Brilliantly Perfik

Diabetes check today with the Nurse.

I was early for my 9.15 appointment by about ten minutes. There was a queue at reception so I used the auto sign in machine which was playing up a bit, but I registered OK.
There was no-one waiting in my area, and someone came out of the consultation room at ten past.
At 9.25 I checked with reception that I had indeed registered, and I had.
Nursey called me in at 9.35.
I had been the only one waiting and no-one else had gone in (or out) of her office.
All smiles, she asked if anything had changed over the past thirteen months since I’d last seen her.
I felt porcupine spines of annoyance forcing their way out of my back.

Now I appreciate that a nurse should not be expected to know each and every one of her patients personally or intimately, but with the unexplained and non apologetic delay for my appointment (I gave her my appointment card which clearly stated 9.15), you would have thought that she would at least have reviewed my notes before calling me in.

I could not resist saying ‘ Not much, apart from losing almost three stone in weight.’
I got an ‘Oh’ and she started to read.
She asked how I’d lost the weight and I said by joining slimming world ‘on a recommendation through the surgery.’
She asked if I was enjoying it, and after replying in the affirmative, I let her dominate the conversation.
She saw I was on medication but not for diabetes, and asked about my cancer treatment, so I filled her in saying everything in that department was fine and I had been extremely lucky in only having to have a course of radiotherapy after surgery.

I was not being awkward, neither was I rude, just cheesed off for being kept waiting and having a nurse who knew nothing about me. At least in Lincolnshire the nurse was familiar with my case and comparisons were easily made and discussed.

Anyway, I was weighed and checked in at the same weight as SW last Tuesday, but that was still 16 kilos lighter than a year ago. BIG TICK AND SMILE.
She took my blood pressure which was ‘excellent’.  BIG TICK AND ANOTHER SMILE.
My bloods are ‘marvellous’. BIG TICK AND A THIRD SMILE.
My sugar level is down to below 4 now (apparently last time it was 49 and this time it’s 31 but I couldn’t find the chart she used, so I’m using this one again)
ANOTHER BIG TICK.
My cholesterol is also down:
I admit I don’t know how it all works and realise that different countries monitor it differently. In Lincolnshire, my cholesterol started out at 7.8 and I was forever being bombarded with the need for statin medication. I chose not to take it (personal preference).
By the time I’d had my first check-up here, it was down to 6.3, and last year was 5.8.
It is now 5.3  so she was pleased it’s still going in the right direction.
The ‘S’ word did come up, she asking me if I had discussed cholesterol medication with my doctor. I said I had, and she respected my decision not to take it.
BIG TICK (I’m on a roll here)

She checked my feet, and they are OK, I just need to keep them moisturised because of the dry hard skin so now I lube the boob in the morning and pamper the feet at bedtime.
After asking for the result of my gout blood test taken at the same time as my diabetes blood, when she eventually found it, that too was clear.
FINAL TICK.

So, I have got a full house of ticks, and all in the garden is rosy. Hurrah.
Being stable, apparently I shall be called for my next appointment in the month of my birthday (that is if they remember of course, as I had to ask for this one).

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