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background retinopathy

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shirl

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all,

Well got the dreaded letter this morning saying I am showing signs of background retinopathy :( come as a bit of a shock really. I know its nothing to panic about and I have just got to be more vigilant with what goes in my mouth, lol. One big problem I do have is that I have not seen or heard from my DSN in over 12 months and I'm not sure what to do as my bs levels are slowly getting higher not disasterously (ranging between 7.6 and 10) but it is worrying, especially now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,

Shirl
 
Hi shirl call your dsn or gp and ask for a review im sure they will be able to help and make any little changes you need xxx
 
Dizzydi said:
Hi shirl call your dsn or gp and ask for a review im sure they will be able to help and make any little changes you need xxx
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Ditto...ring them....hassle them....nock down there doors monday morning....well maybe not nock em down 😉...but do be pushy only way forward i think....x
 
I agree with Di - make an appointment with your GP to discuss the letter and ask how you can improve your levels. You might also want to get your blood pressure checked as that can be important in avoiding eye problems 🙂 Hope you can get something sorted soon! 🙂
 
Thank you Di, hd my 12month check up in Jan. an GP doesn't like me to test more than once every other day!! Just feeling bit let down if I'm honest.

Shirl x
 
shirl said:
Thank you Di, hd my 12month check up in Jan. an GP doesn't like me to test more than once every other day!! Just feeling bit let down if I'm honest.

Shirl x
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It's so wrong of them, still worth going back and explaining your worried, tell them how you feel. Lay it on thick, how can you be expected to do your best when there denying the equipment that will help you stay as well as possible in the long run xxx

Ps its alright for those who aren't affect and don't have to live with a condition flipping rule makers grrr
 
Thanks for suggestions, will get in touch with doc on Monday and try DSN again too. I probably just need a kick up the backside, lol

Shirl
 
Dizzydi said:
It's so wrong of them, still worth going back and explaining your worried, tell them how you feel. Lay it on thick, how can you be expected to do your best when there denying the equipment that will help you stay as well as possible in the long run xxx

Ps its alright for those who aren't affect and don't have to live with a condition flipping rule makers grrr
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I quite agree Di, it really makes me so 😡 that they don't think its important for T2s to test sooooo wrong,

Shirl
 
The firsttime I was told there was some background retinopathy I was worried so I asked for an explnation and was told there was nothing to worry about.

Last time I saw the optician proper, he explained that back ground retinopothy is something that comes and goes, and it is just a co incidence it has happened when I had my retinal scans and it was nothing to worry about. He still gave me a thorough eye test and used a special machine to look into my eyes and said apart from the retinopathy which seemed to be very background everything else was fine.

I know some people have their sight test and retinal scan done at the same time, but I prefer to get them done seperately as I think more thingscan be picked up. Nothing has ever been picked up, so I am lucky.
 
My first retinopathy check last year showed background retinopathy, however when my optician photographed it 6 months later, he said there was none.

So it seems we can take heart that maybe it can be a temporary thing at times.
 
As I understand it background retinopathy can usually be reversed with good control. It's when you get to proliferative that you must have treatment (ie laser) to try & prevent further deterioration. Lasering is usually very effective but not a barrel of fun, so it's a good idea to use this as a wake up call & ammunition to get your gp to support you better...a stitch in time & all that...

All the best Shirl, don't let the gp fob you off, it's your sight after all. Xx
 
Hi Caroline, slipper and Twitchy, many thanks for your replies. I do realise that background retinopathy can be reversed, but if I can only test every other day that makes it all the more difficult. Its all very well to tell people to improve their control, and I'm not just talking about myself here, what about all the other T2s who don't/aren't allowed to test? How are they supposed to get an improvement? It makes me feel so mad 😡 We all have diabetes whether T1 or T2 and can suffer from the same complications so I just don't understand the reluctance to let people test when they need to.
Well will just have to see where I stand when I get an app. with Diabetes doc and/or DSN will let you know how things pan out.

Thanks for replies,

Shirl
 
I know what you mean Shirl, it does seem grossly unfair that anyone should be held back from checking & controlling things as well as poss! :( Might be worth a call to the DUK Careline to see if they can hel you put together a case to your gp for test strips etc? All the best. Xxx
 
shirl said:
Hi Caroline, slipper and Twitchy, many thanks for your replies. I do realise that background retinopathy can be reversed, but if I can only test every other day that makes it all the more difficult. Its all very well to tell people to improve their control, and I'm not just talking about myself here, what about all the other T2s who don't/aren't allowed to test? How are they supposed to get an improvement? It makes me feel so mad 😡 We all have diabetes whether T1 or T2 and can suffer from the same complications so I just don't understand the reluctance to let people test when they need to.
Well will just have to see where I stand when I get an app. with Diabetes doc and/or DSN will let you know how things pan out.

Thanks for replies,

Shirl
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Sorry to hear your news Shirl.

Can you not use your background retinopathy as a 'lever' to get you sufficient strips for a period of intense testing/dietary improvement. Say something about wanting to be able to maximise the effectiveness of your dietary management (which you absolutely *cannot* do without enough strips to test before and after meals for a period of some months).

To be honest I question the use of testing once every other day *unless* you've had enough strips to allow you to establish a decent/varied low spike diet. That level of testing is fine for general maintenance, but can't give you enough information to make effective changes to your diet - you really need a 'Test Review Adjust' level for that: http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.co.uk/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html
 
Thank you for your kind replies, well managed to get app. with doc who deals with diabetics, but guess what he's on holiday for two weeks, so got to wait. Tried DSN too but she hasn't managed to get back to me yet, yay go me 🙄 lol

Shirl x
 
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