So confused.....Dr. tells me to avoid this forum...

[SCAPER]

Argh!!! I'm so confused. I was diagnosed 7 days ago. Went through the immediate heartache that the diagnosis causes. But I also immediate started getting online and reading everything I could from this forum and lot of other sites relating to diabetes.

I immediately bought the best BG Meter I could find (One Touch Ultra Smart, PDA like meter) and began testing myself 7 times a day (before every meal, 2 hours after, and once again at night). I also immediately cut most all carbs, as they were obviously causing spikes in my BG levels. After 7 days and about 49 BG tests, I find that I can keep my BG levels under 140 most of the time, with just diet alone (very low carb). When I also add my 5mg of Glyburide tablet, I can get the BG level even lower - down to around the 69-90 range. But that only lasts 6 hrs. before it's effects seem to wear off.

So except for the few times when I've tried to add a LITTLE bit of carbs to my diet (and saw an immediate spike up to around 180-240 range) I've been able to control my BG levels very wall, IMHO. Someone tell me if I am wrong. But it seems to me that "eating to my meter" is serving me pretty well. When I do that, I can stay under 140 pretty consistently.

So today was my initial check up with a family physician (first meeting was just at the urgent care clinic and diagnosis for D was over the phone the next day after blood tests came back). I was excited to report to the Dr. that I already had this pretty well under control via diet changes and that I was monitoring my BG levels very regularly and had cut out carbs. But he didn't seem to really care about any of that. He said he wouldn't recommend checking that often. He wouldn't ever be looking at my numbers from my own tests and I am basically wasting my time.

I reported that I had cut carbs and this was keeping my BG levels under pretty good control. He poo-poo'd low-carb dieting, said it's not sustainable, said he wouldn't even be able to do a diet like that for more than 2-3 days himself so why would he expect anyone else to. He said I just need to watch my calories most of all. Not to be concerned so much about what my BG levels are. At most, he said, maybe test once a day.

I was happy to report I had started an exercise regimen of 30 minutes per day and - as soon as possible - I planned to increase that to 1 hr. per day, 7 days a week. He said that wasn't plausible, not with a family and kids, and said it was overly ambitious and I should cut my expectations down to something more reasonable and just exercise as much as I can.

I asked, "So I shouldn't be concerned about eating foods that make my BG spike up to 180 or even 240?" He said no. He was more concerned about my Hemoglobin A1C and I just needed to focus on a low-calorie diet and forget all about the carb counting stuff.

I mentioned this forum and how helpful it had been for me. He asked who was sponsoring the forum (as if it was a drug company trying to sell me on their drug or something). I said, "Nobody sponsors it. It's just an open forum of people with D." He said, " Stay away from that forum. Don't read that ****. I spend more time trying to convince people what they read on those places is wrong. It will just confuse you. If you want to read, read reputable websites like the Mayo Clinic, Clevelend Clinic and Diabetes.org. Those websites you can trust. That forum is just going to confuse you and is full of all sorts of bad information. Stay far away from that place. You'd be better off spending the 30 minutes you would have spent on that forum, just taking a 30 minute walk and getting some more exercise."

So now I am just confused. I thought I was doing the right things. I thought monitoring your levels regularly and eating to your meter was a good thing? He says that's just going to get me overly anxious and drive me crazy.

I think maybe I need to get a new family physician. Or maybe he's right. I am so confused now.....Are all Dr.s like this? Or would some Dr.s be very happy that I was monitoring so closely and that I was changing my diet and avoiding carbs so well? I expected him to be happy with how I had taken charge of my diabetes so quickly. But instead he seemed to think I was obsessing over it way too much and I just needed to focus on losing weight rather than monitoring BG at all.

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[fairyblood]

I think maybe I need to get a new family physician.

Don't think, Know you need a new doctor. If not for the poor advice (in my opinion) then for the disrespect that he has shown to you.

I am sure more people will chime in soon. I don't have type II so I won't comment more but I really would start look for somebody that is willing to work with you not dictate to you.

Also were does he think good A1c's come from? :confused: You have to have good numbers to have a good A1c.

[Grunch]

He was right about this forum having some bad information but I think you get a lot more bad information from him than from this forum. He seems like a total ********. I would change doctors immediately.

