My Virtual T1 Diabetes Appointment

Hey Everyone. 

Before the whole lockdown and social distancing situation started I had an appointment with my consultant for my routine T1D check up and I had planned to document my experience of the appointment and my thoughts and feelings before having these appointments. However, my appointment was initially canceled and eventually changed to a virtual appointment and I documented this on Instagram and had a lot of you guys saying the same thing and was asking me how it went and if I liked it. So, I thought it would be good to document this instead and I’d love to know how you felt about it if you’ve had a virtual appointment.

Now, I have been T1 for 13 years and I have really struggled with appointments, I could go on for pages about my experiences but I am going to save that for a blog at a later date. But, they’ve always caused me a lot of worry and anxiety and I have never really known why I get on with my team really well but the thought of going to a T1 Diabetes appointment really does scare me. I think it’s a mixture of things, but I think a lot of it is down to a fear of being judged. The past few years have been a lot better for me but I haven’t been able to fully shift my feelings of anxiety but I am certainly a lot better. I think these feelings are really normal and quite common amongst a lot of T1s so you if feel this way just know you’re not alone and it is totally okay!!

So, for this reason, I did really like the virtual appointment, for me, the phone call took away the part of having to travel to the appointment and sit in the waiting area and took the worry away because I was in the comfort of my own home. Another thing I loved about the virtual appointment was that I could stay in my PJs… THE BEST! I felt very comfortable and in my own element, the appointment went nice and smooth so it was a very pleasant experience overall. We know how technology can be, but this wasn’t an issue this time around. However, although they give me anxiety I did miss the face to face communication and being able to review my pump and CGM downloads together with my consultant and my nurses virtually. I have struggled with my sites in the past, developing scar tissue over the years so this was something that couldn’t really be checked either.

Overall, I think that the virtual appointment was a great idea to be able to stay in contact with my team during this time whilst there is so much uncertainty. However, I think it was missing a personal element and I have come a long way with my anxieties with appointments and want to be able to continue that in the future.

See you next time.