is it right ?

[Steff]

HI guys ,

im off to the docs today , following a discussion i had with nhs direct friday gone they have advised me that my doctors surgery have treated me very badly ,i was diagnosed 12th of feb and so far all i have been given is the little machine to take my bloods and i have had appt through for retina test on the 9th of march a flu jab and a smear , the nurse on the phone said by now i should have at least an appointment for a dietician and a diabetics liasion officer or diebetic nurse i have neither , she said i should not be trying to control a diet on my own when i have no clue what im doing ,Also she told me i should not be taking my bloods 3 times a day which is what i was told she said my fingers must be so sore which they where i now only do it morning and evening,i said to her i have no idea of any of the symptoms of going hi or low and that i had joined this website and had learnt more from you guys then i had my own GP etc etc, Now im nervous today because i dont know how it's going to go .It just seems like my gp diagnosed me and has left me to it , am i doing the right thing by going to the gp today and sorting it out ?

thanks steff

 

[Caroline]

I know how you feel Steff. Getting i nformation or anything from my GP is like getting teeth from a chicken or blood from a stone. I too have had far more information from these forums and from another forum called diabetesbuddies.com than I do from my GP. I go to him when I am not well he advises me to rest and then wont issue a certificate so have to return to work before I am ready.

 

[diagonall]

Hi Steff the good old NHS moves in mysterious ways.........and also very slowly.
The person you spoke to on NHS direct obviously knows s*d all about diabetes.
You are doing just right by testing your blood sugars and logging them (I hope)
with the food eaten.
This way you can see what effect the food has on your blood sugar.
Some of us type 1's test 10 times/day so where she got her ideas from I have no idea.
Poke your finger at the side then you wont have a sore finger.
You are infact very lucky to be able to test most type 2's are told not to bother
Diet wise you need to look at the food you are eating and then reduce your starchy carbs. IE cakes flour, pastry, spuds ,white bread, pasta.
Oh and cut out all junk food if you eat any. This will go along way to helping get your numbers down.
What ever you do do not complain about the testing. I suspect your GP
wants to have a good picture as to what is the best treatment for you.

Best wishes
Sue

 

[Steff]

Hi Sue
yup been logging them in a diary since day 1 and im keeping track of all the meals n food i eat in a diary to show them , i know my head is spinning lol im gettin told loads of diffirent things all the time , thats why i want a diabetic liason officer person so i can have them at hand when i got any worries or questions, its stressing me more that i am clueless about it all.

 

[Steff]

ty caroline i am going to join that diabetiesbuddies site the morei join the better i guess they seem to be more help,

cheers

 

[Northerner]

Hi Sue
yup been logging them in a diary since day 1 and im keeping track of all the meals n food i eat in a diary to show them , i know my head is spinning lol im gettin told loads of diffirent things all the time , thats why i want a diabetic liason officer person so i can have them at hand when i got any worries or questions, its stressing me more that i am clueless about it all.

Stef, I think you've done a great job considering how little you have been told. Once you have seen a DSN (diabetic specialist nurse) and a dietician you will be much happier about how to manage the condition, I'm sure. And everything you've learned by asking questions here will help you to understand what they are telling you, and maybe ask them questions to clarify anything you are unsure of.

Hope all goes well at the doctors!

 

[Einstein]

Hi Stef,

I think the opinion of the person at NHS Direct should have been kept private, initial diagnosis and treatment does vary, however, I think as other contributors have said keeping a diary of levels and what you've eaten is of far greater importance.

If your healthcare professionals don't know what you're eating now, or how your levels respond how can they correct you and gain an insight as to what they expect your levels to me.

I had an email this morning from Diabetes UK there were reports saying some Doctors were putting newly diagnosed type 2's straight on tablets. Which in many cases could also be wrong.

It seems like you're within the cogs of the great NHS, usually for most of us we end up in the right place, in good time and condition. Diabetes UK have some good documents on their web site telling you what you should expect. Also, when you join (they used to) send you a book about type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This was a good reference point and I still have my original type 1 book.

Remember though, keep informed, eventually we all learn how to control and manage OUR diabetes thant anyone else, certainly I'd say at GP surgery level, DSN and diabetologists are something else

Good luck!

 

[bev]

David,

Do you know how much it is to join DUK? Bev

 

[Steff]

well i have been to the doctors and i am abit happier , i have been referred to a dietician and that was the 18th of feb she said she was'nt to sure why i had heard nothing by noe , im assuming the waiting list may be large .Regarding my blood sugars she said at the moment it aint to much to worry about they can be very erattic when you're newly diagnosed, in may i have my hba1c and she said if that has not dropped from 9,4 qhich it was in feb then i will have to go on tablets, also headaches im gettin may be down to my glasses so i have made appointment with boots see if i may need new glasses etc etc ....

 

[VBH]

I saw a dietician a month after diganosis. Unfortunately for her I had been using a meter in that time and making use of the results. Most of her suggestions were greeted with "I'm not eating that". There was the usual suggestion of weetabix for breakfast, which I pointed out gave me a 1 hour rise of 6ish mmol/l, as opposed to an omelette which gave me a rise of 1.2. A good start. It went downhill from there.

What was clear to me then and what has become more clear after 5 years of talking to T2s who have spoken to dieticians is that dieticians are programmed to give everyone the same dietary advice regardless of their circumstances, mostly based on the "heart healthy" eatwell plate from the DoH. It doesn't matter if you have diabetes or not.

Carbs raise BG. Do dieticians recommend any less carbs for diabetics? No. They advise slowER (Note: NOT slow) carbs, but not less. And they do that for everyone anyway, whether they have diabetes or not.

