 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Diabetes / October 2005Ping Alan S (or other Ozzies)
My Australian brother is visiting at the moment. Despite his doc signing him off as being "cured" of diabetes, he's scoring 8s and 9s on meals that are sending me to 5s or 6s. Bro seems to have taken the point, but has thrown away his test kit. I have a spare Accuchek compact - can he buy the 17-drum strip setup in Oz? He goes to Brisbane diabetes clinic for them. TIA, Nicky.  SignatureA1c 10.5/5.6/<6 T2 DX 05/2004 1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine 95/74/72Kg > My Australian brother is visiting at the moment. Despite his doc signing him > off as being "cured" of diabetes, No Doctor will tell a person that they are cured. He may have said that your brother's diabetes is under control, i.e., that he managed to get his HBA1c into an acceptable range etc., and your brother has for some reason taken that to mean cured, or your brother is attempting to blow smoke over you. he's scoring 8s and 9s on meals that are > sending me to 5s or 6s. Bro seems to have taken the point, but has thrown > away his test kit. I have a spare Accuchek compact - can he buy the 17-drum > strip setup in Oz? He goes to Brisbane diabetes clinic for them. Meters are quite inexpensive here ($30-$100 approx) and test strips are subsidised by the Government, they only cost a few dollars per hundred. He will have no trouble with either when he returns. The Brisbane Diabetics Clinics are a part of Diabetes Australia (www.daq.org.au) and you can see for yourself what is available and the costs on their web site. You say that he is reading high at meals, are these one or two hour post prandial's or exactly what? Perhaps it is just a change in diet to foods that he is not accustomed to eating. What was his last HBA1c and how long ago? What is his FBG? Regards David SignatureTo email me, please include the letters DNF anywhere in the subject line. All other mail is automatically deleted. > > My Australian brother is visiting at the moment. Despite his doc signing him > > off as being "cured" of diabetes, [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > David I pretty much agree with all that David said. I just want to add that if you do want to buy him a meter while he is with you, get one that can be calibrated to read either US numbers or the Ozzie ones (mmol/L). I understand that AccuChek does make meters that can be adjusted to read either way. If in doubt, just contact Roche and they'll be able to advise you as to what is available in each country. And in case your bro is minimising what he was advised in Oz re acceptable control, the standard for an excellent result on blood testing (HbA1C), is 5.5% max or lower! There is no way any legit doctor would say he was "cured" with those kind of higher readings. Just don't let him get away with discarding his meter. It sounds like an excuse to forget the whole thing while he is away (like what his doctor doesn't know......, or out of sight, out of mind etc .........). You might like to introduce him to Jennifer's testing regime, he may not have heard of it before - see; http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm It's a great way for him to design his own dietary regime no matter what country he is visiting, or when needs to adjust to unfamiliar or different foods than what he is accustomed to eating. We all like to be in control of our lives and avoid lectures, and this is an excellent method of being in charge without us pesky women trying to tell our menfolk what to eat all the time! :-p But just don't let him slip into denial, and think he is getting away with anything. I hope he enjoys his visit. Annette >> My Australian brother is visiting at the moment. Despite his doc signing >> him off as being "cured" of diabetes, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > taken that to mean cured, or your brother is attempting to blow smoke over > you. Well, I'm sure there is an element of that - but the quack HAS signed him off, he's got some new insurance on the back of it. > You say that he is reading high at meals, are these one or two hour post > prandial's or exactly what? Perhaps it is just a change in diet to foods > that he is not accustomed to eating. What was his last HBA1c and how long > ago? What is his FBG? No idea of FBG - he's timeshifting atm, I've no idea what he is at 4am - but he's testing high at 1hr pp. His last A1c I heard about was 5.3, several months ago - my SIL is going to make damn sure he has another when they get home. He also slipped a disc and is in a lot of pain, so I'm sure that's contributing to the numbers - but he's certainly diabetic. He's in deep denial - but I noticed the casual copy of Gretchen Becker has been read, and testing together was I'm sure a revelation to him. I'll just keep chipping. Thanks, Nicky. SignatureA1c 10.5/5.6/<6 T2 DX 05/2004 