Hi,
I was diagnosed two years ago with diabetes 2. After feeling tired I had gone to the Dr, he sent me for blood tests, they came back and my blood sugar was 6.3 he said I was borderline diabetic 2 he referred me to the practice diabetes nurse. who then diagnosed me as diabetic 2. I was told to take Metaphorm and that there was a clinic every Wednesday. I was shocked I didn't know what diabetes 2 was! I decided to do some research of my own, I read that the NHS encouraged people newly diagnosed to be given the chance to control it by diet and exercise.
I went back to see the Dr and told him I wanted the chance of controlling it myself. When I had read into what diabetes was I realized that my diet had been appalling! I mean eating biscuits by the packet and basically eating continuous through the day and no exercise, not even thinking what I was doing to myself. just being totally naive and ignorant to what it was doing to me!
When my Year was up I went back to the nurse for my annual checkup, She said my blood results were excellent! to which I replied that's good because I haven't taken the tablet! "Then it hit the fan!" She told me that she should have been informed of this! and basically tried to wipe the floor with me! She also ended the conversation by saying 'You will have to go on tablets eventually anyway!'
I wasn't quite finished, I made an appointment to see the now new diabetic DR in the practice, I wrote down how I had been treated as a newly diagnosed diabetic patient and how I was appalled at my treatment I read this out to him as I have a tendency to forget what what I should have said. The new Dr told me that with him in charge things would change he asked me if I would like to attend an Expert course on diabetes at Morriston Hospital which I did and to me I should have gone on this course when I was first diagnosed, it was excellent and I would strongly recommend it to anyone with diabetes. I don't say anyone else should do what i did but the feeling of been diagnosed and just told take these tablet was dreadful!
They have now taken my testing strips off my prescription and the reason given is that I was controlling my blood without medication!