Getting on with it...2

In my last post I brought you to the point of diagnosis, overlooking to mention that my diagnosis was of Type1 diabetes. Though I was aware of there being two types of diabetes I was not awfully familiar with many of the differing characteristics associated with the conditions. I'll come to differentiating between the two conditions in a later post, but for now I'll settle for telling you that when the young whippersnapper of a doctor mentioned the words 'type one' I knew enough to be able to convey an appropriate level of shock and fear. The fact that I was instructed to immediately make my way to the local hospital probably added a sense of urgency to the situation.
I found myself in A&E for the first couple of hours after which I was transferred to a ward. I spent the subsequent four days in hospital, during which I was shown the ropes. I met with my consultant & dietician and was assigned a specialist nurse with whom I'll be liaising on a regular basis.
We're all too familiar with tales of horror associated with the Irish health system, but my own personal experience of the system has been wholly positive thus far. I was fortunate in that it seemed a little quiet in the hospital during those days so there wasn't a whole lot of pressure to get me out of there and free up a bed. So far I've had good follow up with regular email and face to face consultations with my specialist nurse who, by the way, has been excellent and exemplifies all that is positive about our medical and health practitioners here in Ireland; dedication, expertise, professionalism and care.
While I've spoken to others who were discharged within hours of being diagnosed, with follow up taking place on an outpatient basis, I'm personally pleased that I had those few days in the hospital. It gave me the opportunity to get my head around the initial diagnosis and to develop a routine without having the anxiety of having the added anxiety of going it alone immediately.