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My Doctor Has No Time For Me..

Q007

Q007

Well-Known Member
Messages
466
Location
Wales. UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
People who tell lies.
My GP (Dr Doom).
I wondered if anyone has experienced the same issue as me. My GP who runs a diabetic clinic, reminds me straight away she only has 10 minutes, I feel a nuisance. I'm new T2 and still can't grasp some of the fundamentals. My hba1c tests have gone from 71 to 58 to 43, am I doing well? What does a normal person read? Can I reverse T2 and be normal again, she says no. She told me as I get older the hba1c numbers will go up and there's nothing I can do? She said I will always be diabetic? I felt crushed at all this. She told me not to bother with finger prick machines as the readings will just confuse me, just stick to hba1c, are these machines right for those with T2? - Can I get hypos as a T2 diabetic? I sometimes don't eat not drink all day if at all for a day. Im not going to bother with anymore diabetic clinics, i will self educate and learn from others, i felt so down after yesterday, she just prints off yards of paper and tells me to read. Hope my message finds you all good. Kind wishes, Q007
 
How long have you been T2 and are you on any mess?

Normal is 48mmol/mol which is what I have just got down to after 15 years of poor control just to prove it is possible even if I take a bucket of pills to achieve that.

So your level is good - well done

Depending on the treatments you are on you could get hypos so you do need to be alert particularly if you take gliclazide.


Diagnosed type II 1998 2 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol
 
Meds I meant by the way!


Diagnosed type II 1998 2 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol
 
Hi Neil, thanks for the praise, it is so welcomed thank you. I don't take any meds, I was diagnosed in 2011 but believe I was T2 for a year or so as the symptoms all fell into place, it was a locum doctor who sent me for testing. He told me that I could reverse T2 as a newbee with diet and exercise. I crashed in with ha1bc score of 71 and the scores have dropped since as stated. Have you ever had a hypo? 15 years is a long time, do you mind if I ask what to expect based on your experiences? Do you have a finger jab machine? Kind wishes, Q..


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Will I end up on meds because of ageing process? Can I stay in control without meds? Q..


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Q007,
Welcome to diabetes & the forum.
Hopefully we can help each other.
Here are some of my thoughts on what you said:

I'm new T2 and still can't grasp some of the fundamentals - Relax it will come. Many doctors & nurses cannot grasp them and they earn a good living from it :lol:

My hba1c tests have gone from 71 to 58 to 43, am I doing well? : YES, some T2s work at it for years and can't get these figures.

Can I reverse T2 and be normal again? No, but you can keep the condition at bay but will always be a diabetic :thumbup: What is this normal thing :lol:

She said I will always be diabetic: Yes, but a well controlled one :thumbup:

She told me not to bother with finger prick machines as the readings will just confuse me, just stick to hba1c.
Would you drive y the odometer and ignore the spedometer? No! the "finger prick machines" alow us to examine how a given food is dealt with by our bodies and gain better control.

Can I get hypos as a T2 diabetic? : All people can get hypos, but on diet & exercise not serious ones hopefully.

"Im not going to bother with anymore diabetic clinics" : Instead try to not let the diabetic clinics bother you! 8) Once you build your self confidence you can let it "wash over you"

i will self educate and learn from others : Thats the spirit, and as you learn, teach others what you have learned :thumbup:
Will I end up on meds because of ageing process? Hopefully not.
Can I stay in control without meds? Hopefully
 
I was diet controlled at the outset and over the years have ended up being prescribed drugs and my HbA1c steadily went up to 66 last November because I was not trying hard enough. I had given up smoking a year before and had my gall bladder removed but had convinced myself that I could eat as many complex carbs as I wanted so I was getting heavier - basically poor control.

Now I have finally taken control and over a six month period have ended up going low carb and have followed a calorie limited diet and have lost a stone in a sustainable manner since early March with about another to go to get me down to 12 stone. In doing all that my DN advised me today of my latest test result and suggested I drop one of the gliclazide as I am going low in the middle of the day.

I wish I had been as bothered 15 years ago but better late than never. If you have the chance to get on top of it then take it whilst you have the chance - I wish I had.