[ODAR]

When I was first dx - I too did all the reading exploring online etc. When I went in for my first 3 month checkup - Doc was pleased with my A1C levels but I got the impression from him that eventually my diabetes would progress to a complication state... invariably is what he said! Needless to say he took away the happy feeling I had from receiving a good A1C reading and was really depressed. BUT you know I still contiue to eat by my meter and not really rely on his negativity ( especially about cutting carbs) but - if I am feeling great within my body than there's all I can do for myself right now. I am certainly not going to STRESS about Doc's opionions. I have found out a long time ago that most DRs do not like alternative methods - no matter how sucessful the remedy maybe.:o

[DeusXM]

It depends on the doctor. I can imagine that one of the things that must be very frustrating for a doctor is that they spend, what, 7 years in medical school, rack up a massive debt they need to pay off, and then when they try to use all that knowledge and investment they've made over their life to try and help someone....they get a patient who decides they know better than their doctor because they've looked up something on the internet.

Now, I know some people will jump on here and say that all doctors are evil or stupid or whatever. NO, THEY ARE NOT.

Some doctors are dicks, and some doctors are great. The same can be said about their patients.

I can completely understand that some doctors are very cautious about their patients seeking information online because, as the spammers on this forum prove, there is a LOT of misinformation available - magic diets that cure diabetes, secret cures THAT DOCTORS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT!!!!!!, and just plain nonsense. All of these not only undermine your doc's professional authority, they also could be incredibly dangerous. We've all read stories about religious nutjobs managing to kill their kids by treating T1 through prayer and shaken our heads at such wilful stupidity, but the fact remains that a lot of us also probably at some point or another have paid some attention to some miracle diet or pill or food that will supposedly make it all better.

This forum is different. It is (as far as I know) the only diabetes forum in the entire world that is not linked to a charity or a pharmaceutical company or a hospital or a doctor or a diet. It is the only diabetes forum in the world that is completely independent and the only thing that binds this forum together is that all its members have diabetes or are close to someone with the condition. Heck, Tony, the owner barely even makes an appearance here but keeps the site running because he is a good person who recognises the value this site brings to all of us.

Because the only thing we have in common is the Big D, there will be a lot of contradicting advice. No one person here can give you the 'right' answer and all of us get confused by each other's advice. What works great for me might totally screw up someone else.

Bottom line is, your doc has to treat you as if you're stupid because he genuinely doesn't know whether or not you are, and it is safer for him professionally to keep you away from things that a stupid person might misinterpret. He's covering his back by trying to protect yours, from a legal perspective.

His points about low-carbing are to be expected, largely because of the missionary zeal many low-carbers espouse their views, it's very, very alienating. They're a bit like vegetarians in that respect. But if it works for you and makes your life easier, go for it.

The other point that your doctor is putting across (and it's this that tells me he's not that bad) is that he's clearly taking into account your psychological wellbeing - and this is something that often gets overlooked by individual people with diabetes. Your doc has probably seen hundreds, maybe thousands of people with diabetes and I bet he's seen a huge percentage of them try to take on too much at once, get burnt out and end up depressed and in poor health. Your doc KNOWS that if you obsess over your diabetes and spend your life trying to hit special numbers and weighing every carb that passes your lips. you WILL be psychologically far worse off for it.

There, I've given your doc a fair hearing. Now make sure he gives us a fair hearing too - get him to at least take a look at the forums.

And as for you, you keep coming back here, ok! With the wealth of experience and advice here, you'll be able to build your own personal diabetes management system, and at the very least, even if you don't take on any of the advice suggested here, you'll find popping in every now and again is very good for keeping yourself motivated. And you may find that some doctors are aware of this and are very supportive of these kinds of initiatives. I just wish they'd come here more often, it'd be great if we could get a few regular posters who actually work in the medical profession to join us.

[davef]

Downright confusing and frustrating isn't it!

The way I see it, you are an intelligent person who has a thrist for knowledge and wants to tackle your D and be in control of it. You should be encouraged by EVERYONE to do this and it is vitally important that you do take control and you are taking the right steps to do that.

When it comes to Doctors (and thankfully I have a great family physician) the way I look at it is, they are part of your care team, they work for you and when it comes down to it you are the Leader of the team. If a team member is not performing you either bench them and bring in a substitute. The question you need to ask yourself about your current doctor is: "Can I work with this person, is (s)he open to listening to me, learning and working with me" in my opinion if the answer to any of those questions is no then you need to look for a new doctor.

The thing about General Practitioners is that they are "General" they don't specialise, I'm most certainly not running them down for that, there are fantastic Doctors and for me the best are those who are willing to admit they don't have all the answers but are willing to learn with you.

As far as his advice about testing, well I think that is simply wrong but I believe sadly it is NOT uncommon. Part of the problem is that a huge amount of T2's are not willing to make changes to their lifestyle, diet or test - they want to pop a pill and continue as before. So many doctors have extremely low expectations of T2's, so they are happy if they can get a T2 to test once or twice a day. The major issue is that this does not help people (like us) who are ready, willing and able to take control, make the changes necessary.

