Do you think they realise how they make us feel?!

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Twitchy

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Sorry, this is a bit of a rant - I tried to talk to hubby about this earlier today but he really just doesn't get why I'm so upset... he's suggested lots of 'solutions' but I just need to let off steam to someone sympathetic please!! :(

I had to pop along to the docs surgery today to drop in (yet another) repeat prescription (grumpy kids in tow!)... having recently changed on to a pump I'd been in the other day to check my repeat prescription list items & quantities... when I saw the nurse at that appt, by the time I left she'd made me feel like a one woman drain on the nhs, made me argue my case strongly for a quite measly allowance of test strips per month (misinformed me that if I ran out I could just call up for a repeat; not true, I checked & will have to drag self -& so kids- in every time, they can refuse to issue if they think I'm being excessive!) she talked like she suspected I randomly seize people & test their BGs (never do btw, but "obviously" that 'must' be where all those test stips go!! 😉), had spent half the appt muttering darkly about the "PCT", budgets and prescription audits... and then capped it all off by asking how I was feeling about my diabetes... felt like saying "since speaking to you today, ******* great of course!: 😡

Anyway when I popped back in, silly moo that I am (& bearing in mind this baggage is the practice diabetes 'specialist' nurse for heaven's sake!!) I mentioned that I had had a little difficulty with the nurse understanding why I needed to test so much and asked whether it would be helpful if I photocopied some pages from my DAFNE / pump training booklets which listed when you should test, as obviously I wouldn't expect her to just take my word for it (honestly, I wasn't being sarcastic lol!)... (What was I thinking?! mad mummy moment obviously). Got a bit of a lecture from the receptionist about how the nurse "knows everything about diabetes" (when she clearly was totally ignorant of pump therapy, querying why I'd need ketostix etc!), apparently it would be no good speaking to the docs to increase prescription quantities etc as they would just ask that nurse anyway (due to her alleged expertise!), and when I tried to explain that I thought there had been a misunderstanding because Type 1's are normally seen at the hospital so she mainly sees T2s, probably most of which are not on insulin (or they'd be under the hospitals care), I got a lecture as to how there are many types of diabetes, she (the receptionist!) knew all about it as she'd done some research on the internet when she thought her partner had it! (Wow - another 'expert' in the practice, how lucky are we!!!).

Anyway, the whole thing has for some silly reason really upset me - normally I'm really positive about my diabetes, don't let it get in the way of me doing most things, etc etc... now I just feel like I'm looked on like a waste of money, they don't care if I don't test because the lasering / dialysis etc costs for treatment for complications don't come out of their budgets! I honestly feel like they are making an assessment of what my life is worth & it's really got me down. Sorry, I know that's a bit negative, but I'm so upset by all this - hubby thinks I'm totally overreacting (he's probably right) but it was horrible.

Sorry, rant over. :(
 
((hugs)) I understand how you feel, I was in tears earlier after my daughter's appt in hosp. Her ha1bc is high, I guess we tried so hard to do our best then these little thing knocked us right down. We are all allowed to have a good cry and bounce back stronger x
 
Oh Twitchy, Hope you feel calmer soon. Unfortunately non diabetics do not understand what us diabetics have to go through and feel etc - specialit nurses or doctors included in this, they never will unless they develop the illness.

Keep you chin up love and keep fighting the system - no one should be made to feel, bad, guilty or upset for requiring medications, testing strips etc that aid you keeping well and monitoring yourself properly. These people are the first to moan when they get diabetic paitients in who have serious complications and then cost even more.

Take care Di xxx

PS Ruth I'm not including carers of diabetics in my Non Diabetic above - as I know carers know only to well how difficult diabetes is xxx
 
Oh my! And here I thought I was the only one attending a practice full of unprintable unmentionables. No, I don't think you're over reacting, you made some very valid points and your concerns are equally valid. Could you mention the problem next time you see someone up at the hospital, if you do? Otherwise, perhaps you could talk to your doctor and make it clear you don't appreciate being treaterd like a naughty child and that you're only following the instructions you were given.
 
Twitchy said:
... I got a lecture as to how there are many types of diabetes, she (the receptionist!) knew all about it as she'd done some research on the internet when she thought her partner had it! (Wow - another 'expert' in the practice, how lucky are we!!!).
Click to expand...

Thats hilarious and sums up the attitudes of most doctor surgery receptionists, they really think they know it all 🙄

I totally understand how you feel. These people can make you feel awful when really they should be the ones who understand.

Ive only been to the doctor surgery's diabetic nurse once and I laughed to myself about her lack of knowledge a few times. Best to sick o the hospital! 😱
 
So what medical training has this receptionist got? Does it consist of wikipaedia pages on things she thinks her family has got? Perhaps she was trained by the nurse, who got her knowledge in this way? And how on earth can that compare to your 30+ years of dealing with it EVERY day?

You have every right to be upset. You are an intelligent, reasonable woman being spoken to as though you know nothing by an idiot. I don't know the ethics or regulations about it, but surely receptionists aren't allowed to discuss such things with ANY authority at all? I think that you ought to get your consultant to write to the higher-ups at the practice to remonstrate at this huge hole and ignorance in their knowledge. To me, sometimes, it's like asking someone to interpret Gujerati just because they are familiar with 'O' level French! Grrrrrrr!!! 😡

I think this person may become the subject of a scathing poem!
 
wow Twitchy, you go girl!! I know what you're going through. i had a very similar incident last year and everything you have descirbed about how they treated you and how they made you feel is exactly what i went through.
I had the pharmasist of all people telling me i wasn't allowed my test strips because i had ordered too many and they were too expensive!!!
apparently i should have been testing twice a week, so i pointed out i am legally obliged to test before i drive which was at least twice a day!
I was very close to putting a complaint to the medical board of commisioners. wrote my statement and letter out everything. Luckily the doctor sorted them out and calmed me down a bit. I still get trouble from them though and i'm very tempted to move to a different surgery even if it does mean travelling further to get there.

sometimes i think they need a good talking too but at the same time they clearly don't know what they're doing so in my case i just keep asking different doctors etc until i find the right person to talk to and get the job done!
 
