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I'm fairly gobsmacked......

W

white43

Well-Known Member
Messages
45
Location
Dorset
I was diagnosed last Thursday. 30th April. At the time, I was showing as 22mmol in the blood and my urine had glucose in. My Doc was fairly relaxed about it - as he is many things, popped me on Metfartin twice a day at 850mg and told me to stay away from biscuits, donuts, sugary things and starchier foods, but he didn't want to commit to saying the 'LC' word.. So I did and remarkably, 24 hours later, I felt like a million bucks.

The next day, he rings me and jokes that actually, he probably should have sent me to hospital, as I had glucose in the urine!!!!!!! :shock: Yea, cheers for that. He goes on that I can have as much fruit as I want, well, then he says maybe not grapes...but potatoes and rice, in 'reasonable' portions. I avoided em anyway. He also told me that the actual results of the glucose in my blood was 17.9mmol.

Over the weekend, I bought a blood monitor and tested several times at different periods and I was getting between 6.8 and 8.8. Not bad for a 21 stone 5'7 34 yr old guy.

Yesterday, I saw the nurse. urine tested, no glucose, slight traces of Ketones - which are likely due to me eating quite low carb(less the 50g a day). She pulls out the Diabetes UK diet sheet. 'Eat lots of starchy stuff at each meal' it proclaims. I look baffled. 'But surely I'm meant to be reducing that sort of thing?'......squirm, um, ehm, 'You need carbohydrates for energy', 'um, mediation you're on, you need carbohydrates, as it lowers the glucose....blah blah'. She lost me.

I pointed out that my Doc had said to cut starchy stuff. You know what she said? "Well, he's an older Doctor, probably not quite as up on Diabetes as he should be'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock:

I asked about test strips. She needed to ask the surgery expert nurse, but you know, I probably don't really need to test for my type of Diabetes.... I got a call from 'expert'....

Apparently, I don't really need to be testing at all. The testing I did proves that my blood glucose isn't going to go any lower....so I don't need to worry about that. Although, do I want to test my urine for glucose? She can arrange that. But testing my blood glucose will just give me sore fingers and should only really be done when I feel ill.

Yes I says. So she goes to get a presription for that and then rings me back....another Doctor has said, actually probably he should test his blood 'for now', just to see what I react to.

Looks like my surgery is behind the times....... :roll:
 
Hi white43.
You are so right. No wonder people are so confused when they arrive here. Hopefully the advice you have found here will help you to keep good control and confound some of your HCP's :twisted:

Stick at it.
Ken
 
white43 said:
The next day, he rings me and jokes that actually, he probably should have sent me to hospital, as I had glucose in the urine!!!!!!! :shock: Yea, cheers for that. He also told me that the actual results of the glucose in my blood was 17.9mmol.:
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Shouldn't laugh but LOL! Mine sent me to the hospital as I had glucose +++ in my urine and a similar Bg reading. The doctor there did another blood test and then sent me home with.... wait for it.... Metformin!
 
white43 said:
I pointed out that my Doc had said to cut starchy stuff. You know what she said? "Well, he's an older Doctor, probably not quite as up on Diabetes as he should be'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock:
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I still don't understand where these muppets are getting their information from. My Dad qualified from medical school in 1961, so I'm guessing he fits into the "older Doctor" category. The very first change the whole family made when I was diagnosed, was to drastically reduce the amount of carbohydrates we ate, on his instructions.

He's retired now but I asked him recently where that advice had come from, his reply: "Well I picked it up during my training obviously, but it's a bit of a no-brainer really, given the condition". The only thing I can think of is that some medical schools teach a different syllabus? Very odd. :?
 
I spoke to my Doctor today. Yesterday, I was given another blood test by the nurse and the results came in - - 6mmol. Six. Within normal limits. My Doctor was almost himself gobsmacked by how I'd managed to get it from 17.9 to 6 in 5 days. I explained......

But he'd like me to go on a much more 'normal'?!?!?!?!? diet now. When I pressed him about u-turning on the current diet, he started to babble about the Metformin which will keep reducing the blood sugar, how I must guard against Hypos and then went off at a tangent about exercising and keeping something sweet on me at all times.

