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I think my treatment has been appalling

T

TuTusweet

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In November last year my GP noticed a fairly high fasting reading on a routine blood test and said "I think you have got diabetes and I'm prescribing Eucreas tablets.. Take one a day and come and see me in a year" Obviously wanted to keep a close check.
My fasting readings had been higher than a non-diabetic for 4 and a half years==she had said nothing. The Eucreas website says two tablets a day. It also says it should be given with caution to people over 65 --I'm 72 --and only after liver and kidney function tests to set a marker and monitored monthly to spot changes. Nothing like that was even mentioned. Nor was diet and exercise. Nor was starting on low metformin and building up if needed.

I am scared witless of those eucreas tablets. It seems to me they give them to people who have little to lose when most things have failed. So i won't take them. I'm doing everything I can with diet and my exercise bike. I have lowered my readings. However my meter readings are generally higher than the readings I used to get at the nearby Pharmacy. I checked the Pharmacy machine by going straight there after a I gave a hospital sample and the next day the hospital result was exactly the same as the Pharmacy. What I have not yet done is check my meter against the Pharmacy machine. I'm not impressed that meters can be plus or minus 20 percent.
Are they consistent in their variability or are they all over the place.?
I have had a vile cold for about 4 days and as usual it has turned to bronchitis. Even so I decorated the lounge. I'd started so I finished. I'm knackered and felt so groggy after my evening meal -2 hours- and I cannot sleep because of coughing. So like a fool I gave in to curiosity and did a test. It was my highest ever--9. Perhaps I should have pricked a different finger. Maybe it was a poor test strip.
I won't test again until my regular Saturday morning fasting test. I have decided to test 52 times more often than my GP planned to do.--ie every Saturday Unfortunately I am my only source of medical advice via the internet. My GP is a fool and a dangerous one.

I understand that illness can cause freak readings Maybe Claritromicin for my bronchitis can do also. Or chick pea flour. First use tonight.
If anyone has a moment could you please comment on how high my readings need to get and for how long to cause a trip to my GP to ask for low dose Metformin.
Has anyone any experience of Eucreas? Am I right to be scared of it. Thanks
 
TuTusweet said:
Are they consistent in their variability or are they all over the place.?
Click to expand...

I have found that if a particular model of meter reads high then it is consistent in doing that. I have one where I have to subtract one point from the reading so that it matches the reading I would get if I used the meter the nurse issued me with.

Rarely, with any meter, you can get a reading that is completely off the wall but if it is that bad you can always do another test to confirm it.

I just copied this off the 'net

"Eucreas tablets contain two active ingredients, metformin and vildagliptin. These are both medicines used to help control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes".
 
If you're that unhappy with your GP, can't you change to another one or be referred to a specialist? I can't imagine dealing with a GP that I had absolutely no confidence in or I'd be questioning everything, just like you are. Are there no options to get a second opinion about your treatment?
 
Why not change your doctor? You are entitled to and must have an annual eye test. You should also have your feet checked. You are supposed to have a discussion with a dietician about what you can eat. I would contact your local hospital and ask if there is a diabetic clinic or where the nearest clinic is. I would then contact them and explain the negligent treatment you have received from your doctor and I would write a letter of complaint to your doctors surgery. Is there no other doctor at that surgery you can see instead?
 
Oh and I imagine from what you have said that you have bought your own meter? How much do you pay for your strips? £25 for 50? If so you can get an sd codefree meter on line from ebay or amazon and the strips are £7 with free packaging and postage. Why not also see your doc and ask why you've been given that medicine or why he has failed to address the eye feet and diet issues? Good luck!
 
Hi. Both Metformin and the Gliptin in Eureas are pretty safe drugs so I wouldn't worry about taking them. Yes, there is advice to take care with the elderly but I think that mainly applies to those with known kidney problems. Yes, you are entitled as a 'registered' diabetic to annual checks including retinopathy and an HBa1C blood test. It is normal to have an HBa1C test about 3 months after diagnosis and then annually if not too high. If you haven't had one then I would ask the GP for one as you are 'worried'. Roughly meter readings under 10mmol are OK 2 hours after a meal until you get better control thru diet. The target should be 8.5 mmol or less. Neither Metformin no the Gliptin will have a great effect on blood sugar so, as usual, diet is the key and that means keeping the carbs down. Don't worry too much about fat and protein, veg and some fruit is fine. Most meters have +/- 15% accuracy. I checked all mine recently and they showed this level of variation. Hence the absolute reading isn't too critical but changes guide you into the right diet. BTW an HBa1C test should also have a urine sample taken at the same time to check kidney function, so ask for this as well as the HBa1C at the surgery
 
You should take the metformin, it's one of the safest and best tested drugs around. It is effective and by no means is it for "lost causes".

I would not suggest testing 2 hrs after a meal. Your result of 9 is not bad. It's probably better to test 4 hrs after a meal, or just before. These will give a more reliable assessment of your diabetic control. It's excellent that you are doing the exercise etc.
 
Hi,

I always find that my blood sugar levels rise during any kind of viral infection. I would say my fasting level goes up by about 2 points. Probably my body providing the fuel to fight the illness.

So I wouldn't worry about the result when you were feeling ill. Just wait till you feel better and test closely for a few days, that will give you a much more accurate picture of what is going on.

In my experience it is falling to us patients to take responsibility more and more. When I signed on with my current doctor I was already on medication. Made an appt with him, we discussed the annual hospital clinic appts and regular testing that I had received back in Wales. He nodded and told me he would contact the local endocrinology clinic, and be in touch, if check ups were necessary.

Unfortunately I took him at his word, and forgot all about it.

2 years later I remembered, made an appointment, reminded him, was urgently referred, and given a flurry of tests and monitoring. Luckily, there were no problems, but I won't ever assume that a doctor knows best, ever again!

That experience is the reason I have educated myself on pre-diabetes and type 2, and why I have a blood glucose monitor and a low carb diet... I simply won't assume that the NHS will act in my best interest without close monitoring.

In the past few years I have personally known 5 people whose health has been terribly harmed by NHS failings. Currently, my neighbour is halfway through a horrifically mismanaged pregnancy. She started coughing in her first trimester. Three prescriptions for massive courses of antibiotics later (each one risking contra-indications for the baby), she is currently hospitalised with scarring on her lung from coughing her food up for 5 months. Apparently, it was asthma all along. Wouldn't you have thought her doctor could have told the difference between a chest infection and asthma? I would.

Rant over.
 
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