You've every right to feel upset Twitchy. I've had a few idiots in my time who thought they knew all things diabetes but thankfully I've also had some real diamonds.

Could you contact the hospital and see if they will take you on without a referral ?
At least you might get someone who really does know what they're talking about.

Rob
 
It seriously makes my blood boil over when I read about fellow type 1's having difficulty with their gp surgery's issuing test strips. As we have no alternative but to use insulin as a means of controlling our condition and staying alive, we must always have access to test strips to prevent life threatening hypoglycemic episodes, to be denied these or be restricted is damn-right dangerous and negligent. I would complain in the first instance to the practice manager and failing that write to the chairman of your PCT. Toby.
 
Toby thanks for saying what I have been thinking about all this. There are so many cases of this I have tweeted Diabetes UK on it and I feel we could do with some guidelines this is becoming a joke!

Marc
 
i think its very understandable the way you feel , my dr's sugary did a simmilar thing to me when i started on the pump!
and the receptionists have a god complex and know ALL ( apparently)
i did break down into tears the 3rd time they got my prescription wrong and shouted at them ' can u not read!!' in the end i made an appointment with the practice manager and asked my pump nurse to write a stinky letter to them too , i eventually got them to prescribe 5 boxes of test strips and 1 box of ketosticks a month ( they wern't happy about it) but when told them they were playing god with my life and who gave them the authority to do that! plus the stinky letter from my pump nurse it all go sorted out , but i dont think they realise the stress and upset it puts us through
although i have noticed the receptionist at my dr's is not allowed to give out her oppinions any more :D
 
Sorry to hear that your GP surgery is giving you a hard time. I think you are right in saying that GP practise staff are often tuned into thinking about type 2 rather than type 1 diabetes.
I assume that you are also under the care of a Diabetes consultant? If so then I would ask them or one of their team (ie Diabetes Specialist Nurse) to write a letter to your GP explaining your need for test strips and the number of strips you should be prescribed per month. This will probably have a more immediate impact for you than writing a complaint because your GP/practise nurse will have to comply with a request from the hospital diabetes clinic.
When I was first diagnosed by my GP I was sent to see the practise nurse who was the surgery's 'diabetes expert'. She did know a lot about diabetes but by her own admission her expertise was related to type 2 diabetes and not type 1.
 
Good Practice Nurse

All this said I have to say that the Practice Nurse who is the diabetic specialist is quite good. I have to say that I think this is because her son is diabetic so knows in someways what we go through.

Perhaps these nurses should have to spend time with DSNs at the hospital.

Marc
 
I think one of the things that rattled me the most about all this was that I have been with this surgery for nigh on 10 years and not had a problem before, probably because I only dealt with the docs... The thing is, if you strictly followed Dafne / pump rules, that's 4 times a day (pre meals & bed), plus before driving, (easily a couple of times on work days), if feeling hypo / hyper / ill, if changing cannula (once before & once after) etc.... so it could be 10 times in a day quite easily, and that's without other factors such as illness / exercise etc! 🙄 And when you're looking after a baby & toddler whilst hubby is away with work, trust me, you don't want to leave sugar levels to chance! 😱 (Not being good at psychically guessing sugar levels these days...!!)

Trying to work out if the nurse was making a point when she did the blood test that day too - I didn't get a plaster & ended up walking out with an oozing arm...saved the nhs a few pence I guess...! 🙄 Annoying thing is there was an 'administrative error' with the sample so i have to go back & let her have another go at me next week!!! At least this time I'll know to bring my own plaster! 😉
 
Twitchy, you do NOT need to be referred to the hospital by your doctor, you can just request to be seen there and not seen by your doctor for your diabetes. I don't know if this is what you want or is convenient but is is your right. If you don't know who to contact about this, go to your PCT's website and look for the information on the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). They can give you all the information you need AND will log your request. Unfortunately it doesn't resolve the issue of test strips since this would still be handled by the GP. I get all my strips on repeat and never see anyone at my surgery, nor would I. They did try once to reduce it and I sent them a letter politely demanding it was increased again which it was. There is absolutely no need to have to see anyone for your prescription and if they insist on this I would again suggest logging a complaint with PALS about it. You don't have to put up with attitudes like this and its always worth complaining since GP's don't like complaints nowadays, I suspect its part of their 'performance indicators'.
 
just seen your latest post. Again don't know if this is convenient, but I gave up getting my blood tests done at the GP's ages ago. You had to get an appointment, turn up to be seen by someone who didn't particularly seem to be an expert at blood tests and then wait longer for the results. Now I just go to the hospital and get my blood tests done there, you just walk in with your form any time you want, take a ticket, wait 5 mins, go in to someone who does blood tests all day everyday and then leave again. Obviously it depends on the relative locations of your GP's and hopsital.
You should also get a DAFNE Educator to talk to the nurse/doctor if you have done a DAFNE Course. They can explain to them why you need to test as many times as you do.
 
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