Am I being unreasonable to cancel outpatient appointments ?

[Mark14400]

I would be grateful for any advice.
I have been recently diagnosed with diabetes...(I don't question that). They suspect Type 1 but it isn't confirmed. Lately I have (in my opinion) been bombarded by the NHS with outpatient appointments. I currently have 5 set appointments within a 4 weeks period (2 consultant, 1 dietician, 1 retinopathy, 1 DSN). I feel as though my life isn't my own anymore and other people are running it. As I am a contractor, each appointment will cost me a days pay....And I know what will come next - what's more important your health or your money ! In truth, if as a result of these appointments I would be cured, I would be there in a shot. I'm a realist and my spidey sense is saying this is a "Tick Box" exercise at my cost. The reason for posting this is that I feel it is unfair for me to lose so much money (I don't earn a lot anyway) just to attend these appointments and I am afraid that if I cancel them, I will be referred back to my GP and slip into a black hole...any help would be greatly appreciated. Mark

 

[Brunneria]

If you don't turn up, you risk being referred back to your gp.
If you ring and explain it is not possible to attend the appointment at the date and time, but you would like to rearrange it for some time in the future, then they are usually very accommodating.
There is always a contact telephone number on the letter.

I would urge you to attend, if not now, then later. Spread the appointments out, to reduce the financial impact.
Burning bridges, at this stage, may come back to bite you on the bum, At some point. When you really want to talk to someone with more knowledge, understanding and experience than a general practitioner.

If you are newly diagnosed, you are probably cycling through quite a lot of different emotions, from anger, resentment, grief, denial, and a whole shedload of its not fair!
We ALL understand, because we have all been through it in our own unique ways.
But you will come out the other side, maybe not 'cured', but definitely feeling better and more positive than you do now.

 

[BrianTheElder]

Diabetes is a serious disease and you should treat it as such. The consequences of your actions could be dreadful. I fully sympathise with your employment problems as I work with a lot of self employed tradesmen. But when they have bad backs, they have to stop work and sort it out. This is no different.
Go to the appointments and find out exactly what is wrong. Take any advice you can get, especially on this website, and you can overcome this and carry on working.

 

[AndBreathe]

I would be grateful for any advice.
I have been recently diagnosed with diabetes...(I don't question that). They suspect Type 1 but it isn't confirmed. Lately I have (in my opinion) been bombarded by the NHS with outpatient appointments. I currently have 5 set appointments within a 4 weeks period (2 consultant, 1 dietician, 1 retinopathy, 1 DSN). I feel as though my life isn't my own anymore and other people are running it. As I am a contractor, each appointment will cost me a days pay....And I know what will come next - what's more important your health or your money ! In truth, if as a result of these appointments I would be cured, I would be there in a shot. I'm a realist and my spidey sense is saying this is a "Tick Box" exercise at my cost. The reason for posting this is that I feel it is unfair for me to lose so much money (I don't earn a lot anyway) just to attend these appointments and I am afraid that if I cancel them, I will be referred back to my GP and slip into a black hole...any help would be greatly appreciated. Mark

Hi Mark, I certainly agree you have a lot of appointments coming up.

I certainly agree with @Brunneria that just cancelling appointments isn't a great idea. I'm sure you have letters with the appointment details on them? Before cancelling or moving them back at all, why not call the number on your letters (it's likely it'll be the same central number for them all) and ask if you could coordinate them to either the same day (OK, you might be lucky with the flying piggies that day!), or onto a couple of days, even if it's a different day or days to any of the appointments you have now ?

I feel pretty certain this bombardment wouldn't be repeated because your retinopathy scan is a once yearly and the Dietician is unlikely to be too often, if it's more than once. There always seems to be a real flurry of activity around the time of diagnosis.

