Discharged From An NHS Diabetes Clinic

I am delighted to share the testimonial below, of one of my clients that was discharged from an NHS diabetes clinic.

I  am  forty-­‐something,  male  and  have  type  2  Diabetes  which  was  diagnosed  in  October  2003.  I  was  taking  oral  medications  only  until  2012  when  I  was  put  on  Insulin.

I  started  consulting  Heba from Bath Nutrition & Wellness Centre over  a  year  ago  to  help  me  get  a  good  grip  with  my  nutrition.    Before  I  met  her,  I  had  some  weight  problems,  was  lethargic  and  regularly  in  some  sort  of  depressive  moods  which  also  affected  the  way  I  related  to  my  family  at  home.  There  were  certain  types  of  food  I  either  considered  as  too  luxurious  and  felt  guilty  to  consume  more  of,  or  considered  too  expensive  and  would  not  buy  regularly.  These  were  mainly  animal  protein  products  and  soya  based  products.  There  were  other  foods  I  thought  I  needed  more  of  to  keep  my  sugar  level  balanced  as  they  had  been  confirmed  for  me  by  two  separate  NHS  Dieticians  as  “very  appropriate”.  These  were  mainly  carbohydrate-­‐based  products  including  of  course  salads,  cereals,  oats,  carrots  etc.

Consulting  with  Heba  changed  my  mindset  about  these  foods  and  my  readiness  to  spend  on  them.  Not  only  did  she  help  me  deconstruct  my  thoughts  about  the  foods  above,  she  also  drew  a  parallel  between  my  inner  being  (my  health)  and  my  outer  being  (my  material  life).  She  said,  how  much  do  you  spend  on  your  clothes,  your  home  etc  to  look  good?  And  how  much  do  you  spend  on  or  care  for  your  health  to  live  good?  It  was  hard  to  accept  her  combination  of  nutritional  advice  and  personal  friendly  counselling  initially.  But  she  soon  won  my  trust.  She  also  assured  me  that  I  did  not  need  to  take  a  huge  leap  but  just  small  steps.  So  I  begun  with  her  help  to  change  my  diet,  incorporate  food  supplements,  and  cut  my  carbohydrate  intake  as  well  as  increase  my  protein-­‐based  foods.  On  one  occasion,  I  actually  phoned  her  whilst  I  was  at  the  grocery  shop  just  so  she  can  guide  me  through  what  to  buy  and  take  home  to  cook.

In  less  than  three  months  during  when  the  consultation,  begun,  I  started  to  feel  a  huge  difference  in  my  life,  health,  lifestyle  and  mindset.  I  had  been  referred  to,  and  was  attending  a  diabetes  clinic  at  Southmead  hospital  for  over  a  year  but  the  specialist  decided  to  discharge  me  and  return  me  to  my  local  surgery  as  he  had  noticed  my  condition  to  improve.  In  a  nutshell,  I  shed  the  weight  that  I  didn’t  need,  reduced  the  quantity  of  insulin  I  took  by  half  and  simply  felt  better  in  my  self-­‐esteem.  Thus,  I  felt  that  the  contact  with  Heba  was  undoubtedly  helpful.  I  have  not  been  able  to  continue  seeing  her  due  to  my  regular  travels  abroad  but  I  have  continued  to  be  mindful  of  the  foods  I  eat  and  in  what  regularity  as  advised  by  her.  I  would  therefore  not  hesitate  in  recommending  Heba  to  anyone  who  is  in  a  similar  or  remotely  closer  the  situation  I  was  in  before  meeting  Heba.  I  also  feel  that  had  I  been  referred  by  the  NHS  to  her  or  Nutritionists  of  similar  standing  to  her,  rather  than  to  the  two  separate  dieticians  I  saw  under  the  NHS  who  simply  confirmed  that  I  was  doing  ok  with  my  day-­‐to-­‐day  diets,  I  would  have  seen  the  improvement  even  earlier.

AR – May 2014