I really hate to say this, but I've got to start over again. Searching for a doctor, this is.
 

It started when I got my bill from Mayo for Dr. A's appointment. I nearly flipped when I saw the $400 tab. I seriously didn't think that out-of-network costs were that much. I was prepared to pay $100; maybe $200 max. It got worse when I got the bill for M1 and M2… another $400. This all came in the mail around the same time I got my notice for a follow up appointment with M1. I'm going to have to cancel.
 

I've learned two things recently that will hopefully help with this out-of-control billing. My employer has a health advocate, that, among other things, can help with fee negotiation. Add to that, out of network charges can be applied to my deductible. So, although I'll be in debt to Mayo indefinitely, hopefully the fees won't be so high.
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I have spent nearly 72 hours trying to figure out how to describe my appointment at the Mayo Clinic on Thursday. I just can't decide what to tell you first.

Although I arrived much earlier than I had been told to (it's hard to judge traffic patterns at off hours) and was getting ancy when numerous people were called back before I was, I was quite pleased when the nurse called me at 8:04 a.m.

No nurse came in to take my temp or blood pressure or ask me why I was there. I barely had time to observe my surroundings -- an actual desk with a computer, phone and other medical necessities including an ergonomic chair; a couch!; and other non-medical-feeling necessities -- before Dr. A came in. He shook my hand and we got down to business.

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The scheduling nurse from the Mayo Clinic called today and said the doctors have agreed to see me. And get this: I have an appointment in two weeks. Yep, two weeks! They're not squeezing me in, they're not making exceptions. I have a regular appointment.

So, I'm sort of stuck between really excited and fairly skeptical. I've made it pretty clear that I have high expectations for my endocrinologist. So on one hand I feel like the Mayo Clinic is the best of the best and my expectations will be met and on the other hand I feel like these people are still doctors in one of the largest cities in the country and likely see a ton of patients and why will they treat me any differently than Dr. S did?

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I have to take issue with something my new, wonderful treatment team seems to think. Dr. A said, "It really doesn't matter what type of diabetes you have as long as you have an effective treatment method." While I mostly agree with him, I have to say that a lot of people with diabetes want the distinction; we want to know the label. Because even though the treatment method may be the same, it’s still different.

Despite me rattling off a list of drugs meant for people with Type 2 that I tried and that didn't work, and telling him my c-peptide result (<0.1), Dr. A still said, "I think you are Type 2."

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My cousin H asked me the other day if I had found a new doctor yet. No, I told her I hadn't made any calls yet. I feel sort of weird about doctor hopping, but that's the way it has to be. 

I've never been in this situation before, so it's no wonder that I didn't think of making an "interview appointment" sooner. We interviewed pediatricians when I was pregnant with No. 1, so it makes sense that you should be able to do it with physicians in other areas. I did at one point consider calling offices and asking to talk to the office manager or main nurse, but I really wasn't sure I'd get the answers I was looking for. Actually, I'm not sure the doctor will be able to answer all these questions, but someone in the office should be able to.

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When I filled out the "get-to-know-you" paperwork for the next new doctor's office I was going to try, I was a little skeptical. Among the questions were things like: "Do you strive for optimal health on a daily basis?" That's kind of a loaded question becuase, really, who doesn't want to be healthy? But we all have *those* days.

Anyway. I looked passed it. I was still a little skeptical, though. Especially when I walked into the office. Granted, I was in one of the swankier parts of town, but there was a waterfall in the waiting room. And the girls at the front desk all had nails as long as their fingers and shirts that said: Got Hormones? or something like that.

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