concerned...
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deejayy89
Posts: 144 Member
So I was recently (Feb 2012) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Type 1 runs on both sides of my family. The dr I went to has known me since I was little, treats my family, and knows my family history very well. I knew going into the appointment that I was diabetic as I had been monitoring for over a year on my own and it being in the 200-300 range and I was treating myself with insulin (I didn't have insurance). When I went to the dr all she did was was do a finger prick, it registered at 215 and she said "yep, you're diabetic", she didn't do any other tests to see if it was type 1 or 2 or anything (I didn't tell her I had been monitoring it on my own, all I said was I had been having symptoms). She put me on 500mg metformin 2 times a day and told me to check my blood sugar whenever I felt like it (almost like its not a big deal to check it regularly) and to lose 4lbs by time I came back. I went back at the beginning of this month, I had lost the 4lbs and my avg sugar reading has been around 140. My thought is that's better then what it was, but still not great. I was shocked when she said "well you keep this up and we might be able to come off 1 of the pills by time you come back" (which isn't until the end of May). I'm wondering if this sounds weird to anybody else and would I be wrong to go to an endocrinologist on my own without my drs referral. I just know the affects diabetes has on the body, and I don't feel like she is taking it seriously.
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If you're concerned, you should really see another doctor or a specialist. I've learned that you CAN NOT blindly trust doctors. They are people too and sometimes they make mistakes and bad judgement calls. You have to be your own advocate. If you want more tests run, ask for more tests!
You're doing the right thing being on MFP and trying to lose weight. It's quite possible that if you lose enough weight, you won't be diabetic anymore. My mother was diabetic for 10 years and then lost 50 lbs and is no longer!
My friend has BOTH Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes (yes, it's possible) and she has to be super vigilant about what she eats. She cut out all sugars except fruit and is healthier than me now! We have so much candy, cake, and sweets at my work and she never gives in and eats any of them. She was my inspiration to start eating healthy and join MFP.
Believe in yourself and advocate for yourself and you can do anything.0 -
i agree with angela about being your own advocate.
your doctor needs to run an A1C test. this is the average of the last 3 months of your blood glucose levels. there is no test to see if you are type 1 or 2. she can determine that by talking to you. i would ask for more tests and more information or go see and endro if doctor doesn't perform them. diabetes isn't something to just pass off. you can lose your limbs, sight, life if not taken care of.
when i went in for a routine check up i asked for an A1C to be done. (had gestational diabetes years before, so had test done yearly). he came back into the office and said "so your diabetic right". i said "no", he responds with, "oh, you are now. here go to this class and take this medication". i went to class the next day, learned what i was to do, and changed doctors. never went back to that practice again. got a letter from the practice 2 months later telling me my A1c was 7.5. i needed to see a doctor and gets my medication and class information.
good luck to you.0 -
You should definitely change doctors, mostly so that you can feel comfortable speaking to him/her and have confidence in their knowledge & skills. An endocrinologist would be ideal. You absolutely need to tell this doc that you've been taking the insulin. I hope you're not still taking it with the metformin. The metformin dose is probably not even accurate b/c you were using the insulin. Keep a close watch on your readings every morning. They should be lower than 120. Have a protein with every meal to balance the carbs. Keep your carbs below 55% of your total calories (1500 cal x 55% / 4 c/g = 206 g of carbs p/d. I'll send you a friend request if you want to look at my food diary for some ideas. I have my macros set very low so don't get nervous when you see I'm over my sugar & fats every day, lol. Drop me a message if you have any questions. Good luck.0
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There are tests that will tell you if your pancreas is failing to make enough insulin which would place you more in the t1 category. The assumption by many drs (and it is usually, but not always, correct) is that if you are type 1 that will be discovered because at some point your system will get so overloaded with sugar that you will reach a crisis and end up in the hospital. There is another type that is often referred to as 1.5 or LADA that is like a slow onset T1.
Met is pretty much the standard med for T2 to start on. It seems to be working for you. You may be able to reduce your dose if you lose weight and exercise more or you may not.
If you don't feel your dr. is treating you in a way you are comfortable with then by all means find another dr. or see an endo. I have a very sweet, caring dr. who is just a GP. He just started at the practice I go to. I think he is going to be pretty highly trainable and I don't have good enough insurance to change drs. anyway.0 -
Always trust your instincts.. DO see another doctor. Did she even talk to you about seeing a nutritionist or diabetes educator? I'm with you - it sounds a little weird. When I was diagnosed by dr had a long talk with me about what I needed to do, referred me to the nutritionist and explained my meds to me. I know that this is your family doctor, but you shd find a dr that makes you feel comfortable.0
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It is your body and you have to live in it. Trust your feelings. My opinion is that you need a new doctor.0
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i agree with angela about being your own advocate.
your doctor needs to run an A1C test. this is the average of the last 3 months of your blood glucose levels. there is no test to see if you are type 1 or 2. she can determine that by talking to you. i would ask for more tests and more information or go see and endro if doctor doesn't perform them. diabetes isn't something to just pass off. you can lose your limbs, sight, life if not taken care of.
when i went in for a routine check up i asked for an A1C to be done. (had gestational diabetes years before, so had test done yearly). he came back into the office and said "so your diabetic right". i said "no", he responds with, "oh, you are now. here go to this class and take this medication". i went to class the next day, learned what i was to do, and changed doctors. never went back to that practice again. got a letter from the practice 2 months later telling me my A1c was 7.5. i needed to see a doctor and gets my medication and class information.
good luck to you.
This...you definitely need an A1C test. That's the basis, you also should have a complete blood work done to check cholesterol, etc. I'm not going to comment on you taking insulin on your own, but I wouldn't combine that with the metformin, another cheap medication is glipizide that stimulates the pancreas.
My doctor didn't run a test on me to see if I was type 1 or 2 but....I believe there is a test to see how much insulin you have in your blood stream. If you have an abundance of insulin in your blood stream but sugar is still high that means you are insulin resistant and thus type 2. If you have lower insulin levels in the blood stream, I believe, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, you would be type 2 with an underactive pancreas, if there is no insulin, that means type 1. However, on a side note, sometimes in a type 1 diabetic the pancreas decides to work for a while so there can be some insulin from that too. Not sure how the doctors can tell the difference, probably from your bodies reaction to different medications.
I would make another appointment with your doctor and express your concerns, tell him or her that YOU want tight control of your sugars, and an average of 140 is not acceptable to you. Ask him/her about the A1C test, different medications, and diabetes education. Depending on how the doc responds to your questions is whether or not I would look for another doctor.
The dietitian that I saw told me that endocrinologists are usually seen once you have some complications from diabetes. But my doctors amazing and they call him the diabetes nazi, lol.0 -
What everyone else said. You are solely responsible for ensuring your good health. A doctor is a tool, like a hammer. Sometimes you need different tools to do different jobs. Would you trust your PCP to do open heart surgery? If I were you, I would get a list of specialists. Be totally honest with your doctors on the insulin and why you were doing it. Request the nutrition and diabetes classes. Most insurances cover them because they reduce the long term costs of covering a person with diabetes.0
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I have to ask: You can get insulin without a prescription?0
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I can't speak for the OP, but I live near Mexico. You can pretty much get anything without a prescription. And, if you do need a prescription, you can easily find a doctor that will write one for whatever you want...0
