Confused by doctor
 

Hi, I’m new to all this, both posting and diabetes, so please forgive any mistakes.
I was Dx 7 type ll 7 weeks ago after a visit to the doc. for an insect bite that had developed into an abscess. Bg levels of 22.5mmol/L (405 US?).
10 days in hospital on insulin drip (plus antibiotics & lancing of abscess) and consultant was ready to send me home on insulin. Diabetic nurse persuaded him to let me give tablets a try and so I was given Metformin, 500mg a day, a meter and strips - we in the UK are very lucky in the fact that all is supplied free for diabetics - and a diet by the dietician stressing high carbs and low fat.
Religiously followed rules for the first week, with Bg creeping ever upwards to the 14-16 range and so hungry after lg carb meal that I wanted to eat the paint off the fridge. Phoned nurse and was told to increase Metformin to 1500mg per day and take ½ tab Gliclazide per day. Did this - fridge still in danger!
Dh, very supportive and disturbed by my bouts of weeping/suicide threats decided to put his troubleshooting skills to use and start looking for other options. First found the GI diet and we tried that. It helped, but only a little. Then discovered Dr Bernstein and what he had to say really impressed (dh also engineer - figures).
2 weeks on this diet brought my bg down to the point where they average 5.3, the highest being 7. Not perfect but certainly better.
Intro over, now for the main reason for this post. Went back to consultant for required follow up visit yesterday. He felt my bg’s were excellent (they are?), that the diabetes was probably just caused by the infection (it was, with 2 previous years of thirst, toilets and thrush?), wants to take me off meds and told me I could go home and lead a normal life, Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?
He then proceeded to tell me he expected me to be back in about 3 years with diabetes again whereupon he would put me on insulin. Followed that by saying I should not stress about no weight loss, after all I did not want to look like Twiggy, just 3-4 lbs would be enough to seriously alter my diabetes (the one he feels I haven’t got?). I am 200lbs for heavens sake, how can he say that being 196lbs would be okay??? When I told him the high carb diet had not worked and I was lo-carbing he ignored me as if I had not spoken. Said he was going to take blood for an HgAc1 test, nothing else. I requested a thyroid test and was told I “did not look like a thyroid person” (anyone know what they are supposed to look like?) but did agree to have the normal test done. As far as I can tell Dr Bernstein feels this is inadequate.
Then said he would no longer need to see me and would pass my care to my normal doctor. That seemed like a very good idea to me!
Am I being paranoid or do any of you experienced folk feel, like I do, that diabetes is there for life and needs to be controlled for life, not turned on and off like a tap and the advice he has given me is bad?.
Sorry this is so long, did not know how to shorten it and still get point across.

Welcome ArriS.

My 2 cents would be;

1. Find a GP/Consultant who actually knows what he/she is talking about - you can ring in advance and ask if the practice supports a controlled carbohydrate approach to diabetes management.

2. Get that doctor to run a full assessment of your current insulin resistance by conducting a glucose tolerance test (GTT) including fasting insulin and glucose response insulin measurements. . Its likely an A1c will be done as well. This will give you a true picture of your insulin resistance - and will certainly tell you if you are a diabetic or not!

3. By all means get a full thyroid function test done at the same time.

In the mean time stick with what is working for you so well (Bernstein) - although you should check with your doctor as to the amount of carbs you should consume in the days preceding your GTT (some suggest a higher carb intake for a couple of days beforehand is necessary for accurate assessment).

And welcome to the wonderful world of blood glucose control without drugs! (In your reading you might like to look into why all the leading diabetes authorities around the world receive so much funding from drug companies - and perhaps speculate as to whether this may be the reason they routinely advise diabetics and those at risk of diabetes to eat a high carbohydrate diet - which they even concede, will require more medication!).

Cheers,

Malcolm

Your doctor is a froot loop. Stick to the low carb diet and find another doc.

