"York Diabetes Specialist Nurse"

I am an insulin dependant diabetic and am using an insulin pump. In order to get supplies of infusion sets I have to drive to the hospital to pick them up. Unlike other diabetic clinics in other parts of the country we are not allowed to have them posted out to us, by either the hospital or by the supplier. I don't know why, but I bet the word ‘resources’ pops up in the answer! On top of my normal, time consuming, diabetic review with a doctor I have to attend six monthly pump clinic appointments as well. All of this should not be so bad, The majority of the staff are doing a very good job; a very busy job with little time and resources to hand, and yet manage to do so with a smile and grace and dignity. Unlike my diabetic specialist nurse, who I find to be fairly obnoxious and patronising. I'm not messing about here. This is my health and well being. I’m doing as much as I can to keep myself as well controlled as I can. I don’t smoke, I drink in moderation, I exercise, I work hard and I do 5 – 9 blood tests a day. At my last appointment she thought it necessary to ask if I understood the consequences of high BG. With no sympathy and no gentle words, it was like being told of by a teacher! And that’s the point, I dare say I understand the consequences better than she does. Not as some academic exercise with financial implications for the NHS but as a reality with a possible impact on my health and well-being in the future. I live with this thought every day.

A little help and support is all that I am looking for. It is not as if this was a ‘one-off’ or her having a bad day. It’s every time I visit.