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Unhealthy Drs n nurses

P

parko59

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I am a Diabetic and I'm coming up to my yearly appointment to get my bloods done feet Ang eyes but I very rarely see a nurse or a Dr, from one yr to the next really makes me feel more than a number, as I just give up I only visit a Dr when I'm admitted to hospital I just cope on my own I know when my sugars are high and reduce it and when my sugar is low to increase one really disgruntled patient thank you for this forum for advice I receive x
 
Hi @parko59 .. and welcome
Sadly, the situation that you have experienced is fairly common .. but, putting that aside, you have certainly made a good move coming here .. since joining this forum the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

The key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I see have tagged @daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

Despite what your nurses or HCPs might say, it is a top priority that you get yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 (you don't pay VAT) or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them. Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps
 
My sympathies I guess I am lucky as mostly my docs and nurses are good, they even listen to me mostly although I have had my fair share of "duds". I think it's a lottery sometimes.
 
I'm also one of the lucky ones. My DN who has only recently added diabetes to her workload is slim (rare with too many nurses), listens and is learning fast. I had my annual review this week and was very pleased with the way it went and the advice she gave. She now knows me and knows that I will have looked at my test results online so we can quickly move on to any actions needed and not waste time. I hope that you can find a surgery and GP/DN who matches your needs.
 

I don't need to fat shame NHS employees.
I don't give a monkeys what weight my HCP is, they're people, and I respect them as people, not writing them off simply because they're fat, so must be ignorant, as only thin people know anything.

Oddly enough, I get on well with all mine, and have have brilliant help, and support, from all the HCP's that have supported my reversal of type 2.

But, I always listen to everything they tell me, and have a civilised conversation if there are parts I can't do, and they normally listen back, and we come to some middle ground.
 
Daibell said:
. My DN who has only recently added diabetes to her workload is slim (rare with too many nurses),
Click to expand...

Hmmm, lucky her and lucky you for having such perfect figures. I am sure that means you are both more intelligent and caring than fat old me.... If you read the OP properly I don't think this thread is really about Unhealthy HCP's at all, it appears to be a typo as the first post seems to refer to 'Unhelpful' HCP's.
 
I'm type 1 and I see my doctor and diabetes nurse once a year. I don't attend a clinic or see a consultant or endo at all.

It's all about need. I'm well controlled, consistently return good HB1AC results and going to a clinic, doctor and so on more often would be a waste of his time and mine. I alter my insulin dosage in line with trends in my blood testing. That said, if I had a problem, I wouldn't hesitate to make an appointment.

Perhaps, you could ask the doctor for a referral to the local diabetes clinic. They are the specialists and your GP is only a first point of call who deals with everything under the sun.
 

I'm really starting to think that the "don't listen to fat NHS people" view is probably going to get me banned again, because I look at people's attitude, not their figure.
And if some stranger is going to be rubbished for their shape, I'm not going to simply let it pass because they're not here to defend themselves.
 

@parko59 Shoukd your title say "unhelpful"? I can change it for you if you confirm that's correct.
 
Not sure I understand your problem, if you need to see a doctor make an appointment, are you expecting them to call you up every so often for a chat?
 
Well you and I agree on this issue.
 
Hi @parko59 and welcome to the forum.

The NHS has a particular protocol for treating diabetes, and part of that involves reducing patient appointments when your illness is deemed to be "stable" - you just don't need the same level of intense involvement as you did when you were first diagnosed. However, a lot of DNs and GPs will understand if you feel you need more guidance than yearly appointments, and you're able to book an appointment at any time to talk your situation over with them - please don't feel abandoned!

I'm so pleased you found your way here and started posting. It's a really lovely place, with super-supportive people, loads of advice given freely and patiently by people from all walks of life and situations and there's no pressure on you to do, think, change anything you're not comfortable with.

Ultimately, it's your illness and it's up to you how you manage it: if that's more than yearly check-ups and offloading when you're frustrated, more power to you - those things are easy to do. If you're looking for more, though, you're already in the right place to start that journey.

In other news, I have to agree with @douglas99 :

douglas99 said:
..I look at people's attitude, not their figure.
And if some stranger is going to be rubbished for their shape, I'm not going to simply let it pass because they're not here to defend themselves.
Click to expand...

I've read long, wonderfully eloquent passages from people fed up with feeling ashamed of themselves and being treated badly by strangers. But how can we possibly expect the world to change its attitudes toward us if we don't change the way we look at the world? <insert over-used Ghandi quote here>

NHS / medical staff are just people, too and we don't get to judge their lives except in terms of their professional conduct. Working for the NHS does not offer people instant immunity to stress, illness, genetics or bad habits, and it doesn't put them in any more of a better position to change their lives than it does anyone else.

It's fine to be resentful of poor treatment, bad advice and professional negligence. But it does neither us nor anyone else any good if we expect super-heroes to populate our healthcare system.

Frankly, we know better than this.
 

Yes
So
@zand
@SockFiddler
and me,
anyone that decides to fat shame anyone on this site, including the humans who work for the NHS, we won't be complicit by being quiet.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. "

And if @Administrator, want to support us, even better.
If not, it wouldn't be the first time I've been banned.
 
Agreed! But I won't be around much this weekend, sorry I have an elderly Aunt who needs me. I'll be back asap though.
 
Please include myself here, full supporter...
 
I don't like fat shaming (or any other kind of shaming) but if you looks at the original post I rather think the title was a victim of auto-correct and the OP meant to say 'unhelpful' rather than 'unhealthy '. If you read the first post with that in mind it all makes far more sense.
 
Yes I agree. I have nothing against the OP in this thread.
 
You haven't said if you're in the uk.
If I assume you are; I was and are a number too but I've started to make a polite happy noise for a few yrs and I'm finding me and my consultant are now thinking along the same lines.
Of course it depends who your consultant/gp/care team are.
I cannot praise mine enough!

Lets put it this way. I had an opportunity to do nursing decades ago and pulled out due to PM MThatcher laying staff off all around the uk.
I admire their dedication.
I hear hundreds are leaving the nhs.
The staff are very unhappy with our government, I read.

I believe you when you say you're unhappy with the lack of enthusiasm on your diabetic health case.
On reading some of this forums threads do you see anything which may help you manage your blood glucose levels to the standard you would like or standard which causes little or less damage to your body?

We are here to help you manage more independently in the lack of one to one care.
It looks like the nhs will never have that kind of resources!

When were you in hospital last?
What changes were made?
 
@parko59

Hello parko59 and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it's useful to you. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 245,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
If you are in UK..
You are entitled to annual 15 checks... ie weight, BP, hba1c, feet, eyes etc.

Great if you tick all the boxes and dont need follow ups at all!! Why worry about follow ups if all is well?

If you need any help at any time for your diabetes then phone them in the interim...

GPs are there to maintain good health but beyond the basics of checks, its really down to the patients...
 
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