First meeting with the nurse on Thursday....

[Coll]

Hi everyone

I've recently had some blood tests, as I was feeling very ill and thought it was anxiety, and my glucose results have apparently come back high. Due to me speaking to a VERY rude receptionist I don't really understand what's going on. I was asked to go back and have my fasting glucose done again and the HbA1c. My first fasting glucose was 8.3 (I think).
I don't know my results for the second one, as the doctors left a message telling me I needed to book an appointment with the nurse. When I phoned back the receptionist didn't know why I needed to see the nurse and then decided to have a conversation with the other receptionist. I overheard her saying that a prediabetes appointment is 45 minutes with the nurse. I was a bit in shock so when she came back on the phone she just started saying times and dates to me. I eventually asked her what the appointment was regarding and she just said "your blood test results".
I'm probably going to phone back tomorrow and see if I can speak to a receptionist who can explain things a bit more but I'm all confused and would like to know what to expect at the meeting with the nurse, especially as it's 45 minutes long!

Any help and advice would be VERY much appreciated....waiting over a week to see the nurse is making me feel more ill

 

[Robbity]

This sounds a bit like me too (apart from your rude twit brain receptionist) - I had to have several repeat blood tests to confirm that the results were actually showing that I was diabetic and not just one-off high readings. I think I ended up with more repeat blood test forms than I needed, as both my doctor and the nurse who took my blood kept doling them out to me and I was completely befuddled - particularly since the announcement that I was possibly diabetic came completely out of the blue - a result of a regular 6 monthly checkup and blood test, and I wasn't feeling any worse than I normally did!

My first proper appointment with the diabetic nurse was a long one of at least half an hour (I wasn't actually told this and went in expecting a "normal" 5-10 minute one!) She needed basically to get to know me/my situation and to cover various bits of diabetic information with me, test my feet for potential sensitivity/circulation issues, tell me about other tests (e.g.eyes) and dish out information about diet and possible diabetic courses to attend.

It is rather scary when it comes at you completely out of the blue, but you've come to the right place and you'll get lots of help and moral support here.

Robbity

 

[semiphonic]

Hi Coll,

Sorry to hear you've been treated so badly, I'd suggest that when you phone the surgery back you ask to speak to a Dr (preferably the diabetes lead GP), not the receptionist! If they're rude again or won't help, complain to the practice manager. I had problems when I was diagnosed in January and ended up changing surgeries.

The most important thing is, don't panic! If you are prediabetic or diabetic it isn't the end of the world, but it feels like it right now because you're reading about all of the complications that are possible, I know you are as that's exactly what I did. If the diabetes is controlled and managed, those complications are unlikely to happen.

You've found this forum so you are way ahead of the game! I only found it a week ago, but I can honestly say that I have had more useful information here than I have from my healthcare team, and the people on the forum (or at least most of them) have the condition and know what they're talking about! Have a look at some of the threads, particularly in the newly diagnosed section, if nothing else this will give you ideas for questions to ask at your appointment.

If you have questions just ask, there'll always be someone willing to answer, and don't forget there's no such thing as a stupid question.

I'm 8 weeks or so on from my diagnosis and feel better than I have done in a long time, and thanks to the people on this forum I'm more confident than I have been in a long time too.

Good luck, and let us know how things go

Steve




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[totsy]

Hi Coll,
welcome to the forum

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Don't panic as it's nice to have a long appointment with a nurse or GP ref diabetes. I suspect the nurse will explain the implications of your HBa1c result which is far more important than the fasting test. Depending on the result she may prescribe Metformin or do this in the future; it's a very safe drug which most of us take and it helps a bit with blood sugar. She will probably test your feet via the toes for nerve loss with a 'feather' and tuning fork. She may check your cardio performance and discuss diet and so on. The most important thing at this 'pre-diabetes' stage is your diet. The NHS can sometimes recommend a quite bizarre approach to diet depending on the GP or nurse. Keep an open mind and also look at diet advice on this website and ask any questions after the appointment. Basically you need a 'balanced' diet 'balanced' for diabetics and that means keeping portion sizes down a bit and reducing the carbs more than anything else. In summary you should find the appointment very easy and a chance to find out more depending on how good the DN is. I suspect you may also have had a urine test done so it's a chance to discuss your kidney state, cholesterol level and so on. BTW you may be offered statins. The arguments continue on these so it's your choice if offered. Good luck.