Lisa

Dr Bernstein, as you have found out, knows what he is talking about, so please follow his advice

For me if you do the 'trifecta' as I call it, low carb diet, increased exercise & some supplements known to stabilize BG levels there is a good chance that you can control your 'Diabetes' through self managment

Based on your numbers posted here there I'd say its pretty clear you have adult onset diabetes. However, as you are finding out low carbing can often knock it into remission. At 1st glance it would appear your Diabetes is 'cured' however don't be fooled. Somone once posted a very good point although obesity & Type II Diabetes are closely linked, not all fat people are diabetic & not all diabetics are fat. Some of us just have a genetic predispositon to the disease & that will not go away. However, if you follow the Atkins, Bernstein or any other plan which severely limits your carb intake chances are very high your adult onset Diabetes will go into complete remission. However, don't fool yourself, if you go back to the old high carbohydrate way of eating it will come right back w/a vengance

Remember the doctor is not there 24/7 but you are. Dr Bernstein promotes his 'Rule of Small Changes' which I now live by. Please get & learn how to use a glucometer, then test repeatedly as you learn how different thing affect you specifically. By trial & error you can find out how what specific behaviours/diet helps keep your BG in line

1) Make a small change
2) evaluate
3) either discard or incorporate
4) Then move on to the next change

I believe we all must step up to the plate & take control & move beyond the culture of the blame game because in the end YOU are the one that is ultimately responsible for your own health. Just know it is often possible to manage Type II Diabetes on your own.

By the way I concur with the poster above, the doctor you're dealing with sounds a bit mad to me, if possible change doctors ASAP

Be sure to read some of the previous posts here for a lot of good background info about you & your diabetes

Well you have all just reinforced what I felt myself - the doctor was a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic!

Shawnee, I do have a glucometer and have been testing extensively, despite being told I only needed to do so twice a week before and 2 hours after a meal. I have to KNOW what is going on. Must be previous training as a microbiologist, it makes me want to know the nitty gritty of everything medical, especially if it concerns myself.
Have got in a supply of cinnamon and ALA and am stepping out briskly for at least 30 minutes daily - am dreading the winter months though. The fact that I work permanent nights & thus sleep through the few short hours of daylight plus the absence of a nearby gym probably means I had better save my pennies for something like a treadmill I can use at home.

Malcolm, I will try my GP re those tests you mentioned. Have no idea how she will respond as so much of what they can do is governed by what the National Health Service (NHS) will allow. I am floundering a bit here as I only moved to the UK from South Africa 3 years ago and still have not been able to fathom exactly how the health system works. It certainly has been very generous so far, meter and meds all supplied free but I have been told what are deemed ‘unnecessary tests’ have to be okayed by something called the Primary Care Trust and they are very short of funds at the moment.

So far so good, thanks for the feedback. I have so much reading to catch up on about this disease, it is really exciting in it’s own way.

Exercising is good, ALA is good, low carbing is good, sounds like you are on the way to learning to manage the disease

After you learn about your body's reaction/response to different events etc in terms of BG response you eventually can back off on all the testing. For the 1st half year I tested constantly. Now I hardly ever do. Maybe once a month I choose a couple of days to try twice a day to make sure I'm on track

When you are sick or under massive stress that tends to bring BG levels up so when I'm in those situations I tend to monitor more closely

Besides ALA . GTF Chromium is another economical supplement which helps stabilize BG levels. I use some other herbal products, if you search my posts you can find out about them but I dont know if they're available in the UK

You do need to get an HBA1c test which is an indication of your BG levels over the past 90 days, this gives a good indication of where you stand diabeteswise. I still do one 3-4 times a year

As far as exercise equipment, no need to save a lot, look around in the classifieds or at yard sales. I have some great equipment all bought at a fraction of the original cost. People always buy expensive stuff with the best intentions but never use & after a year or so of taking up space they take any small token to get it out of their house. For example I have a US$700 Ski Machine I bought almost new for $40. just look around & take your time & you'll find a deal

By the way welcome to our forum, I'm sure a few other greeters will drop by & post soon

Please do post & ask questions here. There is a lot of accumulated knowledge on this forum

It takes about 90 days for the longest lasting red blood cells to die, but the A1c level is heavily biased toward the last 30 days as many more of the newer RBCs are in the blood.

