Remember that private care in the U.K.is delivered by doctors, specialists and nurses who either work for or who have previously worked and been trained within the NHS structure.
My daughter worked in theatres for awhile. Some patients would go private. Difference? Operation first thing on a Saturday morning and 3x hourly rate for my daughter.
Be careful what you actually pay for.
Hi and thank you for replying. I have over the last 5 years been let down by 2 GPs and my Endocrinologist. I am a type 1 (45 years) and have hypothyroidism (18 years) . The fact that I have told both symptoms that they have just wanted to attribute to something else. No proper questioning of me, physical examinations, blood tests are basic, a lack of time /knowledge or both have led to a lack of investigation and diagnosis. The consequences to both my physical and mental wellbeing have been terrible. The last straw for me was when I found out that biotin affects thyroid test results. When I finally got to speak to the endo I told her of the symptoms I am suffering from and until I said to her to forget my symptoms " Dr ... you are an endocrinologist ?" She replied yes of course I then said "so you know that biotin affects thyroid test results. " she would have continued to let me continue without further ado. Despite walking round with scalloped tongue, body temperature of 34 degrees and too many other hypothyroid symptoms to list in this post. I just want full comprehensive blood tests, non complacent professionals who actually look and investigate.Hi @Phoenix69 - Intrigued to ask why private ? And what are you looking for specificially that will help ?
Doesn’t relying on computers ignore a huge part of having diabetes: the mental strain of knowing you have a chronic disease.I think most of the problems people have with poor care or advice from doctors and nurses will be solved in the next few years by volunteer workers making software for your phones, pumps and the web. Once most/all people have CGM/FGM and we log what we eat and inject, the software will tell us what is going wrong, and why. You can already get recommendations for bolusing based on what you're about to eat and set up automatic adjustments for your pump during your sleep.
Beyond the initial stages after diagnosis and collecting blood and the like, soon enough there won't be much need for appointments at all unless there is a freak occurrence.
If anything, knowing how your body will be affected will reduce that mental strain, I think. Much like how those of us with Libre/Dexcom now feel like we have much better control than when having to do finger pricking for single results, getting automatic suggestions with improving accuracy over time is the logical next step in how we control it.Doesn’t relying on computers ignore a huge part of having diabetes: the mental strain of knowing you have a chronic disease.
I work in software and would not trust it to look after my life with out regular input or checking.
Any software requires updates. Improvements may require further education. Health scares require support.
I cannot see how this would remove the need for appointments.
Working on software, I am very aware of the risks in sharing my personal information and how easy it is for it to be hacked.If you work in software, surely you would know that by networking(with consent, of course) your results(like you can do with diasend etc. now) you can get much better and accurate feedback over time
That's a legitimate concern that I fully understand but disagree with when it would directly make my health more manageable, and I wholly agree that one should not share more than needed, whether here or on social media in general, but that's a whole other discussion not relating to these forums.Working on software, I am very aware of the risks in sharing my personal information and how easy it is for it to be hacked.
For example, the information I share with diabetes.co.uk is limited (and not quite 100% accurate) in order to protect myself.
There is certainly a lot of value to be gained from combining software with our care but I think we have to agree to disagree with regard to it reducing the number of appointments.
If anything, knowing how your body will be affected will reduce that mental strain, I think. Much like how those of us with Libre/Dexcom now feel like we have much better control than when having to do finger pricking for single results, getting automatic suggestions with improving accuracy over time is the logical next step in how we control it.
If you work in software, surely you would know that by networking(with consent, of course) your results(like you can do with diasend etc. now) you can get much better and accurate feedback over time, especially if comparable with other users, spotting patterns applicable to your particular body type or eating habits or whatever. Those updates and improvements you speak of would for the most part be on the server side and would go completely unnoticed by the client.
If let's for arguments sake diabetes.co.uk had this networked service with all of our data, all our blood sugar history, all our injections and all of what we've eaten, you can see that people who eat food x has their sugar affected this much, your body type is similar to theirs, why don't you try eating this. Same thing with basal analysis, how much you might want to bolus for this particular food and so on.
This is all very possible with what exists today, what we can't measure yet is illness and that time of the month and things like that.
I think this would reduce the need for most appointments.
I feel like this whole debate is very similar to the Tesla and autonomous vehicles versus traditional cars, where I side with Tesla. Yes, the technology will not be 100% accurate, it will require changing, it will make mistakes. Similarly, you will not be 100% accurate with your finger pricking, carb counting or measuring your meals, your medical professionals will not always be correct or be up to date with all the information, and you will screw up sometimes.The problem is, that assumes that diabetes is going to behave in the same way every time, and that people are the same, which they are not. It also relies on accuracy of reporting and of the equipment. I have a dexcom, and I would not in any way say it reduces the mental strain, not one bit. It just isn't as accurate as blood testing.
In terms of making changes, yes, I can make changes myself, but only because I have had the education, which not everybody has had access to, and I would still like input from HCPs, particularly in terms of making changes to basal, because we are quite literally talking about life and death if you get this wrong.
I also agree with @helensaramay - we are talking about a huge amount of data that realistically is not going to be kept totally secure.
I have a dexcom, and I would not in any way say it reduces the mental strain, not one bit.
And once you learn from the data you now have and adapt to it, all of a sudden you will feel quite alright. For the first 14 years as a diabetic, I did not have these tools and I had no idea why I always slept horribly or why I felt awful for a while during/after that particular meal etc, then I got the Libre and I could actually measure when and how much I should inject to a particular type of meal, I could see when my sugar rose and dropped during the night etc and could adjust accordingly. Libre has made my life a lot easier, and yes it can make you a bit obsessive at times but on the whole, it is a lot better and more manageable, and reduces stress.No it doesn't. Libre made me more paranoid because it made it clear what a terrible job I had been doing and continue to do even now. The absolute worst part of it is screwing up, taking a correction, then spending the next forty five minutes checking and checking and checking. You have to watch it climb and climb, and then only after that long does it FINALLY start to level off and you can finally relax a bit. Only you can't because then it's nearly dinner time so we have to start getting set up for that and you just end up in an endless cycle of it not being quite right, trying to correct up or down and crashing into the next point where it should be something else.
Does that make sense to anyone.
I would love to know how.And once you learn from the data you now have and adapt to it, all of a sudden you will feel quite alright.
My concern is that if you have type 1 diabetes which is an autoimmune disease and part of the endocrine system not enough time has been put into either even. My GP still thinks I'm type 2 and calorie controlled. My hba1c goes between 6 and it hit 6.4 early this year. I told my go that I had then already been ill for 4 months and was worried about the high blood sugars I was constantly battling with 10 or more blood tests and numerous nsulin injections. She put it down to my hba1c. I was scared i would end up with pneumonia and sepsis again as 2 years ago. That wasn't the forest or last visit. I went to the surgery again my temperature was 35. I was very I'll at the time and simply sent away with antibiotics. No one contacted me despite the recurrent throat and gland infection the low body temperature. My low blood pressure.nothing. it seems everything is put down to depression or something else. Nobody investigated my physical condition to see if that had affected me.. I have lost so much it's like the medical profession accept you have diabetes and therefore you have depression. Tell them that you drink most evenings up to 2 glasses of wine they become totally blinkered. they can see from liver function triglycerides which mine are well within range etc that im not drinking large amounts. it may be more than recommended but not huge. im tired so tired only someone with thyroid disorder will understand.