Struggling

nadine-y

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi there,

first of all I'd like to introduce myself, so you might understand my story a little bit better.
My name is Nadine, I'm 23 years old, currently living in the Netherlands but moving to the UK in 3 weeks.. (this is also why my english is not perfect, but that's not what this is about right now)
I've been diagnosed with diabetes type 1 when I was 8 years old. As far as I can remember my blood sugar levels haven't been under control.. My HbA1c has been way too high for years, even though I've tried so many times to stabilise it: I just couldn't seem to get it under control. My doctors have always been pretty negative towards me and always said that I'm too hard to handle. The past 4 months I've been working really hard to try and keep my bloodsugars perfect, but as you can understand my body is completely confused now and I feel horrible when my blood sugar level is around 6. Even though I'm really trying to hold on to (finally) living a healthier life, I'm really scared about the concequenses of my past when I move to England. Am I even going to get basic health insurance? Will they cover my insulin and the rest of the supplies I need for my diabetes? I've been looking through so many websites and still I have no idea what's going to happen when I'm there. I really hope for a fresh and new start, where I can continue my way to live a healthier life. I'm already really scared for the complications that are waiting for me in the future, even more because I've always been living without any complications, my annual blood results are perfect (except my hba1c) but I know I have to change this before anything bad happens!

As I'm reading my post now, I know this is written a bit hysterical, my apologies for that. I just don't even know where to start thinking, let alone writing anymore!

ps. this post is probably a bit off topic, but the main reason of starting my post was my everlasting burn out.
 
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christi99

Well-Known Member
Messages
57
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Wow, I think your English is great! Also I can imagine how insurance issues can be such a huge concern (as I live in the U.S.- where health care is considered expensive and inadequate- private profiteering! Anyway... hopeful a socialized system will be more supportive- my son and I have to pay for strips, lancets etc and it adds up - insurance pay only a small part - and we have health insurance- so it encourage people to be noncompliant with testing!)

I cannot comment on the insurance in the U.K. but can comment that controlling BG is a very, very complex thing- and we cannot control many factors so there is no place for blame, shame or guilt- or comments giving you the attitude "you are hard to handle". What kid isn't when it comes to these things! I am an ICU nurse and even in non-diabetic critically ill people, it is very tough to control blood glucose levels - EVEN when we are monitoring and controlling every single aspect of what goes in and out, including insulin, glucose, etc. Therefore- it is unrealistic or perhaps misleading to think we can. There are other factors (stress, hormones, infection etc. that can cause spikes in BG that you cannot anticipate and respond to beforehand). Just saying... doctors often don't tell you that they are aware of multiple factors that impact BG- instead they focus on what you can do, often leaving you with the impression that it is ALL up to you!)

You can just do the best you can, and know at the age of 23 you have not done anything that will be a life sentence. Focus on goals you can commit to everyday (even if it is less than they recommend) and just set out to figure out what works best for YOU. If you can't one day, then start again the next. I have a son your age that will do absolutely nothing (except take medication) and I want to just cry- but I know he is overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated with the daily grind of it- trying to choose low carb, little or no drinking etc unlike his mates his age. He just wants to eat, drink, not exercise or whatever like his siblings or friends without this disease. Unfortunately, that isn't a choice he has. So... I think you young people really have a lot to deal with. Just try to relax and surround yourself with supportive, caring people and know what you are feeling really is developmentally appropriate and understandable- Best of Luck with your move and many blessings for your future!
 
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Living-by-the-beach

Well-Known Member
Messages
520
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Wow, I think your English is great! Also I can imagine how insurance issues can be such a huge concern (as I live in the U.S.- where health care is considered expensive and inadequate- private profiteering! Anyway... hopeful a socialized system will be more supportive- my son and I have to pay for strips, lancets etc and it adds up - insurance pay only a small part - and we have health insurance- so it encourage people to be noncompliant with testing!)

I cannot comment on the insurance in the U.K. but can comment that controlling BG is a very, very complex thing- and we cannot control many factors so there is no place for blame, shame or guilt- or comments giving you the attitude "you are hard to handle". What kid isn't when it comes to these things! I am an ICU nurse and even in non-diabetic critically ill people, it is very tough to control blood glucose levels - EVEN when we are monitoring and controlling every single aspect of what goes in and out, including insulin, glucose, etc. Therefore- it is unrealistic or perhaps misleading to think we can. There are other factors (stress, hormones, infection etc. that can cause spikes in BG that you cannot anticipate and respond to beforehand). Just saying... doctors often don't tell you that they are aware of multiple factors that impact BG- instead they focus on what you can do, often leaving you with the impression that it is ALL up to you!)

