Hi Danielle!
I hope clinic goes well today. Jimmysmum has given you all the information that I would have done. Do be aware that they see several children so you could be waiting there quite a long time. I usually have to take all 3 kids with me, so we have a bag of "special" toys and books that are only taken out at clinic.
As Jimmysmum said, my two eldest two were diagnosed with type 1 recently. F (age 7 in April) was diagnosed in July 2009 and J (just turned 5) was diagnosed the day before Jimmysmum's little girl. He has his first clinic next Wednesday. It has been great being in touch with other parents on here.
The blood test is just a finger prick, and the blood is squeezed into a small thin capillary tube for analysis. The first time F had hers done at clinic by the nurse. Since then, they have given me the tube and a blood testing bag and I do the test myself and drop it off at the surgery.
I like seeing the kids' consultant at clinic, and speaking to our DSNs face to face (we have two, who job-share). If I have any concerns, I write them down before we go, because otherwise I forget them. I always take the blood sugars record sheets too, so they can look at the latest blood sugar numbers without me having to remember them!