Testimonial - PP
"Not all consultants are the same. Whereas very few are bad, most are good. But a few are truly exceptional.
"I am 56, and I was diagnosed as a diabetic at age 39. My GP referred me to the local diabetic consultant. Under his care I managed modestly and accepted that life as a diabetic was not going to be ideal. My long term sugar levels (HbA1c) kept creeping up.
"Finally, I took the decision to change consultants and asked Professor Farid to take on my case. That was the day my health started improving – little by little. Professor Farid is an intense listener, and gets to the bottom of the real issue quite quickly. Having done that, he worked out a strategy that we have implemented together.
"Professor Farid is great medical partner to work with – he appreciates that he cannot solve the problem by himself, he needs a patient who will take responsibility for his or her own health. The patient needs to provide accurate, relevant & detailed records if there is going to be a real improvement.
"It is only with these records that the consultant can accurately steer the patient to better health by making subtle changes along the way. Whereas my previous consultant was quite content to leave things alone for a long time nearly always, Professor Farid will monitor things on a more timely basis, and is not shy to make changes on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis if it is warranted. He has always explained why he is making the changes, and the target results we are hoping to achieve. I was happy with the long term sugar levels I was achieving.
"In 2007, he suggested I use Exenatide instead of Insulin. He had mentioned its benefits to me few months earlier, and I had done my research on the drug. I switched to Exenatide as soon as it was available on the NHS from May 2007, and since then my health has improved so much. My HbA1c has dropped from just under 8 to just over 6. I have lost over a stone and I feel so much better – the transformation has been immense. I would strongly recommend Insulin users to switch to Exenatide and try it for themselves – they will not go back.
"In life everything is about balance, responsibility and sensible expectations. My diabetic care under Professor Farid is one such story – his approach has been holistic, I have helped by keeping detailed data and together we have seen huge improvements in my health."
PP, June 2008
