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Practice Nurse visit. Wish I hadn't bothered !!!!!

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keano1

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Hello folks, as a newly diagnosed T2 diabetic I just want to say a big thank you to all the good advice I have received after my first post last week Thanks to all. :D

Well it is only a week since receiving the suprise news that I have now joined the T2 club, and so have been a constant browser on this forum since. Also have bought a Accu Chek tester plus strips, and have started on a low carb diet,due to advice on this forum, cutting out white bread, pasta, sugary stuff, rice and all those 'bad' carbs. As a result Ihave lost 2.5 lbs in the first week, and already have eliminated previous early morning stomach pains & not feeling so lethatgic. Early days, but quite chuffed. :D Also, I have been testing fairly regularly to see how I react to various foods. Have managed to keep levels to within 5 to 6.2 range so far. :D

Anyway, today had to visit practice nurse for the first time armed with my BG figures. Well, what an experience it was :x Almost immediately after showing her my BG figures I was infromed that "well those testers are very inaccurate, so you forget them" :shock: She told me that the testers are ONLY for T1 diabetics :shock: Is that true?
I then informed her that I'm following a Low Carb diet to which she replied that I should "eat plenty of starchy food" :o What ???? Don't they produce sugar I asked. "Yes but you need some sugar"

Was then informed that I should take Metform (?) straight away, "because that is what we advise now, and it will avoid complications in the future". Can't I use diet control etc? "No, you need to take tablets" :shock:
She also told me that "you will need insulin at some stage in the future" Will I really? :?: :?: :?: :?:

It just appeared that everything I was doing was wrong & that only the "professionals" advice is correct. Personally I got the impression that it was just a scripted advice session that most people never question and that I was getting her back up by daring to question what she was saying. Got given the usual booklet that advises eating bread, pasta, rice, etc. She even said "be careful what websites you use regarding diabetes advice" :shock:
I was finally adviced to see the dietician "who will advise me about the dangers of low carbs". But I just can't be bothered and will probably end up arguing.

What a soul destroying experience it was, and not got my weekend off to the best possible start. :(

Is this sort the standard of "care" I can expect in the future?
Sorry to go on but it has really deflated me
 
Sorry to hear that Keano,it's about par for the course with some,not all,advice that is packaged and trundled out.
no testers are not just for Type 1's!!It's just that the health care budget is trying to save money .Stand your ground and above all show them that you are very interested in your diabetes and it's management. You have seen for yourself what an improvement reducing your carb intake can do for you.
On the medication front,bargain!!Say let me try this for 3 months and then if my levels are not down I will go on tabs!!!Some people can manage on diet only some can't.For your health's sake if you can't maintain your levels with diet take the tabs!!If you get and keep good control of your diabetes then there is no reason to have to go on insulin.However if you lose control it may happen eventually.
My advice? see all the experts they have,dietician ,chiropodist,retinal screening etc.Listen to them and also ask questions.This is your diabetes ,your body,you take control.
 
Hi Keano, and welcome to the club!

I think we must go to the same practise, as what you've said is virtually word perfect to what I was told a few months back :!: :lol:

Good luck, and don't let the *******s wear you down :!:

I too have got much from my fellow sufferers on this website, and I certainly don't feel "all on my own" as I did before. Stick with it, and good luck to you. :)
 
Hiya,
I would like to know why she thinks that meters are used by T1's at all, if they're 'inaccurate' - after all T1's can get pretty sick pretty quickly and really rely on the BG testers, so it seems like one heck of a contradiction to me. Silly woman.
Sue
 
Keano1, I think you are doing brilliantly and don't let that idiot tell you otherwise!

All the best,

fergus
 
Hi Keano,
Don't miss out on the chance to see the Dietitian I was lucky and got referred to a good one, you never know you may be lucky too. If not you can always ask Mrs Pugwash for advice she has good knowledge of Diabetes being a diabetic hersellf.

Regards Graham
 
keano1, how I sympathize with you. Sadly my own experiences of health professionals mirrors those of your own. It is so demoralising, when you think you are doing well, for those who should know better to knock you down again. I have come to realise that you have to be strong-willed and assertive and stick with what your body is telling you to do. It is only the help and support of members of this forum that has got me back on track and kept me believing that just perhaps I'm doing okay and that my health "supporters" are ill-informed. In a way, it's not their fault. They are passing on what they have been taught and what their guidelines say. I do think, in time, it will swing round though and we, the "patients" will have our voices heard. Until then, stick with what you are doing. Your great early results speak for themselves. Each of us has to do what is right for our body.
Trust your instinct. It's what I intend doing. Nobody cares about our bodies and our health more than we do.
 
Aaaaaaaaagh!! :evil:

Type 1, four months, and quite frankly scandalised at what i read on a daily basis about advice given to all diabetics. Bloody hell.

Keano, if you feel good, dont too hungry or feel unwell on your diet, your meter is giving good numbers (and if you arent going above what you say then id say they were good numbers) then tell them to stuff the metformin up....., well you know. If you come to need it if things change then so be it, but if not just now, why bother?

'Standard practice' wisdom for diabetics include aspirin (now found to be useless in people who've not had heart problems yet), Statins (whether you need them or not,and also research states not necessarily useful for women) and plenty of people have refused these courses of action on the basis that its not necessary.

So, nod politely at PN and just carry on as you are cause you seem to be doing well .

L

PS; As for NEEDING sugar - yes, like a hole in the head.Sheesh
 
Keano,
So far you are doing all the right things to ensure that you eat healthily and can control your diabetes. There is just one more thing you need to do . . . .