1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine 95/74/72Kg > Well, I'm sure there is an element of that - but the quack HAS signed him > off, he's got some new insurance on the back of it. [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Nicky. Hi Nicky Several things here that I don't understand. Firstly, in order to have been getting his supplies from a Brisbane Diabetes Clinic he would have to be a member of Diabetes Australia, that requires a form from his Doctor stating that he is diabetic, so it is clear that he has been diagnosed in an official sense. So far so good. You then say that his Doctor has "signed him off" and that somehow it was related to insurance. This is where I have difficulty with the logic (and the "signed off" bit). In Australia, unlike the US, medical insurance is very heavily controlled by legislation, and whether he is diabetic or not doesn't affect his ability to obtain or maintain insurance. I have recently changed to a type of cover with a different insurer, one more suited to my needs and at no penalty even though I was diagnosed diabetic several years after taking out my initial insurance. I don't understand where insurance comes into it. Is it a life policy rather than medical or hospital cover? The other thing is how does a Doctor "sign someone off"? It sounds as though your brother is saying that he has been issued some type of document stating that he is no longer diabetic. If he was to complete a medical for life insurance and manage to pass a GTT then he might have some documentation stating that he was not diabetic, but not that he had been "cured". As a matter of interest, I can now pass a GTT (borderline) but I know that if I was to stop exercise and begin eating a high carb diet again that wouldn't last more than a week or two. If I become ill and miss exercise for more than a few days the numbers rapidly start to rise again. Once diabetic, always diabetic, the best you can do is lose the symptoms, not the disease. BTW, I also live in Brisbane. Regards David SignatureTo email me, please include the letters DNF anywhere in the subject line. All other mail is automatically deleted. > As a matter of interest, I can now pass a GTT (borderline) but I know > that if I was to stop exercise and begin eating a high carb diet again > that wouldn't last more than a week or two. If I become ill and miss > exercise for more than a few days the numbers rapidly start to rise > again. Once diabetic, always diabetic, the best you can do is lose the > symptoms, not the disease. Maybe that's why low carbers are supposed to carb up before the GTT, in order to get an accurate picture of BG response. SignatureNo Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes > Firstly, in order to have been getting his supplies from a Brisbane > Diabetes Clinic he would have to be a member of Diabetes Australia, that > requires a form from his Doctor stating that he is diabetic, so it is > clear that he has been diagnosed in an official sense. So far so good. Yes, he was - within a week or so of me. > The other thing is how does a Doctor "sign someone off"? It sounds as > though your brother is saying that he has been issued some type of > document stating that he is no longer diabetic. I think that's what he said happened, that his local GP signed a note to say he's no longer diabetic - although I'm unsure whether it said "no longer" or "not". He's off on travels again, so I can't check details. He's also let his Diabetes membership lapse - he tried to log me on to the website to show me some low-GI recipes (by a woman called Michelle Tait, or similar?) and his login doesn't work any more. > BTW, I also live in Brisbane. Fancy a glass of wine when we're over next, then? I lurved Brisbane city centre, didn't get anywhere near enough shopping time... Incidentally, do you guys have an Amazon or equivalent? I want to get a pedometer for her and a Becker for him to arrive just as they get home. Nicky. SignatureA1c 10.5/5.6/<6 T2 DX 05/2004 1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine 95/74/72Kg >>Firstly, in order to have been getting his supplies from a Brisbane >>Diabetes Clinic he would have to be a member of Diabetes Australia, that [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > he's no longer diabetic - although I'm unsure whether it said "no longer" or > "not". Maybe the insurance was travel or overseas medical insurance and he didn't want to disclose his diabetes. If he was successfully controlling without meds then he probably thought that he was safe to withhold that information. He's off on travels again, so I can't check details. He's also let > his Diabetes membership lapse - he tried to log me on to the website to show > me some low-GI recipes (by a woman called Michelle Tait, or similar?) and > his login doesn't work any more. If he is familiar enough with the website to be aware of specific foods, recipes