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Positive DSN Appt Today

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T

Tina63

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
My son and I had a really positive appointment with his DSN and dietician today. There really is too much to write it all here, but we were almost an hour and a half in with them and felt they would have talked all day if we wanted.

The dietician was brilliant, really seemed good at counselling and opening my son up. At the beginning he was looking at the floor and picking his nails and answering with simple 'yes/no' answers. Within half an hour he was really opening up to her. She was so very skillful at wording things in such a way that he was answering questions which were thought provoking and by this approach she kind of got across the importance of what he needs to do, then asked him how he thought he could do it. He really did seem to warm to her, and admitted what he has been doing is foolish, and says he really does want to change. We all talked about driving, which is what he has suddenly decided he is interested in, so they took the opportunity to tell him he will need to prove good control and told him DVLA may even want to see a few weeks of diary entries (not sure if this is really true).

One thing the dietician and DSN said, and the more I think about it the more it makes sense, they asked him how much thoughts about diabetes dominate his waking hours. He said they do a fair bit, more than they used to a few months ago. What they then asked him is how/why this is. Between them they all came to the conclusion that because he avoids testing (and injecting) sometimes, the guilt nags at him. By not testing, it nags at the back of his mind, he tries to ignore it, but on and off it comes back again and again. Then the next meal comes and time to test and inject again, so goes through the same dilemma again. They pointed out that if he tested and injected (which he has now started doing) that once it's done with it can be forgotten for the next few hours. He did agree, and having had it pointed out, said they did have a fair point and agreed it was just more sense to go ahead and do it.

There was loads more discussed, covered the alcohol bit in some detail after admitting to last weekend and then got down to doses and adjustments. They have decided to up the Humilin M3 2u at the moment, the dietician pointed out it's odd to be on higher Lantus than Humilin, but they agreed it was just a starting point to get him injecting properly again last month. He has now agreed to come straight in from school and test then, rather than after snacks but before dinner, and they have talked him into having some novorapid at that time too as well as dinner 2.5-3 hours later. He has agreed in principle to it anyway, and did test and inject this afternoon. He has said that avoiding injecting at school now has been a massive thing for him, so wants to remain on this regime at least until he finishes school.

They are going to see him again in a month at clinic and will do an HbA1c then (didn't do one today) so we can hopefully see some really positive progress. They also didn't realise he had been sent an appointment for the adult clinic and said that given his reasonably recent diagnosis and recent problems, they want to keep him with the children's service for the remainder of this year. I am more than happy with that, I think a change in team right now could prove disasterous.

So fingers crossed. Watch this space!!!
Tina
 
It sounds like they really got through to him this time. Good luck.
 
Good to hear that things are still moving in the right direction. I hope that continues.
 
All sounds very positive, Tina lets hope things will go a bit more smoothly now.
 
I agree Tina. Fantastically promising afternoon!

Fingers and toes crossed.
 
Tina that all sounds brillaint,positive all the way
 
Great news

About the DVLA asking to see diaries not come across that meself on car licences, but they do make you sign a box that says you will test before you drive and at periods in the journey. [URL="http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_066647.pdf" target=_blank]Here is the form[/URL]. You may want to show him it espesically the bit in the box marked DECLARATION. I may be wrong but if he doesn't sign that no licence.

Marc
 
Thanks for that Marc, we actually discussed the DVLA the night before the appointment and I pulled up their medical questionnaire and read key points out to him. At least if he believes they may ask to see his diary it's an incentive to carry on testing. The DSN did make the point that if you are ever involved in a non-blameworthy accident, insurers being insurers, if they get a whiff of the fact he is diabetic they will try anything to apportion blame his way, so keeping a record is ESSENTIAL before driving. Again, all these little snippets of information may make him realise how very important it is.

One interesting bit (for me anyway tee hee) was them asking why he had suddenly started testing his levels. He said because he remembered. They asked why had he suddenly started 'remembering' - he pointed at me! They did ask him if it gets on his nerves when I remind him to do it, he was very honest and said yes, but said that equally without it, he wasn't doing it. They offered to mediate between us, but he then said it actually was a good thing I remind him and was actually ok about me reminding him from time to time.

I really did come out feeling so much more positive, and he was open and chatty all the way home too, so I really do like to believe we are on the road to much better control. Fingers crossed anyway.
 
Tina, that sounds like a fantastic appointment, for you and for him. Fingers cross that great care continues and your son continues to be as receptive as he was then 🙂

Brilliant stuff! :D
 
Onwards and upwards. Sounds like he's lifted his head from the sand and started to want some control. It happens to us all eventually :D

Rob
 
Really good news. Well done to both of you. :D
 
Couldn't be more pleased for you Tina :D

Your persistence and patience has paid off. Let's hope he quickly get's a sense of what it can feel like to be 'in control' of his D by careful testing/injecting rather than it feeling like an impossible test that he never wanted to do in the first place and has no hope of succeeding with.
 
Great News Tina - knew being a 'mean mom' paid off in the long run:D

Very interesting comment about how much Diabetes on the mind and if you follow the 'rules' you actually have to spend less time thinking about it, not more🙂

Shame he still doesn't feel able to inject at school but of course a regime has to work for a person 'mentally' (if I can put it that way) as well as physically.🙂

Well done to whole family - hope the progress continues

Xx
 
Wow sounds positive, all good stuff there. Glad he opened up to them a little more. You are a very good Mum x
 
Brilliant news!!!!!🙂
 
Thank you all for your lovely comments. I am not naiive enough to think this is going to be perfect from now on, nor do I believe we won't have more hiccups on the way, but it certainly got him (and me) thinking about things more, especially how much avoidance plays on the mind, better to just get the 'dreaded' bit over and done with.

I really do think it helps he is suddenly interested in driving too. He had been saying he will leave it 12 months, but of course with 2 close friends now learning, and a third more casual friend actually now owning a car having passed his test, the desire has suddenly become much more immediate. It was impressed on him so much yesterday how important testing and getting his levels right were for driving, so I think everything combined has hit home. Of course it was also so much better coming from a third party, not me!

I must say I had it all wrong about the Humilin M3, I thought it only lasted 8 hours. Apparently thats only the faster acting stuff in it, so of course that and the Lantus are kind of piggy-backing. It will be interesting to see if the Humilin increase will lower any levels, he still woke high at 9.1 this morning, but it has been higher of late. He definitely had 2 lots of Novorapid last night too, so that's a step forward. It is the Humilin he has now been told to fiddle with doses, not the Lantus, so over time we will hopefully start to see some proper improvements.
 
Yes the Humulin M3 is a mixed insulin. My friend's daughter and husband are on that. They only inject twice a day.

And Oh yes, I had this with Carol. When I told her she should do something without the DSN saying so, she wouldn't do it because they didn't say so. I'm glad to say we're over that now.
 
INteresting about the time taken thinking about it. There was a thread a while ago about this and I think the consensus was that it's there in the background pretty much all the time, but it takes an awful lot more effort to resist it than it does to accept.

A happy, contented thought is way better than a hateful, resentful one, especially when it wont go away. 🙂

Rob
 
Just a comment re driving - does his meter have a 90 day memory? - because we now need such a meter if we drive.
 
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