From my own experience with these forums and testing, all I can say is that I made rapid progress and improvements by being a member here and learning from other diabetics who have years of experience.

Whether or not you low carb, I do believe that testing is key. If you test once (or even twice) a day, you are learning nothing about how your meals are impact on your BG levels or how your control is during the day. I found the following testing plan really helped me:

Test morning
Test before each meal and two hours after first bite, to learn how the food you eat impacts on your BG
Test before bed

As for low carbing, well the amount of carbs you eat really is your decision, some people eat very low carb and do well others, find moderating the carb intake works best for them. It is through testing you learn what to eat and what is best avoided.

If you haven't got it, then I suggest you get a book called "The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes" written by Gretchen Becker. I found it easy to read and very informative.

In the end what I find it comes down to is learning as much as you can from the experience of others, remember that what works for them may not work for you (ymmv) and to use what does work for you and drop what doesn't - it's about applying common sense to what you are learning.

[Larry H.]

This is way too common. Not so much that doctors might discourage your independent research, but that often they seem somewhat oblivious of the most simple things one needs to do to help stave off farther complications.
In my own case, a young new doctor came into our town to replace the older doctor. He was the first one to point out that my glucose reading on a health fair test was above the Type II breakpoint and that he felt I needed to start paying attention to the situation. He gave me the Medline Diabetes site as a reference and good place to find information. I used it alot at first. (recently it seems it has been redone and I can't seem to find some of what I liked there). At any rate it is a combination of all the Major groups ADM and other hospitals and groups that treat diabetics. It was there I learned how many carbs were suggested as a diet. Oddly some here seem to feel they are horribly restrictive when in fact they are way above what I see people often say they are eating. Mostly 50 for breakfast and under 70 for the next two meals with small snacks in between.
At first like your experience I found that the after meal numbers were higher than I liked often. Say for me in the 150 to 190 range. That was even with a much lowered carb level. I was also impressed by the statements on all major sites that if caught reasonably early, diet and exercise was the most effective way to begin correcting the problem. So I resisted medication and still do. That is my choice and I had the luxury of that decision. Some do not due to extreme conditions when they are diagnosed. So what I found was that the addition of a half hour a day walking briskly and lowered carbs slowly began to show results. I think I was fortunate so far in that now I can get lower readings while perhaps eating a bit more than I did at first. In fact a lot lower often. Last night after fish fillet, shredded potatoes, green beans, two 4 carb soy muffins with a bit of low sugar apple butter and two scoops of 4 carb ice cream and sugar free chocolate, I got a 125. For that I am thankful. I know some couldn't do it. I also can eat two slices of whole wheat low sugar,carb, bread and chips at lunch with no major problems either. I don't know if cutting back early helped to recover some function or not?
Bottom line, the new doctor left to become, guess what, a diabetic specialist. So the old doctor is filling in with yet another new doctor. His reactions were that I didn't need to worry about my readings and just eat what I wanted. Well I knew better than than one. I like the doctors but it is a catch twenty two. If you take control of the spiraling numbers some doctors then think, well your fine don't worry. Trying to explain to them that the only reason my numbers look somewhat more normal is what I am doing, is frustrating. But I take it with the territory. I rely mostly on those professional sites as well as this forum from time to time now that I have things more under control.
You have to take the good with the bad and as Deus mentioned not everything works the same for everyone. Many tell me that what I eat would cause large spikes for them, so I can only say that it works for me at this time. That of course is subject to change as everyone seems to agree.

[MCS]

There are good doctors and bad doctors, there are bad doctors that listen to you, there is good doctors that do not listen to you. You have found a bad doctor that will not listen. I would move on to the next doctor. What we do, my wife and I is start asking questions to neighbors, friends, relatives, find out who they see and what they think of thier doctor, go from there.

[fgummett]

Imagine you are responsible for the heating/cooling system in a warehouse storing valuable art-work, you must maintain the temperature within a given range to preserve the art-work... you have a choice between either:

1) installing an automatic thermostat that turns the heating/cooling unit up or down as needed, 4 times a day

OR

2) installing a meter that records the average (mean) temperature in the warehouse over a 3 month period... every 3 months you set the heating/cooling unit based on the previous 3 month's average, then leave it alone for the next 3 months

Which method do you think would keep the temperature closer to the given range for more of the time... as well as being the most cost effective..?

[jer.lawrence]

While I agree with DuesXM to a certain degree, I also think that the doctor may not be putting enough faith in you. When I went to my doc the first time and got my Dx, he told me kind of the same thing.

-Watch what you eat -- eat less processed food.
-Try to get exercise at least 30 minutes three times a week
-Test your sugar Once or Twice a day.

