Conversation on the phone instead.

[Steff]

Hi some know i was going in to see my GP this afternoon well that got cancelled and i spoke to him on the phone for 20 minutes, basically my hbA1c was 8.6 last time it is now 7.3 , but he said thats still poor control, what we will do is book you in to see the diabetic nurse and that solely is to talk about diabetic control he wants me to go onto injections, now im in a quandry as to what to do regarding changing surgerys, he has booked me in to see her the 22cd April, now it seems soon as i kick up a fuss he is doing something. I cant win. Can someone give me some advice because now im feeling guilty for shouting yesterday.

 

[am64]

Hi some know i was going in to see my GP this afternoon well that got cancelled and i spoke to him on the phone for 20 minutes, basically my hbA1c was 8.6 last time it is now 7.3 , but he said thats still poor control, what we will do is book you in to see the diabetic nurse and that solely is to talk about diabetic control he wants me to go onto injections, now im in a quandry as to what to do regarding changing surgerys, he has booked me in to see her the 22cd April, now it seems soon as i kick up a fuss he is doing something. I cant win. Can someone give me some advice because now im feeling guilty for shouting yesterday.

hi steff Firstly Well done in the reduction in your HbA1c that is a good drop IMO and in the right direction
also well done with getting him to finally respond I am just sorry that it caused you so much grief to get there. Im not impressed tho that you have to wait till april ...whats your hubbys gp like? could you go and see them anyway ie ring them up and explain your quandry maybe see if you could get a joint appoinment with hubby ? go and see what care they can offer you xx

 

[PhilT]

Steff, obviously I don't know the details of why you want to change your GP, but in the end it comes down to one thing, what is best for you.

If you decide to stay with your current GP do you think they will change their attitude and give you more support? Or do you think that in the long run you will be better off with a new GP? Only you can make that decision as only you know how you feel.
Whatever you decide I hope everything works out well for you.

Phil

 

[Caroline]

Hi Steff, it is a shame you had to make a fuss to get some support. Don't ever feel guilty for making a fuss, it's your health and it's important to you and your family.

I'd get a joint appointment to see the other halfs GP and see what care they offer and then make an informed decision. You can't loose anything and you might even gain better care!

 

[MartinX123]

Dont feel guilty at all, least it prodded them into action! I had to burst into tears to get mine to bother with me last year. I would go with the previous advice about getting a joint appointment & go see them to have a chat. Then make your mind up. April is a long time to wait at your current surgery.

Good luck whatever you decide

 

[rachelha]

Steff, dont feel guilty at all, sometimes the only way to get any action is to get emotional about things. I have cried at the diabetic clinic in the past and all of a sudden they start actually listening to me. It is so frustrating that are concerns are not listened to straight away.

I agree with the others, April is a long time to wait to see the DSN, I would speak to the other GP and see if they could offer you anything quicker. Have you seen the DSN at your current clinic before - what did you think of her.

Rx

 

[Steff]

hi steff Firstly Well done in the reduction in your HbA1c that is a good drop IMO and in the right direction
also well done with getting him to finally respond I am just sorry that it caused you so much grief to get there. Im not impressed tho that you have to wait till april ...whats your hubbys gp like? could you go and see them anyway ie ring them up and explain your quandry maybe see if you could get a joint appoinment with hubby ? go and see what care they can offer you xx

Firstly ty Am i guess it is down from 8.6, my other half said he cant say from a diabetic side of things but his ex who was type 1 was under the surgery and he said she was well looked after, he said as far as he s concerned she is first class he actually gets to see her and not get fobbed off with locums and she actually knows what she is doing she dnt have to refer to her medical book every 5 minutes.I did say to him can he ring and suggest what you said and he said good idea he is going to do that.

 

[Steff]

Steff, obviously I don't know the details of why you want to change your GP, but in the end it comes down to one thing, what is best for you.

If you decide to stay with your current GP do you think they will change their attitude and give you more support? Or do you think that in the long run you will be better off with a new GP? Only you can make that decision as only you know how you feel.
Whatever you decide I hope everything works out well for you.

Phil

Phil I just think if i have had to go through all of this to get someone to take action then im not willing to have to do that everytime i need there support, so the best thing for me would be to move.

