i'm ready to throttle my GP

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shiv

shiv

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
i moved into this area a year ago, leaving behind my normal dr's surgery of over 20 years. and since then everything has gone to pot a bit.

my last hba1c came in at 9.4, so i am testing a LOT more frequently than i was. which means i need more strips. so, as i needed to see my dr regarding something else, i requested he increased my repeat presc amount of strips so i'm not down at the dr's every couple of weeks. he asked me how many times a day i'm testing.

'well...when i wake up, post breakfast, pre lunch, post lunch, pre dinner, post dinner, before bed.'

'do you really need to be testing that often?'

HELLO? i have JUST told you my hba1c is up and i'm working my arse off to get it down, therefore i am testing so i can see if my adjustments to my ratios are doing the job. he then told me he only need 'pre breakfast, pre lunch and pre dinner' to be able to assess my sugar levels.

i feel like i'm banging my head against a brick wall. i walk in, tell him the problem i have, tell him when i'm doing to [try and] solve the problem and i'm questioned on it.

i then go to the receptionist to get my repeat prescription (of, surprise surprise, more testing strips) and scribbled on the bottom is 'she requested these last week. see the doctor'.

...surely it makes more sense for me to have extra strips for a few months rather than bog the NHS down with major long term complications?

gah!
 
I certainly don't think you're doing an unreasonable amount of testing! My average number of tests per day is just over 6 - pre-meal, before and after a run, sometimes between meals when feeling low, sometimes between meals to check new foods haven't spiked me. If I was a driver, I'd do more tests each time I got in the car. All these are valid reasons to test. And FGS, does the doctor really think we want to prick our fingers any moe times than absolutely necessary?!!!! That hurts me more than injections!😱
 
Do you have a DSN? When I've had issues with prescriptions (fortunately rarely) I've asked her to 'politely' make contact with the GP to tell them what I need, I've never had problems after that!
I know after dafne the dsn wrote to all our gps to say we may need more strips and needles and that essentially we knew what we needed to that needed to give us what we asked for!
 
As I said on FB, this guy seems like erm...a 'loser'. Aymes idea is good, ask the DSN to have a 'polite word' - i did that when having problems with the ketosticks and it was sorted! If not, then ask to see another doctor about it. If they still don't listen, I'd threaten to move GPS (Like I myself have done recently)

Hows about we all go for a mission to your GP? Put the fear of God in 'im 😛
 
as posted on newbie williams thread
Quote from NHS web site

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Diabete...hat-is-it.aspx

If you have type 2 diabetes, you may be able to control your symptoms simply by eating a healthy diet, and 'monitoring your blood glucose level.'

Quuote from nhs web
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabete...Treatment.aspx

'Monitoring your blood glucose levels
As well as having your blood glucose level checked by a health professional every 2-6 months, you may also choose to monitor your own blood glucose levels.

Even with treatment with tablets and/or insulin therapy and a healthy diet, many factors such as exercise, illness and stress, can affect blood glucose levels. Other factors that may also affect your blood glucose levels include drinking alcohol, taking other medicines and, for women, changes to hormone levels during the menstrual cycle.

Many people with diabetes monitor their blood glucose levels at home using a simple finger prick blood test. This is to ensure that your blood glucose level is as normal and stable as possible. Blood sugar levels vary thoughout the day so you may need to do it several times a day, depending on the type of treatment that you are taking.
 
shiv said:
...surely it makes more sense for me to have extra strips for a few months rather than bog the NHS down with major long term complications?

gah!
Click to expand...
I think this is a big problem for type 1 diabetics. Doctors and nurses think that they are saving the NHS money by restricting diabetics who "want" more strips so they can keep an eye on their blood sugar levels. But they don't realise that they could actually cost the NHS MORE money in the long run if a diabetic suffers major medical problems due to not having been able to test as often as they feel is needed to keep their blood sugar levels under closer scrutiny.
 
I think my GP also has a hole in his brain where 'logic' should go.

I asked him yesterday for a (first) prescription for lancets and test strips, and he asked me "Is 100 lancets enough?" I said yeah, that was fine, thinking there would be a similar amount of strips (I have a few that came with my meter) and took my prescription off to the chemist without bothering to look at it (a mistake which will not happen a second time!!).

When I picked it up today, there was 100 lancets, but he'd only prescribed 50 test strips!! Even if you forget that I'm testing about 4 - 5 times a day at the moment at least and 50 strips would only last about 10 days, WHYYYYY would he even think that I'd need 100 needles but only 50 strips??

They DO say that academics don't necessarily have common sense, I think this is a prime example!!

xx
 
Same here Helen, though when I asked for more I got them without any trouble. It seems that's standard practice.
 
i think he may have not read my notes and presumed i'm type 2? that's the only thing i can think of as to why he might be hesitant to prescribe more.

he also tried to argue that the last correspondence he had from the hospital was from 2007 and then 2004...i pointed out that the general notes that popped up on screen, which just showed the supposed hba1c from that letter, were the EXACT hba1cs i've had for the past year. he then told me it was coincidence. i questioned whether they could have been filed under the wrong dates (being as 9.4 is the highest hba1c i have ever had, i think i'd remember having it in 2007) and he said no it was definitely coincidence.

arghhhhhhhh

edit: also, re: the follow up appt, my mum is going to come with me as she's been a renal nurse for 30 years and is constantly treating people with long term diabetes complications. she's coming as a mum but mainly as a nurse!
 
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