He told me what ranges I should be shooting for (under 140 after meals, and under 100 fasting). He emphasized that I should take small steps at first because "anything better than what you're doing now will be better for you."

The problem with that was, the Dx scared me, and I did a flip-180 degree turn. I got on this forum that same day and started reading. I started testing my sugar upon waking, before and 2h after each meal. I found what foods worked and didn't work for me, and I ate to my meter.

I went back to see the doc about 3 weeks later. My fasting numbers for the last 7 days had been on average about 98-103, and my total 7-day average on my meter (before and after meals) was around 114 or 116 or so. (I was 320 fasting at Dx)

The doctor's words were, "WOW. I still don't think you need to be testing so often, but whatever you're doing is working, so keep it up."

I liked that answer and I guess I feel like that's the same sort of thing your Doc should have said to you.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. :) Have a good day.

[foxl]

Frank - what a GREAT analogy! I always admire a good one.

I think that sweeping advice like your GP has given you is good for exactly nothing. YMMV is our byword here (yes even me!), and seriously, he is implying you have no filter? That is kinda presumptuous.

I think the best thing is to use the forums and your MDs advice as a springboard -- start here, ask if you think it is worth pursuing, research elsewhere, then try applying an idea.

My Internist, whom I will stick with along with my endo, is STILL asking me if I ever have lows :confused: and I am only on met and the only time I EVER had lows was after glimepiride which I was on for ten days!

But my Endo in some ways has LESS common sense (wants me to up my carbs, and someday add JANUVIA?).

So anyhow: it is up to YOU to synthesize recommendations from a number of sources, and treat yourself based on them: including your MD(s) AND here, and other information from books and websites. Sadly, we are truly each on our own.

[sarahspins]

He asked who was sponsoring the forum (as if it was a drug company trying to sell me on their drug or something).

Why would being sponsored by a drug company make this forum (or any other D forum) more "reputable" in a doctor's eyes? That's just silly....

I don't think you necessarily need a few family doc, but you should likely move on to seeing someone else for your D care, like an Endo. If you need a referral with your insurance, don't be afraid to ask for or demand one :)

[Subby]

I thought the point about the drug companies is that we are all likely to be in the pay or sway of a certain drug or company. Heh. The most pushed single product around here is spam (though admirably cleaned up by the mods). I think it's vile stuff, myself, but then again it's probably pretty good for your blood sugars.

[jkane13]

What everyone said! Good and bad Doctors. And some are good at some things and bad at others. If the guy can't sustain a low carb diet for 2-3 days so no one else should, then get aq doctor who understands diabetes, not one who uses his own health as the measure for what everyone else can do!

Not to say low carb is the ONLY answer. But, to outright say that because you did your own tests and they are not his, they don't matter is downright snobby. I had a doctor like that and never went back to him. Much happier now.

Find a doctor who has an interest in helping you, not in proving the validity of his professional opinion.

[DeusXM]

Why would being sponsored by a drug company make this forum (or any other D forum) more "reputable" in a doctor's eyes? That's just silly....

I suspect he was hoping it would be sponsored by a drug company so he could dismiss the forum's advice as being targeted to get you to take the sponsoring drug....

[kgm0612]

It sounds to me like YOU have your diabetes under control. Keep doing what you're doing and the next time you get your A1c done and the doctor tells you "that's terrific" you can tell him it's because you didn't listen to HIM!

Karen

[TomT127]

Seems very presumptuous of your doctor to make that kind of statement. Me, I can't imagine having this disease before Al Gore invented the internet and we had forums like this. What a great way to learn about a very difficult disease. As long as you understand that what works for one person may not work for another, you can only benefit from this community.

[inkvisitor]

Your doctor sounds like a jerk from how you described it. A belittling, condescending, unsupportive, uninformed jerk. Who knows how many other patients he has that he says this BS to.
I would file a complaint.

I mean come on: "He said he wouldn't recommend checking that often. He wouldn't ever be looking at my numbers from my own tests and I am basically wasting my time."

"He poo-poo'd low-carb dieting, said it's not sustainable, said he wouldn't even be able to do a diet like that for more than 2-3 days himself so why would he expect anyone else to."

"Not to be concerned so much about what my BG levels are. At most, he said, maybe test once a day."

"I was happy to report I had started an exercise regimen of 30 minutes per day and - as soon as possible - I planned to increase that to 1 hr. per day, 7 days a week. He said that wasn't plausible, not with a family and kids..."

Bye bye to him!

[Subby]

I agree with Inkvisitor.