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @Mark14400 I understand your sentiments, I too am self employed so when I don't work I don't earn. Personally though it is definitely worth attending, you may feel like a tick box exercise but ultimately it's your health at stake and if your health declines then you won't be able to work anyway. Yes move them if you feel you cannot attend but do not keep putting them off. By attending them you are developing your learning and it will help you manage better in the future, after this you will be on 6 monthly anyway, so once this flurry is over you can carry on but with more knowledge and inclination to stay well to avoid attending more than twice a year

 

[Gaz-M]

if you have a decent employer they should give you the time off, I sometimes have 3-4 in a month at certian times of the year and I always make sure I get there to reduce the complications I have already by NOT going to appointments when I was younger

 

[Snapsy]

@Mark14400 I fully appreciate your frustration, BUT having experienced care both from the hospital's diabetes centre (consultant, dietician, DSN) and also from my GP surgery's diabetes 'specialist' nurse and doctor, I can report the former to be top-notch and comprehensive and the latter to be a lamentable, not only unhelpful but dangerous, box-ticking exercise (on their part). Absolutely a black hole. Heavens, I could educate them on diabetes management!

I am under the care of the hospital, but the GP contacts me regularly to get me to go to their 'diabetes clinic' here. I decline politely and stick with the hospital. My diabetes centre is very supportive and utterly fabulous.

Before you make a decision - and I appreciate that 5 lost days of pay are a big deal - I'd suggest contacting the hospital to see if they can combine any of the appointments, or shift them to the end of the day? If that's not possible, well, especially as it's early days in your diabetes career, I'd still say it's worth attending those five appointments, very much so.

Love Snapsy

 

[AtkinsMo]

You could choose which of the appointments are the most important to you, cancel the least important ones and follow this up with a letter explaining that you are unable to carry the financial cost of 5 lost days at work. Address the letter to the 'principal' consultant in charge of your care. Obviously, you need a definitive diagnosis and you need to learn how to manage your condition. The most important thing is to actually cancel appointments rather than not show up. I would think that it is a reasonable request to schedule 2 or 3 of these appointments on the same day, given some foresight and planning. Much of what you could learn from a dietician you could learn better by buying a book like Dr Bernstein's 'Diabetes Solution'. But, whatever you do, just don't 'no show'. Waste of appointments and professionals' time.

 

[Mark14400]

When the Doctor at the MDU said it was "Life Changing" I had no idea what he meant. I do now....I have never been in denial...but the anger bit is settling in pretty nicely at the moment. I hate being on the NHS "radar" and would rather be the architect of my own fortune...I will cancel

 

[douglas99]

When the Doctor at the MDU said it was "Life Changing" I had no idea what he meant. I do now....I have never been in denial...but the anger bit is settling in pretty nicely at the moment. I hate being on the NHS "radar" and would rather be the architect of my own fortune...I will cancel

Suspected type 1?

How much do you know of type 1, if you believe you can navigate your our course?
Type 1 doesn't go away.
The consultants are a good idea.

 

[noblehead]

I have been recently diagnosed with diabetes...(I don't question that). They suspect Type 1 but it isn't confirmed.

If they suspect you have type 1 the you need to be seen asap, appreciate what you say about losing money but your health really does come first @Mark14400

 

[azure]

When the Doctor at the MDU said it was "Life Changing" I had no idea what he meant. I do now....I have never been in denial...but the anger bit is settling in pretty nicely at the moment. I hate being on the NHS "radar" and would rather be the architect of my own fortune...I will cancel

If you are Type 1, once you get sorted, you may only have a once yearly consultant appointment and the same for the eye check.

Controlling diabetes will make you the architect of your own fortune...

The appointments are important. See the consultant asap and rearrange the others if need be.

 

[AndBreathe]

When the Doctor at the MDU said it was "Life Changing" I had no idea what he meant. I do now....I have never been in denial...but the anger bit is settling in pretty nicely at the moment. I hate being on the NHS "radar" and would rather be the architect of my own fortune...I will cancel

Mark, I would urge you to wait until closer to the first of your appointments before doing anything. That'll give you time to reflect on things and things may have settled a bit by then anyway.

