Type 1'stars R Us

[Antje77]

Off to the vampires for my first blood draw in almost 2 years, curious on the results.
I'll have to take the empty pee container with me and hope I can produce something when I arrive, I just went to the bathroom, completely forgetting I still needed to fill the container..

 

[Fairygodmother]

Off to the vampires for my first blood draw in almost 2 years, curious on the results.
I'll have to take the empty pee container with me and hope I can produce something when I arrive, I just went to the bathroom, completely forgetting I still needed to fill the container..

Good luck! Take a big big bottle of water to drink on the way.

 

[Antje77]

Good luck! Take a big big bottle of water to drink on the way.

False alarm!
Right when I was leaving the parcel guy came. My parcel was apparently hidden somewhere at the back of the van so it took some time. Then the hospital called me back and I really wanted to take the phonecall. So by the time I was ready to leave it was clear I wouldn't make it in time for the blood draw so I called off.

No problem, the hospital call was to tell me my endo appointment for next week was postponed to november 8, so plenty of time to plan another blood draw.

Very happy with the postponement too. I received an email yesterday to tell me I had an appointment with an endo I don't know, causing me to panic because I love my endo, and getting another one would mean no sleep for a week beforehand from anxiety and trying to think of all the things I might have to say to defend the way I handle my diabetes.

My current endo is very happy with what I do, and has an excellent feeling for people.
She makes little video's to explain things in an easy way for patients who have difficulty reading complex information, but she also gives me links to scientific studies she thinks might be interesting for me. And she also took the time to read the links I sent her a few months back to support a few questions I had.

So between my anxiety in general and knowing my chances of finding an endo as nice as her are very slim, I called the hospital to explain my panic and to ask why I suddenly had a new doctor.
Turned out she had too many patients, so some of them had been moved to a new endo. Upon hearing my panic the assistant was very understanding, and offered to contact her to ask if an exception could be made so I could stay with her.

So I was very happy I got the call back to tell me she would be happy to keep me as a patient if I didn't mind the appointment would be in november instead of next week!

My last appointment and blood draw was in november 2019 (except for the one email contact a few months back), so a month more or less doesn't make a difference at all!

 

[Hopeful34]

A little understanding goes a long way Antje, great that you're able to keep seeing the endo you want. I have a great endo too, and when 2 endo's were consulting in the same clinic, I used to always get anxious in case I saw the other one, so I totally get where you're coming from.

 

[karen8967]

Good morning everyone

 

[Marie 2]

@Antje77 I'm glad you get to keep your endo. If you have one that's a jerk or you don't get along with, it can make our life so much harder. My first endo was a jerk, I actually refused to go back to him after 2 visits and just saw an internist for years. But the next one was a gem and so is the one I have now. I don't want to ever have to change either.

@Japes I hate the, yea my mom has diabetes and has to be careful of what she eats. She used to have a problem and doesn't anymore, she exercises and stuff.. Then you know they don't have a clue what the difference is between type 1 and type 2.

It's kind of why I wish we had a different name, type 1 or type 2 is just too easily mixed up. And more people are familiar with everything type 2 nowadays.

 

[Jollymon]

Good morning people. Good morning. Let’s get out there and make it special.

 

[Antje77]

My first endo was a jerk, I actually refused to go back to him after 2 visits and just saw an internist for years. But the next one was a gem and so is the one I have now. I don't want to ever have to change either.

I think mine actually is an internist/vascular specialist and not an endocrinologist, but that's usual in the Netherlands. There are a couple of internists/endocrinologists in the hospital team where I go, but the diabetics are treated by all of them Even if your doctor is an internist/endo we would refer to them as an internist, no-one in the Dutch diabetes groups ever speaks about their endocrinologist.
However, seeing as endo is the standard specialist for T1's in the UK and the US, I call my internist my endo, as a translation for the type of work she does on a daily basis. Seems less confusing than calling her my internist and explaining this whole story every time.