Lots of doctors may have idiosyncracies or be a bit rigid here and there, or be a bit pessimistic, or tend to ignore patient interaction, but on the whole be a reasonably positive, useful influence on your health. So, you might take the good with the bad. But this one seems to have written the book on minimising your involvement (what you do really does very little, stop thinking, testing, and just exercise), and destroying your outlook towards options (hey, you might try low carb and actually (gasp) like it! Or settle down with "lower carb") along with however else he can make himself the major player in your diabetes management. Wrong.

On the whole it appears he was being a negative know-it-all at your expense. And, doctors may sometimes be very knowledgable and very wise, but it never excuses that kind of dismissive attitude. Can anyone say "power trip"? More importantly, can you afford to risk your health with someone engaged in such activity?

[sarahspins]

I think it's vile stuff, myself, but then again it's probably pretty good for your blood sugars.

Maybe, but it's *loaded* with fat :T

[princesslinda]

As time passes, you'll learn lots of things to help in your diabetes management. The forum is just another tool in your tool box, just like your meter, your meds, your diet, your exercise and your doctor.

Remember, while you'll get tons of advice (good and bad, from many different sources), YOU are the one who has to decide what works for you. Your doctor can tell you what he feels is best for you, the forum can offer advice as well, but ultimately it's your life, your decisions. I'm all for learning as much as I can about diabetes, as i'll spend the rest of my life trying to keep it in check. Your doctor is not the one who'll suffer if your blood sugars are out of control. He works for you.

[notme]

Like us, all doctors are different. My endo recommends this place to his patients.

I agree with Linda that you have to use Diabetes Forums as a tool, but not take anything as gospel from any one source. I certainly get new perspectives from this site and hear about new things that I never would have though of on my own. However, I discuss things with my endo as I trust his input. He knows I will read and decide on my own. He is wanting me on statins and I am battling back. He is completely understanding and lets me have time to think about it, research it and try other methods first.

I think you have to decide for yourself about your doctor, the forums and your treatment plan. You will be the one who lives with your decisions. ;)

[dbaratta]

I think maybe I need to get a new family physician. Or maybe he's right. I am so confused now.....Are all Dr.s like this? Or would some Dr.s be very happy that I was monitoring so closely and that I was changing my diet and avoiding carbs so well? I expected him to be happy with how I had taken charge of my diabetes so quickly. But instead he seemed to think I was obsessing over it way too much and I just needed to focus on losing weight rather than monitoring BG at all.

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[/QUOTE]

This forum is just to bounce ideas off of one another and not to be taken above the advice of a professional. Some docs are better than others, (just an opinion) but if he has concerns maybe you should give him the site info and let him check it out for himself. You sound like you are doing really well with diet and exercise. He is just concerned for you it sounds like......:D

[ShottleBop]

Maybe, but it's *loaded* with fat :T

According to Nutrition Data, it's "mildly anti-inflammatory."

I'm the only one in my family who likes Spam. Maybe once every 6 or 7 months I'll buy a can and have fried Spam. It has only 2 grams of carbs per serving, and a glycemic load of 1. (Fortunately, I don't have an issue with sodium content.)

[notme]

I think maybe I need to get a new family physician. Or maybe he's right. I am so confused now.....Are all Dr.s like this? Or would some Dr.s be very happy that I was monitoring so closely and that I was changing my diet and avoiding carbs so well? I expected him to be happy with how I had taken charge of my diabetes so quickly. But instead he seemed to think I was obsessing over it way too much and I just needed to focus on losing weight rather than monitoring BG at all.

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:



This forum is just to bounce ideas off of one another and not to be taken above the advice of a professional. Some docs are better than others, (just an opinion) but if he has concerns maybe you should give him the site info and let him check it out for himself. You sound like you are doing really well with diet and exercise. He is just concerned for you it sounds like......:D

I think this is really a personal call. If you trust your doctor and have a good rapport, then by all means stick with him. If you are feeling uncomfortable or not trusting your physician, I would definitely try out a few others.

[Laty]

Change Your doctor immediately

and congrats for Your own good work so far !

[SCAPER]

I suspect he was hoping it would be sponsored by a drug company so he could dismiss the forum's advice as being targeted to get you to take the sponsoring drug....

Exactly. He was hoping the forum I was referring to was related to a drug company and then he could dismiss the entire forum as coming from a bias source. But even after I told him it was an independent forum he still said I should stay far away.

[yannah]

I had a crapy doctor once, same kinda thing, got a new one. both my pcp and endo support my low carbing. its sustainable - been doing it for over a year. my PCP loves my need for bs control, says he wishes all his diabetes had this much OCD around control.

I can't imagine what would have happened had I let my first doctor bring me down. would I have lst 80 lbs? no. would I be off actos and in range? would I be off my statin? I doubt it.

