Chatty Cathy
Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Has anyone used Medtronic 780g with Smartguard or Tandem with Dexcom needing advice as to which is better
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Real worried now so going tech
- Thread starter Faffer
- Start date
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Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
you probably want to make this a new thread!
trickyearlobe
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
Hi @Faffer , it was super hard for me to get an appointment with my GP too because my diabetes was previously under reasonable control and my practice is very understaffed.
I self fund my Libre's and I had been trying to get seen for 6mo after my blood glucose suddenly started staying high for much of the day/night. I also had issues getting an in person appointment for a bad ear infection (which resulted in a double ear perforation). The doctor examined me OVER THE PHONE after about a month and was adamant it wasn't perforated (even though I could pinch my nose and blow air out of it).
I had started looking into the process of changing GP but I finally got some solid attention when I went for a routine ear operation (privately to repair the perforations) and they refused to operate because my pre-op HBA1C was 120 (previously it has been around 45-65).
They wrote to my GP and I very quickly got to see a new nurse practitioner. I found SHE CAN ACTUALLY PRESCRIBE without consulting a GP and she's fairly knowledgeable (so you should push your own practitioner hard).
She immediately put me on new meds, which unfortunately resulted in a week in hospital to treat a very severe and unforseen ketoacidosis. It was a side effect of undiagnosed LADA (aka. Type 1.5 diabetes) which they could have tested before changing the meds.
As a result, I'm getting very easy access to the nurse practitioner and also the specialists at my local hospital because I had to visit A&E (which gets my GP some scrutiny from the NHS)
I'm working now on getting tested for LADA because it SHOULD (according to NICE guidelines) get me access to FreeStyle Libre on prescription (since I'm effectively turning T1). The practice seems to be playing down the need to get tested for LADA though (I wonder why ;-)
If you want to consider switching GP or applying some pressure to sort themselves out
Sorry for the wall of text ;-)
Maybe some of it might be helpful
I self fund my Libre's and I had been trying to get seen for 6mo after my blood glucose suddenly started staying high for much of the day/night. I also had issues getting an in person appointment for a bad ear infection (which resulted in a double ear perforation). The doctor examined me OVER THE PHONE after about a month and was adamant it wasn't perforated (even though I could pinch my nose and blow air out of it).
I had started looking into the process of changing GP but I finally got some solid attention when I went for a routine ear operation (privately to repair the perforations) and they refused to operate because my pre-op HBA1C was 120 (previously it has been around 45-65).
They wrote to my GP and I very quickly got to see a new nurse practitioner. I found SHE CAN ACTUALLY PRESCRIBE without consulting a GP and she's fairly knowledgeable (so you should push your own practitioner hard).
She immediately put me on new meds, which unfortunately resulted in a week in hospital to treat a very severe and unforseen ketoacidosis. It was a side effect of undiagnosed LADA (aka. Type 1.5 diabetes) which they could have tested before changing the meds.
As a result, I'm getting very easy access to the nurse practitioner and also the specialists at my local hospital because I had to visit A&E (which gets my GP some scrutiny from the NHS)
I'm working now on getting tested for LADA because it SHOULD (according to NICE guidelines) get me access to FreeStyle Libre on prescription (since I'm effectively turning T1). The practice seems to be playing down the need to get tested for LADA though (I wonder why ;-)
If you want to consider switching GP or applying some pressure to sort themselves out
- you can get a private assessment of your diabetes situation at a fairly reasonable price from a private GP which will force your own GP to act if there is a real problem.
- you can get some reviews on alternative local practices here https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/
- you can also see reviews on NHS website here https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/
- you can see how to complain here https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/#feedback
- you can ask to speak to the GP's practice manager and make special arrangements to get seen in a timely manner... make sure to collect evidence before you meet
Sorry for the wall of text ;-)
Maybe some of it might be helpful
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I am in to see the Diabetes specialist on the 13th, am going to see what they do and if i can get a Libra on repeat script. If they dont arrange it then i think i will get very annoyed and awkward and not move untill they do. Having it for the last ten days has been great and so much less stress for me, and my wife, she is so worried and panics when she as to leave me for work, she works nights, even though i have the Libra.
I was going to fund my own Libra but at £100pm i cant afford it.
I will update when i have been to see them, if all else fails i will be contacting higher up the chain.
I really appreciate all the help and advice given, thank you.
Faffer 🙂
I was going to fund my own Libra but at £100pm i cant afford it.
I will update when i have been to see them, if all else fails i will be contacting higher up the chain.
I really appreciate all the help and advice given, thank you.
Faffer 🙂
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