Had my 3 month checkup last Saturday. A1C went down from 7.4 to 6.9. I was expecting to hear “good job, keep going, you’re on the right track”. Instead I got “you need to bring your A1C down below 6.5”. I KNOW THAT! But awknoledgement for what I acomplished in the last 3 months would have been nice. Besides, my goal is to get my A1C down below 6.0. Then they tell me my blood pressure is too low and they are cutting my dosage of Lisinipril down to 10mg. Ok, but to be honest when they put me on blood pressure meds I thought they were wrong anyway. I’ve always had borderline low blood pressure and then on one doctor’s appt. I’m high so they throw me on meds. Then 9 months ago they tell me my cholesterol is low and I’m told to cut my 40mg pills down to 20mg. So I did. The next time I went in they told me my cholesterol was high and that I should do more cardio excersise. Instead I started taking the 40mg again. Now I’m told I’m too low and need to knock it down to 10mg. It took the longest time to make them understand that I was taking 40mg again and should probaly only knock it down to 20mg. On top of that I have a mail order pharmacy. I can’t get my maintenance drugs at a local pharmacy unless I want to pay full price. My doctor’s office tells me they no longer fax, mail or call in prescriptions to the mail order pharmacies because it gets too confusing. So now I have to get off from work at 4 and get to the doctors office by 5. Of course there is construction on the way.What the heck am I paying these people for??? I am so frustrated right now. I’ll bet my low blood pressure is just about normal now. Thanks for letting me vent.
Hi Kathy, great progress in the right direction on your HbA1C. Keep at it, you don’t need your Dr to give you kudos, you have us here for that. My thought is that so many do not try that your Dr may be a little hesitant to give you a ‘way to go’ stroke in fear that you may not try as hard to get where you need to get to.
I had the same thing happen to me with the bp meds. I was high at one visit with a new endo I was seeing and he decided I needed to be on bp meds…like you, I thought he was nuts, so I never took them. Luckily, I found a new doc that I love, and my bp has been fine ever since. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, I guess. It’s frustrating, because you expect as docs they have all the answers, but really, they don’t. You know your body better than anyone else- give yourself a well deserved pat for the a1c and know that you ARE going in the right direction!!
You just have to learn to “go with the flow”. I am a type A and about as anal as they come and so when I first went on diabetic regime I got really uptight about “not getting it right”. So many things affect it (stress, food, exericse, etc, etc) you will never get it right. Just manage it the best you can and enjoy what you can. I am now a home dialysis patient and yet I lead a full life. I work full time, ride the Harley and go to mc events. Remember most medical people aren’t diabetics or on dialysis so be thankful there is a place like this.
I am sorry you are feeling frustrated. Think of the satisfaction you should get by going down half a point. Look at it this way, the A1C is three month average (sort of). Now look at it like this, your A1C woudl likely be lower if tested today. If it is going down, it will likely be going down each day longer you wait. Heck you may already be at 6.5, who knows.
Heck, after what you have been through, you’d think your Dr. would smile and praise you. You’ve done Good getting your A1c down that much and you will get it down to 6.5 and probably even better. A cyber “pat on the back” to you. Way to go Kathy!
My blood pressure has normally always been Good but my GP mentioned again that I had Diabetes for so many years, that I should be on blood pressure pills and a Statin, as he handed me the script. I delayed it for some time but finally I cashed in the script for the BP pills. I was 126 lbs. at the beginning. I was on the pills for a couple months.
While on the pills, I was getting Really dizzy where I almost fell on different occasions. I was nauseated almost all the time. I had to force myself to eat even a small meal a day. So I lost 17 lbs. and was down to 109 lbs. My Hubby was Really worried. The dizziness and nausea were listed side-effects. Wonderful for a Diabetic. I usually don’t get the Bad side-effects from drugs(touch wood).
I finally quit using them and slow but sure gained most of my weight back. I may go back on BP pills sometime but not those. Today my Rheumy’s Nurse said that I weigh 124 lbs. now and my blood pressure is 110/68. Oh and I got my boobs back. Yay!!
hi kathy
sorry to hear that
but don’t get frustrated over people who doesn’t deserve it
your A1c rocks,don’t listen to those kind of doctor,those who are optimitic and cheerful are the best
really =,keep up the good job,and if you don’t trust a doctor’s opinion,don’t be afraid to consult with another
my BP have been low the first time i have been admitted,no meds though,but the time i was supposed to leave,the stupid doctor had to keep me and check,but can’t blame tem,after all they only have their text books to follow,and i am sure it says(high BP and D are the worse combination )
Perfect place to vent… I’ve had similiar frustrations with an endo and recently switched to a new one who provides more encouragement. It’s especially frustrating when they don’t seem like they know what they are doing and you’re basically paying them provide you with a prescription…and not much else… Good job on the A1C
Hooray for you. Boo for the doctor. Venting is good.
If you’re under 7% you are officially, as noted on the little code sheets they use to charge you for their services, “in control.” That is cause for celebration. I think the whole medical staff should conga-line through the office whenever that happens. The sheer amount of effort it takes to drop a 7.4 to a 6.9 is a BIG DEAL.
Of course, there’s every reason to target a lower number. But reaching that number is another matter. (The intensively treated type 1s in the DCCT trial targeted 6% but had a mean A1C of 7.08%. I can’t remember wha the intensively treated type 2s in the ACCORD trial averaged for A1C). Each stage of that journey is reason to cheer. And as others have mentioned, A1C is a just one measurement in time of 2-3 months of blood sugars.
Why won’t the doc office mail the prescription to you so you don’t have to personally pick it up?
The blood pressure meds (at least ARBs and ACE-inhibitors) offer some kidney protection in addition to their blood pressure-lowering purpose. Which for many longtime PWDs is a good preventative measure if side effects are bearable.
Are they talking about the same type of cholesterol each time they’ve told you it’s low or high? The goal is to get LDL (bad) lower and HDL (good) higher. The LDL goal recommendations from ADA is under 70 for a person with diabetes IF you have heart disease or a heart event history. That number is quite difficult to achieve without meds.
Well I for one think you have done brilliantly especially when you’ve been under so much stress.
Kudos! and vent away, I think that Dr’s forget there’s a person behind all the numbers and that we need a bit of encouragement sometimes.
My frustration with doctors was magnified when I was in the hospital after I gave birth to my son. Every SINGLE doctor who came into my room felt it was necessary to inform me that I have type 1 diabetes in some way. “Now, since you have diabetes you’re more susceptible to infection, so…” or “Well since you’re a type 1 diabetic you really should keep track of your blood sugars closely…” I was like DUH! I’m the one who’s been living with this for over 11 years! You think I’d have learned something, right? When I’m in there after having this next baby (due April 30!) I plan on inviting them to sit down next to me and then say “I’m SO glad you’re here to tell me about my diabetes! I’ve been flying blind for almost 13 years now and have NO idea what I’m doing! I don’t know how I managed to have 2 kids! Please help me!” of course, dripping with sarcasm
I hope you can get your issues resolved!
