"Don't bother testing it will just stress you out"

[Cleo]

A friend of mine is type 2, has been for about 7 years. She's in her mid / late 60s and seems to be getting little support from her Gp (she lives abroad). A few weeks ago she came down with flu like symptoms and was quite poorly (she's fine now). The advice from her gp was "don't bother testing your BGs as it will just stress you out". Is it just me or is this advice not very helpful?!?
Thanks in advance .

 

[Northerner]

A friend of mine is type 2, has been for about 7 years. She's in her mid / late 60s and seems to be getting little support from her Gp (she lives abroad). A few weeks ago she came down with flu like symptoms and was quite poorly (she's fine now). The advice from her gp was "don't bother testing your BGs as it will just stress you out". Is it just me or is this advice not very helpful?!?
Thanks in advance .

No, it isn't just you, it is stupid advice (I hesitate to call it 'advice' actually, since it is a useless comment rather than anything practical) Just sticking your head in the sand won't change the effect on your levels, whatever they might be. However, if you did test then you might be able to make informed steps to perhaps reduce your carbs until feeling better, or even at the very least you would know whether your blood sugar levels are partly responsible for how you feel.The only real reason this GP is saying don't test is because it costs money.

 

[Ljc]

No it's not just you. This sort of nonsensical advise makes me mad.

 

[Copepod]

Where does your friend live, Cleo? You say abroad, so can't be NHS, so must be some other form of funding. Are co-payments involved? Was she given any advice about managing illness with type 2 diabetes? Advice differs depending on treatment / medication.

 

[Lilian]

A doctor once said to me about not testing, that it is like driving along the road without checking the speedo.

 

[BBarb]

I have a friend in Portugal who gets the most appalling 'advice' from her doctor over there, he's English but seems to me to be stuck in the past. He is still recommending cutting down on fats whilst basing a healthy regime on carbohydrates as the main part of a meal meaning plenty of healthy wholegrain products plus fruits and lean meat, the only foods she is not 'allowed' are those containing obvious sugar in granular form and anything white (white flour, white sugar, rice) although pasta and wholemeal rolls are apparently ok!
Other people may know whether this regime can possibly work - but my attempts to introduce her to Low carb High Fat have been met with horror and confusion. She is resigned to eventually having to start on insulin and has also been told not to stress about testing, she is 84 and not a computer user so I have printed out numerous helpful leaflets from the internet, but she is not convinced.
I have stopped trying because she was getting so confused and ending up eating her usual large helping of pasta plus fatty meats, cheese sauces made from cream, bananas, grapes etc (not all at once 🙂) and I could see I wasn't helping. I'm hoping this Mediterranean diet is the way for her. Perhaps! Hopefully!
As it was, I was just making things worse.

 

[Lilian]

Some time ago I was reading that doctors were being told (not sure whether that is what they used to be told or were being told then) that it takes about 10/15 years of having diabetes before any diabetic complications set in, and that if someone over (cannot remember exact age but say 75) is diagnosed they are likely to be dead within the 10/15 years anyway from old age or other conditions, so why try and confuse them by making them change a diet they have had all their lives.

 

[Bubbsie]

A friend of mine is type 2, has been for about 7 years. She's in her mid / late 60s and seems to be getting little support from her Gp (she lives abroad). A few weeks ago she came down with flu like symptoms and was quite poorly (she's fine now). The advice from her gp was "don't bother testing your BGs as it will just stress you out". Is it just me or is this advice not very helpful?!?
Thanks in advance .

Only been diagnosed for a little over five weeks...told exactly the same thing by my GP no need to test...just have regular blood tests at surgery...well been testing now for a little over a week and already seeing the difference...all about the money...noticing the difference certain foods...activities have on results...of course she should test...shame on some doctors...

 

[Bubbsie]

A friend of mine is type 2, has been for about 7 years. She's in her mid / late 60s and seems to be getting little support from her Gp (she lives abroad). A few weeks ago she came down with flu like symptoms and was quite poorly (she's fine now). The advice from her gp was "don't bother testing your BGs as it will just stress you out". Is it just me or is this advice not very helpful?!?
Thanks in advance .

Got the same advice from my GP...sod that...been testing regularly...learning lots from it...I look forward to testing... want to see improvements...sugars going down...want to keep it that way as long as I can for my own benefit...and would love to tell my GP testing has been positive for me...

 

[BBarb]

Good for you two, it would make a good film 'Carry On Testing' - imagine Hattie Jacques catching one of them and coming at him with a huge needle.
As to living 10/15 years ....... s0d that, I'm going to live to 100 like my Mum (I'm 77).😛

 

[Diabeticliberty]

Good for you two, it would make a good film 'Carry On Testing' - imagine Hattie Jacques catching one of them and coming at him with a huge needle.
As to living 10/15 years ....... s0d that, I'm going to live to 100 like my Mum (I'm 77).😛

With your refreshingly positive outlook on life I think you will make it to 150 🙂

 

[khskel]

Nice have BG Levels guidelines for Type 2s but without testing how are you supposed to know if you have achieved those?

 

[weecee]

Unless you have to live with one of these ongoing diseases you don't realise the nuances involved. Testing is the way to go to learn your own tolerances and triggers. As others have said, it is so individual even though we all have the same thing. No matter what age you are, knowing that you feel better and are improving your numbers helps your outlook for tomorrow .

 

[Bloden]

My endo says the same about testing - she also thinks insulin to carb ratios are too flexible (eh?), the Libre won't benefit me much / would be great for me (depends which way the wind's blowing!), is dead against correction doses (what, I just sit here and fester?)...and it's not cos she's Spanish, she just can't be bothered to keep up with the times (IMHO 🙄). I've decided her job is to act as my Diabetic Complications Officer while I use this fab forum and the Internet to keep up with self-management essentials.😎

 

[Ralph-YK]

My nurses words were "You'll just worry if you know your figures."
Both condasending and stupid.

 

[Caroline]

I would say the advice is not very helpful. I test for a variety of reasons. If I am high then I know I need a little extra insulin, if I am low I know I need to treat a hypo. As I have very little hypo awareness so the only way I know sometimes I'm dropping is by testing. It also gives me a clue about which foods I need to avoid or cut down on, so far from stressing me out I find it a very usefull tool to have around.

 

[Pine Marten]

My nurses words were "You'll just worry if you know your figures."
Both condasending and stupid.

Flaming cheek! I love being treated like a 5 year old 🙄

I wish I'd known about testing when I was first diagnosed around 2007 - all I had were just diet sheets full of carby advice like BBarb's friend in Portugal! I know now how hopeless it all was. And I once tried telling an elderly friend who had recently been diagnosed about the LCHF way, but she was too scared to try it. What can you do if people can't or won't listen..? And that goes for ruddy GPs too!

 

[Cleo]

Many thanks for your responses - good to know I wasn't wrong ! 🙂

 

[Martin Canty]

Fortunately, in the US, we are a little more enlightened on self testing.... Though the Dr.'s are not concerned about our daily levels they don't treat us like idiots (though I was given the same dietary advice which self testing encouraged me to ignore)

 

[Mark Parrott]

Fortunately, in the US, we are a little more enlightened on self testing.... Though the Dr.'s are not concerned about our daily levels they don't treat us like idiots (though I was given the same dietary advice which self testing encouraged me to ignore)

I think it's just an NHS thing in the UK. As in the US you pay health insurance, there wouldn't be the same funding issues. Please correct me if i'm wrong.