The Numpty Nurse/Diabolical Doctor Award

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Northerner

Northerner

Admin (Retired)
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Now, I know that our nurses and doctors are, on the whole, brilliant dedicated professionals who would crawl for miles over broken glass if it meant that our diabetes management would be made just that little bit easier...

But, unfortunately, some of them slip through the net or were away when Diabetes Class took place, and their knowledge is based purely on myth, legend and Casualty storylines. Many have had their sometimes hilarious, sometimes dangerous, advice recorded here over the years so (thanks to Marc!) we have decided we would give an award to the Numpty Nurse or Diabolical Doctor of the Month.

Let's have your nominations, with details of their misdeeds - but no real names please! 🙂
 
Here goes...

Absolutely any HCP who says, "Sorry, we don't offer carb counting in this area" to a patient that they are starting on basal-bolus insulin.

Madness!
 
The one who said that there was something wrong with me if I wanted to do more than 1 blood test a day - and then commented upon how determined I was for soneone so short. 😱
 
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One a DAY!????? Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!
 
Well mine has to go to my old GP.When being diagnosed he said to me unsurprisingly the results have came back your diabetic,not really funny but it did make me frown when he said unsuprisingly like it was something i was borm to get lol.
 
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I have three nominations!

Despicable Doctor 1: Just before diagnosis the GP I had at the time diagnosed a chest infection and prescribed antibiotics. This made no difference so mum took me back. He asked for a urine sample - we gave him one, he looked at it in the light, said, "It's fine," and threw it in the bin. A few days later we saw another GP who sent us straight to hospital. My mum took the first GP to court, bless her.

Despicable Doctor 2: Went to a different GP again when having mental health problems and feeling suicidal (it was an emergency appointment so couldn't see my usual). I was told I was being selfish and sent home.

Numpty Nurse: Not long after starting on the pump I was having problems with high BG and reaching the end of my tether. Went to see DSN who asked, in an accusatory tone, why I was checking BG 2 hours after meals 😱 Was totally shocked by this as she is normally quite good. Since then I haven't consulted her on anything. The forum, my man and my own common sense are much better!
 
i had a great one from a new 'specialist' consultant

looked at my stats, looked me up and down and said 'you obvioulsy don't exercise then?' (I'm the classic heavy-bone-structure in that my weight is quite high, but I'm a size 10 and work out 3 times a week!) clearly not justified to receive that comment

when asked 'how many units do you drink a week?' and i said, generally I don't drink at all, very occasionally I will, i was then presented with the statement - so you're a binge drinker? !!!!!!!!! did I say that???????????

oh and then I got told off like I was a child when i said i didn't test my blood sugar levels EVERY time before I got in my car to drive somewhere.

there were a few other sweeping statements but I won't go on....I was just so shocked I almost laughed! especially when weight and eating disorders is a real problem with young girls and women with diabetes - she could have triggered something!

clearly just read about diabetes in a text book!
 
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oh and a numpty nurse one (not diabetes related though)....

went to the nurse for my smear test (sorry guys lol), she asked when my last period was, I told I hadn't come on for my previous one but I'd done 3 pregnancy tests and they were all negative...she said I should do another one while i was there anyway, just to make sure so I agreed.

as I sat there waiting for the time to pass, she announced - 'You're PREGNANT'!!!!!!! cue WTF from me! she actually then used the words, well you are definitely pregnant.

I went over and looked at the test...and calmly pointed out on the side of the packet what a negative reading looks like...oh yeah, exactly the same as my test!

HOW CAN YOU NOT EVEN READ A PREGNANCY TEST!! I could have been desperate to be pregnant and if I hadn't have checked the test myself, I could have spent the next however many weeks thinking I was and get to a proper appointment to be told I'm not!!!!!!!
 
Wow Katie and Emma, you've had some good ones! 😱

I was hoping that this thread wouldn't be that popular because people would struggle to find nominations, but obviously not!
 
Doctor Idiot: "You don't need to test unless you're getting hypos."
Me: "But I am getting hypos!"
Doctor Idiot: "Well the PCT won't allow strips for Type 2s."
Me: "But I'm not a Type 2, the tests proved that!"
Doctor Idiot: "Well I can't let you have them just like that, you'll use too many."
Me: "ARRGGGHHH!!!!"
 
Having moved to another area and been attending there for about 9 months, my husband to be had heard about insulin pens and suggested I ask about them.