etc., then he must have been putting some degree of effort into learning how to handle his disease. Unfortunately much of the website's recommendations are more suited to a type 1 than a type 2 trying to control with diet and exercise. Jenny's website offers more value to type 2s. >>BTW, I also live in Brisbane. > > Fancy a glass of wine when we're over next, then? I lurved Brisbane city > centre, didn't get anywhere near enough shopping time... Certainly, I would be delighted to meet; it is always fun to put faces to newsgroup names. As for Brisbane shopping, my wife and daughters keep telling me that Brisbane shopping simply can't match Melbourne or Sydney. I have a suspicion that many women don't feel that they have done well on a shopping expedition unless a lot of travel was involved. <g> Any excuse to go to Melbourne (or Thailand, or the UK). > Incidentally, do you guys have an Amazon or equivalent? I want to get a > pedometer for her and a Becker for him to arrive just as they get home. As far as I am aware Amazon is just the one entity. I buy from Amazon and stuff gets shipped from the US. It does get here very quickly though, usually forty-eight hours or so. Regards David SignatureTo email me, please include the letters DNF anywhere in the subject line. All other mail is automatically deleted. > Maybe the insurance was travel or overseas medical insurance and he didn't > want to disclose his diabetes. If he was successfully controlling without > meds then he probably thought that he was safe to withhold that > information. Might well have been travel insurance - but he wasn't withholding info, he had some sort of chit from his doc that made it possible. > If he is familiar enough with the website to be aware of specific foods, > recipes etc., then he must have been putting some degree of effort into > learning how to handle his disease. Yes, good point. He does know what to do - he's even got linseed bread recipes and the like - but he stopped worrying about it when his doc told him not to. > As for Brisbane shopping, my wife and daughters keep telling me that > Brisbane shopping simply can't match Melbourne or Sydney. I have a > suspicion that many women don't feel that they have done well on a > shopping expedition unless a lot of travel was involved. <g> Any excuse to > go to Melbourne (or Thailand, or the UK). Indeed : ) I need to go back to a tailor in Singapore now I've lost all this weight, and get some more silk : ) >> Incidentally, do you guys have an Amazon or equivalent? I want to get a >> pedometer for her and a Becker for him to arrive just as they get home. > > As far as I am aware Amazon is just the one entity. I buy from Amazon and > stuff gets shipped from the US. It does get here very quickly though, > usually forty-eight hours or so. Ah, OK - thanks. The UK site is quoting 14 days, and the Japan site won't accept my logon, so I'll give the US one a spin : ) Nicky. SignatureA1c 10.5/5.6/<6 T2 DX 05/2004 1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine 95/74/72Kg : > Well, I'm sure there is an element of that - but the quack HAS signed him : > off, he's got some new insurance on the back of it. [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] : : David Small correction if you don't mind. The subsidised diabetes supplies are through the National Diabetes Supply Scheme (NDSS), an agency of the Commonwealth Department of Health etc. Registration is free, but requires a doctor's certificate indicating the patient has diabetes. Diabetes Australia (DA) is an agent for dispensing the supplies, and is a worthwhile organisation to join for a reasonable annual fee. However, one does not have to be a member of DA to obtain NDSS supplies through them. There are other agents, in my area one of the local pharmacies is an agent and I can get supplies through them. See: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pbs-healthp ro-supply-ndss.htm-copy3 and http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/home/index.htm posted via asd.uk >My Australian brother is visiting at the moment. Despite his doc signing him >off as being "cured" of diabetes, he's scoring 8s and 9s on meals that are [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Nicky. Hi Nicky, Nothing I can add to JDA or Annette - except to give him a printout of Jenny's "Research on Blood Sugar Levels and Organ Damage" http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/moreresearch.htm If you'd like me to have a direct chat to him, email me direct (remove weight and carbs:-) for phone numbers if he'd like to call me when he gets back. I'm a couple of hundred km south at Pottsville Beach, but I go up to Brisbane every few months for the haemo. Why don't you come with him for a visit? :-)) Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia. SignatureEverything in Moderation - Except Laughter. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.