I said I would update you on my progress. However, I`m sorry to say I have not got very far. Following instructions from my GP I had my second blood test yesterday having been on Metformin for 2 months. Next instruction was to make an appointment to see him again on or within a day or two of 14th March to review my results.
Having tried to get through to my surgery from 8am this morning I finally was connected to appointments at 10 25. I then discovered my GP is away for 2 weeks and will return on 26th March. The only appointment available is a telephone conversation at 8am that day.
This means that I can ask for blood test results but cannot get a diagnosis on an infection problem.
The surgery is run by my GP and locums who do not know the patients and spend the entire 10 minutes asking useless questions.
I am not only still confused as to the way forward but I am also very unhappy
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NitasNan
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Hi Nitasan -I have type 2 diabetes and cannot take any drugs as they react badly. I would make an appointment with your nurse, explaining you think you have an infection which is making you feel off colour. Very often the nurse will check and may chat to the doctor and determine if you need a prescription. If you would like any other information on how to keep your blood sugar down I may be able to help. This may not be the exact same as NHS guidelines but has helped me.
Seconded! After a certain point, my dad was simply referred to the nurse. They have a specialist diabetes nurse who comes by once a week/fortnight, and she knows more than the doctors, because she does it day in and day out! Definitely ask if the surgery has a diabetes nurse
All food turns to carbohydrate and is stored in the liver as glycogen. Food is metabolised differently. NHS might recommend pasta as a carb which is better for diabetics as it is released more slowly into the system. The truth is that all grains wheat, barley, rye, oats, maize, are converted to sugar in the liver. When you remove sugar from your diet you remove cakes biscuits sweets and chocolate but may compensate with dairy. You might eat cereal and milk for breakfast, and eat cheese not realising that these are high in sugar with lactase which is milk sugar. Hidden sugars in drinks and foods with added salt may overturn the blood sugar. Even no added sugar for squashes does not mean there is no sugar in the fruit squash as fruit contains fructose - fruit sugar and may be sweeteners which can say 0 calories but turn to sugar in the liver. Sucrolose, sucrose ,corn syrup ie sorbitol are added to many savoury foods soups, and semi sweet biscuits which might be lower in sugar but can raise your blood sugar.
I have found cutting down on carbs but not having too much red meat lamb beef bacon and sausages and eating white meat and fish and vegetables especially dark green leafy vegetables runner beans French beans, are lower in carbs than swedes turnips and most root vegetables. Oats have a substance which help to lower blood sugar. I may have porridge with a small teaspoon of honey, made with water. I use lactase free milk as it is lower in sugar. You might find you can have at least one piece of fruit a day. Banana is very high in sugar, and a few grapes, will raise your blood sugar as will a large glass of tomato juice. I takes kilos to make a carton of tomato juice so you can eat them in salads as they are not so high as in juice.
Tonic waters can be high in sugars as are cans of cola and fizzy drinks. They can be included but I have found after drinking supermarket tonics has raised my blood sugar even though labelled 0 calories. I only drink a secret tonic sh sh!
Strawberries blackcurrants blue berries black berries raspberries can accelerate your metabolism and are lower in sugar than some fruits. This is a brief outline of what I cut out or down on in my diet and is in no way recommended as a panacea for everyone. I don't have much cheese now. I have cut out yoghurts as I have dairy intolerance as well as soft cheeses, cream cheeses. I have kept my weight down and my sugar levels are within normal range. I would buy a glucose meter to test yourself after a few weeks of changing your diet
and test yourself every week, until you notice a drop in your blood sugar. If you test your blood sugar after a binge, it might not show up until the next day. Hope you more success and will feel better after treatment for an infection.
I hope you're able to get an appointment to see someone at your surgery, that will help you. Really sorry to hear you've had these difficulties. Hopefully there is a Diabetes Nurse available- he/she would be ideal to give you some helpful advice.
Getting to see the same doctor regularly is key. If your surgery has a long lead time for appointments then try to book an appointment ahead and then cancel it if you don't need it. This way you have a better chance of seeing the doctor you choose.
My surgery will not make appointments for the future. You have to start calling at 8am and then you just get the engaged tone until finally the phone is answered. This is when you are told all morning appointments have been allocated and to ring back after 2pm in the hope of getting an afternoon appointment. The same thing happens as in the morning and you are then told to ring back the following day.
I dont know if UK pharmacies are as pro active as Australian one's but here you can get your blood glucose done by the pharmacist - if they provide that service, of the four pharmacies near me two have complete blood pressure / blood glucose and consulting with the pharmacist about subjects like diabetes , diet , health etc.
Maybe try your Pharmacist . Not replacing your Dr. just part of a good health plan.
If your infection is really giving you trouble you could try turning up at the ER (try to avoid rush hour, ie., pub closing time). You'll probably have to wait for four hours, but they will see you eventually. There's also NHS Direct who might have some practical suggestions.
The GP nurses are often very good, but as far as I know they won't be able to prescribe antibiotics even if they're indicated.
The NHS is at breaking point, and one of the reasons is that they're still giving out bad dietary advice to people with heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. 25% of the NHS budget is now spent on these easily-curable conditions.
As for being confused: pick one of the suggestions from your previous thread, and run with it. If it doesn't work, try something else. Just taking control of the situation will make you feel a whole lot better. Get yourself a blood glucose meter and take your own measurements. Low-carb high-fat shows dramatic results within one week, but you don't need to take my word for it when the instrumentation is available to prove it to yourself.
Read up on the physiology of diabetes so that you understand what's happening to you. I don't mean the Ladybird Books explanations on the official web pages, which are (at best) oversimplified, and in many cases outright wrong. Wikipedia is a good start because you can follow links for words you don't know yet. Try not to say to yourself "I don't know how" or "I don't understand". We're all confused when faced with something new. But after some effort, we stop being confused.
Although it's often said "if you don't know what to do, don't do anything", that's a bad idea here. The NHS isn't going to help you. They'll put you on pills, they'll pay for your amputations, and they'll put you on more pills when you develop heart disease. But they won't make any attempt to cure your condition. It conflicts with their basic values.
This makes a lot of sense apart from turning up at ER. We can`t do that here. All I have been able to get so far is a telephone appointment in 3 weeks time when my GP returns from his holiday.
I shall then be able to discuss my blood results over the phone but, there is no way he can diagnose the leg problem
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