He mad me so sad the last day I saw that man. I went in all pumped up about my improvements and new diet and he poo-pooed me. He also said T2 do not have DP. whatever.

[MCS]

After reading the original post it has come to mind that this doctor is lacking in self confidence. When you approached him with all of your positive efforts he immediately went on the defense, when he should have been congradulating you and coaching you to do more. If you fail at trying to do more, thats better than failing at doing little or nothing as he wanted you to do. Most older and wiser doctors will applaud pat. input, they welcome it, the ones that are interested in your well being and not paying all thier med education bills. My wife and both have been to doctors who ignore our input, we don't see them anymore.

One more item and I will get off my soap box: If all he was interested in was getting your A1C down, how did he think that was going to happen if you do not monitor your BG.

[Larry H.]

Remember the treatment and results are very dependent on what your yourself accomplish. Of course the doctor will guide you in some ways, but often as perhaps in my case, the doctor isn't really sufficiently up on the subject to want to rely completely on him alone. In fact, if I had I would be in way worse shape now after two years than I was before.

So bottom line, your the one to make the decision. If your comfortable knowing what the doctor thinks, then keep him but do what you want, its not his call or business to say you should not seek the help of others who are going though what you are. Sure there is some strange ideas bouncing around here from time to time, but hey it sounds like the doctor has a few him self. I had to learn for myself and this site is one of my resources, I am very glad I found it and I think you will be as well. Just don't bring it up any more with him and let him think he is all in control, that will make him happy. But if you learn something here that helps, thats fine too.

[notme]

I think it is important to remember that we are all different in how we approach our relationship with our doctors. I question mine all the time and he doesn't seem to mind. I don't hesitate to question.

I would never assume that just because a doctor didn't agree with me, that he was wrong. However, if you can't talk to your doctor, and you can't question him without being told that you are over thinking things, then I would probably change.

This is one of those cases where your gut is probably your best advisor.

[butterflykisses]

I would look for another doctor, one that is willing to work with you, not dismiss you. I had a PCP that was just like that. Was totally deaf to anything that HE didn't suggest. It's frustrating. There are doctors who are not full of themselves and open to other ideas, you'll be much happier finding one like that.

[GeishaGirl]

I think maybe I need to get a new family physician. Or maybe he's right. I am so confused now.....Are all Dr.s like this? Or would some Dr.s be very happy that I was monitoring so closely and that I was changing my diet and avoiding carbs so well? I expected him to be happy with how I had taken charge of my diabetes so quickly. But instead he seemed to think I was obsessing over it way too much and I just needed to focus on losing weight rather than monitoring BG at all.

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:



Here's an example of a good doc, in my opinion:

When I decided I wanted a pump, I did everything myself. By the time I went to my endo and told her what I wanted, she said "Okay, first you need to..." "Did that." "Okay, then the next step is...." "Did that." "Okay, then you need to call the insurance company and...." "Did that. Actually, all I need you to do is fill out this form of medical need and fax it to my insurance company." She CRACKED UP and said, "Wow, you don't need me for anything but signing prescriptions, do you? GOOD."

She also told me that I'll wind up knowing more about diabetes than she will, just by living with it every minute of every day. Nowadays, she just takes down my basals, asks me what I'm doing to lose weight (*sigh*) and writes me out a prescription for more insulin.

This is YOUR condition, YOUR body. Therefore, you have to take control of it. Don't let anyone tell you different.

[matingara]

Imagine you are responsible for the heating/cooling system in a warehouse storing valuable art-work, you must maintain the temperature within a given range to preserve the art-work... you have a choice between either:

1) installing an automatic thermostat that turns the heating/cooling unit up or down as needed, 4 times a day

OR

2) installing a meter that records the average (mean) temperature in the warehouse over a 3 month period... every 3 months you set the heating/cooling unit based on the previous 3 month's average, then leave it alone for the next 3 months

Which method do you think would keep the temperature closer to the given range for more of the time... as well as being the most cost effective..?

great analogy frankie!!! now imagine that this doctor needs to look after 10's if not 100's of warehouses!!!

imagine what conclusion he has reached in order to maintain a plausible workload...

:)

-- joel.

[xMenace]

Before DF I was on all my doctors **** lists. Since DF I've been their best patient. I'm routinely told I have the best numbers of the day and of the vast majority of cases.

Yes this place is loaded with ****, but my honest opinion is the doctors are loaded with more. I had a nurse practitioner actually tell me I only need to test three times a day. My endo told me he doesn't really know how to tune basal rates. My DE has no time for such fooloshness. I really hate to think where I'd be without all this **** I'm fed here.:eek:

[foxl]

I really do not know what I would have done without DF. I have a funny feeling I would be on Lantus and not have lsot much weight, maybe after another DKA, and feeling very, very inadequate to control my blood sugar.

