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Private consultants

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
MeganN

MeganN

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Has anyone been to see a private consultant for diabetes treatment?

I'm at the end of my tether with my sugars now. This last week I can't get them below 6.5 ish and that's if I've not eaten for about 6 hours during the day. I'm cutting out nearly all carbs but veg. I feel like c**p and actually think I'm suffering from depression now.

My DSN doesn't seem to care how miserable I am just tells me to cut down more.
I'm hungry and tearful most of the time.

On tues I'm gong to my gp for a referral to go private.
Is this a good idea?
 
MeganN said:
Has anyone been to see a private consultant for diabetes treatment?

I'm at the end of my tether with my sugars now. This last week I can't get them below 6.5 ish and that's if I've not eaten for about 6 hours during the day. I'm cutting out nearly all carbs but veg. I feel like c**p and actually think I'm suffering from depression now.

My DSN doesn't seem to care how miserable I am just tells me to cut down more.
I'm hungry and tearful most of the time.

On tues I'm gong to my gp for a referral to go private.
Is this a good idea?
Click to expand...

Oh dear megan x ......you really are not haveing much luck are you?.....i would see your doctor and complain about your dn as she sounds heartless and quite frankly a rubbish dn.....you should not starve yourself either and you need carbs and veg...sounds like meds need adjusting and to be honest i would feel down if i were treated this way....get to your docs if no luck change surgery if that is possible, as far as going private if you can afford it i would imange you would get better service but honestly don't no as i can't afford it lol....chin up and really hope you get it sorted x
 
Thanks jalapino

I'm really fed up now. I have 2 diabetic parents who can't stand watching me like this anymore so have said that they will pay for private treatment if I get a referral which is very sweet of them.

My DSN doesn't seem interested until she sees a massive weight loss from my diet. She's says that I'm obv getting enough nutrition or I would drop a lot of weight. I dont think I'm particularly heavy at 10 stone and I have lost 2dress sizes so it's redistributing. I think the gliclazide is stopping me losing any weight which is also depressing.
 
This DN (dumb nurse) is she attached to the Drs surgery?
If so she has had 1/2 a days training and gained a certificate for her troubles.
So knows sod all.
Ask your GP for a hospital apt to see a consultant. Has anyone even thought that you might not be type 2? There could be a chance you are 1.5
(((((((((hugs))))))
 
A doctor surgery DSN has more than 1/2 days training, then they get regular update training and are also supported by the hospital clinic.

Before going the private route.. I would ask your doctor to refer you both to the hospital diabetic clinic and the dietician...

Two reasons for this...

If you go and see a private diabetic consultant, then all your diabetic treatment, medications etc will have to be paid for privately...

And one of the most important parts of our treatment, is the relationship we have with our HCP and it seems in your case that you've lost the necessary working relationship that is so important, being referred the hospital, you will be seen by a different HCP and hopefully can build a better working relationship with them..
 
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I'm pretty sure my prescriptions would be free no matter where I got them from?

I only thought private as I thought I may get seen quicker than at the hospital?
How do u find out if you are 1.5???
 
MeganN said:
I'm pretty sure my prescriptions would be free no matter where I got them from?

I only thought private as I thought I may get seen quicker than at the hospital?
How do u find out if you are 1.5???
Click to expand...

Hi Megan,
your GP can run blood tests. C peptiude is one, please excuse the spelling, for the life of me I can't think of the other one.
 
MeganN said:
Thanks jalapino

I'm really fed up now. I have 2 diabetic parents who can't stand watching me like this anymore so have said that they will pay for private treatment if I get a referral which is very sweet of them.

My DSN doesn't seem interested until she sees a massive weight loss from my diet. She's says that I'm obv getting enough nutrition or I would drop a lot of weight. I dont think I'm particularly heavy at 10 stone and I have lost 2dress sizes so it's redistributing. I think the gliclazide is stopping me losing any weight which is also depressing.
Click to expand...

I think your nurse is helping herself to medication because she must be on drugs to treat you like this....and thats lovely of your mum and dad...x
 
Hi Megan,

I see a private consultant and have to self fund any prescriptions he provides me with and any blood tests he feels he has to do whilst I am at the appointment. I have to say I have only gone private as I am a special case - and the NHS consultant would not consider my case fully.

