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We found 10 result(s) that match your search "Joslin":

Finally, finally, finally, we have health insurance again, which means I can get more strips and more insulin and don't have to go begging.  I hate asking for stuff - it makes me feel like a leach.

 

I didn't realize how much it was stressing me out until those little plastic cards showed up in the mail.  It was literally a weight off my back.  My neck wasn't so tense and my shoulders weren't up around my ears. Such a relief.

 

Of course, Olivia's endo at Joslin isn't covered on this new insurance and most likely won't be, as their condition for covering out-of-network providers is that there can't be any such providers on their books.  Of course there are two endo practices with them.  I have a call in to Olivia's pediatrician to see what she thinks about attempting to get Joslin covered but I'm also going to ask for a referral to the endo group at UMass, in Worcester. 

 

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Following up on last week's post, I spoke with the pediatrician today.  Boo's a1C was 5.2%, which is normal.  She did have glucose in her urine, though, and after looking over other test results, she wants Boo to be seen by an endocrinologist. 

 

I called Joslin immediately, of course.  They want to see her tomorrow since it's easy for things to go downhill quickly if Boo does have diabetes.  I'm supposed to bring her in for 8:30 a.m. (and how fun will that trip be - 2 hours in to Boston during rush hour?), fasting, and they'll draw blood and then have her go carb load and check her again in 2 hours.  They should have all the test results by 2 p.m..  If those results are positive, Boo will be admitted to Children's Hospital and started on an insulin regimen. 

 

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It's been ages since I posted here. My life has been chaotic and, frankly, I haven't had much to write about anywhere online.

 

We had to switch endocrinologists recently because our health insurance won't cover Olivia's doctors at Joslin. Olivia and I both hate it but we can't afford to pay out of pocket to see Dr. R so we've switched to UMass. 

 

Our initial appointment was with an awful doctor who left us waiting for three hours in the exam room and offered no apology when he finally came in. He got all snotty with me when I expressed my annoyance. He kept calling me "mom." Dood, unless you came out of my womb, you don't call me mom, capiche? 

 

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Nicole wrote an entry about blood sugar logging that struck a real chord with me.
I remember using old-school blood sugar meters that took a few minutes to provide a result and didn't have a memory, so my mother would diligently write the result down in my tattered, bloodstained logbook. For the first few months - maybe years - my logbook was a steady record of how my numbers were faring. (READ MORE)

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Olivia handed out her information sheet to her teachers yesterday.  I just typed up something short, informing them that she has diabetes and what to do if she's running high or low. I stressed that she can treat in class and that she only needs to go to the nurse if she's under 60. 

 

I also stressed that she needs to be accompanied to said nurse.  I found out at the end of the year last year that one of Olivia's teachers wouldn't let anyone go with her.  Fortunately, Olivia's never passed out from a low, but that's not a chance I want to take.  Olivia informed me of this towards the end of the year and I talked to the teacher and the nurse about it, but according to Olivia, it didn't do any good.  

 

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"Do you see symptoms of low blood glucose? Shakiness, sweating or disorientation?"

"Well, sure, of course. My son has type 1 diabetes. I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"This is a free service from your insurance provider. We'll be calling occasionally to check in with you to see how things are going."

"Oh."

"How often do you see low blood sugars?"

"I'd say we see at least one low almost every day."

"Whoa! Every day???"

"Well it's a long day."

"Do you see elevated blood glucose levels?"

"Well, yeah. I did mention my son has diabetes, right?"

"Yes. How often do you see high blood glucose?"

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Olivia moved her site to her belly and her numbers have been much better. So thighs are definitely out.

 

We talked about it the other night - she's sick of using her belly. It looks awful, full of bumps and keloids and just generally mangled. I'm going to call her CDE at Joslin to see if we can start using her arms again. We're also going to start moving her sites out more towards her sides, in an effort to get around to her backside. Not her butt, because she says that really hurts, especially when she's sleeping, but in that area above the belt, where she still has some padding.

 

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Chinese food? I can square wave you in a heart beat. Pizza? Ha! I scoff at your cheese, doughy goodness. No, what really gives me white knuckles when it comes to diabetes care isn't always the insulin doses or the site changes. It's the driving. Allow me to explain:

Olivia has had type 1 diabetes for 10 years and for 8 of those 10 years, we've made the drive in to Boston so that she can be seen four times a year at Joslin. It's one of the leading diabetes centers in the country and they take top notch care of her and her diabetes.
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Olivia and I trekked in to Boston today, to visit her endo at Joslin. How I loathe that drive. It's two hours and the last 20 miles take at least 45 minutes. Today it took an hour. Holy god, the potholes on Route 9 could swallow a Mack truck.

Anyway. We navigated the Parking Garage Of Doom (otherwise known as Pilgrim St.) and were only (only!) 25 minutes late. I hate being late. It makes me itch.

The endo saw us right away - and Kerri, I told her you said hello. She was very happy to hear how well you're doing. The visit went well, although her A1C went from a 7.7% to an 8.1%. I hate that number. I know it's not supposed to, but it always feels like a failing grade when it gets high like that. Her doctor said it was fine, to be expected in a hormonal (and how!) teenager, but still. I don't like it. It makes my brain go down paths I'd rather they not travel, y'know?
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Olivia had an endo appointment last week, in Boston. We make the drive in every three months and while it's an all-day affair, we both really like her endo team and feel the trip is worth the effort.

After dealing with the horrible traffic on the Mass Pike and Route 9, after wrangling two toddlers plus their gear plus Olivia's gear and after managing to make it thru the Garage Of Doom without scraping my bumper on a single wall, we arrived.

 

Olivia was seeing her CDE today. When we initially started going to Joslin, I wasn't crazy about this woman, but she's really grown on me and we have a good relationship now. She's very down to earth and forthright and I love that in a health care provider. The whole reason we switched from UMass to Joslin was because I felt the endo they had there was very wishy-washy.

 

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