I've spent some time thinking about a title for this blog post. Something clever, funny or cutting to get my news across usually works well. It's been a struggle because this may be the final Path To Pumping post and this little series of posts on the subject have been about the "journey" rather than the destination. Now, it seems the destination is on the horizon - you may have gathered that from my social media posts and from my replies to your messages. So, "Destination" it is.
I've also struggled to find a starting point for this blog post but it seems sensible to get straight to the appointment which has brought me back to the keyboard, today. That happened last Friday and I was allocated the last appointment slot of the clinic to afford me enough time to talk about my Diabetes, care and needs. That, I felt was a great gesture by my consultant. I'm aware of the strains that HCPs are under and to offer me unlimited time to talk meant that I felt my interests were the top priority for this appointment. With that in mind, I'm going to name the consultant in question; Dr Ian Lawrence.
Once the introductions were over, Dr L revealed my HbA1c results - 6.7% which was .1 higher than my eA1c of December but .2 lower than my eA1c of just a few days ago. That leads me to believe my actual A1c after 90 days on a pump (and before the excess of Christmas and New Year) was likely 6.5% or less. So, great news to have my A1c improvement confirmed by the lab. And everything else? I'm still impressively tall, I've put on 8lbs, my organs are all working and my feet are still getting a 10 out of 10. All fine and dandy. However, rather predictably, my clinic blood pressure was slightly elevated so I'll be monitoring that for a week or so from home. Oh, and no thyroid blood test in a decade means I'm back for another blood draw soon.
That's the data and the basics cleared up, down to business! Pumping. Apparently, I'm well read on various things which include NICE criteria and ABCD recommendations - a point Dr L was quick to acknowledge. Fine, I guess, I mean I read stuff on the Internet from time to time but it was nice to know that different HCPs forward relevant information to each other (I've quoted those things in previous appts) and I know that conversations happen privately. I'm also fine with those conversations happening about me because to cause discussion is the first step on the ladder of change and, in this case, progress. Dr L and I spent the next 45 mins discussing my Diabetes history, my complications, long term conditions, why I decided to get to grips with my T1D, my years of burying my head in the sand and lately why I have gone rogue and switched to pumping. This was a brilliant conversation. I have never felt so interested in by any HCP. I answered honestly despite some of that honesty being painful with reminders of my own self neglect.
Next, we moved to my current health and well being since the switch to pump therapy. I was able to detail the huge changes in my overall health as Dr L noted each item from my extensive list. This didn't feel like a "sell" and everything flowed naturally. I don't know if that's because I'm now well versed in repeating such things following conversations and emails with commissioners, advocates and even politicians as well as two previous consultations or if I was reading between the lines correctly and this consultation was aimed at facilitating pump access, rather than looking for reasons to deny, and I felt comfortable in talking to someone who was on my side.
The appointment ended at 1.40pm, we began at 12.30pm and let me clarify that, despite much evidence to the contrary on the Internet, I wasn't doing all the talking. It was a 50/50 thing... K, maybe 60/40. Dr L confirmed that my reading between the lines was right, he was going to recommend me for pump funding. Once he had announced that I was struggling to take anything else in. I THINK that I've agreed to a carb counting assessment course, a return appointment in 3 months, a crack at the London Marathon and I'm now engaged to a clinic nurse... whatever! YES!
'YES!' is what I exclaimed in the lift as I left the building.
'YES!' is what I tweeted.
Rarely has a person left a clinic which isn't cosmetic surgery, feeling this good. I probably don't need to detail the amount of time and effort I have put into getting to this stage. My previous 7 posts on The Path To Pumping probably gives some of that away, my tweets probably give some of that away and several of you have been kind enough to ask how things are progressing over the last 6 months so, you guys are probably well aware.
I'm obviously happy as I believe this step will give me a better long term outcome as well as maintain the better QoL which I've discovered lately. I'm happy that I was given the chance to put my case across, that reasonable discussion happened, that my experiences were valued and not dismissed because my HbA1c was good and nothing else matters. If I could show you all a recording of this consultation then I would promote it heavily across my social media as the perfect example of HCP & patient engagement.
After shaking Dr L's hand, I thanked him and told him that was the best appointment that I've ever had. To improve the health, lives and outcomes of another human being must provide great satisfaction and, HCPs who read this, on the days you achieve that then please know how grateful your patient will likely be for your work and attention. Strive to do that for all your patients, it's why you do the job after all.
It can be done.
My noise will now reduce as I await my next appointments and once everything is confirmed I will take some time to reflect. That will not be the end. Following this experience, documenting the fight and gaining information and knowledge to add to my experience, I will be making myself available to others in a similar situation to me. Once my oxygen mask is on, I will help others - stay tuned for details on that, later this year. Until then, thank you ALL for your support, for sharing your similar experiences with me, for your signposting, your encouragement, your building me up, your thousands and thousands of red dot notifications, your time and money for sending me consumables, your time, money and energy for meeting me to donate those things, including Pumpy McPumpface! - GBDoc, NIDoc and IREDoc have once again improved my life. To list you all would be impossible but I must mention one person
Dawnie. The busiest bee in the hive and a forever hero to me. The person who got me started but also someone who helps so many others without much recognition. Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading this blog. I do appreciate your visit and your support. As you might know, I LOVE COFFEE! So I've teamed up with a thing called Buy Me A Coffee. If you enjoy my content and appreciate the time it takes to create such things then you can buy me a coffee! If you leave your Twitter @ name when you buy me a coffee, I will personally thank you. If you'd rather be anonymous then that's totally cool. Thanks for the caffeine!
