:
My diagnosis is type 1 by I think I'm type 2 like chook. My body still produces insulin. Just long-acting (phase 2) and not much, but enough to clear 6 -12 grams of carbohydrates in a meal over 6 - 8 hours. So just two meals a day. Nuts and cream stop me from losing weight and HBa1c results are impaired, rather than diabetic. It's not much fun, but I'm holding on to try to demonstrate I'm type 2 and not type 1. If I were type 1 wouldn't I need insulin by now, after two years?
Click to expand...
@ert your profile says T1, this may explain the confusion.
 
@Chook

Am dying to hear what happened.
Yes, I am nosey.
But I also want to hear how you are feeling, and whether you are OK?
 
Well, that was interesting. It seems like my GP practice is moving on from the Dark Ages. The reason for yesterday's phone call was the new DN was being brought up to speed by my GP (the same one who three years ago called my proposed low carb diet 'a hippy, dippy diet' that he couldn't recommend or support me on). As they were going through all the T2s discussing meds, courses, other treatments, apparently my records stood out as being completely different because of my HbA1C being at non diabetic levels and, on looking in more detail they found that I haven't had a prescription for insulin for nearly three years yet I'm still getting the strips.

One funny bit, I know their record keeping is a bit haphazard but they thought I must have had some sort of bariatric surgery that they didn't know about.

So the phone call yesterday was to find out EXACTLY what I'm doing. The reviews with the DNs don't include a tick box answer for discussing controlling with a low carb diet and even though it has been discussed at every review it hasn't been noted and that's why I'm still shown as insulin dependant. And that's why I still get the strips. I did get a sort of apology for yesterday because the DN had passed on that the doctor may have been a bit harsh (!) and maybe hadn't explained fully the reason they were calling..

All the people in on todays conference call introduced themselves (eight of them) but only one asked questions which the others had given to him in advance. What they really wanted was to know what made me take this option, how long it took, what support I had at the beginningand what my diet and life is like on a daily basis.
 
Chook said:
Well, that was interesting. It seems like my GP practice is moving on from the Dark Ages. The reason for yesterday's phone call was the new DN was being brought up to speed by my GP (the same one who three years ago called my proposed low carb diet 'a hippy, dippy diet' that he couldn't recommend or support me on). As they were going through all the T2s discussing meds, courses, other treatments, apparently my records stood out as being completely different because of my HbA1C being at non diabetic levels and, on looking in more detail they found that I haven't had a prescription for insulin for nearly three years yet I'm still getting the strips.

One funny bit, I know their record keeping is a bit haphazard but they thought I must have had some sort of bariatric surgery that they didn't know about.

So the phone call yesterday was to find out EXACTLY what I'm doing. The reviews with the DNs don't include a tick box answer for discussing controlling with a low carb diet and even though it has been discussed at every review it hasn't been noted and that's why I'm still shown as insulin dependant. And that's why I still get the strips. I did get a sort of apology for yesterday because the DN had passed on that the doctor may have been a bit harsh (!) and maybe hadn't explained fully the reason they were calling..

All the people in on todays conference call introduced themselves (eight of them) but only one asked questions which the others had given to him in advance. What they really wanted was to know what made me take this option, how long it took, what support I had at the beginningand what my diet and life is like on a daily basis.
Click to expand...
Well done, sounds like they learned a lot! Are you still going to get your strips?
 
Back
Top