You can just do the best you can, and know at the age of 23 you have not done anything that will be a life sentence. Focus on goals you can commit to everyday (even if it is less than they recommend) and just set out to figure out what works best for YOU. If you can't one day, then start again the next. I have a son your age that will do absolutely nothing (except take medication) and I want to just cry- but I know he is overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated with the daily grind of it- trying to choose low carb, little or no drinking etc unlike his mates his age. He just wants to eat, drink, not exercise or whatever like his siblings or friends without this disease. Unfortunately, that isn't a choice he has. So... I think you young people really have a lot to deal with. Just try to relax and surround yourself with supportive, caring people and know what you are feeling really is developmentally appropriate and understandable- Best of Luck with your move and many blessings for your future!

@christi99

I'll pray to God for help for your son.
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi there,

first of all I'd like to introduce myself, so you might understand my story a little bit better.
My name is Nadine, I'm 23 years old, currently living in the Netherlands but moving to the UK in 3 weeks.. (this is also why my english is not perfect, but that's not what this is about right now)
I've been diagnosed with diabetes type 1 when I was 8 years old. As far as I can remember my blood sugar levels haven't been under control.. My HbA1c has been way too high for years, even though I've tried so many times to stabilise it: I just couldn't seem to get it under control. My doctors have always been pretty negative towards me and always said that I'm too hard to handle. The past 4 months I've been working really hard to try and keep my bloodsugars perfect, but as you can understand my body is completely confused now and I feel horrible when my blood sugar level is around 6. Even though I'm really trying to hold on to (finally) living a healthier life, I'm really scared about the concequenses of my past when I move to England. Am I even going to get basic health insurance? Will they cover my insulin and the rest of the supplies I need for my diabetes? I've been looking through so many websites and still I have no idea what's going to happen when I'm there. I really hope for a fresh and new start, where I can continue my way to live a healthier life. I'm already really scared for the complications that are waiting for me in the future, even more because I've always been living without any complications, my annual blood results are perfect (except my hba1c) but I know I have to change this before anything bad happens!

As I'm reading my post now, I know this is written a bit hysterical, my apologies for that. I just don't even know where to start thinking, let alone writing anymore!

ps. this post is probably a bit off topic, but the main reason of starting my post was my everlasting burn out.

Hi Nadine,

I tried to find an information page to link you to, but I couldn't find one that had all the information on. However, please don't panic. Some of my friends are from EU countries and live in the UK and they get free NHS (National Health Service) treatment just like UK citizens do. However, you may need to provide proof that you're entitled to be here and explain why you're in the UK (for example, are you coming to work, or coming as a student?)

I suggest you get an EHIC card before you come here. That is a European Health Insurance Card that proves you're entitled to healthcare in Europe. I also suggest you make sure you have enough insulin and other supplies to keep you going for a few weeks. If you can get a letter from your doctor explaining your treatment briefly, that would also be good as it may speed things up.

Is there an organisation you can contact in the Netherlands that can give you advice about moving to another European country?

Are you moving here alone? Do you have a job? Do you know where you'll be living?
 

noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
23,618
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Disrespectful people
Hi Nadine and welcome to the forum.

So pleased that your taking positive steps to manage your diabetes better, the awful feeling you get around 6mmol might be down to what they call False Hypo's, this occurs when bg levels have been running high for some time and then the person decides to tighten their control up, if you Google False Hypo's you will get a full explanation.

As for your questions regarding coming to the UK, ring the Diabetes UK helpline and they should be able to provide you with all the information that you need or point you in the right direction, here is their contact information:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/Contact_us/
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. The rules for people from overseas are not always clear and are being tightened. I suspect it's easier if you are an EU citizen. As NHS patients we get virually all of our diabetes stuff free except that T2s don't get fre meters and strips. If you are here long enough I'm sure your T1 stuff will become free. You say your blood sugars are good except for the HBa1C? The HBa1C is the real measure so you must use that reading as your overall guide. When you blood sugar is around 6 mmol you should not be feeling unwell from that. It may be the result of a false hypo if your body is 'confused'. You obviously need guidance on the causes from a diabetes specialist and to check that your insulin regime is the best one and is in balance. Diet is also important which as you may realise means keeping the carbs down.
 

urbanracer

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
5,186
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being able to eat as many chocolate digestives as I used to.
@nadine-y , I'm sure that one of the founding principles within the EU, in relation to the free movement of peoples, is that each region must provide the same rights to other EU nationals as they do to people who were born in that region.

You 'should' be fine with healthcare in the UK, but you may get asked to prove that you are from an EU country.
 
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nadine-y

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
@christi99 @Daibell @azure @urbanracer @nobiehead

Thank you all so much for your replies to my post! I really appreciate it.

