No meter!!??

Why is it that people diagnosed with Type 2 are convinced by their doctors that their Diabetes diagnosis is nothing but a mere dietary change and easily managed? Well, I guess we all know the answer to that.....but why do doctors repeatedly send new diagnosed Type 2's home with NOTHING? No meter, no direction, no reading material. Nothing. Nothing but orders to watch their diet and have blood work drawn in another 3 months. I hear this same diagnosis horror story every time from people with Type 2 and it is really scary!

I have two older ladies (over 60) in my office that both have Type 2. Neither of them have a meter. Neither of them know much about their diagnosis, and they both confuse my Diabetes as being the same as theirs. How could you not educate yourself? Don't people know about google? The Internet was my source of information when I was diagnosed. I joined diabetesforums from day 1 and I learned everything from the patients themselves. I learned absolutely NOTHING from my doctor and my insurance didn't cover dietary counsel. Without educating myself I would probably have been in DKA soon after diagnosis because I was originally dx'd as Type 2. (actually my PCP mentioned LADA) I was on Actos and Metformin and never saw a number under 250 while waiting to see an Endo for 3 weeks. Had my PCP immediately ordered STAT lab work to verify T1 or T2 (especially when I was 110lbs!) I wouldn't have suffered for those 3 weeks before starting insulin. I'm lucky I didn't end up very, very sick. It sickens me when I think about the lax response to a T2 diagnosis! I was also lucky that I was sent home with a meter, but of course....I knew nothing about ketones!

As I sat at work today I noticed the bathroom breaks every hour. I noticed repeated yawning, and the water cooler bubbling as my co-worker refilled her glass endlessly. My understanding is that this co-worker was diagnosed about 6 months ago. But, why does she STILL not have a meter to check her blood!!?? The other co-worker was diagnosed just several weeks ago, and yep....No meter. Just a script for blood work in 90 days! I feel terribly worried for them both. I'm tired of the lack of understanding in this country! This disease affects MILLIONS of people and even PCP's don't know better than to send a Type 2 home with a damn meter!!??
T1, T2....it doesn't matter. You could be very sick, very fast and yet the patient is deceptively convinced by their doctor that Diabetes isn't a big deal! Its outrageous! No meter!!??