Diagnosed type II 1998 2 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol
 
By the way on testing I have taken control as a direct result of testing before and after all food every day getting through 200 test strips a month but how good do the results of that feel - I will never go back to not testing ever.


Diagnosed type II 1998 2 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol
 
Q007 said:
Im not going to bother with anymore diabetic clinics, i will self educate and learn from others, i felt so down after yesterday, she just prints off yards of paper and tells me to read.
Click to expand...

She sounds hopeless and her opening line, 'you've got ten minutes' sums her approach up.

But, on the positive side, you're not the only one to be treated in this dismal way. Roy Taylor, Professor of Medicine and Metabolism at Newcastle wrote in Practical Diabetes:

"It must be recorded that many individuals expressed frustration at the routine manner in which their doctor, nurse or dietitian regarded the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. This conflicted with the cataclysmic blow which they personally felt. They were told that the diagnosis was clear and therefore the guidelines will be rolled out. Lose some weight and take this metformin. Get used to it."

My own GP told me "Well, it's offical, you've got diabetes. Sign this form, take these tablets, next please." A first class Quack.

I did however say no to the tablets and told him that I wanted to try controlling it by diet and exercise. The response was a sneer. When I asked him what his thoughts on Newcastle University's Counterpoint Study in 2011 were, he managed to further contort his face and ask, 'who's going to do that?' Here was a man truly more comfortable with knowing what forms to sign than what science to read.

Well, in April of this year Prof Taylor did a follow up report to his 2011 study about reversing diabetes and it is available online:

Population response to information on reversibility of Type 2 diabetes.
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/di ... ctions.pdf

Watch what you eat, lose weight, take exercise and tell your GP that you find her attitude wanting. They are not all like that. My brother who has suffered with an unrelated problem for a few years has been seen by a GP who doesn't believe in pills or tests. He had to see another doctor in the sugery when his GP was on holiday. This lady doctor obviously knew her colleague's approach and said, 'we're going to do this properly now'. That's an example of how one doctor may view a professional colleague in the same practice. Be prepared to change if you don't like the service that you get.
 
Q007 said:
I sometimes don't eat not drink all day if at all for a day.
Click to expand...

You should eat and you definitely need to drink. Drink lots of water and eat the right foods.

And exercise regularly. I do 3 x 10 mins per day.

You need a meter to test the effects that certain foods have on you. It takes time to learn. Some are obvious, no more iced jam doughnuts. White bread toasted is almost as bad. That was a surprise to me. I only found out because I had bought my own meter. You probably just need to change what you eat. You don't need to stop eating. I eat well and have still lost 28 Kg. Shows how much rubbish I was used to eating.
 
Neil Walters said:
Normal is 48mmol/mol
Click to expand...

If by normal you mean 'what is a non-diabetic' Hba1c then it is <42mmol (or under 6.0% old money).

I have been diabetic for 9 years and I once got mine down to 41mmo (5.9%) and was told (stupidly) that I was no longer diabetic. At my last test it had crept upto 48mmo (6.5%) and was told that this was the point at which they wanted to medicate rather than leave it to diet and exercise. I've been low-carbing ever since to get those numbers down again by the next test. :angel:
 
Hi. I've been a T2/T1.5'ish for 8 years. My diabetes GP and diabetes nurse will allow double i.e. 20 min bookings for my annual diabetes review and at other times to review meds etc. Your GP certainly sounds unhelpful. You are doing well with your HBa1C and if you keep up the good diet, then as others have said you may be diabetic but with well-controlled blood sugar and may not need any medication for many years. Hypos are very rare for anyone not on diabetes meds. Do get hold of a meter as it places you in control and you can find out what foods affect you most. If interested, the NICE diabetes website has a very good Diabetes Pathways document which tells you at what levels of HBa1C meds would be needed in the long-term.
 
Really feel happy with the advice, the above posts have been more useful than all the reviews with the GP, I have to admit the consultation went further down the loo when I told her she needed a charisma transplant. Felt such a nuisance, had all my questions written down to save time too. But, points taken from the above members comments, best I just dry my eyes and get on with it.