To explain a little bit further more: the thing why I got so confused about the insurances was because I ended up at a website (also linked to NHS) last night about special insurances for diabetics. I guess this is actually for covering extra healthcare like dental- and feetcare and other private clinical treatments which are all way too expensive. I'm going to live with my girlfriend in Cheltenham and I've already had contact with local authorities there about how I can get my health Insurance as soon as possible to make sure I'm safe whatever happens. All they've told me is that I should make an appointment with a GP and from there on I will get in contact with the NHS. Though I've found this a bit too unspecific I started to try and look up more about diabetes in the UK on the internet and ended up pretty confused. I have all my paperwork ready and also my EHIC and medication passport are ready. It's just that my doctor told me that I should better fix my HbA1c to a normal level before moving abroad cause she thinks I'd never get Insurance. (this was 2 months ago) I hope this won't be the case, because I'm fully aware that I still have a pretty hard and long way to go to until I will have a stable and good HbA1c.

By saying my annual (blood) results are always good in my previous post, I meant that my other organs are still fit and working well, my bloodpressure is a bit low (which is nothing to worry about and even better than too high in my case according to my doc) but my HbA1c is actually the only thing that's wrong with me. My bloodsugars are between 4 and 15 these days, which is obviously still not great, but I'm glad I can feel the hypers again, although the false hypo's make me really exhausted. I know in the end it will all be worth it, but sometimes it's still hard to not fall back into that 'well I feel alright so why would I go through all this struggle'attitude .
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Registering with a GP isn't too hard. You may be able to register with your girlfriend's. You just choose one near to your home and phone them or visit. Once you're accepted as being resident in the UK and being entitled to be here, you should get the same treatment as a UK citizen with diabetes.

The NHS provides free treatment for those who qualify. If you have Type 1 diabetes then you can also get free prescriptions and free eye tests. Some people on benefits also get free prescriptions. Anyone who is entitled to free treatment on the NHS never pays the full cost of their medications. They pay a one off charge of approximately £7 or if they have diabetes or are on certain welfare payments or are children, etc, they do not even have to pay this small charge. I have Type 1 diabetes. I pay nothing for my insulin,test strips, lancets, Drs visits, blood tests, etc.

I don't know what NHS site you saw that mentioned insurance. That sounds strange. We do have insurance here for private health care but most people use the NHS because it's free. If you qualify, you do not need any insurance.

You say you've had contact with authorities in Cheltenham about 'insurance' but I'm not sure what you mean. We have a free national health service. Did these authorities tell you if you'd qualify for treatment on the NHS? That's the important thing to find out. You should in theory, but you may need to fill in forms or provide evidence before getting free healthcare. Or you may need to wait a while. That's what you need to check.

I think part of the confusion is that you talk about 'insurance' for health but in the UK we don't have insurance in the same way as some other countries do eg the USA. So it's not clear if you're talking about insurance to cover you when you first arrive or if you're just talking about the NHS. There is no insurance for the NHS. Most UK citizens don't have or need health insurance.

I hope that hasn't confused you further! If you want to put the link to the website you were talking about, we can look : )
 
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nadine-y

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Registering with a GP isn't too hard. You may be able to register with your girlfriend's. You just choose one near to your home and phone them or visit. Once you're accepted as being resident in the UK and being entitled to be here, you should get the same treatment as a UK citizen with diabetes.

The NHS provides free treatment for those who qualify. If you have Type 1 diabetes then you can also get free prescriptions and free eye tests. Some people on benefits also get free prescriptions. Anyone who is entitled to free treatment on the NHS never pays the full cost of their medications. They pay a one off charge of approximately £7 or if they have diabetes or are on certain welfare payments or are children, etc, they do not even have to pay this small charge. I have Type 1 diabetes. I pay nothing for my insulin,test strips, lancets, Drs visits, blood tests, etc.

I don't know what NHS site you saw that mentioned insurance. That sounds strange. We do have insurance here for private health care but most people use the NHS because it's free. If you qualify, you do not need any insurance.

You say you've had contact with authorities in Cheltenham about 'insurance' but I'm not sure what you mean. We have a free national health service. Did these authorities tell you if you'd qualify for treatment on the NHS? That's the important thing to find out. You should in theory, but you may need to fill in forms or provide evidence before getting free healthcare. Or you may need to wait a while. That's what you need to check.

I think part of the confusion is that you talk about 'insurance' for health but in the UK we don't have insurance in the same way as some other countries do eg the USA. So it's not clear if you're talking about insurance to cover you when you first arrive or if you're just talking about the NHS. There is no insurance for the NHS. Most UK citizens don't have or need health insurance.

