Diabetic blood check/chiropodist

Diabetes
1

I am type 2 Diabetic, but never 100% as to when you doctors surgery would require you to have routine fasting diabetic blood test or as to how often you should see a chiropodist.

last blood test was May 2013 & the chiropodist was 6 months ago, I only managed to see the chiropodist after asking my doctor for a referral otherwise I would never have seen the chiropodist.

I must add that Feb 2014 I had major surgery to the left ankle to save the foot due to poor circulation.

Any feedback would be much appreciated and would like to take this time to say thx

2

Your surgery should call you in for blood tests and annual diabetic testing. In my case it is once a year.

3

Hi i am75 years old, and was diagnosed with diabetes,and 12 yeares ago,for the first 10 years i had an annual check up, every year, at ninewells hospital in Dundee,and there they checked everything,they checked my blood ,my weight ,blood pressure,my cholestrel, my feet ,my eyes,pretty well everything,and if anything was out of kilter like if i had gained weight, they would advise me to try and lose some weight ,and if there was others involved they would changed my medicine either up it, or down a bit, Now the last 2 years, i now get tested every 6 months ,now i think ,that is because of my age,but my advice to you, would be, to make sure your doctors refers you for an annual full check up , it can only help,dont get me wrong, but they are times my doctor or the surgery i go to,seem to be in a real hurray to get you in and out,and can skip over things very lightly ,but its your health so,like i say make sure ,or another way insist that you want a full annual check up,  just my opinion, it can only help.

4

Some areas do it at hospitals others at doctors surgeries. Mine when in Edinburgh was done at the surgery as it is here in East Sussex. Each with a forty minute session.

The bit that amuses me is when the nurse looks away to her computer and asks "Can you still raise a smile" I reply that I'm always game for a laugh:-) 

5

Thankyou, Jim48819

But like I said earlier, I have not had any routine diabetic checks done since May 2013.

My GP is that slow, that when I was in hospital having ankle surgery, the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham noticed that I was drinking less than what I was passing.

I have recently been told that I have an enlarged prostate, yet nothing has been done.

6

Hi Derek76

Thx, for your reply. The only time when I have been called in by the doctors, is for a flu jab.

As you have read, I have just come out of hospital and even then I was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, still I wait for treatment.

7

My urologist did not believe my correct figures that I was passing more than I was drinking.

Find out how big your prostate is, how good your flow is and what if any obstruction you have. The meds they give you to reduce size and alpha blocker to improve flow have dastardly side effects. The TURP operation if needed is brutal. My prostate went from 35 grms in 1995 to 75grms before I could get my preferred green laser surgery in 2005. It grew back to 135gms by last year when I had Thulium laser surgery to take most the tissue away.

8

I also had an operation for my eyes in 2011,it was not from the diabetes, is was just that they were leaking,and a bit of a nuisance,as i had to keep cleaning my glasses when the eyes were watering all the time,anyway that turned out to be a bit of a disaster for me,the reason being,they let me out the hospital the same day as i had the operation,when it was schedueled for me to be released the following day,i guess short of beds ,anyway 3 hours after being released i was back at the hospital as i was doubled up with pain, as i could no empty my bladder,even though i had a real bad sensation to go,at the hospital they just checked my bladder with one of these scanners they use,which i found out later, they are not the most reliable things for results ,what they should have done was insert a catater ,as i was in urine retension,any way it resulted in me going off my food could not eat at all,for 2 weeks result i lost 2 stone in weight,and eventually was rushed to hospital on an emergency, as my kidneys were not flushing properly ,my pulse was ar 145, finnished up having to wear a bag and self caterizing my self for 6 weeks,while all this was going on, they decided they wanted to check my prostate ,even though i previously had never had any problems what so ever, with my water works,anyway after the checked they said you have an enlarge prostate ,and wanted to go in there to see what was going on ,if i knew what i know now, i would have waited and went on the wait and watch program, as when they went in and found cancer cells,well i found later that even though they found cancer cells ,they cant tell wether they are fast growing or slow growing,and i also found that if they are slow growing, they can take a decade to flare up,and thats why i say i would probably would have chosen the watch and wait a specially at my age,but when you are told you have cancer cells, ,it scared the life out of me ,and i decided to go for the radiatuion treament and homone treatment ,and believe you me the side and after effects i got was unbearable,all i am trying to tell you is to be careful. regards making deceisions and,and get a 2nd opinion if you have any doubt as to whats going on,

9

Hi derek76

Thx for your feedback.

