Latest appt

[AlisonM]

I've lost two kilos in two weeks. Yay!

She's taken me off the Citalopram which was making me feel 10 times as miserable and given me a low dose of something called Mirtazapine. I'll have to go and look that up. She then spent about 20 minutes searching for a vein to take blood for another HbA1C. It's easier to get blood out of a stone!

Then I got dizzy and fell over as I went to leave. She did a prick test; 2.8. They gave me a few jelly beans and tried again after 30 minutes; 3.9, but she still won't give me strips on prescription. Then they phoned my bro to come and get me. I've just tested again and I'm now 4.3. I'm signed off for another two weeks and have to go see her again on the 7th.

 

[Caroline]

Good luck for the 7th. Hope the new medication works or is better.

I'd have thought having a hypo right in front of the doctor was proof enough you need test strips on prescription. Good luck on that score.

 

[Steff]

I've lost two kilos in two weeks. Yay!

She's taken me off the Citalopram which was making me feel 10 times as miserable and given me a low dose of something called Mirtazapine. I'll have to go and look that up. She then spent about 20 minutes searching for a vein to take blood for another HbA1C. It's easier to get blood out of a stone!

Then I got dizzy and fell over as I went to leave. She did a prick test; 2.8. They gave me a few jelly beans and tried again after 30 minutes; 3.9, but she still won't give me strips on prescription. Then they phoned my bro to come and get me. I've just tested again and I'm now 4.3. I'm signed off for another two weeks and have to go see her again on the 7th.

hi ali well best you came off those citalopram if they was making you feel so bad , join the club on the hbA im always terrible have to get it from my hand as a rule and she did today,sorry to hear you had a fall hun might of been the stress of getting the blood or sumit least she had the means to treat you r.e jelly beans, pleased your bro came up and got you and i hope the Mirtazapine work for you good luck for the 7th and well done on the weight loss

 

[twinnie]

well done on the weight loss is there anyone u can complain to about getting strips ? what machine do u use?

 

[AlisonM]

well done on the weight loss is there anyone u can complain to about getting strips ? what machine do u use?

I have a Freedom Freestyle Lite and recently bought a load of strips off eBay. I can, and am planning to get in touch with a patient advocate and my MSP with a complaint. It's purely a cost issue.

 

[karinagal]

Then I got dizzy and fell over as I went to leave. She did a prick test; 2.8. They gave me a few jelly beans and tried again after 30 minutes; 3.9, but she still won't give me strips on prescription. Then they phoned my bro to come and get me. I've just tested again and I'm now 4.3. I'm signed off for another two weeks and have to go see her again on the 7th.

It's ridiculous - how can they justify this? I know that the strips are expensive, I've been buying them! Having said that, I did get some on prescription but don't fancy my chances of getting more than 50 every month or so. Do the NICE guidelines cover Scotland as well? If they do, I'm sure the guidance states that Type 2 diabetics should be given the means by which to do their own testing/monitoring..

Karina

 

[karinagal]

And really, really well done on the weight loss!! I almost missed that when the red mist descended re the strips! 😱😱

 

[AlisonM]

Do the NICE guidelines cover Scotland as well? If they do, I'm sure the guidance states that Type 2 diabetics should be given the means by which to do their own testing/monitoring..

Karina

No unfortunately they don't. We have something called SIGN which barely mentions testing at all. These guidelines are being rewritten and the new version is due out in March but I was told not to hold out much hope that there would be any more support for type 2 testing than there is now.

 

[karinagal]

No unfortunately they don't. We have something called SIGN which barely mentions testing at all. These guidelines are being rewritten and the new version is due out in March but I was told not to hold out much hope that there would be any more support for type 2 testing than there is now.

Then let me know how you get on with your MP and if there's anything at all I can do to help. In my opinion they're setting you/us up for failure - how can they justify blaming us for not managing our condition properly if they do not give us the means to check and see how what we are eating is affecting us?

How can we make informed decisions? We can't! Their failure to empower us "due to budgetary contraints" is likely to lead to us having complications which will cost much more to the practice and the NHS!

Short sighted at the very least, bordering on medical negligence methinks.

Karina

 

[sofaraway]

I hope that the new medication is more helpful to you, From memory it's fairly sedating so people usualyl take it at night, but best to have a good read up about it before you start. i'd also look up the withdrawal side effects. I know thats not usually the thing you think about when starting a medication but I think it's useful.

Do you drive Alison? If so then I hope your GP doesn't mind you driving at 2.8mmol/l!
I think thats disgusting that you can't get strips when you clearly need them as you are currently having hypos.

Good luck for the A1c 🙂

 

[HelenP]

Hi Alison, sorry to hear you had a 'turn' at the doctor's this morning, hope you're all good and well now.

I thank my lucky stars that I must've been really lucky, since diagnosis I've really had no ill effects at all, other than an initial horrid problem with my vision. Hope you get on okay with the new meds.

Congrats re the weight loss - if that's what you were trying to achieve. Oopsy, if you don't need to lose it!!

xx

 

[AlisonM]

I need to lose it all right, there's enough of me to make two women. 😱

 

[HelenP]

I need to lose it all right, there's enough of me to make two women. 😱

Same here, hun, so I know how you feel !! 😱 Wish I could lose it as fast as you though!! Only the 5 stone odd to go.......

xx

 

[squidge63]

A friend of mine was on Mirtazipine and she put on loads of weight on it and felt like a zombie, and my girlfriend was put on it and it made her feel like a zombie and really ill.. I was on Citalopram for 3 years and have now been put on Venlafaxine and feel so much better..

 

[AlisonM]

Same here, hun, so I know how you feel !! 😱 Wish I could lose it as fast as you though!!

xx

It was the 'happy' pills, I lost most of my appetite and had to force myself to eat. Before that, the Gliclazide had the same effect. I don't actually want to lose more than a pound a week as I want some chance of keeping it off with a 'normal' lifestyle. I don't want to be dieting for the rest of my life. Slow and steady is far better in the long run.

 

[AlisonM]

A friend of mine was on Mirtazipine and she put on loads of weight on it and felt like a zombie, and my girlfriend was put on it and it made her feel like a zombie and really ill.. I was on Citalopram for 3 years and have now been put on Venlafaxine and feel so much better..

I have a friend who's been on Citalopram for a few years and she gets on with it just fine. But the blurb said it's not recommended for diabetics and the doctor had missed that. If I don't get on with this new stuff, I'll mention Venlafaxine and see what she says.

 

[sofaraway]

I always like to check meds out on http://www.crazymeds.us/ I find it useful and find things that the Dr's don't always tell you. Venlafaxine is a pretty good anti-d, that is one fot he quickest to work, but very hard to get off and have terrible withdrawal for some people. With everything takes some consideration and thought before taking any med.