# Pointless antenatal visit - sorry, venting!!



## Twitchy (Sep 10, 2009)

Ho hum, wasted another few hours of my life yesterday.  Didn't get to see a midwife or Obs, so no listening to heartbeat or scan, so no idea if beanlet is even still alive.  Feeling so negative - I can't believe things might be ok, esp after the silly sugar levels & ketones whilst ill in the early days.  I can't feel excited or joyful about all this, just stressed.  

I saw the consultant at the appt, who looked at some of my results & formed the idea that I was well controlled?!  Got his letter to my GP today & don't recognise the numbers!!  He stated the majority of my BGs are in a tight range from 3.2 - 8 with the highest being 11, whereas in fact my highest was 16...and I know the targets are 4-7, so it's NOT well controlled!!!  He suggested I reduce both am & pm BI by 2u each (wtf?!!) to avoid the hypos I sometimes get early morning / late afternoon & the subsequent upswings, but most of the higher readings are not post hypo related - and with reducing my BI ALL my readings will shift up, and reducing it by as much as 4u I know will move it a lot!!  I reduced my pm & am last night / today by 1/2u each (1 over all) & still saw an average rise of 2-3mmol over today!   I'm starting to think I will just have to nod & smile & sort myself out without relying on any external help.  I'm just totally losing confidence. 

I also know they are supposed to keep a really close check on your eyes whilst pregnant, esp if you've had proliferative retinopathy as I have - they are supposed to check them each trimester.  I'm now 10 weeks, the appt I was supposed to have had in Aug was cancelled and that clinic won't be rescheduled any earlier than November!!! I phoned before so they know I'm pregnant, but I'm just starting to feel totally abandoned.  I'm just feeling really negative about the whole thing at the mo.  Hard to hold on to hope when you don't feel you are able to do what you need to do.

Anyway, enough whinging, sorry, it's that or go & bang my head against the wall...


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## Northerner (Sep 10, 2009)

Hi Twitchy, sorry to hear that you are not being cared for as you should be - it's a good job that you are savvy enough to recognise where they might have got things wrong, but that's hardly the point. Are you going to get back to them to find out where they have got their info mixed up - might help others in future and might get you some closer attention.

Hoping that all will work out well, despite their incompetence!


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## Emmal31 (Sep 11, 2009)

Hi twitchy,

First of all i'm sending a big ((((((((((hug)))))))) cause I think you need it! You really need to stop stressing yourself out not just for the baby's sake but for your blood sugar levels as well because I don't suppose it's helping them. I'm always looking on the bad side of things with my blood sugars and always thinking that I can do better even when i'm told my hba1c has come down. Just a suggestion but do you think your maybe being a bit too hard on yourself with your blood sugar levels? If it's just odd high's your getting and the rest of your levels are between 4-7 you should be proud of yourself. 

Also i think that if you don't agree with the consultant then maybe try what you think is best with your insulin and see how it works (after all you know your own body) if it works then tell your consultant you tried it your way and show him the improved results if not then ask for some more help. I hope you get things sorted out and you can see an improvement in your levels. It's only a couple of weeks until your dating scan so try and look forward to that.

Emma xxx


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## Twitchy (Oct 8, 2009)

*Ditto!!*

Oh dear, that's the final straw - after the usual 2hr journey from work to the hospital and the 1hr car park queue, it took an hour or so to be seen by the nurses for a urine sample & BP check.  Some time during the second hour I had 5 mins with someone from the obstetrics team who kindly informed me that a) I 'd had pre eclampsia last time (really?!), there was a 15% chance of it happening again (as opposed to the consultant's previous assessment of "very likely") and that b) the baby is fine (although he must have been using his X ray vision, as he didn't listen to the heart beat or do a scan or anything, so all I know is it was ok 2 weeks ago).  

