Wishing to start seeking remedial strategies

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diatubes

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Hi, I'm 68, single, male, been in worsening health for a long time.

As I can't get NHS appointments in my town (in England) I have decided to strategise my self care (as far as I am able) with the support of peer experience.

Please advise which section to post my initial querie(s) in.

I shall need to know where to start and how to prioritise.

(I believe that doctors don't even look at test results.)
 
Welcome @diatubes It would be helpful if you could say a little about your situation. Do you have diabetes? If so, what was your last HbA1C?
 
What tests are these, that GPs don't look at? and where did you have them done?
 
trophywench said:
What tests are these, that GPs don't look at? and where did you have them done?
Click to expand...
At the surgery and I just get told there is "no result".

In fact numbers have meanings especially when taken together.

Please give me permission to continue this conversation in a new thread.
 
Hello and welcome from me too.

It makes more sense to continue the conversation here....

Can you tell us how long you have been diagnosed diabetic and what if any medication you have been prescribed?
 
Inka said:
Welcome @diatubes It would be helpful if you could say a little about your situation. Do you have diabetes? If so, what was your last HbA1C?
Click to expand...
Thank you for your welcome!

Next to my name (on my display but yours is probably different) it says:
Relationship to Diabetes At risk of diabetes

I have picked the phrase out of the limited choices available.

Many years ago I was told I was "pre diabetic" and no explanation.

Please explain what is a HBA1c and where do I get one from and what are they for? It sounds like a World War One make of aircraft!

Please tell me in which section you want to continue this conversation?
 
diatubes said:
At the surgery and I just get told there is "no result".

In fact numbers have meanings especially when taken together.

Please give me permission to continue this conversation in a new thread.
Click to expand...

No result to what? Did they not do the test (whatever it might be)? Did they do the test but are refusing to give you the result?

We are normal, living people on this forum from a wide variety of backgrounds who happen to have diabetes. If you can write some normal, descriptive paragraphs about your problems or worries, explaining what happened, then you’d get more helpful input. Everyone here is supportive but it’s hard to offer support and suggestions when your posts are so gnomic.
 
rebrascora said:
Hello and welcome from me too.

It makes more sense to continue the conversation here....

Can you tell us how long you have been diagnosed diabetic and what if any medication you have been prescribed?
Click to expand...
Please have a look at my reply no. 6.

Since my GP left in 2017 the surgery don't advise anything.
 
diatubes said:
Thank you for your welcome!

Next to my name (on my display but yours is probably different) it says:
Relationship to Diabetes At risk of diabetes

I have picked the phrase out of the limited choices available.

Many years ago I was told I was "pre diabetic" and no explanation.

Please explain what is a HBA1c and where do I get one from and what are they for? It sounds like a World War One make of aircraft!

Please tell me in which section you want to continue this conversation?
Click to expand...

Carry the conversation on in this thread, as you’re doing.

An HbA1C is a blood test from your arm that’s done at your GP surgery to see if you have diabetes or are prediabetic. It gives a number. Over 48 is diabetic, 42-47 is prediabetic.

If the test telling you you were prediabetic was “many years ago”, you should ask your GP surgery for a repeat test (HbA1C). You can then see if you remain prediabetic,have progressed to diabetes or actually don’t have diabetes or prediabetes at all now.

Phone your surgery, explain about your last test, and say you’re concerned you’re developing diabetes and can they do an HbA1C test, please.
 
Inka said:
No result to what? Did they not do the test (whatever it might be)? Did they do the test but are refusing to give you the result?

We are normal, living people on this forum from a wide variety of backgrounds who happen to have diabetes. If you can write some normal, descriptive paragraphs about your problems or worries, explaining what happened, then you’d get more helpful input. Everyone here is supportive but it’s hard to offer support and suggestions when your posts are so gnomic.
Click to expand...
Excuse me but my posts aren't gnomic and we had been instructed to use this as the welcome thread.

I was responding to the tone of the reactions so far, and have only done so a couple of times.

When I get samples taken (over the years when faint etc) I later get told "there wasn't a result".

Are you in the UK? I live in England.

I'll list some symptoms later as I can only type short bits this evening.
 
If they’re not giving you the results of tests they do, then that’s bad. You could ask to speak to the Practice Manager and tell them this. They might then be able to trace these previous tests and let you know the result. You could even request a print-out or copy of them (you might have to pay a small charge for this).
 
Inka said:
Carry the conversation on in this thread, as you’re doing.

An HbA1C is a blood test from your arm that’s done at your GP surgery to see if you have diabetes or are prediabetic. It gives a number. Over 48 is diabetic, 42-47 is prediabetic.

If the test telling you you were prediabetic was “many years ago”, you should ask your GP surgery for a repeat test (HbA1C). You can then see if you remain prediabetic,have progressed to diabetes or actually don’t have diabetes or prediabetes at all now.