He even said I had something like "The beginnings of Juvenile Onset Type 2 Diabetes".

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but at 34, I'm not juvenile am I? Plus I thought, that the Juvenile Onset bit was associated with T1?

Oh - HbA1c was apparently 10. But I'm not that bothered, I was only diagnosed 5 days ago - he also said that this was why I didn't need to be testing all the time, it's the average we're concerned about. It seems my surgery has a low budget and don't want to 'waste' their money on test strips....
 
I think it's good to test right at the beginning to see what you can eat and what you can't eat. Doctor in London was good with dishing out the strips and lancets but here I get 50 strips a month, which is cool, unless I go wild (like I did a few weeks back and blood sugar went way too high). I was 22mmol when diagnosed too. I initially did the low carb diet thing, but although loads of weight dropped off and the level went down to normal, it just wasn't me, I just couldn't live my life on it. So went back to healthy eating with a little exercise. Although I never (up until now) took the 2000mg that I was sposed to, I managed to keep it in the normal range by basically eating what I want. Typical day for me is 2 shredded wheat with skimmed milk, or 2 weetabix with skimmed milk, chicken fillets (whatever Iceland one I get), and chicken or pork with runner beans or peas for tea, with WW low cal desert for pud. That's the only way I can do it these days. I now test about 10-12 times a week to make sure that it's ok. I can feel though as soon as my bg goes over 8, I start to get upset and anxious, so I'm aiming for a much tighter control.

Keep on the low carb if you can do it and you're happy doing it. My endo when I was in London, was at St Mary's and he never once said it was bad to low carb. I think as long as it's working for you, then keep at it, if not, find your own way through testing, testing, testing.

Saying that, my MIL recently got diagnosed with T2 and her PCT have refused to give her a meter - idiots - so I told her to buy one and test to check different foods. I think it's only right. Knowledge is power and all that.

Just my twopence worth.

Jackie T
 
What do you mean by Healthy Eating?
You just demonstrated that healthy eating for you is reduced carbs. That's what got your BG down so well.
 
white43 said:
I spoke to my Doctor today. Yesterday, I was given another blood test by the nurse and the results came in - - 6mmol. Six. Within normal limits. My Doctor was almost himself gobsmacked by how I'd managed to get it from 17.9 to 6 in 5 days. I explained......

The reading of 6 mmol/l I presume was a fasting Bg ? That would only be at that point in time. If your levels had been around 17 previously what are they on waking, before meals, 1 and 2 hrs after meals ? One test does not mean your Bg levels are good.

But he'd like me to go on a much more 'normal'?!?!?!?!? diet now. When I pressed him about u-turning on the current diet, he started to babble about the Metformin which will keep reducing the blood sugar, how I must guard against Hypos and then went off at a tangent about exercising and keeping something sweet on me at all times.

Metformin does not reduce your Bg levels to anything like the level that is regarded as Hypo territory - below about 4 mmol/l.

He even said I had something like "The beginnings of Juvenile Onset Type 2 Diabetes".
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but at 34, I'm not juvenile am I? Plus I thought, that the Juvenile Onset bit was associated with T1?

Sorry. that is a contradiction in terms. JOD is most commonly referred to as Type 1 Diabetes in Juveniles. Are you sure he didn't say something totally different ?

Oh - HbA1c was apparently 10. But I'm not that bothered, I was only diagnosed 5 days ago - he also said that this was why I didn't need to be testing all the time, it's the average we're concerned about. It seems my surgery has a low budget and don't want to 'waste' their money on test strips....
Click to expand...

HbA1c of 10. Not that bothered ? If you want to live a long and healthy Diabetic life you should be. That is awful. the soon er you can take control and get those numbers down the better. As for the average being a goal, again that is just not the case. Tight control with frequent testing is the goal. If they won't provide the means to do that I suggest you get out there and buy your own. Could just save your life one day.

Ken.
 
I spoke to my Doctor today. Yesterday, I was given another blood test by the nurse and the results came in - - 6mmol. Six. Within normal limits. My Doctor was almost himself gobsmacked by how I'd managed to get it from 17.9 to 6 in 5 days. I explained......