I hope that hasn't confused you further! If you want to put the link to the website you were talking about, we can look : )

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Financial_services/Health-cash-plan/

I know the NHS is free in the UK, but this article made me think I've had to take an insurance or/and won't be able to get everything I need from the NHS. In the Netherlands we have a different healthcare system, where everyone takes care of his own health insurance, pays for it per month and gets money back from benefits. I think I might have misunderstood the website I've sent you though, in that case I'm sorry for the struggle. I'm glad to hear I probably don't have to worry, I'm just scared I might have to face problems there I could've known about earlier I guess.

As far as I know I am entitled to live and work in the UK. So everything must be fine then right?

I'm also taking loads of both my insulins, test strips, needles and so on with me, so the first months I'm covered.
 

robert72

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,878
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Nadine - the link to the Health Cash Plan is nothing official - you don't need it.

It's just a private savings scheme to help with the costs of dental treatment (which is subsidised but not free in the UK) or for glasses and such.
 
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urbanracer

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
5,186
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being able to eat as many chocolate digestives as I used to.
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Financial_services/Health-cash-plan/

I know the NHS is free in the UK, but this article made me think I've had to take an insurance or/and won't be able to get everything I need from the NHS. In the Netherlands we have a different healthcare system, where everyone takes care of his own health insurance, pays for it per month and gets money back from benefits. I think I might have misunderstood the website I've sent you though, in that case I'm sorry for the struggle. I'm glad to hear I probably don't have to worry, I'm just scared I might have to face problems there I could've known about earlier I guess.

As far as I know I am entitled to live and work in the UK. So everything must be fine then right?

I'm also taking loads of both my insulins, test strips, needles and so on with me, so the first months I'm covered.

As a very minor addendum - some British people struggle to get access to NHS dental treatment (which isn't free but is heavily subsidized ) because there simply aren't enough dentists that are willing to work for the lower fees. It depends largely on where you live and what's available in your local area. Some people find the savings plan can help with dental costs.
 
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AnaSofia

Member
Messages
9
(Sorry if i didn't write correctly)
Hi! I had my blood sugar always high but when i change my insulin (i'm on lantus right now) it become much better. Maybe your insulin is not enought for you.... Try to increase the basal insulin or just change it. Perhaps it would be bad because your alimentation. Try to eat less carbs and more vesgetables. In my case if i don't eat vegetables is a problem.
Don't give up. You will control your blood sugar. Best of luck :)
 
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nadine-y

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
(Sorry if i didn't write correctly)
Hi! I had my blood sugar always high but when i change my insulin (i'm on lantus right now) it become much better. Maybe your insulin is not enought for you.... Try to increase the basal insulin or just change it. Perhaps it would be bad because your alimentation. Try to eat less carbs and more vesgetables. In my case if i don't eat vegetables is a problem.
Don't give up. You will control your blood sugar. Best of luck :)

Thank you! Yes, I'm thinking about changing my long working (how do you actually say that in english?) insulin because I think it's not working properly til the end of the day. I'm trying to eat less carbs, but it's pretty hard since I'm working in a busy restaurant and I start to feel those false hypo's (which are getting less heavy everyday by the way! yey)
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Financial_services/Health-cash-plan/

I know the NHS is free in the UK, but this article made me think I've had to take an insurance or/and won't be able to get everything I need from the NHS. In the Netherlands we have a different healthcare system, where everyone takes care of his own health insurance, pays for it per month and gets money back from benefits. I think I might have misunderstood the website I've sent you though, in that case I'm sorry for the struggle. I'm glad to hear I probably don't have to worry, I'm just scared I might have to face problems there I could've known about earlier I guess.

As far as I know I am entitled to live and work in the UK. So everything must be fine then right?

I'm also taking loads of both my insulins, test strips, needles and so on with me, so the first months I'm covered.

Yep, that's just trying to sell you an optional private insurance. It's nothing to do with the NHS.

It's very sensible of you to check though. If I was moving to another country, I'd want to check and double-check everything!

Yes, you're entitled to live and work in the UK and you shouldn't have any problems. But very occasionally EU citizens do have to provide extra proof to get things like UK welfare benefits ( for example, financial help if they're not working). I work with people claiming benefits and I remember two people who did have a few problems. One was from Eastern Europe and the other was from Portugal. It's not common, but it's best to be prepared. I really don't think you'll have any problems at all, but I think it's nice to know about potential problems even if they're rare. So bring all your documents and that should make it much easier. Your English is brilliant so that'll help a lot too.

You sound like you're very organised. I hope you settle happily in the UK and that everything goes well for,your move :)
 
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nadine-y

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Which one are you using? Have you tried splitting it?

i'm using Levemir for over 5 years now. I've always told my doctor I think it's not working long enough, but she told me to just add up more units of it. Might be something to look into with my new doctor when I'm in England as I'm only still here in the Netherlands for like 20 days.