My bi-annual diabetes clinic appointment is coming up soon and in preparation I get my blood drawn for labs about two weeks before hand so I have my lab results for my appointment.
When I was first diagnosed 27 years ago I had the choice to get my bloods drawn:
with my GP Surgery or my local hospital before my clinic appointment
have it done during my appointment and get the results at my next visit.
Back then, as a twenty something who didn’t have much money, was reluctant to visit a GP and had no idea how the labs reflected my diabetes management, I chose to get them done during my appointment. However, once I hit my thirties, I’ve been getting them done in advance of my appointments as much as possible, with the exception of my last appointment which coincided with the Covid-19 lockdown where I choose to skip it altogether because I’m doing fairly well with diabetes and I didn’t want to add to the pressure healthcare staff were under.
Normally, the result of getting a blood sample is not as messy but I definitely had a less experienced nurse on this occasion but I’m happy to do my bit to create more experienced nurses ;-)
So last week I went along to my GP’s surgery and ticked that task off my “to do” list.
My Labs Process
When I get my bloods done through my GP surgery the sample goes to the closest laboratory but my diabetes clinic is located in a different region, so unless I bring a print out of my results to my clinic appointment my team doesn’t have access to them. This means I can go through the results line by line!!! I love this! I know I don’t have any medical background but I know enough to see changes in numbers and the print out gives you a guide for what a normal result is. This is HUGELY helpful for my appointments because I end up flagging things with the intern at my appointment that s/he doesn’t notice.
The Emotional Stress of Facing the Numbers
I know a lot of people with diabetes experience stress and anxiety about facing the numbers, in particular the HbA1c, and feel judged or judge themselves by those numbers. I feel that maybe I’m unusual in this respect: I don’t get stressed about these numbers and I like the fact that I’m the first person to know what my HbA1c is. In the days before CGM continuous glucose monitoring, there was an element of surprise and maybe even a betting competition with myself. My attitude is one of curiosity and the need for information: I use my labs as an indicator on how I’m doing and if there is anything I need to work on (such as cholesterol).
Judgement
However I wasn’t always this “laissez-faire” about my results. I do remember a time when I was anxious about my results because especially in the times where I was struggling with my diabetes. And, I do remember one particular consultant, in the days when I didn’t have time to get labs done in advance, who would have her secretary call me a week later to tell me that the results weren’t good enough. I would get so mad and eventually fired her because she was not giving me any instruction on how to do better and so I decided that she was not good enough either.
Now on to making sure I have all my devices uploaded and to remember to collect my results before my appointment.