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Worst GP Appointment I have had…ever

Klangley said:
Thanks guys. Next time I will try a different Doctor for sure. It is a shame the approaches and mind-sets can be so different. I talked about the changes to diet and exercise I had undertaken but really she wasn't interested. She said if I wanted to discuss diet she would refer me to a dietician, she was a Doctor! She had no view one way or another on low-carb.

@Redsnapper I guess my thought was to try Metformin for a month or 2 and then gradually phase it out. The consultant I saw said it was a good treatment for fatty liver, would help with weight loss and could actually protect me from heart disease. This guy is one of the top guys in the UK in his field and he just said I should consider it.....not definitely do it. Incidentally he said he had seen hundreds of patents 'reverse' diabetes and was all for low carb.

@4ratbags only problem is hear the attitudes of some of the DNs can be just as bad. Awesome progress by the way 29kg loss and a HbA1c of 34....I can only dream!

@zand Thanks for the kind comments, I will definitely check out the book you suggest.
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From everything I've read, Metformin is a really good and benign drug, if you can tolerate it. I could, some people can't. Try it and see. It is particularly good on helping to lower insulin resistance, wh if you are Type 2 is your basic problem. Low carb is brilliant (I find), and exercise and intermittent fasting are very effective, but I would take Met if I were you. It has no hidden sinister side. If it doesn't suit you, it will give you digestive hell. I was later Dx Type 1 but even tho I am on insulin, am considering asking to go back on Met as well. It makes insulin go further.
 
@LucySW Thanks for your post. I watched the Jason Fung videos. When my weight loss on LCHF plateaued some weeks ago, I tried the intermittent fasting and it got the weight loss moving again. I started Metformin yesterday, 1 tablet daily to start with. I little bit of occasional stomach discomfort and metallic taste in my mouth but nothing extreme so far. My mmol/L readings have not been over 6 for 4 days now. Just took my reading 2 hrs after dinner and it was 5.1. To early to credit the Metformin, totally due to LCHF.
 
Been there and had similar problems. One thing you must watch is that you are not over prescribed on any of these drugs. I've just seen a specialist from the hospital for my type 2 which I've had for over 7 years. I have been suffering all this time from many side effects of Metformen and the specialist has taken me off it for a month as she believes that I have been prescribed 4 times the quantity that I need. Make sure that you get some monitoring on your actual requirements. I also take statins but only need half the dose that the GP wanted me to take. I know some people have horrendous joint pain with statins. 12 days after being taken off Metformen I can taste my food again I've lost a kilo in weight my skin problems are improving and the stomach cramp has gone completely. The only thing that hasn't come back to normal is the pain in my legs which I feel is neuropathy but the GP won't own up on that one as having overdosed me for 7 years I think they feel a bit guilty. Good luck and keep your wits about you always.
 
Hi there,

I am not sure whats your BMI or age, or latest results. GP? if they arent interested particulary in the diabetes, they are just following a procedure. Now,

I am 39, and I have followed newcastle diet. for about 4 weeks. I could go longer, but I went abroad.
got diabetes about 2 years ago, and cholesterol through the roof. A1b was 120. Drinking fanta, and eating sausages,

went on 600-800 calories for about a month, dropped over 20kg, no ideea whats that in stones, I am fully metric, and went on porridge in the morning. from 4 meals a day to 2 meals. then I stopped taking metformin. GP, nearly screamed. I told him I am not in any diet, and my Ah1B is 35. and I am not talking any metformin. he did not believed, and he was asking me to take metformin again. I said I will take it, if he takes it, coz my Ah1B is like his one. then he packed it in.

take your blood samples, NHS wants you to save their moneys. just buy them from ebay. think about what are you eating, and the most is how much. work out how much do you need to live, and you will be shocked, our body can live spot on with few bread slice and some vegetables/meat.

the most important thing is: google newcastle diet. I did, now I can eat chocolate, if I wanted to. but I should eat 2000 calories a day, I eat less than 1600. and I will count the chocolate in. or, I will burn it.\ out.

wish you all blood test like mines.

Ta
 
I can recall an encounter with "one of those Doctors"
I made an appointment to get my results after attending an awareness Diabetic clinic where they stressed - know your numbers.
The doctor I saw was an elderly lady (locum) I had never seen before.
To start with she refused to give me my numbers as if she had never heard of such a thing.
Then she lectured me on my weight and told me I needed to lose 3 stone I was 13.5 stone at the time.
She said i have to take these tablets for life,which were metformin, and when i asked what were the side affects she totally refused to discuss the issue, then proceeded to write out a prescription.
To my amazement when i again asked about side effects she told me that i would be classed as refusing treatment or I could get the prescription filled but NOT take them. I got a bit irate at this and told her no wonder the NHS was in a state. We parted on frosty terms as I was leaving the surgery I turned and said
"Look your chart (which was pinned to the door) proves I am not over weight, pointing to the graph - I am 6 inches short!!"
She nearly blew gasket but I laughed all the way home.
 
