"A case study for fantastic support"

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes earlier this year. However, as I write this I am 1 year on from when I first started showing symptoms. I spent three months living with undiagnosed, untreated T1D, was hospitalised for two days with diabetic ketoacidosis and suddenly had to live as an insulin dependent diabetic.

On the day I was discharged I was met at my ward by a diabetes nurse, who explained what Type 1 Diabetes was, how my body was no longer functioning, what a hypo felt like and how to treat it; and gave me just enough information about how to administer insulin injections so I could go home. 

She gave me a schedule of appointments I was going to have that week with both the nurses and the dieticians so everything felt less scary, knowing I would only be on my own with it for a matter of hours before I'd see a professional again. She also gave me a prescription for all the supplies I'd need and a folder full of information leaflets about everything I could possibly need: injections, risks, DKA, hypos, alcohol, exercise, Diabetes UK, emotional support, contact information for my clinic. I felt so taken care of and like everything had been thought about.

The next day I had an appointment with a nurse where I was shown how to fit a Libre sensor, and I've had one in my arm every day since. I think of all the people who were diagnosed before Libres were so widely available, and how lucky I was to never have to solely rely on finger prick tests.

Over the course of a three-week sick leave, I had (I think) three appointments with a nurse and three appointments with a dietician where everything about diabetes was explained to me in small doses, so I didn't feel overwhelmed. There were some pieces of information that hit me hard, particularly the risk of pregnancy, but I had a good support system, and I was glad that I knew the severity of the situation.

A few months in I started researching about diabetes, scrolling through pages and pages of the Diabetes UK website and social media of other T1Ds. I learned about insulin pumps and at a follow-up appointment with the dietician I asked about one, and she encouraged me to discuss it at my first endocrinologist appointment which I did, and was immediately referred for an insulin pump intake as I was managing my diabetes well and could prove I could carb count.

There was no need to push or argue my case, there was no resistance. I asked for something that would greatly benefit my quality of life, and the clinic agreed and referred me. I know diabetics who go to other clinics, and I know their experience is not so smooth. My clinic deserves to be known as a case study for fantastic support.

Currently, I am 8-9 months into being a T1D. I have regular appointments at my clinic, I'm notified in good time and reminded. I've had access to every type of care I need. Every doctor, nurse, dietician and other health care staff at the clinic have always been friendly, supportive, informative and gone at my pace.

I am about to receive a Dexcom G6, and I am on track for starting on the Omnipod 5 next year. That means that in less than 1 year I've gone from diagnosis to a tubeless hybrid closed loop system, at my request. Fife Diabetes Clinic is an incredible team and I know that this life changing diagnosis would have been so much harder without their care.