 

[Japes]

[QUOTE @Japes I hate the, yea my mom has diabetes and has to be careful of what she eats. She used to have a problem and doesn't anymore, she exercises and stuff.. Then you know they don't have a clue what the difference is between type 1 and type 2.

It's kind of why I wish we had a different name, type 1 or type 2 is just too easily mixed up. And more people are familiar with everything type 2 nowadays.[/QUOTE]

Most, fortunately, this person was only with us for one day. I would not have had the patience to be polite a second time. And that was just on the diabetes front!! Combined with never having worked in our kind of setting before...

@Antje77 I am glad you get to keep your internist/endo person! I still really miss Utterly Splendid GP who got me sorted and properly diagnosed.

I am about to do battle with the GP surgery after phoning to request my medication review as the system was telling me to do, having the receptionist tell me it wasn't necessary, and the online repeat system now blocked until I book that review. After the 12 days wait for test strips, recently, I'm not best pleased.

 

[karen8967]

Good morning everyone hapoy friday

 

[becca59]

Good luck @Japes a system failure by the sounds of it.
The rain has stopped here. Happy! Although we are retired our life is very busy and we still try and make Fridays special. So a nice meal and wine awaits later today. Have a good weekend everyone.

 

[Jaylee]

Good morning everyone View attachment 51365

This is the look I get when low & measuring up pieces of timber....

 

[karen8967]

Good morning everyone

 

[Japes]

Good luck @Japes a system failure by the sounds of it.

Indeed so. I've saved the battle for next week after careful perusal of my supplies. I can only manage so many battles in one week.

Booking an eye screening appointment is proving interesting. The place I used to go to has stopped doing it. That small company has another branch near to work - but not open on a Saturday. or late enough after work to make that an option. I may well try the clinic's option if they have more variety of times available than Monday to Friday 9.00 - 3.00... otherwise, it's trying again in two weeks as the other two places I tried suggested I do, as they had no spaces, and no appointments available yet beyond the next 6 weeks!

However, I do have a haircut booked for next Saturday morning, we got to the end of another week in one piece, and I managed a bit more of my slow careful cutting down of the dying inside single leylandii in the middle of my front garden before the rain set in for what looks like the rest of the day. It is definitely the correct decision - and methinks that will help my next round of garden maintenance decisions as I'm wanting to put the whole of the front to grass which will be quicker to maintain than the current totally illogical layout, and will make up for the number of lost front gardens along my road. Also, will be easier to get a skip on my front garden to deal with other issues pre-dating me in this house and which my landlord has given me permission to get on and sort!

 

[karen8967]

Good morning everyone

 

[Fairygodmother]

Good morning Karen, good morning all.
@Japes, you should be released from work for an essential medical, including eye check, appointment if you can’t get a different time. I know it’s hard to put yourself first when working with people who need you. It’s a big decision that feels all wrong, but taking a long view, sometimes it’s a necessary one. Good luck getting one that fits.
The last couple of days have been busy and slightly stressful. I’ve got to the other side though: ordered two jerrycans click and collect, and they came early. Whoopee. After picking them up yesterday I drove towards the nearest petrol station. It was a single lane road and I had to join a queue. It moved slowly; 15 minutes later I saw a tanker leaving. The jerrycans were ready and I filled the one allowed. Badly, I was useless, but there was a towel in the boot so I could rub it down, wrap it up and drive home with all windows open. Bleurgh! The day before I’d done a food shop for older daughter, and now I had food and fuel for her to do a petrol search.
Food was delivered that afternoon. In the meantime son-out-law’s secondhand car had been delivered - with a full tank!!!! And daughter had heard a petrol station was open and by the time we got there she had filled up. Enough to get her to work and back next week, so no need to cancel classes or teach from home again.
They were ecstatic.
Daughter and I had a long long hug. That was the very very best thing, the first hug since March 2020. Still grinning!!!!
The petrol I’d got could now go to the friend who’s stranded at home in a rural area. Her tank’s empty. Husband took the other jerrycan with him when he collected the celebratory Thai takeaway and the kind attendant at a petrol station that had just closed, they’d been drained by anxious people filling up, let him have 6 litres from the emergency staff must get home supply. So kind. Husband was driving the EV and explained why it was needed.
Off to deliver it this afternoon. We’ll use the EV: I’m conserving what I’ve got for the next time. I only filled the jerrycan, I still have enough.
Bloods were like the Alps with all the stress of the last two days and the Thai meal didn’t help last night. Lots of correcting. Keep fingers crossed there won’t be an insulin situation like the petrol one.
Still grinning in the aftermath of hug with daughter.

