Why do you go to your diabetic clinic ?

If you don't like the way you are treated at your diabetic clinic do what I did, ask your doctor to change it, it is your right to change and do some research before you do, look at what you want and what hospital is offering you that facility, ring their Beta team and ask them if they would be willing to take you on if they say yes. Go to your GP and let him/her know what the hospital has told you and they should by law refer you. I have been refered to a very good hospital and have never looked back, none of the team are diabetics but are very knowledgable about all the new things out there, most are young, (but I am no spring chicken so a lot of prof: look young to me now). As for looking young and not being a diabetic themselves is a negative outlook, as if you were to be going to have heart surgery would you have wanted the Dr who was performing the op to have had openheart surgery first. Most of these professionals have had years of training and research into their subject field, that is my opinion and is enough for me. As an ex-teacher I taught from books and reseach as that is all one can do, I didn't need to be a Coalminer or Sufragette, to teach about them.

Hi,

I've never posted on here before, but felt this was worth responding to.

I am 36 yrs old and was diagnosed 12 months ago with type 1, after being wrongly diagnosed as type 2 for 6 months (I was 10st 2lbs, and 5' 11", so didn't exactly fit the type 2 criteria!!) and eventually had to arrange my own appointment with a private consultant to get the correct diagnosis. I am now up to 11st, and am on mixtard 30, 2 shots a day.

From initial mis diagnosis (the diabetic nurse who decided I was a type 2 first took my blood glucose with a reading of 29.8 and said "hmm that is a little high, by the time I saw the consultant it was 32 and I had +++ keytones)to the correct diagnosis, I have found every single person I have dealt with within the UK NHS to be completely and utterly useless and uninfomed on diabetes without exception.

As for the clinics, I went to 3 initially, and found them to be a complete and utter waste of time. All of the nurses I came across knew nothing apart from what they were reading out of a text book that was originally printed in 1982, trust me, I checked...and were completely uninformed with regard to what effects food types had on blood sugar, which is initially what I needed to know.

One told me it was fine to eat cake and chocolate, but said "only in moderation, as you obviouslty need to keep your weight down" I WEIGHED 10 STONE!!! and one gave me a sachet of leg cream, which still makes me laugh. during my second visit, a nurse asked me if I had experienced any hypos, to which I replied, "yes quite a few actually as I've been struggling to get my levels in range as I'm having to figure all of this out for myself" to which she replied, well you need to stop having those, they don't do you much good! unbelievable......

From my experiences the nurses take a one size fits all approach to diabetic patients, most of whom they see are probably type 2's with weight issues, and have no idea about type 1's. But maybe I just got a bad bunch...

Hence I stopped going to clinics, and will never attend one again. I control my diabetes with a self prepared, low to no carb diet, minimal sugno more than 7gms a day across all meals and excercise, and have eventually figured out how to stay in range by myself and with no thanks to the NHS.

Go once a year.

TBH I find it more helpful actually talking to diabetics. Being a Uni student, it's hard for the Nurses and Doctors to give much advice.

In truth, I think I need more advice about life than Diabetes.

I therfore feel I get more practical advie from other diabetics which in turn stops my life from affecting my health for the worst.

Good post though, interesting to see what other's have experienced.

Been diagnosed sonce 2 and a half. Been self managing since 14. Think Mum's been the best Diabetic nurse ever.

Bergkamp24....funny when i was first diagnosed I found it the other way around the Hospital I attended was all for type 1 and the diabetic nurse actually said to me 'oh! your only a type2, I have a teenager I need to see here read this and left '
My readings on going to the hospital were 26.4 and by the time I saw a Dr had gone so I was told later dangerously high to 42.3 I was asked why I was still sitting up and talking sence, my flippant answer to that was 'I'll lay here on my back and pretend to be dead shall I'. after a year of this kind of treatment I asked my GP if I could change my diabetic care as said above done just so. Now this Beta team are fantastic and help both types equally. I have talked to other patients while waiting and no-one has a bad word about them.

Just a daft question from a Noobie.

Do you have to ask to have a blood test to find you Hba1c or do you wait for the surgery or diabetic clinic makes you an appointment?

It's just I had my last one in July so I'm sure I'm overdue, also I do not test my BG with a meter, so I don't know how I'm doing.

Jim H said:

Do you have to ask to have a blood test to find you Hba1c or do you wait for the surgery or diabetic clinic makes you an appointment?

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According to the nurse I saw on Monday it's should be done quarterly.

According to my Diabetes for Dummies book it should be done every 3 to 6 months.

Therefore if you were last seen in July 09 I'd call the nurse and make an appointment to see her now.

Another thing in the "dummies" book is the 10 commandments for great diabetes control. By not using a meter you are breaking their 1st commandment, which is:

Monitor your glucose levels frequently.

If the only choice I had was to attend the local DN clinic I would be most unhappy to attend knowing how little support they give for taking control of my own condition.

Personally I think I will stick to the hospital as long as I can. The DN clinic at the surgery was very stuck on “high carbs and don’t test” whereas the hospital were very open to cutting carbs and monitoring.

When I went to see the ‘designated diabetic GP’ in the practice he did not want to say anything until I had seen the consultant at the local hospital and actually said to me that he knew nothing about diabetes; it seemed like he felt that he had drawn the short straw and felt hard done by. The DN was equally disinterested when I went to see her although she did make all the appointments that we are supposed to have.

After my visit to the hospital I had to see my GP to get the testing strips and lancets put on my prescription, at the request of the consultant, which she did very unwillingly and with a very bad grace, asking me “How long is this going to carry on for?”

It was all of a piece with what had gone before in that I had a real struggle to get tested for diabetes in the first place. I think it is all down to money as without a diagnosis I would not cost them anything. The ‘no testing for T2s’ is short sighted as it is well known that prevention is better than cure. Their chickens will all come home to roost eventually and the NHS will be crippled by the demands on it by people damaged through lack of care in diabetes clinics like the one in my GP surgery.

I go to the clinic at my hospital but only because I have to, I would rather see my DN's at the shiny new wing they have now! The clinic is held in the main part of the hospital and is badly run and I was once seen with the wrong files (they were for another patient!) as they have such a high turn over of Docs doing rotations etc. I have never,l ever had an appt with the new Doc in charge not since the old one left! (he was lovely by the way, rang me at home every night when I was preggers ). I go to have it on my record that I go so I can get my driving license. I could tell them anything and they would write it down without checking, I asked for a pump at my last visit and they told me no but my DN's soon sorted that out for me! I don't blame the docs as such, they just don't have the resources or the staff to do the job properly.

However, the DN's are just the best, 3 of them and I love them all! :lol: I can call them anytime or email or just turn up, they would fit me in I'm sure If it wasn't for them, I would have zero faith in the NHS and if it wasn't for them I would probably still be injecting Actrapid with syringes! :lol:

since i was diagnosed i have only been to the clinic 5 times thats because when my diabetic nurse at the surgery feels i would better off if i go and get myself checked out and confirm my diabetis is in control

paul1873 said:

Hi

I think from some personal experience I’ve doubted the benefits of visiting a diabetic clinic. No doubt I’m just getting grumpy but having lived with diabetes for some time I find it hard to take advice from people that learn out of a text book and look half my age. I’d like to change this opinion. I’d be interested in anyone’s thoughts on the benefits they receive.

How often do you visit the clinic?

Also, since you’ve been diagnosed have you thought the advice changes often? Has it recently?

Paul

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