Hyperthyroid persons usually have pretty big eyes. Marty Feldman comes to mind. I don't know that a person with a suppressed thyroid looks like, but being above a typical weight does come to mind.

Speaking of minds, I have no idea how anyone could possibly prescribe a high-sugar diet to a person who has a serious and potentially life-threatening problem with sugar metabolism.

EDIT


I see now. I thought they were out of their tiny little minds, but it turns out they have their minds on their money and their money on their minds. And here I am thinking "The Constant Gardner" was just a novel.

Here in the US, the American Diabetes Association recomend a diet of about 300 carbs a day for diabetics. I used to follow that and it took me to 310 lbs and a very sick, sick person until I found the low carb lifestyle.

I thought the doctor might have some clue, so I looked up the "ideal weight" and BMI charts for an adult woman of 5'2". To be honest, I cannot for the life of me see how going from 200 to 294 is going to make any statistically significant improvement. Now, going from 200 to 150, on the other hand, puts ones BMI into the optimal range for life expectancy.

In other words, ArriS, your doctor is either a genius who knows far more than us about what weight is ideal for a woman of your stature and medical background, or he's a moron. Don't let my frustration with doctors prejudice you.

Hi ArriS,
You are doing the right thing by coming here with your concerns. As a Type 2 diabetic, I too tried the recommended carbfest diet for a month and found how awful it made me feel (:) and we have 3 fridges!). Once I obtained a meter and tested so often I felt like a pincushion, I could see how much I needed another approach. I am fully controlled now with diet and the dreaded exercise, no meds and some (but not enough) weight loss (but getting there). I am currently trying to get my doc to look at my symptoms of hypothyroid and not the so-called 'normal' results.
Unhappily, we have to ignore the bad medical advice from the people who should know better and educate them by showing how it's done with our good results. My doc has had to 'swallow' the fact that my cholesterol has not gone through the ceiling and that I don't (as yet) need the meds that she insisted I should take at diagnosis.
Keep coming here for your support - I know how difficult it feels to buck the system, but everyone here will soon boost your confidence until your own testing confirms without a doubt that you are doing the best thing for the diabetes that has NOT gone away!
Babs

I agree 100%. :agree:

Blood sugar of 5.3 is actually quite good considering where you came from 2 weeks prior to that; many people would give quite a bit to have that kind of turnaround in their blood sugars in 2 weeks' time. :thup:
Although having an infection like you did can certainly cause your blood sugars to be high, having high blood sugars can also make you much more prone to infections. Either way, it's nothing short of insane to tell you to go home and 'live a normal life' (whatever that means) but then to expect to be back in 3 years as an insulin dependent diabetic.
As for the weight loss, I agree that you shouldn't stress about it (stress can increase your blood sugars ;) ) and it's obvious that you don't need a large loss to get control of your blood sugars from the results that you have achieved so far. That being said, if loss is important to you, go for it, but take it slow and don't stress about every little pound along the way. :)

Arris, a really cheap piece of home exercise equipment is a mini-trampoline. They're about four feet in diameter and about eight inches off the ground. This morning I couldn't walk outside-- when I got up my FBG was 140. Five minutes on the mini-t brought it down to 120. You wouldn't think it would be that strenuous, but it's actually quite tiring. I don't jump up and down with my feet together-- I "march" high-stepping. Boring, but effective.

Sasha, so that is what one is supposed to do with those trampolines. I have only ever used the large outdoor variety and thought that trying the same actions indoors was likely to add brain damage to my list of complications - some of these UK houses have seriously low ceilings!
Finances did run to a set of dumbells and a mini stepper. The latter claimed a cardiovascular workout but so far I have not been able to use it long enough to get my heart rate up. That is because 5 minutes on it and my legs have turned to jelly - and the wobble is not just the fat! I will keep it up until hopefully I can manage a sensible amoint of time. Will look at the trampoline though, sounds a good addition. Thanks for the advice.

You really just "high-step" in place on it. It's quite small. If there's a sporting goods store near you, you can probably go in and try one. It doesn't seem like it would be all that much exercise... kind of like jumping rope... when we were kids, we jumped rope by the hour. I tried once a few years ago and pooped out after less than a minute.