Could anyone please recommend a machine to buy for finger jab measurements? Where's the best place to buy from? I have a BP machine that also takes my pulse but the neat thing is that it plugs into my iPad and stores the data along with my comments as ' there's an app for that ' - a machine like that for bloods would be great. Very grateful indeed for the kind comments and support, thank you. Kind wishes, Q


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There is an iPhone compatible meter called iBGstar I hear... Maybe it will work with iPad too?

The cheapest is Codefree, though some say it reads a little high but mine has always exactly matched the Accu-Chek used by the paramedics when they get to me lol.

Also some GP surgeries have an NHS email address you can use. The only way I even got a fasting glucose test was by repeatedly emailing a GP with my readings. Their job is to make time for you.

But honestly, you can find out everything you need to know right here because of the culmination of so many different people's experiences and every question as been asked at least once before.

Good Luck Xxxxx


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I have an iBGStar which needs an apple lightning adaptor to work with an iPhone 5 that costs a further £25. The iBGStar cost me £48 from Boots but they have gone on offer today for £24. The strips are £25 at boots or a little less on eBay. My GP will only fund 100 per month but I am pushing back on that.

The app I use syncs with the iBGStar and goes by the same name and then MyFitnessPal to record what I eat, drink and exercise.


Diagnosed type II 1998 2 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol
 
Q007
Just be aware that not everyone believes that BG testing is the way to go for unmedicated T2's. The diabetic community is split on this with more medicated T2's recommending it for obvious reasons.
BG levels can be confusing and vary wildly. Many unmedicated T2s rely simply on Hba1c tests which give a very good indication of where you are. In my 9 years as a T2 I have never tested nor felt the need to.
Whether you test or not, most T2s will tell you that getting the right diet is the best way to control BGs and many are now saying the a lower carb and low Gi diet is the best way as this will avoid most of the peaks.
But you do need to work out what is best for you.
Good luck
 
How are you going to know what spikes you if you don't test.

Everyone should test now and then I think. Diabetes 'screening programs' clearly dont work and people fall through the cracks. If I didn't just go and do it without being told to I wouldn't be on my way to being properly diagnosed and having related health issues actually sorted out.

How many people could have been caught in the Prediabetes stage? And some foods have exactly the same carb content but you'll still react to them differently. I mean I never knew until I started testing it was grapes in particular that shot me up into the teens regularly. If you don't know exactly where you are how do you know what to do? How do you differentiate a false hypo from a true one? Because so many people think they are and load themselves with more sugar...


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Hi and thanks so much for the kind responses,

I'm a bit confused though now on whether to buy and use a BG machine, it seems people are split on whether they use them or not. I take it then that people are different in what foods trigger BG levels to rise or fall? If that's the case then I can only find out where I stand by using a machine. Do you get the strips and needles on the NHS then? - my GP is absolutely adamant that I should NOT get a machine he says I'll just confuse myself with rise and fall readings. Kind wishes, Q.


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Diabetes is when your blood sugar is high and out of control in the context of often being outside the normal range because your body isn't handling sugars correctly

The goal is to keep your numbers within range

Many people have to do this by diet alone

How on earth will you know if you are not spiking to high heaven unless you test?

Waiting 3 months for an average does not tell you what individual foods or meals did to you and if it's high you'll probably still be wondering exactly why.

A lot of people here struggle to get meters and strips on prescription. I bought my own and it's the most powerful tool I have at the moment.


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You can buy your own, though the running costs are high. There is a cheaper brand called Code Free. Don't know how it compares to the branded ones though. They aren't all spot on with the numbers anyway, it's the trends you need to watch, how much you are spiking after meals, etc.

It's up to you in the end, but I find it helpful to monitor how I respond to certain foods and meals, and if I didn't have a meter I wouldn't have identified where my problem lies ie after meals. The fasting test can't pick that up. Eventually you know what foods to avoid and what is OK, but even then it's not an exact science and our bodies aren't machines. The carb/protein/fat/fibre content of the same food probably varies too, but overall certain foods tend to have certain effects.

GPs won't like it because in my experience they think it's obsessing over minutiae and they don't trust our DIY testing compared to their lab tests, but it's a free country and ultimately it's up to us how to manage our condition.


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