If your area is anything like mine, you will receive text messages to remind you of the forthcoming appointments.

 

[Shar67]

You cannot earn money when your dead.
NHS don't have money to waste on ticking boxes. Master of your own fate, what if you go hypo at work, who are you putting at risk. Do you drive, are you willing to risk other people.
Re schedule the appoinments to spread them out

 

[Diakat]

Can you ask for some to be on the same day? Reduces the number of days. My consultant, dsn and dietician all at the same hospital clinic so in theory it is possible to link some...

 

[himtoo]

I was first diagnosed at age 14 -- long before work became a factor--

to me it is a simple choice -- pay the piper now ( attend the appointments )
or pay the piper later ( potential loss with longer term complications for the lack of earnings as you grow older )

sorry to be so blunt but the NHS does not see people to tick boxes from my point of view

 

[daisyduck]

If they are suspecting you are type 1 it needs to be sorted.
Ditto to some of the comments above . Can you get any rescheduled to the same day ?
If not then bite the bullet and go for it. This is just the initial set up and it will be a lot less hectic in future.
I get one nurse check up and one eye screen a year.

 

[Juicyj]

When the Doctor at the MDU said it was "Life Changing" I had no idea what he meant. I do now....I have never been in denial...but the anger bit is settling in pretty nicely at the moment. I hate being on the NHS "radar" and would rather be the architect of my own fortune...I will cancel

Nobody here can decide for you, it's up to you if you don't go. Speaking from experience I didn't want anyone telling me what to do, however I was in shock when I was diagnosed and it was then I needed support more than anything else, so I did the appointments and I became an expert at managing my condition. If you are indeed on insulin now then you need guidance to help you make decisions, as much as you think you can just 'carry on as normal' you can't now as it's ultimately your health you will sacrifice in the process. As mentioned above being on insulin can make you a liability to those around you, if you have a hypo then you become a 'health and safety' issue on site which can jeopardise your work, I work in construction so understand the implications of endangering other workers on site. Take the appointments you need them more than they need you, however much you try to ignore this fact.

 

[Jaylee]

I would be grateful for any advice.
I have been recently diagnosed with diabetes...(I don't question that). They suspect Type 1 but it isn't confirmed. Lately I have (in my opinion) been bombarded by the NHS with outpatient appointments. I currently have 5 set appointments within a 4 weeks period (2 consultant, 1 dietician, 1 retinopathy, 1 DSN). I feel as though my life isn't my own anymore and other people are running it. As I am a contractor, each appointment will cost me a days pay....And I know what will come next - what's more important your health or your money ! In truth, if as a result of these appointments I would be cured, I would be there in a shot. I'm a realist and my spidey sense is saying this is a "Tick Box" exercise at my cost. The reason for posting this is that I feel it is unfair for me to lose so much money (I don't earn a lot anyway) just to attend these appointments and I am afraid that if I cancel them, I will be referred back to my GP and slip into a black hole...any help would be greatly appreciated. Mark

Welcome to my world for the past 41 years Mark.. I'm recently on a Maculopathy trip & loosing money (wages.) left right & centre.. Or my driving licence/future employment...??
Point is... I found out recently the eye place did a weekend clinic? & a nurse told me 24 cancelled/not show up..
Now I would have taken that Saturday if it meant the office hours I'm working as a busy "agency" guy... (Trust me. I'm everywhere at the moment.!)
Don't neglect it now.. It will come back & bite you in the ****..I lost a brilliant full time position due to this? But on the mend now!

Upbeat; I'm also amazed at the support from the agency & the position placements I get regarding this brief "blip."

 

[Jaylee]

Mark, I would urge you to wait until closer to the first of your appointments before doing anything. That'll give you time to reflect on things and things may have settled a bit by then anyway.

If your area is anything like mine, you will receive text messages to remind you of the forthcoming appointments.

I get the texts too... They ask a reply if attending.... Always reply "YES."

Grab it with both hands @Mark14400 . The "ship" can sink faster if you don't....