Annual diabetes review

[Sharron1]

As Autumn approaches so does the diabetes annual tests So far have successfully booked a blood test at the surgery. Picked up the necessary paperwork and sample bottle. Surgery chairs all distanced. All good and much better than expected. Yesterday took the sample in and then the fun began. Getting in was sort of organised, but the general public weren't having any of it. Lots of sins and arrows informing people what to do. But, they were marching in, not wearing masks and so forth.
Following all the guidance I went in to leave my little jam jar at the desk and then it all went a little strange and I am still trying to work it out. I put the bottle on tbe desk with all the necessary paperwork, the receptionist than told me I had to stick the label on the front of the bottle. I stuck it on the bottle, and then she told me it was was the wrong place, it had to be on the front. It is a circular bottle, where is the front? No markings to indicate a front. She insisted it had to be on the front, clearly I was just too stupid to see where the front was. She printed another label for me, and I gamely asked her where the front is, she gave a very dramtic sigh, steamed up her visor and then pointed at the bottle and said 'there'. I could feel myself starting to laugh... I decided to be bold and asked if she could point to the front for me. Another sigh, rather more audible. She sort of pointed in a vague direction at the bottle, and I placed the label on and thought, ok let's see what happens. She then made a passing comment, 'see, it wasn't so difficult'. Absolutely hilarious. I then left to do my patriotic duty, 'Eat Out to Help Out,. My question, on a bottle with no markings either on the lid or the glass, exactly where is the front? Have I missed something intrinsic to this process?To paraphrase Bismark wherever I sit is the head of the table. Label, front of bottle,chicken or egg? Off to do more patriotc duty.

 

[PhoebeC]

That sounds like an unneeded problem.

For my blood test I had to wait outside the surgery until the nurse cane to get me, then she asked me to wash my hands before we went into the treatment room.

We did my weight and bloods etc and I just said I have a sample with me, she said place it on the desk and that was that. Very straight forward and easy.

I also asked for another pot for next time.

 

[Eddy Edson]

To paraphrase Bismark wherever I sit is the head of the table.

That's great 🙂

I have this image now of Bismark queuing up to give his sample bottle ...



"Wherever I put the label is the front, duTeletubbyzuruckwinker!"


"

 

[grovesy]

sounds like a jobs worth. My surgery you can't get in without been let in, and the normal doors are not in use.

 

[Sharron1]

That sounds like an unneeded problem.

For my blood test I had to wait outside the surgery until the nurse cane to get me, then she asked me to wash my hands before we went into the treatment room.

We did my weight and bloods etc and I just said I have a sample with me, she said place it on the desk and that was that. Very straight forward and easy.

I also asked for another pot for next time.

Oohh, you are lucky. I asked for a pot for next time and was told it wasn't possible. Didn't want to asķ why not, felt it would get me nowhere.

 

[Madeline]

Ours won’t accept jam jars, or any other form of container apart from the official tube. It’s going to be interesting once Small is at uni, I’m not getting a taxi to the surgery to pick up a tube, then another one back to deposit my offering.

 

[Docb]

Brilliant story @Sharron1, when you hear it you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Perhaps it is just reminding us that when it comes down to it, the world is full of people with all their wonderous diversity and at at times you have got to make allowances and take the laugh about it option. Better than becoming bitter and twisted.

 

[MarkGeordie]

My surgery just put one on the counter when I needed one.

When I handed it back the receptionist had gloves on and one of those small sandwich bags, held it open and asked me to drop it in.

 

[Sally71]

Most receptionists do a good job but a few do have rather an elevated idea of themselves, don’t they. A while back daughter went for her diabetes review at the hospital and was asked to provide a urine sample (this was new for us and apparently was because she was over 12 years old now.) It was a new doctor who was very nice but insisted that the sample had to be produced before we left the building. Well daughter hates trying to pee into the little bottle, especially in a public loo, and was trying to comply for 40 minutes and was nearly in tears because she just couldn’t relax and do it. Now I get why the doctor insisted that the sample had to be done straight away, if you let people do it at home they might forget. However daughter was in distress and I needed to get back to work and we'd probably have been waiting all day for her to do what was required, so I went and found the DSN and asked her if we could do the sample at home, with no pressure and in her own bathroom it should be easier. She knows us well and knows we won’t forget so arranged a bottle and labelled bag to put it in and drop off at the GP surgery and they would get it to the hospital.

