How regular are your diabetes appointments?

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sp00kysk311y

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Type 1
I know they’re normally 1-2 years after so many years, but if you have a diabetic eye disease or an eye disease. Which I have. It’s normally more often than 1-2 years.

I recently called out my diabetes clinics behaviour towards me after my diagnosis 7 years ago. Then all of a sudden I am not being seen this year at all. I’m being seen next year (2025).

I just want to know others thoughts.
I can’t trust any consultant, GP, nurse anymore due to lies they have told me and the way I have been treated since having to rely on these people for help. So I just wanted to know others opinion.
 
My consultant appointments have been 6 monthly until this year and I am now on an annual appointment. These are pump appointments. They drifted a bit with COVID which was understandable. My eye check is annual and I have feet, bloods, urine samples dealt with at my GP practice Annually. I put a note in my diary when the next ones are due and follow up if I don’t hear from them (I always do).

I am aware that some on injections are managed at their GP practice by the nurse with a special interest in diabetes.
 
Sorry to hear about the infrequency of your appointments @sp00kysk311y

I split my checkups between GP (weight, BP, toe tickle, bloods etc) and a (mostly) annual pump clinic, though my pump clinic appointment had skipped one or two face-to-face with the recent turmoil.

I used to try to keep them about 6 months apart to get a regulat HbA1c check, but I worry less about that these days with the benefit of sensors and Time in Range.

I believe the guidance for T1 still recommends a thorough annual check-up.
 
I have an "annual" appointment with the diabetes clinic every 14 months or so.
I am pretty sure this is down to demand - there are too many patients and too few endocrinologists to see everyone as needed.
As my diabetes is reasonably well managed, I am happy with this and 6 monthly hba1c tests at my GP surgery. We came to an agreement that the surgery based DSN adds no value to someone with Type 1 so I don't have any appointments related to diabetes at my GP surgery.
 
I thought the recommended frequency was every six months?
  1. an "annual" one where 'everything diabetes-related' gets checked and the usual blood tests are done, including HbA1c.
  2. at the other six-monthly appointment only the blood tests are repeated.
Since diabetes should be largely self-managed, I ask my doctor's surgery for these checks each time: the first during my birth month, and the second six months afterwards.
 
Pump nurse once a year, get usual tests done at Drs & results are shared with hospital clinic, happy enough with that.
 
I go to the GP surgery for blood tests and BP and feet tickle about once a year and a second time for blood tests for my appointment with the consultant which are via telephone. They were supposedly 6monthly appointments, but drifted to 8-10 months and now yearly at my suggestion which may or may not be nearer 18months. I am OK with that as I know what I am doing and there is a helpline at the clinic which I can ring and leave a message if I need help in between.
The workload at the clinic is the reason why appointments are progressively getting further apart. Since Covid which not only put an increased strain on their resources with diabetic in patients needing more support but also generated a lot of new cases, so they are simply overworked and/or under staffed. There are people who need help more than me, so I am fine about it sliding into 2 years if necessary. In reality I could just self manage with the blood tests done at the GP practice but I like to keep my foot in the door at the clinic just in case I do need something because if I was discharged, a referral back to the clinic could possibly take longer and as I said, the helpline is there to use if I need it.
 
I was diagnosed last August, even thought i was supposed to have a telephone appointment with the Hospital that didnt happen, i booked myself in with the DN at our surgery but ended up with the nurse who works with her apart from my thyroid test which is every year, she did an HB1 which i didnt expect as it was done while i was in Hospital and went from 87 to 57, never the less i had no other appointment book and no advice etc, again i took myself to our GP who is the diabetic leed again to try and get some help as other than Lantus i have not been given any other insulin.

I have lost all faith in the whole system to be honest, in fact i have had more help since joining here.
 
Pam123 said:
I have lost all faith in the whole system to be honest, in fact i have had more help since joining here.
Click to expand...

I think most of us regulars have learned more here than anywhere else, even if we have had good support from health care professionals. The knowledge and experience here on the forum is second to none and I would trust this "hive mind" over most HCPs, simply because it is lived, tried and tested experience and we all know that the theory can be quite different to how things pan out in practice.

I would say coming here to the forum to regularly ask questions and learn is really important so that you don't need to rely on the HCPs because these days, getting appointments is becoming more and more difficult as the NHS is slowly grinding to a halt. Empowering yourself is probably your best bet.
 
Hi @sp00kysk311y

Are you seen separately at the eye hospital/unit due to your eye problems or are you on the normal 1 or 2 year recall for retinal screening?

My pump clinic/endocrinology clinic didn't change in frequency when I was diagnosed with proliferative retinopathy. I'm seen at the eye hospital regularly, thankfully my appointments haven't been affected by cancellations.

My pump clinic is anything between 18-20 months apart and I have to chase for an appointment. They acknowledge I'm seen at the eye hospital and that's about it.
 
Flower said:
Hi @sp00kysk311y

Are you seen separately at the eye hospital/unit due to your eye problems or are you on the normal 1 or 2 year recall for retinal screening?

My pump clinic/endocrinology clinic didn't change in frequency when I was diagnosed with proliferative retinopathy. I'm seen at the eye hospital regularly, thankfully my appointments haven't been affected by cancellations.

My pump clinic is anything between 18-20 months apart and I have to chase for an appointment. They acknowledge I'm seen at the eye hospital and that's about it.
Click to expand...
I’m seen with the eye clinic at the hospital.

I normally have an annual diabetes appointment and annual pump clinic appointment (unless needing more)

The reason I am asking this is because I called out my diabetes clinic on not actually helping me, causing me to lose all my teeth and causing me to have other health conditions such as a rare bowel condition and sight loss.
And right after this discussion with the consultant where she lied to my face, my appointment was set to 2025 instead of this year. I even requested before hand for my annual appointments be either 3 monthly or 6 monthly due to wanting to talk about things with the consultant which I can’t do through MyChart.

So yeah I may be paranoid but the way I have been treated by the diabetes clinic and the rest of the clinics/departments since I’ve been needing to rely on them in my life, has made my mental health a lot worse and made me feel worse physically. I know that’s what people are going to say I am anyway, paranoid with this comment.
 
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