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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That the GP should give some advice on prediabetes

36 replies

Pebbles16 · 13/03/2016 20:23

My DMIL has a genetic heart disease problem BUT when she was diagnosed with high cholesterol she responded very well to lifestyle advice. She has (we found out last week) been diagnosed as prediabetic. Has been given no lifestyle advice. We went round yesterday (ironically to help them with their will) and were offered a cupcake from a tray of 12. She is an adult and I don't believe in telling grown ups what to do. But I don't think she's been given the correct information to be able to make the right choices. Any advice?

OP posts:
Organon8 · 13/03/2016 20:28

Surely the advice is obvious.

She should ask the GP to see the dietician

Mrsmorton · 13/03/2016 20:28

Do you actually know for certain she's been given no advice? Healthcare does odd things to people's memories.

ctjoy103 · 13/03/2016 20:30

This type of information is easily available to find herself.

Yoksha · 13/03/2016 20:33

Check to see if local council in conjunction with nhs run a course called "walking away from diabetes " I recently went on one. It lasts for 3-4 hours, and was extremely informative.

Original poster
Pebbles16 · 13/03/2016 20:35

It might be easy to find for us but she is 76 and is not a fan of Dr Google - thank goodness. She' mentally of the generation that drs are always right. Bearing in mind she responded well to the cholesterol advice and, when I asked her if the dr had said anything about prediabetes, she said "no", I can only assume she's telling the truth.

OP posts:
letsgetcake · 13/03/2016 20:42

Deffo get her to ask gp to speak tof a dietitian. She'll get much more specific advice tailored around her diet rather than blanket advice

Idefix · 13/03/2016 20:51

www.nhslanarkshire.org.uk/Services/Diabetes/patient-info/Documents/Pre%20Diabetes.pdf

^^ This is a very easy to read and could be printed off on quick read the advice does not seem to be massively different from the advice about cholesterol and die at that the British heart foundation suggest.

Having a small bun is not completely contraindicated if it is occasional treat. How does your dmil feel about the diagnosis?

heartuk.org.uk/images/uploads/healthylivingpdfs/HEARTuk_dietsheet.pdf

Original poster
Pebbles16 · 13/03/2016 20:57

Idefix I think she just thinks it's part of life. I don't think she understands what diabetes is fully. It's tricky. I don't want to scare her. Being overly involved isn't what I want to do but I love her to bits and want her to get good advice from a third party and not a potentially naggy relative. I'm not naggy but DH and DFIL could be fairly described as such.

OP posts:
Musicaltheatremum · 13/03/2016 21:04

At 76 I wouldn't be too worried to be honest. Read the suggestions above but I would be more worried if she were 56. The advice is to prevent complications which take years to develop. Get her weight under control if a problem

SonjasSister · 13/03/2016 21:04

Can you find/invent someone with a similar diagnosis who has had success from changing their diet, and mention it 'in passing', and if she shows interest, suggest she asks her GP about similar advice?

Original poster
Pebbles16 · 13/03/2016 21:15

Musicaltheatremum. Thinking about it that's the approach we took with my grandad and it worked fine. I suppose I'm just scared of ulcers and amputation. She couldn't live with that.
Sonjas. Do you know? I may just invent such a person!
Thanks for the perspective
To earlier posters who thought it was very simple, it probably is to us "connected" people. But to someone who's not old in many ways but is old when it comes to health advice, it needs to come from a dr and I am a bit Shock that they just say Mrs pebbles mil, you are borderline diabetic, now back to your tickly throat (or whatever it was)

OP posts:
JanetOfTheApes · 13/03/2016 21:46

If the dr didn't tell her about the pre diabetes, how do you know about it?

TheSinkingFeeling · 13/03/2016 21:49

She also has a responsibility for her own health.

Original poster
Pebbles16 · 13/03/2016 21:58

Janet. She only mentioned it to us last week. The GP diagnosed her several weeks ago.
Yes Thesinking, she does. But if the dr just says "you are borderline diabetic" and give her no advice then how can she take responsibility? She was told about high cholesterol and took proactive measures to try and deal with it. That is my whole point.

OP posts:
Sidge · 13/03/2016 21:58

Where I work the GP doesn't get too involved in pre diabetes - they get the patient to make an appointment with the specialist practice nurse within a few weeks. This is a half hour appointment with lots of advice about lifestyle changes such as diet, eye care, skin and foot care, exercise and self care.

Maybe her surgery offers something similar?

Original poster
Pebbles16 · 13/03/2016 22:04

Sidge. From what I can gather it's been a couple of months since she was told (she's not one for phoning to declare health issues) and has been offered no follow up, no advice. Blood test in 6 months. I would have thought there may have been a print out at least.

OP posts:
TheSinkingFeeling · 13/03/2016 22:07

There's plenty of books about it on Amazon.

Sidge · 13/03/2016 22:10

Ah that's not great then.

Mind you many places don't do much for prediabetes which IMO isn't best practice.

Can you print her some stuff off from Diabetes UK?

Musicaltheatremum · 13/03/2016 22:11

blood test in 6 months is fine and the practice nurse or diabetes UK will have advice but really don't worry too much

Original poster
Pebbles16 · 13/03/2016 22:39

Thanks musicaltheatre. I guess I should stop projecting my 40something response onto a 70something woman!

OP posts:
HPsauciness · 13/03/2016 23:14

One of my relatives has been on an amazing six week nurse led prediabetes course, and he has reduced his score so that he is no longer prediabetic! it went through the fairly obvious stuff- such as losing weight, eating certain types of foods, exercise, how to get the family involved, but it helped him set goals each week, make small changes, and lose a few kg, and all that together meant he was able to reverse the prediabetes.

It's a shame this isn't available in more places, reading a book isn't the same as having someone give you individual advice, help you set goals and monitor how you are doing.

arethereanyleftatall · 13/03/2016 23:18

With the nhs struggling for money, no I don't think doctors should have to waste their time telling people stuff like this. The info is out there, easily accessible.

Yseulte · 13/03/2016 23:23

Basically the Dr will likely do f all until she's actually diabetic when they will put her on drugs. Diabetes care is very patchy. Doesn't seem to occur to many practices that if they gave the right advice about diet early on, they may not end up with so many diabetic patients.

My GP gave me the wrong info about blood sugar levels. She said a reading of 10 was 'fine' when it is in fact raised. A doctor friend of mine confirmed that she was incorrect.

Get your mum together some basic info and books on it. That's what I do with my parents.

Once it starts it can come on very fast, and it's a bugger, so eminently worth trying to prevent.

Yseulte · 13/03/2016 23:25

With the nhs struggling for money, no I don't think doctors should have to waste their time telling people stuff like this. The info is out there, easily accessible

Online. Which is not easily accessible for 70+ year olds. Doctors could save the NHS a lot of money by giving info on how to prevent it.

arethereanyleftatall · 13/03/2016 23:26

But it is accessible for younger family members who could step up and help a bit?