Another significant change that has happened during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the way in which medical appointments are held. Appointments are a regular feature of life for both M and me and they have continued in a variety of ways since March, some of them decidedly better than others.

For M, his appointments with his gastro consultant at our local hospital have been held over the phone, although I would have preferred the video conference option that was originally offered. A key part of M’s hospital visits for me is the visual review of his health, and whilst I can see just how much he has grown and how healthy he is looking at the moment, I would have liked for his consultant to have been able to do the same. He also has his height, weight and blood pressure monitored to ensure that he is growing as is expected, something which is particularly important as he heads into puberty. Right now, things are looking relatively stable for M health-wise, though his return to school last week has seen both him and G picking up a heavy head cold and bringing it home to generously share with Mike and me.

In comparison, I’ve had a mixture of telephone and face-to-face appointments with various members of my healthcare team. My long-awaited referral to one of our local hospitals for consultant-led care of my Type 1 diabetes finally happened and, even though the initial appointment was done over the phone, I am now the proud owner of a prescription for the Freestyle Libre sensors, something I’ve been self-funding for the last 4 years. This technology has made a huge difference to my T1D management and so both the community care nurse and consultant were happy to support the funding of this equipment for me.

My podiatry appointment was face-to-face (or should that be face-to-foot) at the health centre in the next town over. I was required to wear a mask throughout and use hand sanitiser each time I went in and out of the surgery, which happened more often than you might think for 1 appointment. I was called in by the podiatrist, who accompanied me to and from the building, bearing his pack of anti-bac wipes to clean any surface I touched whilst I was inside. The appointment went well with an almost clean bill of health for my feet, the only problem being a rather painful case of plantar fasciitis in my right foot. A couple of new pairs of shoes with arch supports later, and already everything is beginning to improve.

We’ve both also had appointments for vaccinations, which obviously have to be done in person. M had his Year 9 booster jabs during the summer, whilst I had my annual flu vac last weekend. M is having his flu vac this coming weekend, with both G and Mike booked in for them in a couple of weeks time. I’ve also had an appointment with my GP, which required me to take and email photos to them ahead of my telephone consult. So far, all appointments have gone as well as we could have hoped and I can only hope that as the government guidance changes over the next few months with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases here in the UK, our medics continue to keep in touch and make sure we’re all keeping well.