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Barb3234

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Type 2
My name is Barb and it is 10 weeks since my GP said i am almost certainly type 2, based on a FBG of 7.2.
She was unhelpful and off hand with me and i felt the whole thing was badly handled. She wanted to start me straight on medication, which I queried, based on one blood test. 😡


She immediately began speaking to me as though I was slightly deranged to 'not want help'. I explained that I wanted the opportunity to go the diet and exercise route and then see what future test results show. She said I was in denial, which was pointless but that she would not 'force' medication on me. 😡

I have had a difficult time health wise, 15 years on high dose steroids has taken it's toll on both my weight and my joints. However, that does not mean I am not keen to help myself if I possibly can, so feel I deserve that chance.

I said I was willing to radically alter my diet and exercise daily and she said that I was very unlikely to stick to that and would do better on medication.
:confused:
Well, after such a vote of confidence i had to show what i could do.

10 weeks on, I swim 7 days a week, (30 lengths), do aqua aerobics 4 times a week and have lost 22lbs so far. 😛

I have purchased a meter and my 30 day average stands at 7, so although I have not had or been offered an Hba1c, I am hopeful that future results could be reasonable.

This site is fantastic and I am learning so much.
 
Welcome to the forums Barb 🙂

Well done on taking a good hold on things. The weight loss will really help and great work on loosing so much already.

From what I understand, the steroids themselves will cause Type 2 if you are on them long enough.
 
Hi Barb and a warm welcome to the forum
 
Hi Barb. Welcome 🙂

Nothing like a pompous GP to make us prove them wrong ! :D

Maybe she's using reverse psychology to avoid shelling out on meds 🙄

Really well done for makign the changes and although you may not avoid meds altogether forever, you'll certainly reduce your reliance on them. And make the nasty GP eat her words.🙂

Rob
 
Well done Barb! 🙂 How ridiculous to immediately dismiss your desire to try and turn things around without medications! Your average looks very good, no doubt due to the efforts you are making. I'm surprised you haven't been offered an HbA1c, I thought it was standard practice at diagnosis as it gives an indication of where you are starting from.

Good luck, and if you ever want to hear from people who will support you rather than the pharmaceutical industry - give us a shout! 🙂
 
Thank you all so much. It can be a lonely and scary time I am discovering, but with this site and all the people on it I am going to be fine. I'm not daft, I understand that just wishing Diabetes away is not going to work and of course I may well end up on meds, but what i object to is the lack of enthusiasm from a 'health professional' when someone is willing to try.

I've been thinking about this HbA1c test and it is interesting to see that Northerner(who I already realise is a seriously tuned in member on this board)thinks it should have been done by now. I have a standard FBG test on 3rd August, do you think I should ask to have the HbA1c test done at the same time?
 
I would think it is certainly worth asking Barb, as this would be the best way of measuring the improvements resulting from your changes to diet and exercise. Given that they are proposing to use HbA1c as a diagnostic test in the future it would also give some idea of how much or little improvement you need to make.

One thing I learned early on is to push for things if you think they will help improve management of your diabetes - your doctor is only one part of a your team, and the most important person in that team is you! Good luck! 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum Barb and well done on the brilliant weight loss! 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum Barb 🙂
Well done on the weight loss. Some doc's really can be annoying, why can't we just get one standard model from all of them! *sigh*. Being as lost as ever, more a question for the others on the forum, is it standard for them to make type 2's to buy there own test meter etc? sounds daft if they've already diagnosed it, but guess that could just be my thoughts on it.
 
Nyadach said:
Welcome to the forum Barb 🙂
Well done on the weight loss. Some doc's really can be annoying, why can't we just get one standard model from all of them! *sigh*. Being as lost as ever, more a question for the others on the forum, is it standard for them to make type 2's to buy there own test meter etc? sounds daft if they've already diagnosed it, but guess that could just be my thoughts on it.
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It very much depends on the doctor I think - some are more switched on and see the benefit when the patient is motivated, and will also spend the time to help them with interpreting the results to improve their self management. Others will just take the standard line of 'no need to test, HbA1c will do, you'll only get depressed if you see high numbers' (for all that read 'it costs too much in the short term to provide you with strips and educate you in their use' :()
 
Well done Barb you have done brilliantly..............keep up the good work🙂
 
Well done Barb! You are doing brilliantly. I'd love to see your docs face when you go back and show her how well you have done. :D XXXXX
 
Welcome Barb.

I am not defending your Dr who does sound a little offhand - but I do remember reading somewhere that it was becoming more common to go straight to meds - as there appeared to be some research showing that the other benefits of metformin (if that is what she was going to suggest where worth it). I'll have a look later and see if I can find anything to back this up.

Drs should listen to patients if they want to try the non-medicalised route - depending on your age you could be thinking I don't want to be on tablets for the next x years.

One thing you should be aware of though is that steroids will increase your blood sugar levels and the stronger the steroids the bigger the effect.

Congrats on your weight loss - and good luck with your diet and lifestyle changes.
 
well done and welcome, I had probs with my Dr, bad attitude and the first one wanted to put me on anti cholestoral drugs straight off, i said no, a year later another Dr said, mm ure cholestorals fine, wonder why she wanted to put you on them, so good for you, stick to it and if you do end up on meds then at least you have delayed things, and this forum is amazing and really supportive.
 
Gosh, thanks everyone for the welcome and the encouragement. I do feel that the tablet route is something that should be offered after an attempt at D&E control has been tried.

I have low blood pressure - yesterday it was 79/50! My last cholesterol was 3.6 and apart from my allergies which mean I take Ketotifen, I am not too bad. I have managed to stay off the prednisolone for a year now but was on high doses (up to 60mcg daily) for over 15 years and I have wondered if that has effected the Diabetes kicking in.

I feel determined to do everything i can to help myself and finding this forum is definitely going to help me do that.
 
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