Satanic statins just about did me in on Monday 28th of September 2015, and - hardly able to get out of bed - rang NHS24 for advice. Told to go in to usual surgery as an emergency, which I did that same day. Told that it was one of these things, having back pains shooting down one's leg, and told to take paracetemols: that worked a bit.
Stopped coffees (being a self-confessed addict of da beans!), thinking that it was caffeine overload.
That failed to alleviate pains, which prevented me going out and doing my regular walks and twice-weekly 2-hour badminton sessions. Started losing loads of weight (great!). Saw another GP in my surgery: same diagnosis, but co-codamol recommended... and that worked better. TENS belt that my wife bought also helped with overnight sleeps and pain relief, but only a little.
Then penny dropped... those darn statins... could it be...? Visited third doctor in same surgery (29th October) and she suggested stopping statins for three months and then test my cholesterol, which would also coincide with next blood-sugar test. Stopped taking statins on same day.
Three days later: miracle result... NO PAIN!
Soon afterwards, read this in the Daily Mail, a copy of which I took to my GPs' surgery for their digestion:-
dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3300937/Crippled-statins-Cholesterol-busting-drugs-left-David-wheelchair-doctors-insisted-taking-them.html
This left me in no doubt that the medical profession is behaving irresponsibly (if not naively) on the dispensing of statins in the UK: it needs to be looked in.
How many other folks are going through such pains without need?
Sure, statins are saving many lives by reducing fats in the bloodstream, but there's no excuses for being ignorant of their side-effects.
They bloody-well frightened me, let me tell you.
 
So sorry to hear about the "jobsworth" doctor. Could I just say that I have been on Metformin and then the SR for many years, and have had all sorts of IBS problems with it. Finally talked the doc (decent chap who really encourages testing), to drop my dosage. Things are so much better! At first I was very wary, and having been checking at one point my blood glucose level went to 20! Yikes!
Jumped on the exercise bike for 20 minutes and (not going at a terrific rate) it was then down to 11.6!!! (An hour and a half after a meal)

My blood sugar levels have actually dropped by halfing the Metformin, and one morning the reading was 4.1. What a shame - had to have a big breakfast.

So, I don't know what that tells you. Or maybe I'm just weird!
 
A while back I had an apointment at the hospital about something unrelated to dyabetis, when the consultent ask if I was dyabetic,,I said I was type 2, he said do I take insilin or do I tale tablets I said insilin, he then replied then your type 1 ,I said no type 2 insilin controled ,he said in a grumpy manner if you are on insilin you are type 1 ,I just turned and looked at the nurse who was about to burst with laphter ,I just shuck my head ,he didn't have a clue this is one of the top surgeons at stepping hill hospital I dosent look good to let this guy start cutting me up why I'm asleep ,
 
That is bad but it could of been worse...I informed my GP back in April 2015 that I am losing weight and I don't feel well and as I have diabetes type 2 on insulin which I do not like as I dislike needles (been on insulin since October 2013) I want to change to tablets which at the first time of asking he ignored me and said we need to increase the dosage but I said I want tablets please but he was having none of it.

I was seeing another GP about other issues and she asked to ask this doctor who was specialist in diabetes to assist me so on my next appointment I asked him again but this time he said I am sending you for HB1aC test and go back to the female doctor as she will help you so in between waiting for the results and a appointment to see the female doctor I rang up my surgery and I was asked to speak to an oncall doctor who said I needed to be examined in the mean time I was being for tests at the hospital.

So I made an appointment and saw the male doctor who said your HB1aC is at 128 mmol/l but still did nothing to help me, did not refer me to a nurse or the hospital to see a diabetic consultant and again he said when I asked him to go and see the female doctor so I told him I don't like being messed about still he did nothing then due to still feeling unwell I saw other doctors who never once examined me and I again had HB1aC test done but this time it was at 150 but the male doctor did say you area very sick person so I questioned him as to why he and other doctors have done nothing and I was told to get out.

Still nothing was done, but 6 months later I was put on metformin, in April I was at 93 now I am at 70 (weight).

When you are asked questions you are compelled to answer the question doctor is asking but when the doctor is asked a question they do not like it yet they have a duty to look after us as they have responsibility of our welfare but now a days it's not about care it's a commercial business as long as boxes are ticked and payment received it does matter how serious the illness is.
 
I stopped going to my diabetic review held at my drs surgery. They have not got a clue on diabetic care. I had a appointment at my local hospital with a foot specialist. While there i asked to see a diabetic consultant. I explained to him that since going to see the GP for my yearly diabetic review the care i got was well below average. He asked me how long had i been going to the Gps diabetic review. I replied 16 years. He told me to stay in the room until he came back. 5 minutes later he came back and said your under me now, heres your first appointment. Since seeing the diabetic consultant ive been on a DAFNE course which was great and lost 8 stone. My care here is fantastic. My advice. Leave the GP daiabetic clinic and go to see your hospital consultant who specialises in diabetic problems.
 
Klangley said:
Just finished my GP appointment today to follow up on the results of my HbA1c test and Liver Function Test. As discussed on a separate thread, my intention was also to ask to try Metformin.

