I feel like total crap. I can't breathe through my nose, my throat is sore and breathing through my mouth aggravates it. My head feels like it's been stuffed full of cotton wool. I'm feeling completely dehydrated. I can't take anything for it. Blah.
G had a slight hiccup in this diabetes issue last night. Our GP was absolutely useless when he went to visit him. He dismissed diabetes as 'people are really wound up about all this nonsense these days' and suggested G try some pills for a couple of weeks and then come back. Oh, and not to bother testing his sugars in the meantime. He also refused to fill out the referral form. G was horrified by this, naturally. Apparently older generation Doctors often don't take Diabetes seriously :(
G called the clinic at the hospital who were horrified to hear this. They said look, this can wait a few days, it cannot wait 2 weeks. Come anyway.
Anyway, he then went off to see another Doc who took it very seriously indeed. He checked his BP (high), urine (Ketones), Eyes (fortunately no sugar deposits visible), requisitioned a million different blood tests, and filled out the referral immediately complete with a request for a consultation with an Endocrinologist. G said 'I did the right thing in coming to you then' and the guy said 'Diabetes is very serious. You have it. It needs treating right away, your sugars are very high indeed, YES you did the right thing'.
So he's gone off this morning to have his blood work done, and then he'll start on the pills which should hopefully bring his sugar down to an acceptable level. If it doesn't work, it means Type 1 Diabetes and Insulin, so he needs to keep testing and see what they say on Thursday at the Clinic. The GP wants him back on Monday also for a follow up.
Posted by katie at May 11, 2004 09:27 AMPersonally if it was in the UK I'd refer the first doctor to the GMC for malpractice... either that or rip his throat out, would depend on how my sugars were doing ;) I tend to have a short fuse with stupid doctors who threten my health.
Glad to see the second one wasn't relying on 50 year old textbooks then!
Posted by: Aka at May 11, 2004 09:41 AMIt's amazing how differently G was treated by various medical folks. It's not difficult to see that diabetes is a serious disease and it's hardly a secret that if it's not treated it can lead to bad things happening - blindness, impotence, amputations, minor stuff like that.
Our old family doctor probably would have had the same reaction. She wasn't much use. Fortunately she retired many years ago. And when I needed a new GP after moving in from the burbs, I made a point of looking for one who's neither too old nor too young - old enough that he's no longer wet behind the ears, young enough to have had a relatively modern med school.
Hopefully G can get his sugar under control soon and not need a lifetime of needles.
Posted by: Steve at May 12, 2004 11:29 AMMy dad is also on Metformin pills, he is a late onset type 2. They have worked wonders, and he has (with the help of a healthy controlled diet also) got no problems, his eyes are clear and his bloodwork is fine each time.
Posted by: Boo at May 13, 2004 10:33 AM