Banana? No thanks. I know T1s who eat half a banana to get out of a hypo. But its on the official diet sheet so it gets recommended. I'll stick to berries thanks.

So yes, you should have had all the referrals lined up, but in the case of the dietician that may be more of a blessing than a curse.

As Sue said, learn from your meter. It will tell you far more than a dietician ever could about BG control.

 

[Einstein]

Hi Bev, for over 18's it ?23 per annum.

Well worth it, their magazine Balance has some good articles and interesting information within it.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Bev, for over 18's it ?23 per annum.

Well worth it, their magazine Balance has some good articles and interesting information within it.

Agreed, plus, you're donating to a charity that will hopefully one day find a cure!

 

[diagonall]

well i have been to the doctors and i am abit happier , i have been referred to a dietician and that was the 18th of feb she said she was'nt to sure why i had heard nothing by noe , im assuming the waiting list may be large .Regarding my blood sugars she said at the moment it aint to much to worry about they can be very erattic when you're newly diagnosed, in may i have my hba1c and she said if that has not dropped from 9,4 qhich it was in feb then i will have to go on tablets, also headaches im gettin may be down to my glasses so i have made appointment with boots see if i may need new glasses etc etc ....

Steff, glad you feel a bit happier.
With an A1 c of 9.4 you do need to be very pro active in getting your numbers down.
RE your glasses no opt worth his salt will issue you with new glasses.
Your eyes will be far from normal due to your high numbers.
Make sure you tell them you are newly diagnosed.
Once you get your numbers down your eyes will go back to normal for you.
As already stated use your meter to bring down your numbers with food/carb control.
Exercise is also a must. Even if it's only a 20 min walk each day.

Best wishes
Sue

 

[Caroline]

ty caroline i am going to join that diabetiesbuddies site the morei join the better i guess they seem to be more help,

cheers

You're right the more more boards we use the more help we will get. I keep plugging away at the different boards to get more users. Then it is better for all of us. The ethos is different on each of the boards so the information varies too.

 

[Steff]

yes sue i know 9.4 very high she said about 7 is the norm

i have made appt with specsavers for next tues and i will tell them about diabeties , as for exercise me and my little boy go for bike rides not to far mind you lol , and i also take walks every day so as far as that goes she was happy that i was going ok so far

 

[diagonall]

yes sue i know 9.4 very high she said about 7 is the norm

i have made appt with specsavers for next tues and i will tell them about diabeties , as for exercise me and my little boy go for bike rides not to far mind you lol , and i also take walks every day so as far as that goes she was happy that i was going ok so far

Steff, your GP is telling you porkies. An A1c of 7% is not normal
You need to be down in the 5% or very low 6% at least. This is easier to acheive for a type 2 than a type 1.
Glad to hear you have plenty of exercise

 

[Northerner]

Steff, your GP is telling you porkies. An A1c of 7% is not normal
You need to be down in the 5% or very low 6% at least. This is easier to acheive for a type 2 than a type 1.
Glad to hear you have plenty of exercise

Hi Sue, I hear what you're saying, and getting below 7 is preferable longer term, but I think it's a bit alarmist at this stage of stef's diagnosis to be telling her that everything she's hearing is wrong. I know I would personally have been very dispirited to hear this so soon after diagnosis (I was 11.8).

 

[diagonall]

Hi Sue, I hear what you're saying, and getting below 7 is preferable longer term, but I think it's a bit alarmist at this stage of stef's diagnosis to be telling her that everything she's hearing is wrong. I know I would personally have been very dispirited to hear this so soon after diagnosis (I was 11.8).

Type 1's and 2's have different goals. They do not recomend 1's go down into the 5's but many do. (Hypos)
There is no reason why A type 2 can not get down into none diabetic levels.
Telling Steff 7% is ok is a false security. Steff will soon find this out when she reads other boards that 7% is not that brilliant for a type 2
Like everyone if she has a goal set she can work on it over time and bring it down. Then she can grow old disgracefully like the rest of us

 

[bev]

Sue,

I am absolutely sure that what your saying is completely accurate.
However, when you are newly diagnosed , what you need is someone to be sensitive about how you are doing etc...I think you may be coming across as a little judgemental and perhaps making Steff feel confused/upset?
Unfortunately the written text doesnt show 'tone' or 'emotion' and this can sometimes be mis-construed and therefore comes across in the wrong manner (other than what was meant!). Also, perhaps Steffs DN has given her the information she has for other (personal) reasons that we dont know about on here - people obviously vary enormously with how much information they can take in/accept after a diagnosis like this.Bev

 

[Vanessa]

The Hba1c link on this forum to Diabetes UK states:

"The target for HbA1c is 6.5 per cent or below since evidence shows that this can reduce the risk of developing diabetic complications eg nerve damage, eye disease, kidney disease and heart disease. Individuals at risk of severe hypoglycaemia should aim for an HbA1c of less than 7.5 per cent. However, any reduction in HbA1c levels (and therefore, any improvement in control), is still considered to have beneficial effects on the onset and progression of complications."

Steff is on the right path to start with. Some Type 2s are at risk of significant hypoglycaemia dependent on their treatment and many may have hypo signs at levels well over 4 in the first place as their bodies have been so used to higher than normal blood sugars often for many years. In addition, one of the American sites on retinopathy cautions care in reducing Hba1c too rapidly in Type 2s as they have accumulated some evidence to suggest such changes may trigger eye changes.

My personal view is that everyone of us needs to have a personal target agreed with our health care team - that may change over time. For example, my first target was to get below 8 from 11.2, then below 7 and finally below 6.5. Having got there the practice nurse would be happy with me reaching 6 as I get hypos