This wasn’t my normal GP, in our local surgery you wait a week for an appointment and 2 weeks if you want to see a particular doctor. The meeting started off pleasantly enough. She reviewed and then read out my results. My HbA1c has fallen from 79 mmol/mol to 56 mmol/mol. My LFT (Serum ALT) level had also fallen from 95 u/L to 66 u/L. There wasn’t any acknowledgement of the improvement, just a statement that they are below target levels. But actually as wasn’t there for a pat on the back, I knew the results already and was pleased with them.

Then the conversation went something like this:

Me, ‘so I wanted to discuss Metformin’

Doctor, ‘yes I am putting you on Metformin and a statin’….started typing on the computer

Me (after a pause), ‘yes I will try Metformin but, no I am not taking a statin’

Doctor (quite stroppy), ‘You do realise you are a diabetic don’t you. I mean, that was made clear to you. We recommend all diabetics over 40 to take a Statin’

Me, ‘Yes and you also recommend the healthy eating plate and good carbs like wholemeal bread and pasta and you should see what they do to my blood sugar levels.’

OK in retrospect probably not the best response, but I was a bit taken aback by her attitude. It was clear she didn’t expect a debate. And it all got even more frosty when I also politely declined the ‘Spotlight Course’…..I think that was what she called it. I presume it is some sort of Diabetes awareness course although I don’t think I have seen it mentioned on the forum.

We continued the discussions on statins and she asked why I was against them. I said I thought I had read they can increase Type 2 diabetes and cause liver damage. I wanted to know more about them before I committed to taking them for the rest of my life. She said there were known to be moderate side effects but returned to the party line of recommending them for all Type 2 diabetes. She them measured my blood pressure and stated it was ‘high-side of normal’ (I can’t remember the exact figure). The truth is there was a bloody good reason why my blood pressure was high….it was her attitude! Anyway I agreed to do one of the 24hr monitoring exercises over the next few months.

I have rattled on long enough, but a lot of other ground was covered. The ‘highlights’ were….I would be a diabetic for life, reversal just doesn’t happen in practice, complications are inevitable and eventually I would probably be on insulin. The general vibe was also you only have yourself to blame.

Sorry for off-loading guys. But I left feeling probably the worst I have felt since my diagnosis. I have worked very hard in the last 2 months. I am a pretty resilient person (I like to think) but I walked out thinking what’s the point.
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Good for you!!!!!! Doctors think they know everything but we know our bodies better than anyone else so do what you think is best for you! You are obviously doing your research so keep it up you are doing brilliant!
 
Hey - Chill sister - don't let the B*****s wear you down! - you know that you did very well in managing your condition, no matter what that overworked and unempathetic practitioner says. Contrary to popular belief (and probably theirs) Drs are actually human and some of them do a less than adequate job sometimes. You had a bad consultation - her problem not yours, You will know not to accept an appointment with her next time you need one. I spent 30 years trying to turn medical students into doctors and healers not data driven scientists, who need to listen to their patients and work with them through their problem and not prescribe outside "informed consent" (we failed sometimes too). - Hang in there and don't let one bully (because that was what she was doing) undermine your confidence in your decisions about your health. See another practitioner who will listen and discuss the issues without resorting to bullying tactics to get you to toe the line.
 
I'd like to add my two hap'orth worth. I met with my GP this week to review my six monthly bloods. His first word, no lie, was "fantastic." HbA1c down to 33 from 34, not a huge move, but considering where it started to have that stability proves that diet and exercise and cutting carbs really can work.

In no real contrast, the locum at my previous six month appointment said, while reading the bloods, "why do you want your Hb results, you're not diabetic are you?" And then went in to the rest of the results, cholesterol, LFT's etc with a wry smile, which I shared.

I guess you have to be lucky with your allotted GP, mine are pretty switched on. I've never been offered a statin, nor any other meds, I'm well over 40. In fact the only advice was no more sugar, and that advice is my mantra every day, along with low carbs, cauliflower rice, and courgette and carrot pasta and reading this site every day.

So there are GPs out there who understand, are sympathetic and recognise your achievements, best advice is to keep looking, or educate the one you have. Good luck.
 
tim2000s said:
Oh dear, our sympathies. You got one of "them".
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I also had this argumentative discussion with a gp they insisted i needed statins "because to put it politely my dear lady you are fat and you aren't losing any weight"yet i can get into a dress and zip it up that i wore for my silver wedding do nearly 20 years ago!!!
 
I have had the statin fight many times. In the end I got a good doctor. He said the Govt had a checklist and doctors had to fill it in and send it off regularly to say how many patients in the 'at risk' zone were getting statins. They are very cheap. He said that though they may reduce cholesterol, out of every hundred people on statins who have a stroke, statins are only likely to prevent TEN of these. But strokes are so expensive to treat that its cheaper to give everyone cheap statins. Despite the side effects. (my hair fell out). Statins are proven to reduce cholesterol but there is no proof that reduced cholesterol prevents strokes! I refuse them every time and the doctor records that on his checklist! In the end its YOUR body and you have to decide for yourself.
 
Agree with your doctor that he can prescribe statins to meet his targets and warn him that you may choose to bin them to maintain your health.
 
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