Not Being Treated Right By Doctors for Type 2

by Sheri
(USA)

In many ways, I can see the sense of the advice I've been given to manage my diabetes as being all that's necessary for an elderly patient, who may have compliance issues or simply not need to exercise strict control given their likely lifespan. On the other hand, I'm in my early 40s and newly diagnosed as Type 2 - I have perhaps another 40 years to live with this disease, and the advice I have been given is wildly inappropriate for anyone willing to work at blood glucose & lipid control. An example - on diagnosis, I was told to lose weight by following a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. I ate a bowl of high fibre cereal, and my BG levels went from 8 to 29 mmol/l. A slice of bread doubled my reading. Anything above the mid-7s is hurting your eyes and your kidneys; long-term levels that high are increasing risk of heart attack and stroke. I want to be able to maintain blood glucose levels as near as possible to non-diabetic ones, to minimise the risk of complications. The UKPDS study, the definitive UK study on diabetes, proved that, for every percentage point over normal for the HbA1c reading, the risk of both micro and macro complications increases; and yet I am unable to get a prescription for blood test strips, because my PCT finds giving diabetes drugs out the cheaper option. So far, my experience of diabetes has been positive - I really like the new, slimmer, fitter me - but my experience of the health profession has been stressful beyond belief. I am trying not to be the blind dialysis patient in a wheelchair because of the neuropathy - but my PCT is actively hindering that aim.