Professionals

My wife is a nurse. She cares for elderly/ end of life patients.
Diabetes forum, Alzheimer's forum, Dementia forum, Heart disease forum, urology forum and any other forum that might be applicable for patients on the ward that week.
I could suggest it but strongly suspect I know the answer if I was to suggest she did a bit of " homework ".
Personally I think it would be better if we as patients visited there world and had a better understanding of how difficult we can be as patients.

My wife is also a nurse working mainly in care of the elderly. I don't think the motor trade comparison is too wacky. Indeed, while I think society does need to value its nurses more, I think it also has to value a lot of people more. From what I can gather of her experience...and my own...its like any other job in as much as there are good and bad, dedicated an complacent, enthusiastic and disaffected, organised and sloppy, grafters and skivers. I have to say that I found this in teaching too. People who still think that those who work in caring for others or in education others are responding to a deep calling are, sadly, delusional. Some are vocational...yes...and many do a fantastic job...others really are just doing a job (some very well, some not so well). We should not be critical if most would give up their demanding jobs tomorrow if they won the lottery...why should they be any different? That said, we should admire and respect those who get in there and do the job shift after shift after shift whether they love their jobs or not. As for these professional carers going on sites like this when they are not grafting their backsides off...I think that's asking a bit much for most...coming on here to read all our concerns! And, I am sure, if I was health professional looking at some (completely understandable) comments on this site...letting us lot know I was online would be the last thing I
would open myself up to ! Good plumber or bad plumber, I don't think I'd want to advice people on their drains in my down time...let alone defend the bad advice of other plumbers.

I am going to go one step further @pleinster and @therower, my experience (and only my opinion) nurse practitioners are amazing, and caring, (in most cases more aware than doctors, and their empathy levels surpass the MD). Again, this is my opinion. Most doctors have a "God Syndrome" whereas, they know all and will not hear anything new, or that has or can be solved by diet or exercise. They are overwhelmed and burned out, existing on outdated info. Thank God for Nurses! Experienced this first hand with the birth of my second daughter. Doctor wanted to perform C-section, due to prior C-section (not to mention about an additional $7000.00 in charges the doc and hospital would net). I research my incision, and learned I could have a normal birth, due to my incision from first birth. At 7 months I changed to midwife/nurse practitioner. The time and care she spent with us surpassed my expensive doctor (well known and recommended by insurance co.) Bravo to both your wives. I know this might be a bit off the topic, but the nurse is the one who handles and takes care of everything.

bluecurlylegend said:

Do any Nurse or Doctors read these forums ? You never hear from them.

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Perhaps if their specialist interest is diabetes then there may be a few, but for a GP or Nurse who treat all ailments & conditions it will likely be a different story, with the many conditions that they deal with on a daily basis they'd spend all their spare time on forums if they were to read all of them.

Also to many it would be a like a busman's holiday, after a long shift the last place they would want to visit is a health related forum.

My old diabetes consultant lists it on her interests...
my diabsfes educator suggests the forum.
A nurse at an old diabetes centre told me she viewed it.
A person I know always tells me not to write too much on here as my health people can view it. Do I care they can view?? No. I write the truth about my expereiences. Its true I am totally identifiable because of my cancer and stomach. I speak the truth though, I dont hide anything from them or from anybody and I tell the truth.

Pesronally I think many want to forget diabetes and their job when they get home...and enjoy time with family and friends. If they do, it would be limited time on here.

Hi @bluecurlylegend . No need to say sorry. I actually understand your idea. Assuming that we narrowed it down to DSN's and diabetic consultants viewing Diabetes forums then that would make sense. My concerns though would be:
These people would maybe have to stay incognito. Making it known that they were " specialists " would eventually lead to people constantly seeking advice, advice they wouldn't be able to give. Forum rules and I'm sure medical ethics as well.
I personally have visited/ joined other forums and if I'm perfectly honest there are some that I wouldn't a HCP basing there treatment of me on information gathered from these forums. Even this forum, which I think is No 1 and the best, has aspects and trends that I wouldn't want a HCP assuming was best for me.
Rightly or wrongly I believe the forum should be for diabetics to discuss and debate living with diabetes ( people non-diabetic but nonetheless affected included ).
But hey it's only my opinion and that's the beauty of it being a forum.

My brother in law ended up leaving his job as an educational psychologist in Manchester because of the stress of regular harassment on the street by parents wanting to discuss their children's cases. I think any health professional on a forum would quickly end up in a similar possession if they were to openly post as a health professional I know I wouldn't be keen to do so if I were one..

The diabetic educator lady I see knows about the forum, I mentioned last year that I have picked up a few bits and pieces that been useful.

She said that she visits every now and again when she has time.

As for my GP, I do not think he has the time to visit here. I mentioned in passing that I come here. He was non committal in his reply and was more interested in fixing the problem I came into see him about.

At $60.00 a visit I was quite happy that he did fix my problem, and did not get into a conversation about the relative merits of the forum good or bad.