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How soon did you have your first check-ups?

Charley26

Charley26

Newbie
Messages
4
Location
Crawley
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi,

I was wondering how soon after diagnosis people have began check ups that are done annually or more often?

I have had checks mentioned on my eyes, feet, kidneys...none of these have happened yet. I was diagnosed 3 months ago and had no help from the hospital in the 6 days I was there, not even to tell me what diabetes was, until I saw the diabetes nurse briefly before I left. I then had a GP appointment the week after, who told me of all the things they would be checking soon. And that was it, I heard no more apart from an appointment with the consultant last month where he just apologised that I'd had no information or support, told me to look at the internet and made another appointment for October.

There are things I would like to discuss/ problems I want to ask advice on, but don't know if I should book a GP appointment or should just wait for these things to happen...I kind of assumed I would have appointments made periodically to check up on me, but do I need to make these myself?
 
Hi,
I see you are Type 1. I have no idea what should happen for you, but I expect some type 1's will be along soon to help.

I had my feet checked straight after diagnosis, my eyes tested about 3 months after diagnosis, review blood tests and second appointment with nurse 2 months after diagnosis, and another 3 months after that. Next review will be 6 months after my last, and thereafter every 6 months hopefully. Eye and foot tests annually.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
i dont know about type one but im type 2 was diagnosed mid june. i have a dietician appointment 18/07 my podiatrist appointment is 18/08 and so far no word on optician
 
Usually type 1s complications start 5 years later after the diagnosis unlike type 2 where many people have complications at diagnosis. So eye screening will begin at 5 years & then every year. Frequent checkups usually start for all microvascular complications from 5 years. Its in our country, but I dont know what they follow in other places:)

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Very surprised the diabetes team never came to see you whilst in hospital, who advised you on the insulin doses?

Its some 30+ years since I was diagnosed but the after-care was on-going until things settled down, all I can suggest is you ring the diabetes clinic up and ask to speak with a DSN if your having problems, they are normally quite good and will ring you back if one isn't available.

The eye check letter should arrive in the next few months, your feet and kidney checks will be carried out at your next clinic appointment with your consultant, usually a week before the appointment you will have bloods taken and you will be asked to hand in a urine sample.
 
noblehead said:
Very surprised the diabetes team never came to see you whilst in hospital, who advised you on the insulin doses?
Click to expand...

I did see a diabetes nurse for about 20 minutes before I was discharged who told me some dosages and to just use trial and error to change them. I just didn't see anybody in the 6 days prior to that. I even had a consultant on day 5 saying she thought everyone was wrong and I didn't need the insulin :/
 
Charley26 said:
I did see a diabetes nurse for about 20 minutes before I was discharged who told me some dosages and to just use trial and error to change them. I just didn't see anybody in the 6 days prior to that. I even had a consultant on day 5 saying she thought everyone was wrong and I didn't need the insulin :/
Click to expand...

Well it is trial and error with insulin I'm afraid, but just the same I thought they'd have been round the ward sooner to see you having been in hospital for 6 days.

Do get in touch with them if your experiencing any problems.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Hi,
I see you are Type 1. I have no idea what should happen for you, but I expect some type 1's will be along soon to help.

I had my feet checked straight after diagnosis, my eyes tested about 3 months after diagnosis, review blood tests and second appointment with nurse 2 months after diagnosis, and another 3 months after that. Next review will be 6 months after my last, and thereafter every 6 months hopefully. Eye and foot tests annually.
Click to expand...

I mirror Bluetit above. I had an appointment with the diabetic nurse 1 week after GP labelled me. She tickled my feet and told me to eat plenty of carbs which I have ignored! This was about 6 weeks ago, I have retinal screening in a couple of weeks, an education session in a couple of weeks and a review in 6 weeks time.

jim
 
I have to agree with Noblehead. Poor show from your hospital and their diabetes team.

My doc sent me to a small day ward next to A & E who did all the initial blood tests and liased with the diabetes care team at the hospital. They diagnosed me as type one and gave detailed explainations of how I had come to be a type one.
They allowed me home the same day, once they were happy that I understood how to test and medicate and a rough idea of a starting dose.They followed up over the next few days via phone as I was handed off to the diabetes clinic.
The diabetes clinic had me in for a quiz session to double check that I'd taken in the info from the hospital team. They have also kept in touch via phone since.
I then had a visit to my GP to set up my prescriptions and what he expected in the way of follow up testing. He did emphasise that he wasn't a specialist, so that my first port of call for info and advice should be the clinic team.

Over the last few months I had a dietician appointment and she was quite happy with the way I am eating. I have an eye appointment next week and await the podiatry call.

I'd emphasise that most of the refinement in my dosing has come from studying the various websites connected with diabetes.All the healthcare people I have come into contact with have been really switched on and have encouraged me to grasp the nettle and take charge of my treatment.

I was told that all the checks you refer to will be done as soon as possible as they will be the baseline to measure any deterioration due to diabetes.
I also think your first point of contact should be your gp to find out about prescriptions, clinics and so on.

It's a struggle to take everything in at first, but hopefully you should be feeling a bit better in yourself now you are on insulin. I certainly did and am probably as active as I've ever been.

Hope this helps.
 
@Charley26 I do agree with other's being T1 you do need to have more contact with your treatment team so that you have the best possible changes of getting things in control without to much issues, like going into DKA (which is life threading).

I saw the endocrinologist within three days of getting told I was diabetic. I never had a hospital stay or anything, was in for a Glucose Tolerance Test that my OBGYN had ordered because she'd noticed my a1c numbers where rather high and my pcp/gp was doing nothing about it going higher and higher (she said it was nothing to be worried about yet at the time I had an a1c of 16, way to freaking high - brought that down to 11 in less then 3 months, but it would be 10 years before I'd be able to get it under 9).

I go yearly to see the eye doctor, and I use to see my endrocrnologist every 3 months but has now been moved to every 4 months (with control and better numbers I don't need to see him as often), I see my GP every two years for a physical other wise I don't see any one else in relation to being diabetic unless I need to do so, I don't see a food doc or anything of that nature (don't have the need as yet to do so apparently).
 
i,m type2, seen the diabetic nurse and see her again next may.
see the dietician on 5th august and retinal sreening on 6th august
 
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