Guest moranclan Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 i would be very grateful if any1 could give me any info, to set my mind at ease with this huge decision.... we are currently waiting for Mr M to do his practical skills assessment in Feb, and hopefully if all ok we will be moving to Adelaide in Oct 09, but in August my 9 year old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, this was a huge shock and obviously the whole migration business was put on hold as we tried to get used to the idea, we finally decided to carry on with the move, and we are hoping that this won't create a problem wen it comes to the medicals, but i am very worried about how much support we could expect to recieve wen we finally get to Oz, as here it is a fantastic support network, my son has his own diabetes nurse who is on the other end of the phone whenever we need a shoulder. My son sees his specialist every 3 months and all prescriptions are free etc etc, can any1 tell me if i can expect the same in Oz? Plus the transition from here to there in the first couple of weeks is worrying me, how easy is it to find a GP, Diabetes nurse, specialists, get prescriptions etc? also another massive thing to worry about is whether the insulin would be the same? :unsure: Is there any1 that has already done the move with a child with type 1 diabetes? Any info and personal experiences would be much appreciated thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzer Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 I'd suggest getting in touch with Diabetes SA...they may be able to help with some of your questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 My daughter became diabetic as a child and she has had the best care she is now 28. We live in Victoria but it would be just the same in Adelaide. Type 1 diabetics get a registration card for the National Diabetic Scheme NDSS - Diabetes Australia Insulin is not free its the same as any other prescription i e you would get six months for 29 - 32 dollars. Needles, pens, all the equipment is cheaper for diabetics and will be supplied from Diabetes South Australia. You should get a letter from your son's doctor and just register here in Aus with a doctor who will point you in the right direction. My daughter was under a pediatrician until she was 16 and also attended hospital clinics every three months. Then she went into the adolescent diabetic scheme at one of our major hospitals and saw an endocrinologist there until she was 25 and now she arranges her own specialist. The hospital clinics are great, you get the blood test, the specialist, and dietitian when you go. We also have diabetic educators who keep tabs on diabetics throughout their life. We do not have health insurance because if my daughter went to hospital as a diabetic there would be so many gap payments for all the tests. She has been hospitalised once since being diagnosed and that was because of gastro and she was told at the time that anytime she gets gastro she has to go straight to the emergency department. Great care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest James.S Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Hi, I can't comment on what it would be like to have a child with diabetes, but my wife is type 1 and has been for the last 20 years. She has great control but her type is very very unpredictable, for instance she can have fluctuating bloods daily from 2 - 12 many times over... She has an insulin pump and does probably around 20 - 25 blood tests per day... Going to Oz has been a major consideration given her situation, however the driving force behind it is the fact that every time we are in a better climate her condition improves, something to do with the way the skin reacts to light and eases of insulin absorbtion, possibly the heat increases the viscosity of the insulin... who knows... The whole question of cost and support is something that has been troubling us but we have spoken to mini-med and know that she can get all her pump stuff, we know she can get the humilog insulin, and we know we can get the one touch blood test strips... so although there will be additional costs, the way i see it is that here we are paying now anyway, in tax indirectly, there it will just be more direct.. but we do know we can get all that she will require... We will be there (somewhere between Sydney and Brisbane - not sure yet) towards he end of Dec 08, so if you want PM me and i can let you know after a while of living in Oz how it all works.. By the way although my wifes diabetes is quite fragile she has an amazing ability to control it, her HBA1C always comes back in the normal range, she has no eye problems or any of the other common problems associated with diabetics with such fluctuations... (she is nutritionist so food is her major focus... everything is calculated and weighed etc etc).. Sorry if this comes accross as a bit waffly, basically i am trying to say that if her experiances can be of any help we can share them... All the best, James.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest James.S Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Oh sorry, one last thought, with the visa application (175 Skilled) there was no problems with her condition, all we did was had a letter from her consultant as well as copies of her last 2 full function tests, these showed hat she was in control and basicaly will not be an over burden on the heallth system over there... James.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Diabetic children are best at the hospital clinics which are specially set up for them and they get the latest treatments that are available. My daughter has had her insulin changed quite a lot not because of hypos just better insulin becoming available. They are now talking about making insulin pumps available on medicare for some diabetics with bad control, as you will know some people cannot control their diabetes no matter what they do. Adult diabetics are pretty much left to arrange their own healthcare as it should be and its up to them whether they continue to see the diabetic educator and get their annual tests and three monthly tests carried out. Being a member of Diabetes Australia my daughter gets the magazines sent to her. Juvenile Diabetes Australia is a great organisation and here is their web site JDRF - Home - Dedicated to finding a Cure for type 1 diabetes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lj walker Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Hi sorry to here about your son it must be a very stressful time for you all. My husband was diagnosed with diabetes type1 18 months ago ( big shock for us) he was 36. Not able to help you but hope everything goes well for your son.. Lisa x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moranclan Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hi all thanks so much for all your advice and well wishes, i haven't been on for a while so sorry i wasn't ignoring everyone..... my son is beginning to get stable now and i'm not panicking so much, but the big move is still going to be a worrying time for me... but it is good to hear your positive stories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.