When I mentioned it, I was told

"Yes, they're good, we recomend all our diabetics to use them!"

So why had I never been told? :( :( :(
 
haha thankfully it's just been them that I can remember! and lots were all by the same diabetes consultant in one check up!!

i'm sure others will have some quite funny ones too...it's nice to be able to share these stories and laugh about them.
 
AlisonM said:
Doctor Idiot: "You don't need to test unless you're getting hypos."
Me: "But I am getting hypos!"
Doctor Idiot: "Well the PCT won't allow strips for Type 2s."
Me: "But I'm not a Type 2, the tests proved that!"
Doctor Idiot: "Well I can't let you have them just like that, you'll use too many."
Me: "ARRGGGHHH!!!!"
Click to expand...

OMG! i can feel your frustration! hope you got them in the end!
 
imtrying said:
OMG! i can feel your frustration! hope you got them in the end!
Click to expand...

Simples :D I refused to see that doctor again. The new one is much better and has given me strips for now... At least until the PCT notices.
 
Sitting in hospital after being there for 6 days after a DKA. Desperate to go home and just be held by my husband and having the DSN come down late in the afternoon and saying "Oh sorry, I have just come back from a fabulous holiday so I am a bit behind". I said "But they won't let me leave until I see you". Her response "Oh well". Ahhhhhhhh.

Being referred to my GP's dietitian, "I am sorry, I don't know much about diabetes". Me "Do you know about carb counting". Her "Umm, no". Me "Appointment finished then".

By far the most worrying was when I was suffering with my stomach and kept being admitted to hospital, again and again. I went to my diabetes specialist GP and she said "Oh, it's just your diabetes". My levels were perfect and my HBA1C was down from 14 to 6.8. Later diagnosed by a proper doctor with post-operative IBS (she had forgotten about the operation I had been through a couple of months before!!). Changed surgery because of that.
 
I went to the works nurse once - for reassurance I would get a spasm in my neck then my pulse would race. At the time I was in the run up to my wedding and my future FIL was in ICU.

I made a comment that I thought I wasn't being enough support to OH.

Nurses reaction - well your not are you, what kind of wife will you be, how can you possibly run a house and work. She ended with suggesting that I go home and have a Gin and Tonic. In the midst of the consultation the surgery bell rang. She told me to sit in one of the bays behind a curtain whilst she dealt with her patient.

The same nurse above also managed to burn someone with a heat lamp......

I also had an awful smear test at the hands of the practice nurse. Who didn't use the correct size instrument, and as a result was twisting it in ever direction possible to find my cervix. She tool 1/2 an hour before deciding she needed a longer one. I ended up bleeding and in pain for a couple of days.

When I was about 20 (before I was married as I am now the only person of my name in the country)I saw a locum Dr. I noticed he had 2 sets of notes, he started to write on one and I said that's not me. He looked and said - oh I suppose you don't look 80. The other set of notes he had was mine.
 
I have many nominations, but the nurse during my latest encounter really did take the biscuit.
"You can't be type 1 if you were diagnosed at 37"

I wont say her name nor the practice where she works.


But if this isn't numpty material, I will eat my hat (after adjusting the insulin accordingly of course):D
 
Nursey: You're mad not to take a statin. You'll never get your cholesterol and triglycerides down by more than 20 to 30% by diet alone.

Me: Mmm...let's see.

Three months later - cholesterol down 41% - triglycerides down 80%.
 
Can I nominate a whole hospital?

When I was first diagnosed my LOCAL hospital (Not the more famous one a bit further away) thought that, because I was nearly an adult, I couldn't possibly have Type 1 Diabetes, and that the appointment was not of great urgency and I could be seen in a month from my GP/ Practice nurse appoinmtent, Que my GP phoning Good Hope when she next saw me and an immediate appointment being given with the DSN and confirmation of T1 and the start of my Insulin regime.

I chose not to use my local hospital for clinic appointments after this 😉
 
sorry just want to say that my hospital is the famous one and i cant fault it! My nurse and consultant are awesome! sorry! My Gp's an absolute numpty though sitting me down to tell me ihad diabetes type 1 (yeah i know that i'd had it 2 years already at that point) and basically telling me at every review appointment that i wasnt doing "it" right. Me saying yeah i dont know what im doing and him telling me to adjust my lantus by 2 units and see you in 6 months...He washed his hands of me in the end and gave me to aforementioned hospital, best thing he ever did.
 
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