 

[Marie 2]

Wow, the gas shortage sounds bad there. I remember two shortages in the 1970's. They introduced odd and even license plates days. On even numbered days, you could get gas if your plate ended in an even number, odd on odd days. And you still had to wait in line hours sometimes at peak times. Even non peak times it would be 15-30 minutes. The odd and even actually created more people in line because you had to make sure you got gas on the days you could. People would also run out of gas waiting to get gas. ...................And sigh, gas was 20 cents a gallon............or about 15 pence??

We sort of had a shortage here a month or two ago? A pipeline broke and had to be repaired in the South US. So some southerners in some southern states got worried and started runs on gas........it wasn't necessarily a shortage so much as a delay for a couple of days, but the run then drained gas stations dry, so then the rest of the nation heard about it and started filling up in some areas. Most people were not actually effected.

We run out of gas here at random stations or areas off and on. We don't have a ton of stations here. Gas has to arrive by boat, so any extra usage, or one shutting for a day or rumor of shortages, sends people to filling up until the next day or two when more arrives. Usually you just have to drive farther to get it. So here at least we now fill up our tanks when they are half full.

 

[Fairygodmother]

Wow, the gas shortage sounds bad there. I remember two shortages in the 1970's. They introduced odd and even license plates days. On even numbered days, you could get gas if your plate ended in an even number, odd on odd days. And you still had to wait in line hours sometimes at peak times. Even non peak times it would be 15-30 minutes. The odd and even actually created more people in line because you had to make sure you got gas on the days you could. People would also run out of gas waiting to get gas. ...................And sigh, gas was 20 cents a gallon............or about 15 pence??

We sort of had a shortage here a month or two ago? A pipeline broke and had to be repaired in the South US. So some southerners got worried and started runs on gas........it wasn't necessarily a shortage so much as a delay for a couple of days, but the run then drained gas stations dry, so then the rest of the nation heard about it and started filling up in some areas. Most people were not actually effected.

We run out of gas here at random stations or areas off and on. We don't have a ton of stations here. Gas has to arrive by boat, so any extra usage, or one shutting for a day or rumor of shortages, sends people to filling up until the next day or two when more arrives. Usually you just have to drive farther to get it. So here at least we now fill up our tanks when they are half full.

Yes, it is bad here, but it’s patchy. Where we live, in the South East, it’s been very bad but some parts of the country have been unaffected. We’re told that the army will be joining the tanker drivers to deal with it. The main problem seems to be that we haven’t enough HGV (heavy goods vehicle) drivers to cope with what needs to be delivered. It’s a real wake up call for the extent that we rely on petroleum.

 

[Japes]

@Japes, you should be released from work for an essential medical, including eye check, appointment if you can’t get a different time. I know it’s hard to put yourself first when working with people who need you. It’s a big decision that feels all wrong, but taking a long view, sometimes it’s a necessary one. Good luck getting one that fits.
.

Oh, I will be doing so if I can't get a Saturday/late afternoon appointment before the end of November. (Which is when I will have hit 2 years since my last screening.) The clinic is actually the nearest option to work now the optician closest no longer does this. Having done some additional hours in the first two weeks of term, I've already accrued TOIL for this kind of purpose as there are other non-negotiable in work time appointments I'd rather use my allowed time for medical appointments for.

 

[karen8967]