So a couple of days later I had the required sample, meant to drop it off at the surgery in the morning after my early stint at work, but forgot so took it in in the afternoon. And got a right load of aggro from the receptionist! “Why didn’t you drop it off in the morning, we'll have to refrigerate it now and send it in tomorrow.” Er, OK, do whatever you have to please. “Well it might degrade and then the tests won’t work, and you’ll have to do it again.” Well let's just risk it shall we, you don’t know the trouble I went to to get that sample! “and is it the first morning urine, it should be” No, nobody told me it had to be, can you just send it in please. Moan moan moan, in the end I just said “Look, all I was told to do was get the sample and drop it off with you to send to the hospital, which I am trying to do. Nobody told me that there is a time limit on these things, and nobody told me that the sample has to be done first thing in the morning (it certainly wouldn’t have been if we had managed to produce it at the hospital!) so can we just send it in please, and if someone from the hospital asks us to repeat the test we'll deal with that when it happens.” So she grudgingly took the sample off me but gave me a spare pot ready to repeat the test. And all the tests came back normal and we were not asked to repeat the test, and I think that spare pot is still in the boot of my car!

 

[grovesy]

Other than the annual protein urine test around here Urine Specimen bottles have to be bought at the Pharmacy.

 

[PhoebeC]

Most receptionists do a good job but a few do have rather an elevated idea of themselves, don’t they. A while back daughter went for her diabetes review at the hospital and was asked to provide a urine sample (this was new for us and apparently was because she was over 12 years old now.) It was a new doctor who was very nice but insisted that the sample had to be produced before we left the building. Well daughter hates trying to pee into the little bottle, especially in a public loo, and was trying to comply for 40 minutes and was nearly in tears because she just couldn’t relax and do it. Now I get why the doctor insisted that the sample had to be done straight away, if you let people do it at home they might forget. However daughter was in distress and I needed to get back to work and we'd probably have been waiting all day for her to do what was required, so I went and found the DSN and asked her if we could do the sample at home, with no pressure and in her own bathroom it should be easier. She knows us well and knows we won’t forget so arranged a bottle and labelled bag to put it in and drop off at the GP surgery and they would get it to the hospital.

So a couple of days later I had the required sample, meant to drop it off at the surgery in the morning after my early stint at work, but forgot so took it in in the afternoon. And got a right load of aggro from the receptionist! “Why didn’t you drop it off in the morning, we'll have to refrigerate it now and send it in tomorrow.” Er, OK, do whatever you have to please. “Well it might degrade and then the tests won’t work, and you’ll have to do it again.” Well let's just risk it shall we, you don’t know the trouble I went to to get that sample! “and is it the first morning urine, it should be” No, nobody told me it had to be, can you just send it in please. Moan moan moan, in the end I just said “Look, all I was told to do was get the sample and drop it off with you to send to the hospital, which I am trying to do. Nobody told me that there is a time limit on these things, and nobody told me that the sample has to be done first thing in the morning (it certainly wouldn’t have been if we had managed to produce it at the hospital!) so can we just send it in please, and if someone from the hospital asks us to repeat the test we'll deal with that when it happens.” So she grudgingly took the sample off me but gave me a spare pot ready to repeat the test. And all the tests came back normal and we were not asked to repeat the test, and I think that spare pot is still in the boot of my car!

Again another drama not needed.

I was only told a few years in that it should be the first wee of the day. It’s hard to remember that, when you have just woken up.

Also I once had a nurse tell me that it shouldn’t be a period wee. After she made me go a do a fresh one in the surgery.
Apparently that could impact the results too.

 

[Sharron1]

My surgery just put one on the counter when I needed one.

When I handed it back the receptionist had gloves on and one of those small sandwich bags, held it open and asked me to drop it in.

Ahhhh, I didn't post the detail of the sample bottle and the plastic bags (plural). My trips to the surgery are full of never ending 'entertainment' courtesy of the receptionists.Usually once I flee the place, there is a little bench outside that I take a few breaths and replay what just occurred. I almost never come to any sensible conclusion. It simply makes me laugh.

 

[Ditto]

I can't remember the last time I had an appointment for anything to do with type 2! Not seen a doctor since the start of this lot. What a pile of jobsworths there are around. Might have to start carrying a funnel just in case.