On My Travels

It is very sad especially when you think of Dr. Unwin's no nonsense approach that is cheap and effective for the newly diagnosed and those who may have been diagnosed for a while and still willing to make some changes.

It breaks my heart.

Neglect.

There is no tick box, therefore no practice funding, for advice. It is free at the point of contact, which now is limited to 5 mins per patient per visit.

Welcome to Bonnie Scotland.

Oldvatr said:

There is no tick box, therefore no practice funding, for advice. It is free at the point of contact, which now is limited to 5 mins per patient per visit.

Click to expand...

Which makes it all wrong. We are in general over medicated and under informed and look where it has got us.

My personal experience consisted of "you have diabetes, take these and test twice and see you in 3 months" . Hard to complain because I owe my life, repeatedly, to nhs but err ...

Well I got consistently for two years no you do not have diabetes.
Then another day another doctor well yes you have had diabetes a long time now, and why be so shocked after all you knew for some time you were diabetic didn't you.

Guzzler said:

It is very sad especially when you think of Dr. Unwin's no nonsense approach that is cheap and effective for the newly diagnosed and those who may have been diagnosed for a while and still willing to make some changes.

Click to expand...

It does also mean that patients should do some basic research into diabetes, you have to take control of it for yourself, no good stuffing your head under a pillow! It's your life, your health, GP's can't do it for you! I know it's tough but you can live your life and do pretty much anything you want to but it takes will power. Sorry, but that's the truth. It's worth it for the long haul, honest x

Lynne C J said:

It does also mean that patients should do some basic research into diabetes, you have to take control of it for yourself, no good stuffing your head under a pillow! It's your life, your health, GP's can't do it for you! I know it's tough but you can live your life and do pretty much anything you want to but it takes will power. Sorry, but that's the truth. It's worth it for the long haul, honest x

Click to expand...

It has little to do with will power and everything to do with knowledge.

I went to my GP who advised me that I had Diabetes type 2, I'm 60 next year. She then said, make an appointment to see our Practice Nurse at the Surgery and she'll sort you out with the Administration side of things, which she did. I only see my GP now every 12 months, she put me into the Diabetes Programme of getting an annual retina screening at our City Hospital and an annual Podiatrist appointment in our local Clinic, and I see our Nurse every 6 months now, just so she can answer any questions I have, and studies my weight and diet and takes blood and urine samples and keeps everything in order on my records. She even organised me to attend a day's seminar on the DESMOND programme, for type 2 sufferers. I have been a Diabetic now for over 3 years and I'm surprised that many folks don't appear to have the same treatments and annual inspections that are given to Patients like me, is it my age, or, is it just a case that I seem to have a good GP Surgery, who cater for over 15,000 registered Patients in our Borough, do any of you have contact with a Practice Nurse in your local GP Surgery, who can arrange things without you having to rely on your GP all the time, it might be worth enquiring.

nottmpantherssteve said:

I'm surprised that many folks don't appear to have the same treatments and annual inspections that are given to Patients like me, is it my age, or, is it just a case that I seem to have a good GP Surgery, who cater for over 15,000 registered Patients in our Borough, do any of you have contact with a Practice Nurse in your local GP Surgery, who can arrange things without you having to rely on your GP all the time, it might be worth enquiring.

Click to expand...

It would be interesting to see how many people don't have the annual inspections. I've always had the diabetic retinopathy checks but the podiatry has always been down to me although I did have one appointment many many years ago where they left me until they were all going home and realised they hadn't seen me. My overall treatment improved when I changed surgeries seven years ago, technically I'm not in their catchment area, but were happy for me to join the practice. My diabetes treatment has improved in the last 3 years, it's much more organised and taken very seriously. In fact I've just been offered an NHS Diabetes Management Course. I asked my DN if I should accept and she said that it would not teach me anything (21 years type II and 5 years low carb) but It would be useful to other attendees if I was just to mention how I manage my diabetes. She'd just told me that my latest HbA1c was 43, much better than the 51 last March.

Lynne C J said:

It does also mean that patients should do some basic research into diabetes, you have to take control of it for yourself, no good stuffing your head under a pillow! It's your life, your health, GP's can't do it for you! I know it's tough but you can live your life and do pretty much anything you want to but it takes will power. Sorry, but that's the truth. It's worth it for the long haul, honest x

Click to expand...

A lot of people don't know that there is research and that you can change things yourself. They think the doctors are god, especially the older generation and say "if there was anything that could be done, the doctor would do it". They think the doctors have all the right answers and know best!

I now live in Scotland,and get a diabetic checkup every 3 months, it alternates between my surgery and the diabetic clinic at the local hospital. I also get an eye check every 12 months,
I used to see the foot person every year, but they stopped that because my feet were always fine, I was told to contact them if anything was wrong. The surgery nurse still checks them at my 6 monthly diabetic appointment.

At the 'education' sessions I went to we were told that baked potato was fine for all types of diabetics, and good eaten with baked beans.
There was a diabetic man there with his wife, he was obviously very overweight, very ill and both were very concerned - his feet were very painful to judge by how he walked. I tried to ell them about low carbs, but was not allowed, we must get on - and at the third session when I'd taken along some hopefully useful literature - they weren't there.
They were probably sticking to the Eatwell plate - as advised - not testing blood glucose, as advised - reading all the literature given to them and not seeing anything but the consequences of doing as advised.

What is also sad is that if someone is not computer literate in health subjects or does not speak/read say, English, in an English speaking country - that is, they not health literate they have even less chance of understanding what they need to do with their diabetes management.
Any lack of communication, information giving and literacy about such things as low fat diets by health providers just adds to unnecessary poor health outcomes.
I am not criticising the work of interpreters, cultural groups, social workers and such, just that the services never seem to be enough.

Grant1969 said:

My personal experience consisted of "you have diabetes, take these and test twice and see you in 3 months" . Hard to complain because I owe my life, repeatedly, to nhs but err ...

Click to expand...

I would be dead by now. No doubt.
I think this is called 'side affects'. Insulin saves my life so I cannot complain either but it can encourage fat cell building.