Not Surprised, But Still a Bit Shocked ........

[MelanieL]

Well, having read as many threads on this forum as avidly as I could, I was forewarned about the attitude I may encounter at my 'annual diabetic check' at my GP's surgery. Nevertheless, I was still quite shocked by the experience, and it reinforced my sense of vulnerability - again a big 'thank you' to this forum for the care you show to us newly diagnosed diabetics.

This appointment was the first time I had seen anyone since my diagnosis as T2 about 6 weeks ago when I was prescribed 2000 Glucophage SR, given a Diabetes UK booklet and sent home to stew in my own juice.

Yesterday was my first opportunity to see how the 'professionals' and I were going to work together to get this under control. I saw the nurse first - very pleasant, weighed me (lost 2.2 kilo's), took my blood pressure (a bit too high). Asked how I was getting on - I told her that I was happy with my BG numbers and that they have reduced down to between 4.5 and 7.5 most of the time, provided that I am careful about what I eat. I was told that I am 'too tightly controlled', and that even if I am under 7.00 2 hours after I've eaten a meal, it doesn't mean that it won't be going higher and higher thereafter! I explained that I am using a meter to test, to ensure that I don't eat food that will make my BG keep rising. Again, I was told that I am trying to control things too tightly.

Next, I was ushered in to see the GP who 'specialises' in diabetes. She examined my feet. Happily they were deemed OK. Quite rightly, she expressed concern about my blood pressure and said she wanted to start me on an ACE inhibitor. I suggested that it might be a bit of 'white coat syndrome' and we agreed that I would monitor it at home for 2 weeks, and then decide about medication.

I asked for test strips. She said she preferred it if her T2 patients didn't test, as it causes 'anxiety' and as we can't adjust our medication to compensate for high BG readings, what is the point????? She also stated "TYPE 2 DIABETES ISN'T AS SERIOUS AS TYPE 1". I explained that I am attempting to achieve non-diabetic BG numbers, and that I would not be eating foods that caused spikes - testing is essential to that goal. I was reluctantly given a prescription for one packet of test strips and urged to follow Diabetes UK dietary advice, as I need plenty of complex carbohydrates. She also reiterated that I am seeking a level of control that is 'too tight'.

She asked me if I had been given aspirin - I replied that I hadn't and wasn't convinced of the need in the light of latest advice. She didn't push the issue.

I was told that I will be invited in for blood tests in 3 months time, as a newly diagnosed T2 they would be monitoring me closely!! No blood was taken yesterday, so they don't actually have a clue about what's happened since I commenced treatment 6 weeks ago.

I know that I am essentially OK at this point - I am lucky because I have found a source of advice here and have access to the internet - I feel so sorry for all the other diabetics who have to rely solely on the care of GP surgeries like mine, and who trust the diabolical advice they are given.

Sorry for this long rant, but I needed to offload!

 

[Dennis]

Hi Melanie,
You rant away as much as you want. At least you had the good fortune to have found the forum before you went for your appointment, so you had some forewarning of the sort of advice you could expect (and got!!). Just think of those poor souls who go to their diabetes clinics without this knowledge and are started on the deadly spiral of more carbs, more meds, higher BG, eventually insulin, blindness, loss of limbs, death. At some point in the middle of all this they find this forum and are naturally confused that we are saying the opposite of what their trusted medics tell them.

 

[cavelioness]

There is nothing like a **** good rant....the longer the better get it out of your system as it will only send the bp up.

I too find the system atrocious and anger does make the best bread **** shame I am not allowed to eat it :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

[hanadr]

It's too common a story. and T2, being less serious than T! :evil: things happen faster with T1, but since Most diabetics in the UK are T2, it stands to reason that most of the ones suffering blindness etc are T2s. Sue townsend( the creator of Adrian Mole) went blind quite quicly from undiagnosed T2.

 

[jopar]

Is my T1 diabetes worse than someones T2 diabetes????????????

Yes and No ! = same for both groups

Yes there are some parts that is worse, taking insulin means that I'm at a very much higher risk than most T2's of having a hypo nd a higher risk of DKA, but with saying tha using a insulin pump increases the risk of DKA...

But there again T2's do have a disadvantage when achieving good BG control, using diet to do this is a big disadvantage...

As to complications one could suffer is equal to both groups..

So in my opinion nether is worse than the other to have, one has better points than the other and visversa!

 

[Rach79]

What :?: :!: :!: Gees I thought my clinic was bad :!: :!: I think your clinic is living in the dark ages - really :x Tell them that they are in the year 2008 where testing is very important, there is no such thing as control that is too tight, nor mild Type 2 diabetes. That is the biggest pile of rubbish I've ever heard in my life from a pro :!: :!: I know where they got the anxiety rubbish from too, because there was a news report on it not so long ago stating that testing for Type 2's makes them anxious and could be worse etc. etc. So it looks as if your clinic have taken this biased news report as gospel and projected these words onto you. Tell them not to believe everything in the press and that you believe your control is very good (which it is by the way) :!: Moderate exercise and low fat diet should bring the blood pressure down - not sure if they had the intelligence to tell you that one but anyway like the posters said above - we are here to help :!:

This forum has helped me immensely in the abscence of care and sensible and reliable advice from my clinic... so I'm sure it will help you also. I just hope your clinic wakes up to the 21st century sooner rather than later.

 

[Trinkwasser]

Clueless morons! (British Understatement)

Type 1 is comparatively a simple disease, you effectively have no insulin and will rapidly die without it.

Type 2 is a complex disease - dyslipidemia, high BP, high inflammation, insulin resistance all in varying degrees, it can be just as lethal but takes longer, is all. A cardiologist describes it as a cardiovascular disease sometimes associated with high BG. You have a lot more factors to control alongside the BG.

Anyone who fails to understand this is "practicing" medicine in the worst sense of the word.

 

[Dennis]

This whole nonsense about testing only making you anxious is a complete mis-interpretation of the results of an experiment that was done in Northern Ireland some time in the 90's (often referred to as the Londonderry test).

A whole load of diabetics who had never tested before were given BG monitors and told to go away and test themselves regularly. They were also told to stick with the recommended "healthy diet" - yes - the one that is designed to make your BG levels go through the roof. BUT these poor guinea pigs were given absolutely no instruction on what to do with their BG readings!

So, they all tested furiously, all saw their BGs going higher and higher, and, surprise, surprise, they suffered anxiety because they now had information but no idea what to do with it.

Somehow the medical profession has interpreted this as proof that testing makes you anxious, when what it actually proves to anyone with the tiniest grain of common sense is that not being told how to manage your blood glucose is what makes people anxious.

Even NICE now recognise that the whole test was flawed and completely meaningless, and they recommend that all diabetics should be encouraged to test once their GPs have educated them on how to interpret the results. Encouraging testing is also part of the new national diabetes framework, but PCTs still trot it out as the reason why they won't fund testing and some GPs who are just too bone idle to educate their patients also quote it, as Melanie has found out.