A few years ago I was diagnosed and treated with bladder cancer all went well and go each year for tests to see if everything is ok. At the last set of tests I was told that I have an enlarged prostate. I was told that I do need treatment, I am still waiting.

Bare in mind this diagnosis was at another hospital, but I was told by the hospital, due to the enlarged prostate, the bladder does not hold as much.

My main concern is any delayed treatment, how bad can it get? I have beaten cancer twice, so am I going to be told that I have prostate cancer next ???

10

Hi Jim48819

Sorry to hear about all your recent problems. I have been going through a fair bit as well. Going through mouth cancer, then bladder cancer.

Now with the bladder cancer, I was treated at a different hospital, but I still go to the same hospital for the annual check-up and was told that I have an enlarged prostate and will need treatment. I am still waiting for the treatment and my concern is that I end up with prostate cancer. But I am aware that my kidneys are now affected. So what could I be facing next?.

11

Hi Mark you say you were told you have an enlerged prostateand will need treatment, did they take any biopsies,the reason i say that is ,when i was told i had a enlarged,they then said we will have to go in there to see whats going on and the biopsies told them there was cancer cells there, thats when they told me what treatments were availible

12

If they did a DRE they would have a pretty good idea of the whether it is just BPH or PC. Did they check your PSA? Thought that does not mean a lot if you are getting on in years and your prostate is big. My PSA went from 5.0 to 9.8 prior to my first laser procedure. I had two negative prostate biopsies over the years.

A friend of ours has had bladder cancer treatments for many years. Laser treatment, Radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

13

Hi Jim48819

They did say that a biopsy would be taken to determine the course of treatment, due to my past medical history. They was looking at the possibility of cancer. I will be seeing my doctor about this in the next week.

14

Hi derek76

I have had all treatment inc chemotherapy, they have taken measurements I have even been through a pointless bladder resection. My PSA went from 4.9 to 9.7 and I am only coming to my 50th year next year. But during the course of my life I have had a number of problems which includes;both knee replacements, all toes straightened and pinned along with the left ankle (I await for the right ankle to be done.), mouth cancer, arthritis of the neck/upper part of the spine and loss of up to 30% of muscle mass due to cmt (Charcot Marie Tooth Disease). What happens next, who knows.

15

Hi derek76

With the list of problems I forgot to mention that I am also taking medication to block the neuropathic nerves in the brain because of the cmt and the lower lobes of my lungs are not working as they should. So from time to time I do tend to forget, for this I must apologies for any late reply.

16

I only hear from the doctors mainly for my flu vaccination. Sometimes when I am there to pick up my prescription and the practice nurse is their then I may get an appointment, other than that it is when my health is a cause for concern.

17

Make sure that they give you an antibiotic prior in case of an infection after the biopsy also a local anesthetic.

18

You have been really unfortunate.

19

Hi derek76

I am still waiting for the hospital so I am going to ask my gp for a federal to another hospital as I have been waiting since my treatment to start since March.

20

Which area are you in?

Some consultants are agin new fangled things like lasers and are unwilling to refer you to other areas. You are entitled to ask to be referred to where you want to go.

Someone I knew managed to get referred from Inverness to Kings College in London. The NHS even paid his travel expenses.

The one I had in Edinburgh eventually did refer me to Newcastle but in his lettter to me referred to 'Rose tinted spectacles'