Another Query about Treatment

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annie

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Well have had my second HBa1C result and it was 6.3. My previous one was 6.2 but that result included 6 weeks of taking Metformin. I have been off the medication since November so am very pleased that I have managed this figure on diet and exercise only.
I am concerned though, as reading through all the threads it seems I should have had my feet checked and blood pressure taken. These have never been done and as this was my first appointment with the DSN, thought these would be done. Unfortunately, she was running late and obviously did not want to spend too much time with me! ( I had 5 minutes). The only comment I got was that I needed to lose a lot more weight! I have lost 22 lbs and am now perfect weight with a BMI of 23. She said I had a BMI of 26. It turned out that they had my notes 4 inches shorter than I am. You would think she would have looked at me and guessed it was wrong. I am now to be monitored once a year - should I go back and ask for my feet and BP to be checked before then? I know any chiropody treatment we have to pay for as the surgery do not provide this service on the NHS.
 
They should have been checked but with those numbers I don't think there's much to worry about, unless you start having neuropathy symptoms. I'd just keep an eye on things and call them if there are any problems.

Have you had a retinopathy eye scan done at least?
 
Sounds very unprofessional Annie, to have so little time for you that she didn't notice you didn't need to lose a lot of weight! Is it possible to get your feet checked by your practise nurse? I know that this is what is offered at my surgery although here I can also register with the Podiatry service and get a proper podiatrist to check me once a year.
 
Thank you for the reply. I do wear glasses and when I went for my usual 2 year eye test my optician asked me if I had had the test. He did it for me and said he would send for me each year, and also suggested I had an eye test once a year from now on instead of every two years.
 
annie said:
Thank you for the reply. I do wear glasses and when I went for my usual 2 year eye test my optician asked me if I had had the test. He did it for me and said he would send for me each year, and also suggested I had an eye test once a year from now on instead of every two years.
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As a diabetic you should definitely be getting an eye test every year as diabetes can cause pressure behind the eyes which can make your vision change more often than a non diabetic.
 
The reason why the eyes of people with diabetes are checked is to identify any retinopathy as early as possible to enable early treatment - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_retinopathy It means damage to very small blood vessels at the back of the eye, associated with high blood sugar levels, not necessarily associated with high blood pressure. In some areas, these checks are carried out at nominated opticians, which keep digital phogographic records. In any case, anyone with diabetes is entitled to a free NHS eye check at an opticians once a year.
 
annie said:
Well have had my second HBa1C result and it was 6.3. My previous one was 6.2 but that result included 6 weeks of taking Metformin. I have been off the medication since November so am very pleased that I have managed this figure on diet and exercise only.
I am concerned though, as reading through all the threads it seems I should have had my feet checked and blood pressure taken. These have never been done and as this was my first appointment with the DSN, thought these would be done. Unfortunately, she was running late and obviously did not want to spend too much time with me! ( I had 5 minutes). The only comment I got was that I needed to lose a lot more weight! I have lost 22 lbs and am now perfect weight with a BMI of 23. She said I had a BMI of 26. It turned out that they had my notes 4 inches shorter than I am. You would think she would have looked at me and guessed it was wrong. I am now to be monitored once a year - should I go back and ask for my feet and BP to be checked before then? I know any chiropody treatment we have to pay for as the surgery do not provide this service on the NHS.
Click to expand...

Diabetes Uk has a half a dozen pages on "What to expect".
Here's the link to What to expect at your Annual Review.
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/What_care_to_expect/At_your_annual_review/
 
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