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Who is supposed to be my diabetic nurse?

L

lmc

Well-Known Member
Messages
66
Location
Yorkshire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
This may be a strange question but who is meant to be my diabetes nurse? I only attend hospital but when I changed my insulin recently through gp due to it being discontinued, ( I asked to change) I got the real runaround. I rang hospital dsn who I normally ring who told me I would have to speak to community nurse. I rang community dsn who told I had been discharged so could not help and suggested practice diabetes nurse. I never see them.

In meantime, hospital reg had referred me to community dsn for something else who sent appointment for 2 months time. I rang them again and managed finally to speak to community dsn. I only wanted to change the ratios to carbs on my blood meter and could not remember how to. I was quite happy doing all the changes myself which is how I usually manage and had researched this myself.
 
from everything I know and everything I have read on this forum -- you SHOULD have a DSN at hospital -- but some CCG's push the care out to GP's and community nurses.

as a type 1 you should push to be looked after at hospital -
 
Ditto @himtoo , @lmc . The practice nurse (with a diabetes diploma, I gather) at the GP keeps trying to get me to go to her for diabetes review appointments - but I continue to politely decline as I have my very own genius DSN at the hospital's Diabetes Centre.

The latter is worth her weight in gold.
The former has in the past picked my brains as to why fish in batter might raise a patient's blood glucose 'when there's no sugar in it'.

They're both lovely people. But I've always been looked after at the hospital, and I'm going to continue going there for my diabetes appointments.

 
I agree with the above comments when you go to hospital do you have a named doctor or just see one of the team? I would ring the diabetes center at the hospital and explain what is going on and if you get no joy then go back to your GP's and ask to be sent to the hospital to clear things up.
 
Thanks for your replies. I though it should be the hospital dsn as that is the only place I go but they made me doubt myself. They only have one consultant there and I usually see reg but I have requested recently that I see consultant only anymore
 
When I was diagnosed, the DSN at the hospital told me how much insulin to use, the rules about driving etc. and said I would be discharged back to my own GP (who I've never met) and prescription details would be sent through to the GP surgery. They did say I could contact them in the meantime if I had questions (which I did do to get advice for travelling), but I had to nag both parties to agree on repeat prescriptions. And whilst I've seen letters sent from the hospital to my GP, I've never heard anything from my GP.
Am I supposed to set up the review appointments with my GP? I feel I'm missing some follow up advice about how to adjust bolus insulin (was just told 6 units for every meal) as I'm sporadically going below 4mmol/l, which delays my commute home from the office.
Don't get me wrong - I don't want to be pestering doctors or nurses every few months, but I'd have thought that after initial diagnosis, there'd be a bit more...advice (TBH, I might as well just get it from here). I should say that I have an outpatients appointment at the end of Jan, but the letter doesn't say who that is with.
 
Reactions: lmc
@Bertyboy It may be a good idea to make an appointment to see your GP and get things sorted out so far it would seem you have only been given the basics. There is far more you need to know as a T1 and you can't afford to be hit and miss about this.

As to the out patients appointment if you are unclear about the details then you can contact the hospital either out patients department or the appointments office by phone and ask them for clarification that is who it is with and what clinic to attend.
 
Totally agree with you about more advice and TBH, I find this site far more informative than the DSN I went to last week. My initial meeting with a different DSN was far more informed and informative. Good luck
 
Hi. I was diagnosed as T2 by my GP and hence see the surgery DN. I'm actually a LADA on Basal/Bolus but still listed as T2. My DN is excellent and I never see the GP now. In some ways although treated badly at the start thru mis-diagnosis I'm happy now that I just see the DN. They do vary but the good ones are good and it's easy to get an appointment etc. I would try to find out whether your surgery has a good DN?
 
Thanks
 
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