As it is, I went to the Retinologist and his asst who took my history softly remarked, "A1c of 5.5. We don't see that very often."

[gettingby]

I've told my endo about this site and he thinks it's great that I have the support and advice that I do here. I get ideas to bounce off of him and he takes the time to discuss it with me. I have both personal experiences and his knowledge to go on to make informed decisions.

[Larry H.]

That first doctor I had that warned me of the problem said after a while that he would be out of business if only everyone would do as I was doing. Sadly he said, 99% aren't.

[cyberus]

If what you are doing is improving your BGL and overall health and your doctor is against what you are doing just exactly who is your doctor working for?

[yannah]

I agree with what Nancy said about not having to be right all the time or agree wtih your doctor.

but when you are all happy and making progress and getting support and seeing results, and you docotr is like "big deal"
or "you test too much"

that sucks.

My doctor is just always happy with my enthusiasm. I like that.
we argue some things, but alot of the time he just answers with "Keep doing what you are doing, its working for you"

[Abra]

Any doctor that thinks that you don't need to inform yourself about your condition, both intellectually and by physical testing, and who denigrates your efforts to become healthy, not only has his head at the wrong end of his anatomy but is a menace to society in general.

[pdxdennisj]

This forum is like anything else on the internet...good bad and ugly. There is a lot of just bad info here as well as some good advise. I read the stuff here mainly as a daily reminder that I have Diabetes and I need to take care of myself. Before I adopt any of the stuff I read here I check to see if it comports with what the various medical societies and university medical schools say (Harvard, Johns Hopkins, etc).

[gingercake]

This is what I asked myself: am I going to only take advice from my doctor, who has never had diabetes and never been more than 5 lbs overweight, or am I going to listen to the experience of hundreds of real people who have lived with diabetes for years?

Not that you can't listen to both, IF you have a good doctor. But yours sounds like one of those defeatist *******s with no faith in his patients' ability to change.

Personally, I usually only check in with the forums once every few weeks because sometimes the amount of information overwhelms me and I get bummed by the recurring arguments, etc. And, yeah, not all the info here is gold. But your doctor is basically saying: "don't have hope, don't set the bar high for yourself, expect the least then you won't be disappointed, you're screwed and we're all going to **** in a hand basket." I wouldn't take advice from anyone with that worldview - a teacher, doctor, lawyer, parent.

Sure, maybe you will settle into testing less. Maybe you will start to tolerate more carbs later. Who knows. But what you're doing now isn't going to HURT you - it's helping you now physically, and helping you mentally by giving you a feeling of being in control. Trust your gut!

[notme]

I guess you just have to know, when you are researching about a condition or illness, there is some excellent information on the internet and there is some terrible information. Knowing how to sort through it, or knowing that you should take some of the questions for your trusted doctor, is a good thing. No research, you do on the internet, is a bad thing. How you process that information and use it, can be dangerous or it can be helpful. You need a trusted partner, with a medical background (if you don't have one) to sort through it all.

If you trust your doctors advice, then stick with him. If you don't, then find a new one.

[fgummett]

I think it is important to recognise that Diabetes is not like many of the sicknesses for which we visit our Doctors... for example: if I had an acute infection I'd trust my Doctor to take the necessary steps, blood tests, swabs, antibiotics, hospitalisation or whatever it takes -- in much the same way as I would go to the experts for anything outside my sphere of experience... for example: if I needed my house rewired. I'm involved to some extent, but mostly I'm pretty much just along for the ride... almost a passive bystander as it were.

Diabetes is not an acute illness... it is a complex, chronic condition, that required me to step up to the mark and become actively involved on a daily basis, probably for the rest of my life.

I guess the analogy still holds in that: if I had an electrical problem at home, which required constant maintenance and repairs, I'd pretty quickly become an "expert" in that as well... but only in so far as it related to my problem at my home...

I'm certainly not saying I would become an expert electrician... although some of the experience gained might be applied to more general electrical issues.

[cyberus]

Imagine you are responsible for the heating/cooling system in a warehouse storing valuable art-work, you must maintain the temperature within a given range to preserve the art-work... you have a choice between either:

1) installing an automatic thermostat that turns the heating/cooling unit up or down as needed, 4 times a day

OR

2) installing a meter that records the average (mean) temperature in the warehouse over a 3 month period... every 3 months you set the heating/cooling unit based on the previous 3 month's average, then leave it alone for the next 3 months

Which method do you think would keep the temperature closer to the given range for more of the time... as well as being the most cost effective..?

