Losing faith!

[Rebecca..]

Hi,

I was diagnosed with type 1 in March this year, which came as a complete shock. I am 20 years old and am coping really well with everything.

Since being diagnosed, i have completely lost all faith in medical staff! I have been attending a diabetes clinic and often see different doctors, nurses, dietician etc. I have lost count of the times i have attended this clinic and everytime i go i can't help but feel like it was a complete waste of time.

I had a bad experience with one of the doctors who treat me like a child and was very patronising and opionated and since then i do not like going. I am supposed to be attending a young peoples clinic soon where a doctor and dietician will be present as well as other diabetics and then i have an appoitment the following tuesday to see a dietician. I work full time and find these appointments are a huge inconvenience. I wouldnt mind if i felt like there was a good reason why i was attending them.

Is it absolutely necessary to attend them? I know i am quite new to all this so is that why i have to go so often?

Sorry for moaning! :lol:

 

[noblehead]

Hi Rebecca,

Sorry your having a bad experience at the moment with your HCP's. Yes it's important that you attend your appointments especially as you are newly diagnosed, if you feel your treatment is below what it should be then I would suggest you complain or mention this to your gp, the appointments are a huge inconvenience as you say and god knows I've attended a few in my time, but your better getting good control in the early days than letting your control slip and paying the price further down the road.

Keep the faith! :thumbup:

 

[Paul1976]

+1 The younger you are and earlier you can get a good control of your sugars the better it will be! :thumbup:

All the best

Paul

 

[Rebecca..]

Thanks guys

I think its nice to just have a moan every now and again lol.

I have got quite good control atm i was high 20s even 30s when i was first diagnosed and am always in single figures now, my diabetes team just seem pretty useless ive basically taught myself about carb counting and adjusting my insulin.

I suppose the clinics and silly appointmenta are just something i will have to get used to!

Rebecca x

 

[noblehead]

Nothing wrong with a moan!

I know you say you carb count now and do so quite successfully going by your single figures, however you could still ask your diabetes team if they run the DAFNE course in your area, this teaches you to estimate the carbs in your food and adjust your insulin accordingly as well as many other aspects of type 1 diabetes management, here's a link to their website:

http://www.dafne.uk.com/What_is_DAFNE_-I293.html


The following site offers a on-line carb counting course and comes highly recommended:

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/

 

[the_exile]

Hi Rebecca,

I feel your frustrations! I've felt like that for a while, always a different doctor or consultant, actaully on a few occasions felt they didn't really know what they were talking about and disagreed with what they were asking me to do, it's more common that you'd think. I went on DAFNE a couple of years ago and the support network through that is superb, much better than the actual consultants, I'd urge you to aske to go on that if you haven't already.

 

[Rebecca..]

Hi,

I can't go on the DAFNE course till next year, i was told you have been diagnosed for at least 1 year before you can do it?

Rebecca x

 

[noblehead]

Hi,

I can't go on the DAFNE course till next year, i was told you have been diagnosed for at least 1 year before you can do it?

Rebecca x

I thought it was 6 months as we had a lady on our course who was only diagnosed 9 months before :?