not happy :-( have to let off steam lol

sue999

Active Member
Messages
25
hi everyone :wink:
i had to have some blood taken today, so have just come back from seeing my db nurse. i am not happy- she basically told me that i am young to have type 2 (age33) & that in 20 yrs time i will have complications, yet they still refuse to give me strips on perscription. i have been self testing since monday & the numbers are still high. she said i can eat potatoes, bannanas, & bread but this i find makes bg high. after saying high levels like mine can do damage to yor eyes & organs ect she asked me "am i depressed?" i cant understand why my grandad (type2) whos in his 90"s gets strips on nhs & a younger person like myself who has yrs left living with this condition is refused. i know you have prob all heard this before .
 

Ardbeg

Well-Known Member
Messages
654
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Self serving politicians
Sounds like a bit of a postcode lottery.

My DB nurse is excellent and gave me a free meter and wrote prescriptions out there and then for lancets, strips and even a bucket to put the used lancets into.

I can understand your frustration completely.
 

noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
23,618
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Disrespectful people
A very sympathetic diabetes nurse you have there Sue! :(

I would ignore what she has said, complications are not inevitable should you look after yourself and keep good control of your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol, these are the main things to watch closely.

The strips issue with type 2's is disgusting, they should be free and made available to all, however you control your diabetes. Most members on the forum (not all), have in some way reduced their carbs and have seen big improvements in their blood glucose levels, with hba1c's reducing quite significantly. I would start to cut back on the carbs a little, you can still eat some but just in smaller quantities. It will mean that you may have to test more at the start, to determine which foods effect your bg's the most, but it will be a worthwhile exercise.

Some of us on here, including myself have reduced our carb intake and use the low gi/gl method of eating, this again produces fantastic results as it enables you to eat most foods, but doesn't cause blood spikes and sudden low's, it stabilises blood glucose, which is where we all need to be.

Look on this forum for info, or look on the Internet and in good book shops for recommendations. I wouldn't worry to much about what your dsn said, sounds like the knowledge she knows about diabetes you could write on the back of a stamp!

Regards

Nigel
 

Patch

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,981
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Is 33 really that young to be diagnosed with Type 2? I'm 32 now and was diagnosed when I was 19! :shock: I've not had a problem getting strips, though.
 

Bluenosesol

Well-Known Member
Messages
446
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Dark mornings, intolerance any one with a superiority complex...
For many years, T2 was perceived even by some GP's as a mild illness. It is now classified as a chronic disease. That said, the future is bright for those of us who are successful in bringing our diabetes under control. It has only been very recently that the NHS and other global health services have upped the ante and formalised annual checks. (Not saying that people were not managing well or being managed well previously in some instances).
Self management has really come to the fore and a determination to take personal responsibility is becoming ever more the norm. Lord Darzi who is a Senior Figure at the Department of Health treated my sister. She has a complicated condition. He advised her to become her own expert and stated that personal research was one of the greatest factors in managing complicated conditions.
I know (dont we all?) of many diabetics who do not bother with their annual reviews, who believe that you might as well die of "diabetes" as anything else, that life is too short to bother with diets, that exercise is too much bother, that medication is a waste of time etc etc etc....
When statisticians determine outlook and probabilities, they do not seperate out the 20% of successful self management cases from the 80% of diabetic apethists.
If they did, then regardless of your age of diagnosis, your chances of a long complication free life are excellent!..


All the Best Steve.
 

sue999

Active Member
Messages
25
hiya
thanks everyone for your replies, i have calmed down a bit now :D just feeling a bit down & irratable with some people. having to think about everything i eat , you cant forget about it. guess im just feeling sorry for myself :twisted: hopefully things will get better when i go back to the doctors next wk & i get my medication sorted
 

IanS

Well-Known Member
Messages
130
It can be a bit of a wrench at first. You can't eat (or drink) all of the things that you came to know and love). As you note, you have to think about every meal, critically examine the nutrition labelling of everything you buy, etc. etc.

As anyone here will tell you (and I'm sure you have read), self testing BG levels is the key. Before too long, you will settle on foods that you can comfortably eat without your BG levels heading north. In fact there are plenty of tasty foods that can be eaten and once you get established into a diet that works, you then don't have to think about it. I can now put together a meal that doesn't impact my blood glucose level without really thinking about it and without anyone who doesn't know tumbling that I'm diabetic.

It is a change to your life and it does take time for the fallout to settle. I was irritable at first as well, but now things have settled, I'm back to my old loveable self :shock: .

The good news is: that with the new diet, I have lost (now) two and a half stone, look a lot better and feel a lot better.

Tonight's meal: Spaghetti Bolognese (with not too much spaghetti).

IanS