GREAT analogy !!!!
<applause>

[fgummett]

Many thanks Cyberus, Joel and Linda... although with all honesty I must admit that I'm pretty sure I borrowed at least the idea of the HVAC analogy from someone else... possibly our resident Mad Doctor (rotcoddam) who I have not seen around here in a while :)

[ATHiker95]

I find that educating myself through forums like this and gleaning tidbits from Dr Eades,Dr Sears, Dr Bernstein,etc,etc and watching my carbs while exercising daily usually trumps your average doc's input (which distressingly is usually the same ol' "that Internet stuff is quackery"). My endo doc is a pretty nice guy, but his first inclination if my HBA1C is higher than normal is to put me on drugs, rather than discuss diet or exercise. I guess he's seen too many who don't have the will power necessary for that. Usually high numbers will scare me into getting back on the bandwagon.

[huskerdan25]

While I agree with DuesXM to a certain degree, I also think that the doctor may not be putting enough faith in you. When I went to my doc the first time and got my Dx, he told me kind of the same thing.

-Watch what you eat -- eat less processed food.
-Try to get exercise at least 30 minutes three times a week
-Test your sugar Once or Twice a day.

He told me what ranges I should be shooting for (under 140 after meals, and under 100 fasting). He emphasized that I should take small steps at first because "anything better than what you're doing now will be better for you."

The problem with that was, the Dx scared me, and I did a flip-180 degree turn. I got on this forum that same day and started reading. I started testing my sugar upon waking, before and 2h after each meal. I found what foods worked and didn't work for me, and I ate to my meter.

I went back to see the doc about 3 weeks later. My fasting numbers for the last 7 days had been on average about 98-103, and my total 7-day average on my meter (before and after meals) was around 114 or 116 or so. (I was 320 fasting at Dx)

The doctor's words were, "WOW. I still don't think you need to be testing so often, but whatever you're doing is working, so keep it up."

I liked that answer and I guess I feel like that's the same sort of thing your Doc should have said to you.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. :) Have a good day.

I had a great reaction from my doctor who takes a holistic approach and prefers to recommend supplements than prescription meds. I was diagnosed with a 11.1 A1C and I was sure that I would be put on oral meds or insulin or both. But I had started a low carb (Dr. B) diet 3 weeks before diagnosis and seeing my doctor and when I told him that I had done that and all of my symptoms had disappeared, he told me that he supported my decisions and that because I was pro-active and made needed changes before even seeing him, that he trusted me that I could do this on my own with diet and exercise and without meds. I know for a fact there are doctors out there that would have immediately put me on meds.

That trust from my doctor was very reassuring and gave me even more confidence that I could get control of my BGs. A month later, my average BGs after testing around 160 times in 4 weeks is 113 and it is 110 in the last week (about 50 tests). I email him the reports from the software that comes with my Accu-Check Aviva and he is absolutely thrilled and continues to encourage me that this is a life-long change, not temporary.

If I had gone to your doctor, I would have walked out of his office and would never go back. I personally think that you have taken the right steps and you are seeing improvements which means you are moving in the right direction. It is very easy to test if going with the ADA diet is right for you or not. I used to eat similar to the ADA diet (without knowing it) and I was averaging over 300 BG resulting in my 11.1 A1C! So, that made it very clear to me that that was not the right direction to go. And if my doctor had directed me in that direction, I would have walked out of his office and found a new doctor.

Forums and newsgroups are helpful but what you are doing, eating to your meter is the best advice anyone of us can give you. To just lower your calorie intake and don't worry about testing sounds like bad advice to me.

Good luck in getting/continuing your BG controlled! And find a doctor that is supportive of your success.

[Oldlady]

Be aware that just because you are keeping your blood sugar low doesn't mean you are cured - simply that you are managing your symptoms.
You are the one primarily responsible for your health - you are the one who must take charge.
If you feel you need to take your blood sugar reading 50 times a day, that's your business. Or 4 times. Or just 2 - up to you.
The medications you take may relieve your symptoms and lower your blood sugar, but they do not take away your diagnosis. If you abandon your efforts, you will have already lost the battle. You are in the driver's seat. The person who sits down in the middle of the race or pulls over to the side and quits loses the race.
Just take a deep breath.
You will have to sift through the information you find here and other places and evaluate it. You have a long life before you and you will need to use the regimens and information you are learning about for many years to come.
I can't advise you on whether this is the doctor for you. I know my own doctor listens to my ideas, and if she thinks they are good, she will go with them, if not, she lets me know the reason. I appreciate that. Both she and I are agreed that I am the one who must learn to manage my treatment. I must do all the research and I always have the final say on my treatment. That is my legal right as a patient.