. . . . . . ignore everything that your practice nurse tells you.

From what we have seen on this forum regarding practice nurses and their advice about BS monitoring, BS control, diet and medication, it seems apparent that none of them have even a basic understanding of what diabetes is, let alone how to treat it.
 
Hi Keano
What you got iss par for the course



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New postby keano1 on Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:12 pm
Hello folks, as a newly diagnosed T2 diabetic I just want to say a big thank you to all the good advice I have received after my first post last week Thanks to all. :D



Almost immediately after showing her my BG figures I was infromed that "well those testers are very inaccurate, so you forget them" :shock: She told me that the testers are ONLY for T1 diabetics :shock: Is that true?No it's not! they are for finding what your blood sugar is. You don't even need to be a diabetic
I then informed her that I'm following a Low Carb diet to which she replied that I should "eat plenty of starchy food" :o What ???? Don't they produce sugar I asked. "Yes but you need some sugar"No you don't Your brain can run perfectly well on ketones and there is even some evidence that that is what it's meant to run on. No other part of you needs sugar either.
Was then informed that I should take Metform (?) straight away, "because that is what we advise now, and it will avoid complications in the future"Nonsense. Metformin is a good medicine, but in your case probably not necessary. What you need to be able to do is keep your BG at non-diabetic level. If you can do it wihtout medicine, so much the better!. Can't I use diet control etc? "No, you need to take tablets" :shock:
She also told me that "you will need insulin at some stage in the future" Will I really? :?: :?: :?: :?:NO NOT INEVITABLY! They've been telling me that one too, but I'm still on the low dose of Metformin I've been on for the nearly 6 years. If I hadn't gone low carb nearly 2 years ago, I would probably have needed more medicine by now.

It just appeared that everything I was doing was wrong & that only the "professionals" advice is correct. Personally I got the impression that it was just a scripted advice session that most people never question and that I was getting her back up by daring to question what she was saying. Got given the usual booklet that advises eating bread, pasta, rice, etc. She even said "be careful what websites you use regarding diabetes advice"Is she a diabetic? does she have to live with it 24/7/365?. If not then who do you think has the greater motivation to get it Right? :shock:Some people just don't like to give up control. It's a sign of inadequacy in them. Not your fault.
I was finally adviced to see the dietician "who will advise me about the dangers of low carbs". But I just can't be bothered and will probably end up arguing.If any dietician can actually give ou any evidence showing that low carb is harmful. We'd love it. We keep asking for it, but none comes

What a soul destroying experience it was, and not got my weekend off to the best possible start. :(

Is this sort the standard of "care" I can expect in the future? Quite likely, unless you find a better Health Care Team
Sorry to go on but it has really deflated me.Gird up your loins and go to war!
Last edited by keano1 on Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

keano1

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Hi Keano, I received the same information as you. The nurse I saw got me so mad I left the surgery and left my jacket behind! I now refuse to see her and instead only see my GP who seems to be far more enlightened about the condition. Stick to your guns, don't be influenced by the ignorant. If you get the same attitude from all your HCPs then just use them for the essentials - A1cs, blood pressure, retinal scans, etc. Don't let them wear you down.
 
Hi Keano
I have followed the advice to the letter from the nurses, doctors and the dieticians for two years since being diagnosed with T2.
All that happened was that my BG just got worse and worse, as did by blood lipids etc.My weight stayed the same despite rigid diet and exercise. (Actually, not being able to lose weight after a strict calorie controlled diet for a year is how I ended up at the docs to get my diagnosis in the first place!) My medication had to be gradually increased to the point where I am about to start Byetta, as am now on the maximum dose of everything else and BG still seemed to be out of control.

Then I started a low carb diet 3 weeks ago. Within days my BG was down to within the 'normal' range. It's stayed there since I started and I've lost 10lbs in that time also. I haven't had blood tests done yet, but can't wait to see if there has been an improvement. I can honestly say that I haven't felt this healthy in years - and it has nothing to do with the 'advice' that I've been given by the kind and well meaning but clearly misguided medical proffesionals!

Do your own research, do what works for you - there is, as seems to be constantly proven on this site, no 'one size fits all' way to take control! Good luck!
 
Hi Angel Mariel
I bet the medics will claim the credit for your improvement and tell you how wonderful they are!
Or they will tell you to stop it!
I got my T1 husband to reduce his carbs and the consultant noted how much better everything was ( after 35 years). He asked how he'd done it and when he was old low carb, his answer was "we don't recommend that" That's after his advice has led T1 husband into every complication known.
 
Well what a brilliant bunch you are on this forum. Your replies have really cheered me up no end after my soul destroying visit to the Practice Nurse. Thank you so much :D

As has been advised I shall continue with my low carbs, exercise and self testing, and only use the "professionals" :lol: for the retinopathy, feet exams etc. it's only early days but I feel fine at the moment & at least I'm feeling that I'm taking control of the situation, and moving in the right direction in controlling things.
Thank you & I salute you all for being so helpful :D
 
Angel Mariel,

If you are prescribed Byetta then you should be aware that very few GPs have a clue what it does or how it should be used. We have seen countless cases on the forum of people being given wrong information about Byetta which, if followed would have made them extremely sick. If you are prescribed it please let us knowbefore you take it and we can give you the correct advice (i.e. correct as in approved by the manufacturers).
 
Thanks for the advice Dennis, I certainly will do as you suggest if I end up with Byetta.

At one point I thought it was my only option but to be honest, am now hoping that the consultant will see the good I've done on my own and tell me to leave teh Byetta for now. We shall see!
 
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