The reading of 6 mmol/l I presume was a fasting Bg ? That would only be at that point in time. If your levels had been around 17 previously what are they on waking, before meals, 1 and 2 hrs after meals ? One test does not mean your Bg levels are good.
Click to expand...

Lunchtime, after a breakfast. 6 is better than 17 is it not? Yes, there are lots of factors involved, but at that time I was 6, which I was pleased with, given the previously high number. I've been diabetic for 5 days that I know of, in that time, with the 10 strips I had, I averaged 6.8-8.8.


He even said I had something like "The beginnings of Juvenile Onset Type 2 Diabetes".
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but at 34, I'm not juvenile am I? Plus I thought, that the Juvenile Onset bit was associated with T1?

Sorry. that is a contradiction in terms. JOD is most commonly referred to as Type 1 Diabetes in Juveniles. Are you sure he didn't say something totally different ?
Click to expand...

That's what he said.

Oh - HbA1c was apparently 10. But I'm not that bothered, I was only diagnosed 5 days ago - he also said that this was why I didn't need to be testing all the time, it's the average we're concerned about. It seems my surgery has a low budget and don't want to 'waste' their money on test strips....
Click to expand...

HbA1c of 10. Not that bothered ? If you want to live a long and healthy Diabetic life you should be. That is awful. the soon er you can take control and get those numbers down the better. As for the average being a goal, again that is just not the case. Tight control with frequent testing is the goal. If they won't provide the means to do that I suggest you get out there and buy your own. Could just save your life one day.
Click to expand...

No, I'm not that bothered as I was only diagnosed 5 days ago, which means I couldn't have improved it previously. Obviously I'll be looking to improve it in the future. As I'm a low earner, I'm afraid that a rigorous tight testing is out of the question. By my reckoning I'll need 56 test strips a week+56 lancets. I'll be lucky to get 50 on the NHS.
 
White,we are just trying to give you the benefit of our experiences.
May I suggest that you try testing a different meal on different days.So one day test before and after breakfast and the next before and after lunch and the next before and after dinner etc.Keep a note of the readings and what you ate and build up a food diary to see which foods affect you.This may take longer that rigorous testing but will save on test strips.I had to self fund my strips as well till I got them on prescription eventually .
 
sugarless sue said:
White,we are just trying to give you the benefit of our experiences.
May I suggest that you try testing a different meal on different days.So one day test before and after breakfast and the next before and after lunch and the next before and after dinner etc.Keep a note of the readings and what you ate and build up a food diary to see which foods affect you.This may take longer that rigorous testing but will save on test strips.I had to self fund my strips as well till I got them on prescription eventually .
Click to expand...

Appreciate that you are.

I should be getting some strips - I have no idea how many. Not sure that they're going to repeat either. When I get them, I'll try what you said Sue.
 
Depending on just how approachable your doctor /nurse is you can try bargaining!!I've done this once when I said I wanted to test a lot to check out for 'spikes' and managed to get 100 test strips but only for one month!! :D
 
hanadr said:
What do you mean by Healthy Eating?
You just demonstrated that healthy eating for you is reduced carbs. That's what got your BG down so well.
Click to expand...

I agree, but it's not been one of those things that I've gone out of my way to do anymore. I used to not touch potatoes, or anything that was deemed high carb. I now eat a diet that I think is healthy - I keep off sugary breakfast cereals, stay off rice & pasta because it actually makes me FEEL quite ill and drowsy, but I still eat potatoes and quite a bit of fruit when I feel like it, and brown bread/or actually pumpkin seed and sunflower seed bread rather than white, so it's not been a choice out of it being lower carb, but more a diet that makes me feel better than it does if I'd eaten the other things.
 
white43 said:
Looks like my surgery is behind the times....... :roll:
Click to expand...

Run away very very fast, these people ARE trying to kill you!

After you get a new doctor <G> read this

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/d-day.html

also this

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2007/ ... udget.html

may give you some ideas how to make a few strips count

Kegstore is right, the idea of feeding diabetics loads of carbs came along around the same time as feeding everyone else loads of carbs too, and the "epidemic" of Type 2 and other cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Prior to this recommendations were much more sensible.

Fortunately some doctors and other medical professionals are more clueful than yours, ask around your friends, pharmacists etc. and see if you can't find some better ones.
 
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