No motivation

[Ian Brock]

since I was diagnosed over 6 months ago I have lost weight, reduced my blood sugar but I am struggling to motivate my self.
I was diagnosed with type 2 in early February I had to phone the diabetes team myself to get an appointment, after the initial appointment I was told I would automatically receive a follow appointment in 3 mouths time. Now six moths later after two phone calls and eventually going to my GP practice they will not even give me an appointment. All they offered me was a blood test which if it was high they would contact me. Is that how type 2 is treated in the U.K.
Ian Brock

 

[1spuds]

My motivation was twofold.To avoid complications,and be around because my wife needs me.

I went LCHF,saw real improvements in my HbA1c numbers,and Im highly motivated because of those things.

Did I expect the medical community to save me? Heck no,I took charge because at the end of the day it really doesnt matter in their lives how you do,but it sure matters to you.

 

[Reemap]

since I was diagnosed over 6 months ago I have lost weight, reduced my blood sugar but I am struggling to motivate my self.
I was diagnosed with type 2 in early February I had to phone the diabetes team myself to get an appointment, after the initial appointment I was told I would automatically receive a follow appointment in 3 mouths time. Now six moths later after two phone calls and eventually going to my GP practice they will not even give me an appointment. All they offered me was a blood test which if it was high they would contact me. Is that how type 2 is treated in the U.K.
Ian Brock

To be around your love ones should motivate you.

 

[xfieldok]

Help from within the medical profession can be very hit and miss, even within the same surgery. Your motivation needs to come from within.

I have a couple of nurses who are right behind me. The others I wouldn't employ to empty bed pans.

Use tools you can such as lchf, a food diary alongside the mysugr app which will give you an estimated hba1c. Make sure you use a glucose meter properly. It is your life not theirs. You will get plenty of support from this site.

 

[Dr Snoddy]

Getting support and praise for your efforts is a huge motivator. Feeling ignored is demotivating and your surgery should be ashamed of themselves for making commitments and then not honouring them. I would contact the practice manager for an explanation. Many of us had much better experiences at out GP practices. Fear of complications can be a great motivator but being supported also is.

 

[miahara]

Self motivation is the key Ian, and while it does seem that your medical practice isn't all that supportive, it's mainly down to youself as to how well you manage your diabetes. You do seem to be on the right track having reduced your blood sugars and lost weight. I don't know the specifics of how diabetes is monitored in your area of the country, but here we get tests at 6 monthly intervals and the HbA1c test each time, along with a number of other results every year.
Six months between tests is quite a long time and I found that by keeping a record of my own finger prick tests I was able to motivate myself towards making slow and steady improvements and it paid off in the long run. 'TTT' - tiny tickable targets and positive reinforcement from their attainment does really work. In my case I graphed my results as I found that the picture helped me and the graph was also handy when I discussed my results with my not so diabetes knowledgeable GP.

OK - I'll cut to the bottom line. The most important person involved in the management of your diabetes is you. Managing diabetes is a marathon and not a sprint and marathons are never won by a sprint at the start.

 

[philosophy47]

Good luck. I think I can understand as I too lack the motivation. I hate the LCHF diet with a passion and can't find anything I really like to eat any more it makes me so miserable. It does seem to help most people though and I would say just take it a day at a time as small goals are much easier to reach than big ones. It will be worth it in the long run if other posters are right. I think the graph would be a good idea, a visual tool to see progress might be just what you need.

 

[Prem51]

since I was diagnosed over 6 months ago I have lost weight, reduced my blood sugar but I am struggling to motivate my self.
I was diagnosed with type 2 in early February I had to phone the diabetes team myself to get an appointment, after the initial appointment I was told I would automatically receive a follow appointment in 3 mouths time. Now six moths later after two phone calls and eventually going to my GP practice they will not even give me an appointment. All they offered me was a blood test which if it was high they would contact me. Is that how type 2 is treated in the U.K.
Ian Brock

Hi @Ian Brock Unfortunately it seems that treatment of Type 2 varies in different gp practices. After my initial diagnosis I was told I would have a retest in 3 months time too. But I wasn't contacted and had to contact the surgery myself to make the appointment. I was then told that future tests would be every 12 months, though NICE guidelines are that they should be every 3 months until bgs are stabilised, then every 6 months.

I do have to contact the surgery myself to make the appointment to see the gp to get my referral for the HbA1c test. I have suggested to the practice that I should be referred for blood test automatically when it is due, but didn't receive a reply to this suggestion. I also emailed the Quality Care Commission last year to ask why I wasn't getting 6 monthly tests in line with NICE guidelines. I didn't get a reply from them too.

I think we do have to take responsibility ourselves, even if our gp practice doesn't. It's our health and we will suffer the consequences if we don't.
I see from your first forum posts that you were worried about 'Itchy legs'. I hope your legs are better now, but I would be worried about potential neuropathy and possible complications. That is what keeps me motivated, I'd quite like to keep my legs and eyesight.

 

[VashtiB]

Hi I'm with Philosophy47. I also don't like the LCHF diet but (and it's a big but) it seems to work. My blood tests are coming back within range. I have just started so a long way to go. I am trying to build a staple of a few meals so I don't have to think too hard. I found chicken wings with blue vein sauce something that I like and we prepared a few so we could freeze them. Breakfast has been my particular challenge. We bought a low carb waffle mix (from a company in Australia) that I am trying tomorrow- I have some hopes of that. Our experiment with Keto Pancakes was not so good but we will try another recipe. I find having g a few different recipes gives me some options- you are definitely not alone. My main motivation at the moment (beside getting good results when I test) is to prove to my doctor that this doesn't have to be a progressive disease. If I can do that maybe e she will recommend this site to just one patient who may be helped and not develop the complications- that would be awesome. I'm also doing it for my husband who loves me a lot but sometimes I think he would be better off without me so it's good to have another motivation.

 

[Mbaker]

You will need to be your own PHS - Personal Health Service. I recently had to write to my surgery and also speak on the phone with the lead diabetic nurse to get a compromise i.e. my 6 month HbA1c and a kidney function test. Originally I requested the HbA1c and full blood count - they wanted to give me just a yearly HbA1c.

I will get my own Fasting Insulin, HS-CRP and comparative A1c privately.

Basically, it is down to you to maintain and monitor your health within your means; if your surgery is not responding, I would personally go in tell the receptionist, I am not moving until the Practice Manager resolves this.