Phone your surgery, explain about your last test, and say you’re concerned you’re developing diabetes and can they do an HbA1C test, please.
Click to expand...
This thread is good for me if it's good for you.

The surgery don't answer the phone any more and don't phone back. A thick glass barrier has now been put in front of the desk making it difficult to talk or hear. I got myself re-registered for a data base which say there are no appointments for 4 weeks with a doctor whose name isn't on the plate outside the door.

Since my GP left in 2017 the remaining partner is absentee. And the other formerly nearby surgeries all moved out of the inner city where I am.

I have decided to write a letter demanding an appointment.

When I get letters from them about jabs they arrive the day of the jab or (more often) the week after. So I'm not hopeful about their coping with correspondence.

From what I hear this is now the usual standard at most surgeries.

Thank you for giving me the magic word, "HBA1C", that might jolt them. But will that make a difference? Will they start arranging actual advice?

I'm going to rest now and shall come back at frequent intervals.
 
I’m finding my GP surgery much harder to contact too, but not as bad as yours as we do, at least, have doctors there. One thing you could try is to ask for a nurse appointment rather than a GP appointment. My surgery seem keen to direct most people to a nurse so that’s easier to arrange usually. A nurse can sort out an HbA1C test for you and also do some general checks like blood pressure. They should also be able to look back at your records for your missing test results.

If you feel you’re getting bad service, you can complain. There’s some information here which sets it out in steps:

www.which.co.uk

How to complain if you're unhappy with your GP or doctor's surgery - Which?

We all have the right to good health care. If you’re unhappy with your GP or doctor's surgery, you can complain directly or to the NHS in your region.
www.which.co.uk www.which.co.uk

Once you’ve hopefully got an HbA1C test done and your result, you’ll know where you are in relation to diabetes. The quality of advice given by GP surgeries varies, but Diabetes U.K. have information pages and you’ll also get lots of support here and suggestions about diet.

You mentioned feeling faint earlier in this thread. When you do speak to someone, as well as asking for an HbA1C test to check for diabetes, I suggest you also ask for additional tests so that other causes of your symptoms can be ruled out and a general Well Man check done where they check all the basics. Once you get an appointment, it makes sense to get as much as possible checked, especially with the difficulty of getting one.
 
Welcome to the forum @diatubes

Yes it’s perfectly fine to use your introductory thread for the conversation about your immediate concerns.

Sorry you are having such a difficult time getting much information from your GP, and the lack of alternatives near where you live :(

‘Prediabetes’ is a common shorthand term which means that someone is at risk of diabetes, but it is not recognised as a formal medical diagnosis as such. It’s a word that has sort of migrated over from the US I think.

Hopefully you should be able to arrange a follow-up HbA1c, having previously been told you were at risk of diabetes.

To better understand the HbA1c you can find information about this test and how it can help you monitor your progress here:

What is HbA1c?

HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months. If you have diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol/mol (6.5%) or below. If you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, your target HbA1c level should be below 42mmol/mol (6%).
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk

In your initial post you mentioned that you feel your health is worsening - are you comfortable to share a little more about that, and any symptoms you may be experiencing? Be aware before sharing any details that the forum is a public space.
 
  • headaches all sorts
  • hot flushes at miscellaneous intervals
  • can't always tell hot from cold by touch
  • dizzy
  • drowsy
  • faint
  • balance problem in feet
  • less sensation in the feet
  • sometimes visual and hearing problems
  • word finding and pronouncing getting rapidly more difficult than it ever was
  • orientation problems (I was always very good at that)
  • neck scrunching
  • pressure behind eyes and nose
  • complex tasks are more difficult to coordinate than before
  • nausea which I cure by eating
  • sometimes no energy
  • tremor
Most of those most days
 
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Inka said:
We are normal, living people on this forum from a wide variety of backgrounds who happen to have diabetes. If you can write some normal, descriptive paragraphs about your problems or worries, explaining what happened, then you’d get more helpful input. Everyone here is supportive but it’s hard to offer support and suggestions when your posts are so gnomic.
Click to expand...
I hadn't found the input unhelpful up to that point anyway (moments after I had joined), so why did you assume I had?
The interface I'm looking at says we are to respect.
I am normal also.
I appreciated the guidance of the others.
 
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Some of those symptoms you mention could be due to diabetes but if you are at the stage of being 'at risk' then it is less likely as symptoms don't appear until blood glucose is much higher. But they could be due to other causes like Vitamin B12 deficiency, anaemia, food allergy and a whole host of other things.
It is a pity you do not have access to a good GP.
 
Years back I was at the stage of being "at risk". That doesn't refer to now, at all. The list of descriptors offered by this site is far too limited.
I know full well I have been deep into the serious complications scenario, for a long time now.
And diabetics will have all sorts of other illnesses / symptoms / problems / conditions / deficiencies as well.
 
I see I can send off for a Hb1Ac machine for GBP 49. I can afford that at the moment, then after that I can go for all the tasty recipes on your site.
 
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