 

[Steff]

Steff, dont feel guilty at all, sometimes the only way to get any action is to get emotional about things. I have cried at the diabetic clinic in the past and all of a sudden they start actually listening to me. It is so frustrating that are concerns are not listened to straight away.

I agree with the others, April is a long time to wait to see the DSN, I would speak to the other GP and see if they could offer you anything quicker. Have you seen the DSN at your current clinic before - what did you think of her.

Rx

Well rach i have yes but all of a sudden im getting this guy called Paul and i have nothing against men but im very shy when it comes to talking emotionally to a guy thats why when i burst into tears yesterday i was so surprised, this practice my other half is with is an all female team x .

 

[bev]

Steph, if you feel more comfortable with a female doctor - then you have to change surgeries. I am not sure why you need to wait until April to go onto insulin? I dont know much about meds for type 2 - but are you on the right meds etc? If you need insulin - you need insulin - so why the wait? Hope you get some answers soon Steph.🙂Bev x

 

[vince13]

Steph, sorry to hear about the worries you've been through recently. As the others have said, April is a LONG time to wait - I'd still feel like moving surgeries if I were you.

If you do decide to leave your present lot I think a letter to the practice manager saying how you feel you've been let down is in order - not a rant just a heartfelt complaint. which perhaps might make it better for someone else, you never know.

Wishing you all the best and the strength to get throough this.

 

[Steff]

The wait is to do with the fact this diabetic nurse only comes to the surgery every 3 month.

 

[RachelT]

Don;t worry about yelling Steff, you're the one with the diabetes not your doctor. You know what it's like, he doesn't. Can you get refered to your local hospital specialist? Changing GPs is up to you, i think you need somebody you can get along with, although i'm guilty of sticking with a hopeless case. Personally i think any reduction in HBa1c is an achievement, and from 2008's NICE guidelines you seem to be treated a tad agressively. 7.5 is the magic number, and being below that you'd have thought you were due for a congratulations rather than the threat of injections. Did you get anywhere on your hunt for Byetta? Maybe this would be a good time to bring that up again with your doc (whichever one you decide to use).
7.3 is ok, it's better than where you were before, so that's great infact. You're still quite new to diabetes, so give yourself a break, you deserve it,

 

[Jimbo]

Steffi well done, 7.3 is a very good effort, coming down from 8.6, you should be commended, not abused by your Doc, he is obviously lacking in the empathy department. Keep up the good work and I hope you get sorted out with your choice of GP, to your satisfaction, soon. 🙂

 

[sofaraway]

When he said injections did he mean insulin or byetta? Because I know you have talked about byetta before.
You have only been on gliclazide for a couple of weeks, so there is no way you have been given enough time with them for a real effect on your A1c. And I'm sure you aren't on maximum doses of your meds. I would say you need some more time to see what happens. The A1c is going down so you've done well to achieve that. Of course lower would be better but I wouldn't call 7.3 poor control.

Could you go to the other surgery and ask some questions like how often they have access to a DSN, that kind of thing? Hope you manage to work something out.

 

[Steff]

When he said injections did he mean insulin or byetta? Because I know you have talked about byetta before.
You have only been on gliclazide for a couple of weeks, so there is no way you have been given enough time with them for a real effect on your A1c. And I'm sure you aren't on maximum doses of your meds. I would say you need some more time to see what happens. The A1c is going down so you've done well to achieve that. Of course lower would be better but I wouldn't call 7.3 poor control.

Could you go to the other surgery and ask some questions like how often they have access to a DSN, that kind of thing? Hope you manage to work something out.

He has no clue Nikki he only gave me 3 weeks on diet and exercise before sticking me on metformin that was despite a 3lb weight loss in those 3 weeks, he has let me down at every turn hun so i knew giving me a chance on the gliclazide was out of the question, My other half is ringing his surgery today to get me and him in to see his gp, i would much prefer a female doctor anyway.

p.s I Assume he means byetta as insulin has never been discussed.

 

[vince13]

Good luck Stef, hope you get it all sorted out soon. This upset isn't good for your BS levels either as stress (we all know) can affect us badly.

My levels are now much worse than yours, (fasting of 7.9 this morning) so I've just been put on the maximum metformin and gliclazide before any mention of insulin will be made made foe me.

I think your present Dr is being a bit OTT but what do we know - we are only diabetics after all.

Big hugs.