Occupational health appointment in the morning

[Clare153]

Evening all, I have an occupational health appointment at 9am to think about / discuss reasonable adjustments since my diagnosis the other week.
I'm currently on metformin and gliclazide and titrating them up, feeling quite rough but bs are down from waking 15 to about 11 ish, and post eating from 25 - 30 to roughly 13/14.
I'm getting some wobbly moments in the afternoons, and needing to rest / sleep. Otherwise, feeling better than I did.

What should I be discussing with them tomorrow? And when they ask what reasonable adjustments I think I should have, any suggestions please?

Thanks for any advise.

 

[Lucyr]

What kind of job do you do and what is more difficult about the job since your diagnosis? I can’t think of any reasonable adjustments to suggest based on my own experience (office job, insulin 5 times a day).

 

[AndBreathe]

Evening all, I have an occupational health appointment at 9am to think about / discuss reasonable adjustments since my diagnosis the other week.
I'm currently on metformin and gliclazide and titrating them up, feeling quite rough but bs are down from waking 15 to about 11 ish, and post eating from 25 - 30 to roughly 13/14.
I'm getting some wobbly moments in the afternoons, and needing to rest / sleep. Otherwise, feeling better than I did.

What should I be discussing with them tomorrow? And when they ask what reasonable adjustments I think I should have, any suggestions please?

Thanks for any advise.

Looking at your HbA1c, it was a higher one at diagnosis. Bringing your numbers down will almost certainly help you feel better, but there might be some bumps along the road whilst your do.

In terms of your job;
- are you required to be active, or on your feet a lot?
- do you do anything risky, like working with knives or fast moving machinary?
- Is there any driving involved in your job (not getting to or from it)?
- Are you under time pressures at work?
- Do you have productivity targets on a daily/weekly basis?

To be honest, in your shoes, I'd certainly hoping not to need any adjustments, but that very much depends what you do, and if you have any autonomy, in terms of exactly what you do at any given time (subject to actually getting your job done).

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hope the appointment goes well @Clare153

There is a page about rights and responsibilities at work on the main DUK site here that might give you some ideas?

Work and diabetes

This information is about how to manage diabetes at work and to support you in knowing your rights at work. Jump to:

www.diabetes.org.uk

I’ve always had employers who were happy for me to attend medical appointments in work time (with proper notice) without needing to take them as annual leave - so something like that would be on my list.

Plus some health and safety stuff about potential hypoglycaemia. Needing to keep supplies and meds with me, and being allowed time to treat a hypo should one occur during work hours.

 

[rebrascora]

With your original HbA1c of 160 something, just a few weeks ago and only just starting on treatment now, I wonder if you should actually be at work at all. I imagine the fatigue on an afternoon is going to be an issue for you until your levels come down more into range.

Did you get the result of the second HbA1c done at the GP practice last week and if so, what was it?
I think until your BG levels are better managed, then I wonder if maybe just doing half days would be something to ask for. I am not sure how reasonable that might be, but needing a nap in the afternoon because your BG levels are sky high is not your fault and if that sort of fatigue puts you or someone else at risk in the work place, then you simply shouldn't be there.

My non medical opinion but gut feeling is still that you are Type 1 or LADA and need insulin even though your levels are coming down a bit with the Metformin and Gliclazide..... or maybe more to do with dietary changes. Time will tell I suppose.
Good luck with the appointment and I hope you manage to find some arrangement that you can cope with. I think whatever you decide, it would be worth an agreement for a further appointment in a week's or fortnight's time to assess and discuss how you are managing and whether any further adjustment is needed. It is a new diagnosis and it is going to take time to find the right meds to manage it, especially if you are Type 1 but being treated as Type 2.

 

[SB2015]

Hi @Clare153

I hope that the appointment goes well today.
Any adjustments needed will depend on the type of work that you are doing, and these may need to change (as like others I suspect that you are T1/LADA and that you are likely to need insulin to manage your levels) . With the glucose levels that you started with you are likely to feel very tired, but that should improve as your levels come down. I would ask them to take account of the time that it will take to find appropriate medication at this stage.

I was glad to have time to attend hospital appointments without needing to take time off (so long as these were notified in good time).

Let us know how you get on.