After a whole week in a private hospital I was diagnosed and then knew I wasn't going mad. I dont think I would have been as fortunate to get so much testing under the NHS and so quickly too.

I think just the consultation costs about ?120, and each blood test about ?70. You could try and get your blood tests done by your gp but you may find the consultant wants to do some at your actual apointment. Mine gets me to have the GP do the tests if possible, but if we need a quick answer the test may have to be done in his office.

I am now getting sorted and am now on Byetta but it has been a fight and I still have to self fund and it is very expensive - and a lot of private consultants are very nervous about going against any NICE guidlelines - even though these dont fit everyone like myself.

I see an endocrinologist who is absolutely brilliant - I really dont know what i would do without him.

Good luck with your consultation. The good thing is you can have just one consultation and see what he thinks - if he thinks he cant help you he should tell you.🙂 I do thinky your GP has to refer you though before they will see you - or at least thats what happened in my case.🙂
 
When we were doing fertility treatment, we were seeing a private clinic (you don't find that many NHS clinics anyway and the NHS funding runs out very quickly).

However, for some of the non-time critical but still essential blood tests the consultant wrote a letter to our GP who duly obliged by ordering the tests on the NHS (and not cheap tests either).

Of course, that could have been the GP using a bit of license to be helpful which might not happen in your case.
 
Hi Lucy,
I find that very hard to swallow you having to pay for your prescriptions like that.
Any tests he does under a private consultation yes I see that side of things. But not the medication your gp should be writing a prescription for that.

I self funded my insulin pump and I still had my prescriptions provided for me, ie insulin and test strips plus anything else pump related I needed.
IMHO your PCT should also be repaying you the costs of the consultations as well seeing as their NHS consultants couldn't/wouldn't help you.
I asked and got reinbursement for some of my pump costs as well when I took up the matter with the CE of my PCT.
 
MeganN said:
I had that one when I was diagnosed and they said I was type 2
Would that be conclusive on its own?
Click to expand...
That's where a consultant is best - mine basically said to me that there were several types of auto-immune antibodies related to Type 1 and only NHS tests for a few of them. Therefore it was quite possible to have auto-antibodies that they couldn't test for.

Although, was your GAD score negative or just not positive?
 
Ellie Jones said:
A doctor surgery DSN has more than 1/2 days training, then they get regular update training and are also supported by the hospital clinic.

Before going the private route.. I would ask your doctor to refer you both to the hospital diabetic clinic and the dietician...

Two reasons for this...

If you go and see a private diabetic consultant, then all your diabetic treatment, medications etc will have to be paid for privately...

And one of the most important parts of our treatment, is the relationship we have with our HCP and it seems in your case that you've lost the necessary working relationship that is so important, being referred the hospital, you will be seen by a different HCP and hopefully can build a better working relationship with them..
Click to expand...

Mark T said:
That's where a consultant is best - mine basically said to me that there were several types of auto-immune antibodies related to Type 1 and only NHS tests for a few of them. Therefore it was quite possible to have auto-antibodies that they couldn't test for.

Although, was your GAD score negative or just not positive?
Click to expand...

Negative as far as I know
 
That's only 'our' area though Sue, plus any other area that wants to pay whatever it is to send their nurses on the course. No idea what they do elsewhere in the country.

I swear another nurse at my surgery told me half a day, mind you he didn't know much about anything and could never answer questions (not D, I men anything else) so he most likely was wrong anyway. Wasn't even very good at removing stitches either. In any case it's never changed the fact that my surgery nurse isn't an expert LOL - she just never asks me anything now or attempts to advise me because I always have to correct her, or ask her questions she can't answer - so we just talk about anything really that isn't D or her telling me eg what my BP is LOL

Back On Topic, that's what I wanted to know, I don't see why you can't ask to be refrred to a really good endo - do you know who you want to see?
 
This sounds like the Health Care postcode lottery in full swing, so sad. Hope you get the treatment you deserve without having to fund it! I have private medical insurance and have never had to use it despite having a mini stroke aged 29, skin cancer at 34 and diabetes at 35! I only keep paying cause something is out to get me and I'll need it one day!!!
 
Trophywench I would quite like to see a guy called dr Partha Kar who I saw at the hospital when I was diagnosed. He was nice and has an excellent reputation but the hospital nurse told me I would need a referral even to see him again
 
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