To think it's no wonder people go to A and E for stupid reasons

[Doctordid]

Saw a locum doctor last night through our non emergency extended hours trial. We cannot get an after school appointment for weeks and dd is in gcse years and at school out of Borough and gets home late so we thought we would try it.

It is meant to be a full service for those who work and no different to your normal GP. It was in the same Borough and town as my gp.

Dd has been showing some signs of diabetes which runs in the family. My Mum (who is a senior nurse) tested dd with their kit and it came up pretty high.

Anyway she in fairness examined dds heart, blood, pressure and pulse, dd couldn't provide a urine sample as she had already been to the loo (she has bladder issues and wets herself/is on medication so couldn't hold it.). Doctor wanted blood tests to rule out diabetes and anemia as she was showing signs of this and her heart rate was high but the doctor told me that she couldn't refer for blood tests which dd needed as she didn't know how to refer to paediatrics blood as she was from another Borough and to come back to my own gp to do the referral and she would put it in the notes which my GP definitely have.

Been into my own gp this morning and spoke to reception. Full notes are there.
Can they sort the referral? Nope they won't do it without seeing dd again, they won't see me in an appointment so I can explain given dd was examined yesterday and all results are there.
They don't have any appointments available after work/school for weeks.

So we are faced with
Her missing hours of school to see a gp for five minutes to get a blood test referral she has already been examined for or waiting until half term in 23 days and hoping that they might have an appointment then.

School are a pain about time off for appointments and snotty about it.

All I need is blood tests which one doctor has already authorised!
OP post edited by MNHQ at OP's request

Please if your daughter is showing signs of diabetes go to A&E we nearly lost our daughter to undiagnosed diabetes when our gp sent her for a blood test two days after our appointment! She was in dka while I was waiting in A&E!

I am sure the NHS would be far more cost effective if it didn't faff about so much My daughter was diagnosed with diabetes 22 years ago one visit to the GP a simple finger prick test revealed sugar far too high she was in the hospital the next morning
My father has recently been in and out of hospital visits to A & E and follow up appointments The admin side has been appalling wrong appointments sent Promised appointments not sent

The system is what it is though. It does sound exasperating, but you just have to get on with it. DD's health comes first.

We have private cover, may be worth looking into for you.

This is ridiculous. Is it any wonder the NHS is falling apart?
And I'm a type 1 diabetic, so this thread is even worse!!

OP shouldn't need to take her dd out if school. Thus makes me so cross.

My DH was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a couple of weeks ago. To be fair, we couldn't have had a more straightforward experience but it's something that needs to be picked up and treated asap if it's suspected. He managed a phone consultation with a GP who referred him to the hospital for blood tests the next morning. She needs to be checked, even if she misses a day of school, it's really not the end of the world.

I'm Truly shocked at the responses here
giving opening post a hard time?

talking about the 'inconvenience'.

are you having a laugh?

I can't believe that the GP surgeries isnt jumping over backwards to help.

I'm surprised at the gp surgery.

MrsLupo
'Not clear what My Mum (who is a senior nurse) tested dd with their kit and it came up pretty high means exactly'

Sorry I meant that my parents are both diabetic and I asked my Mum who is a senior nurse to test her using their finger prick kit. It came up in the 8s.

The doctor told me that it was unlikely type one as she would already be really very poorly if it was.

I know she will be stressed as school have a stupid non uniform day for those with hundred percent attendance and she has been desperately trying to stay in school for that. She has sen so would be bothered.

Depending on when afternoon registration is, could you not get round this by booking her a mid/late afternoon appointment and then she leaves after getting her mark for the afternoon?

What Mrs Lupo said, 100%. Don't delay.

My teenage son was diagnosed with type 1 last year, he was in DKA by that point and it was awful. He spent 2 days in the high dependency unit and a week in hospital in total.

Make sure she has a sample before you go to the appointment.

"The doctor told me that it was unlikely type one as she would already be really very poorly if it was."

I'm rolling my eyes nearly out of my head. If your dd DOES have diabetes, if you can get it diagnosed BEFORE she gets to that point so much the better as you have a much better chance of preserving some beta cell function for longer, which is a good thing.

Sometimes health needs to come above all else. In most areas any OOH Service is more for the short term things rather than any potentially bigger issues - it is pretty usual for referrals to have to come from your own GP practice.

Book the nearest appointment you can get and take it from there. The sooner you get it sorted realsiticallh the less impact it is likely to have in her education

A blood sugar of 8 just after eating would be normal.

No it wouldn't. The body regulates blood sugar in non-diabetics incredibly efficiently. Any blood sugar above 7.8 in an otherwise well child is cause for concern and warrants further investigation.

Tell the GP you need an afternoon appointment, and take her out after she's received her afternoon attendance mark as a pp said. If they aren't helpful tell them you're now going to complain about all this.

Sorry but I don't think your doctor is right there. An 8 is high. Not life threatening hospital admission high, of course, but not really normal either. And unless your DD is overweight it's incredibly unlikely to be T2 at her age.

T1s can also have a "honeymoon period" that masks it for a while.

I'd listen to your mum and get her seen asap.

@autumnfan

"So basically people are going to a&e because they’d rather put more pressure on a department not set up to deal with their problem than inconvenience themselves."

No, OP is going to the A&E to seek a vital treatment for her daughter when she is faced with a system not doing what it is payed to do.

Even locum doctors are required by law to come into the shift in a new setting completely familiarised with the referral system. For an out-of-doors to claim he/she doesn't know this is beyond ridiculous and performing below competence level. I'd complain if I were you.

GP unable to offer an appointment sadly happens these days, but for the school to be arsey about it is ridiculous and, in your daughter's case, dangerous. Diabetes definitely isn't a child's play.

Busses etc aren't an excuse to go to A&E, even if I sympathise with you on the problem. It's your right to ask for leave from work for medical reasons. It's your daughter's right to miss school on those grounds. Go back on the telephone and don't take no for an answer.

*out-of-hours

Stupid autocorrect.

Yes it would. 90 minutes after eating it should be 7.8 or less as it should be regulated down but you can't test before 90 minutes. You have to allow some time for the body to do it's work.

Are you Type 1 Anna?

Right I've managed to speak on the phone to the Dr. She is leaving the blood form at reception for me and I'm picking up a pot and doing a urine sample and dropping it off tomorrow.

Which is all I wanted and has cost the NHS a two minutes phone call.

Three hours after eating Anna?

Here are some studies on true non-diabetic blood sugar levels. Note - under 5.5 or 6.5 one hour after eating and "independent of what they ate, the blood sugar of most truly normal people was under 5.5 after two hours":

mobile.dudasite.com/site/phlaunt1?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.phlaunt.com%2Fdiabetes%2F16422495.php&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F

The key words there are "independent of what they ate", i.e. any amount of carbs, and "truly normal".

8.0 is on the high side and warrants investigation. Hopefully just a blip.

Ok, so injected manufactured insulin is metabolised very differently by the body than that produced by a normally functioning pancreas. In a non-diabetic any random blood sugar above 7.8 is cause for concern.
Anna you are entirely correct - although most insulin's take at least 2 hrs to work optimally - in your statement , however only regarding a diagnosed Type1 diabetic.

The doctor spent much of the appointment telling me about celebrities moaning about menopause being horrendous in a magazine while kids were dying in Syria, people being soft and teens being mard when seventy years ago they would be jumping out of planes.

Sorry, I understand your frustration but what does this has to do with the whole story? Clearly the doctor, despite being locum did a really good job and was thorough.