The computer used to calculate Shoot Up’s poll results

Well, it’s that time again – the “monthly” (and I use the term in its widest conceivable sense) poll results.

Last month *cough* we asked “Aside from routine appointments, how many times have you been hospitalised as a result of diabetes”?

Rather pleasingly for all concerned, “Never” topped the poll with an impressive 41% share of the vote with “Only once” trailing into second place with 35%. Despite the nightmare scenarios painted about diabetes, we diabetics do, in fact, seem to be quite good at avoiding hospitalising ourselves. Which is nice.

“Quite a few times”, with 14% lagged behind and 8% of our readers noted that they just keep “trying to bite the paramedics until they leave me alone” – a worthy and commendable way of dealing with our hard-working emergency services I think we’ll all agree.

So this month, we ask “If you had a million pounds to spend on only one diabetes-related issue, what would it be?”

• Research to find a cure
• Develop pens, meters, etc.
• Develop new, better insulins
• Donate to diabetes charity
• Massive, wild party for diabetics

Vote down there (points to the right on any page aside from the front page).

Achtung! It’s poll results time! Last month we asked you “How often do you meet up with other diabetics?” and the results show that in terms of diabetes you’re an anti-social lot.

46% of respondents said that they’d never met up with any other diabetics. Which is quite a a large proportion really. I always say that you learn the same amount from a GP in a year as you do with a Specialist Nurse in a week as you do with another diabetic in a hour. So if you have a local group that seems quite nice then why not go along and see if it’s useful. If not, why not set up your own group. It’s ludicrously easy and I’ve found every meet up I’ve ever been to really, really useful. So there.

All is not lost, however, as I note the super-anti-social response – I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than meet diabetics – met with a lowly 9% of the vote. So there’s hope for diabetes groups yet.

Anyway, this month we ask “Aside from routine appointments, how many times have you been hospitalised as a result of diabetes?” Vote down there (if you’re on the front page) or over there to the right (if you’re on any other page).

Those results in full:

How often do you meet up with other diabetics?

I’ve never met up with other diabetics > 46%
From time to time > 25%
Quite frequently > 11%
Very frequently > 9%
I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than meet diabetics > 9%

Shoot Up readers wait to vote in this month’s poll

Like the cyclical inevitability of a routine A1C test, the results of the monthly poll have come round again. Last month your soaraway Shoot Up questioned who was the most useless member of your healthcare team.

Only 15% of you voted for yourselves – the patient. I suspect if we had run this poll exclusively with health care professionals the results would be different, with a significantly higher proportion of votes for the patients. But there we have it, patients and doctors not seeing eye to eye. Who’da thunk it?

Speaking of doctors, General Practitioners topped the poll with 34% of the vote. You lot just don’t like generalists do you? And, as Barry Norman would say, why not? This top result was fairly closely followed by dieticians with 22% of the vote. The general consensus divined from earlier comments on the blog was that dieticians were generally regarded as lovely but mainly useless. I imagine the dieticians reading this over their nut roast and low fat crème fraiche dinners won’t know whether to laugh or cry. I would do the former, followed closely by the latter.

Down at the bottom of the poll, with remarkably few votes, were pharmacists and specialist nurses. I’m not sure why pharmacists got off so lightly. Maybe you were all just feeling generous. As always, specialist nurses seem to be a popular choice – probably because they’re about the most knowledgeable and empathetic of our healthcare team.

Finally, optometrists garnered no votes at all – the first time that’s happened in a Shoot Up poll. Maybe we are all secret masochists who enjoy the Drops of Doomâ„¢ or having that horrible air-puffy thing in our eyes done. Who knows? I certainly don’t.

Anyway, this month we ask “How often do you meet up with other diabetics?” Cast your votes now! (Points to the bottom of the front page or to the right hand side if you’re in any other bit of the site).

Those results in full:

Who do you think is the most useless member of your healthcare team?

•     General Practitioner (34%)
•     Dietician (22%)
•     Hospital Consultant (17%)
•     The Patient (15%)
•     Pharmacist (7%)
•     Specialist Nurse (5%)
•     Optometrist (0%)

The supercomputer used to count the Shoot Up poll results, yesterday

Hurrah! Some time has passed since we published the last poll. I’ve long given up describing it as the “monthly” poll as it’s almost never monthly. If you have complaints about the irregular timing of the polls then feel free to write me a very stiff letter. On cardboard.

Anyway, last time we asked what your food related nemesis is. Your culinary Moriarty, if you will. Every diabetic has one and it seems that buffets topped the list with 26% of the vote. I remember once going to a party that had a buffet – tables laden with food as far as the eye could see. The puddings were so good – in particular a fantastic apple pie – that I had to inject a total of eleven times over the course of about two hours. Painful, perhaps, but worth every mouthful.

The infamous Chinese takeaway reared its head next with 23% of the vote. Everyone seems to find the combination of fried rice, MSG and prawn crackers difficult to deal with. I think I’ve finally conquered my Chinese takeaway nightmares with the cunning application of the pump’s dual wave bolus – but the time I got it right was probably just a fluke. Isn’t it always?

Pizza came next with 21% – with thin crusts I’m okay, but thick crusts are a hellish nightmare of mad, swinging blood glucose. Sticky puddings (9%) and Indian takeaways (7%) brought up the rear. With the “comedy answer” (I eat nothing but salad) trailing in in fourth place with 14% of the vote. What’s wrong with you readers? I thought it was tradition that the silly answer always won.

Anyway, moving on to this month’s poll, we ask “Who do you think is the most useless member of your healthcare team?” Define ‘useless’ and ‘healthcare team’ however you like and vote over there (points downwards if you’re on the front page and over to the right if you’re on any other page…)

Those results in full:

Buffets – 26%
Chinese takeaway – 23%
Pizza – 21%
None – I eat nothing but salad – 14%
Sticky puddings – 9%
Indian takeaway – 7%