By the end of 2 - 2 1/2 hrs I hadn't yet seen the diabetologist and I had to leave so I didn't get fined for picking my son up from nursery late (my appt time was nearly 2 hrs prior to this point), but I guess that didn't really matter, as they never really look at your results & always say the same thing anyway!  So for the net benefit of a wee test & BP check I missed another afternoon at work (bearing in mind I only work 3 days a week!), drove more than 60 odd miles & spent around 3 hours in the car.  Why?  Pointless...

Apparently they are going to send me another appt in the post...think I might tell them I'm out of the country for 4 weeks or something, just to avoid the stress!   Oh well... Must remember it could be a lot worse, I could live in a country where there wasn't even this level of care...


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## Emmal31 (Oct 9, 2009)

Hi Twitchy,
I Know how you feel with these pointless antenatal visits my last appointment was the first one where I didn't have to wait longer than an hour to be seen! Also was the first time that they checked the heartbeat because i was told that they don't do that until after the 20 week scan 

I hope your next appointment goes a bit better and they let you hear the heartbeat. How far along are you now? 

Emma x


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## am64 (Oct 9, 2009)

Hi twitchy hope you feeling better today...remember take it all one day at a time and YOU are in touch with your needs..when i was first pregnant many moons ago i remember being very overwelmed by it all (and i had (suposidly) no D!) but also amazed what my body told me to do ..how in tune with it I was. There were tough days ...and good...very good ones! Take Care and Its nice to meet you here...this is such a good Forum XX


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## Copepod (Oct 9, 2009)

Hi Twitchy
Any chance of anyone at your GP surgery listening to your abdomen with a stethoscope to detect a heartbeat? All GPs have at least some obstetric experience and many practice nurses have at last some midwifery experience. If they can hear it, then the earpieces can probably reach your ears, too. Anyway, really hope that you get some decent help sooner rather than later.

By chance, I had an odd experience today - had my first ever ultrasound, of my abdomen, because one colleague needed to see another do a scan for quality control experiences, which was quite interesting for me, as I didn't know what it felt like until today, although I'd consented several people before ultrasound scans and watched several having them done, and always used the explanation that it's very safe and not uncomfortable, as done on pregnant women. Mind you, I think my colleagues think I'm a bit odd, as I'm not a mother, yet have lots to do with children, organising activity birthday parties, visits from the children of one of our lodgers etc. Due to knowing someone who came to the unit, one colleague briefly thought that I lived on a boat, but then realised that couldn't really be true given the numbers of animals, birds and humans sometimes under the same roof!


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## Twitchy (Oct 28, 2009)

The good news is...I heard the heatbeat last week, hurrah!!  Community midwife grudgingly listened for it (it's early days, I don't want you winding yourself up any more if you can't hear it etc etc)...clear as a bell, bless it!
Apart from that I blubbed quite a bit, which for a normally fairly rational person is always annoying, but esp when it means your concerns just get written off as pregnant hormonal paranoia or something...snarl!

Anyway, also managed to sort out a date today for a 20 week scan - apparently this should have been set up when Ihad the 12 week one, but as the left hand doesn't seem to communicate with the right at the good ole LRI... still, all sorted now.  Seriously losing faith in the hospital though - everything seems really really chaotic, communication is almost totally lacking & frankly it's a bit scary...last time there was bad enough but I'm starting to suspect things have got worse in the last few years...only wish I had an other option...  Not good.

On the plus side, without being stressed out every couple of weeks & being told off for not achieving the impossible, I'm finally starting to relax a little.  Definitely "feeling the stretch" at the mo, as bump seems to be having a growth spurt! 

Anyway, eye appt next week (scary, so must not lose my driving licence!!!) then scan w/c 16th... Am 17 weeks now, which by number one child's timings means half way - Aaaargh!!!  Better get sorting that "spare room"!!!


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## Steff (Oct 28, 2009)

hya twitchy nice to see you , glad it all went well and hope the eye appt goes ok for you next week  awww you heard heartbeat how sweet i remember hearing that it was amazing , good luck at 20 week scan as well xxxx


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