I went for my 6 month endo appt week before last. I finally got my bloodwork back in the mail. That's one thing I really dislike about my doctor. I think it would be so much more effective to have the test results in front of us for the discussion.

By the way, where I write "doctor", feel free to substitute "physcian's assistant". As with most doctors who are in demand, he has 4 PAs that also see patients. The office tells you that you can make appointments with anyone, but if you want to see the actual MD, it takes a couple more months of waiting or accepting the oddball times, like 7:45 am on a Monday or 11:55 on a Friday - they close at noon on Fridays.

My HbA1c went up from 5.5 to 5.7. I realize that is still an awesome result and nothing to complain about, but I'm sure it's directly related to the 12 lbs I have gained in the past 6 months. That dreaded holiday weight that I was so afraid of? Yes, that would be about 8 of those pounds. (READ MORE)

I finally got the results from my bloodwork. My endo has you come in for the appointment, then go do bloodwork, then mails you the results with a note of any changes they want to implement on it. I'd prefer to have the numbers to discuss at the appointment, but I really like the other aspects of his practice, so I stay with him.

Without further ado - the number all persons with diabetes are most interested in - the A1C. (drumroll, please)

5.5%. Yes, five point five! I have seen 5.5 before but I was pregnant and on insulin. I am pretty thrilled. My last A1C in May was 5.8, so this is great. (READ MORE)

discouraged. No, that's not the right word.  Or maybe it's that it's not the only word.  Cocky is one, disappointed another. Defeated is too strong, but more internalized than disappointed.  Judged for sure, as it really does feel like my "grade". 

Following gestational diabetes, I was "diagnosed" with type 2 by an A1C result of 6.0 by an endocrinologist who shall remain nameless to protect the incompetent. It was later that I discovered that the A1C is NOT a diagnostic tool and you shouldn't be diagnosed by it. 

There was some debate once I changed endos as to whether I was "pre-diabetic" or actually had diabetes.  After several years on metformin, and another round of insulin-dependent gestational diabetes, with only a 0.2 improvement in my A1C, I think the debate is over. (READ MORE)

Last October, I totally ditched an appointment with my endo.

Why? I didn’t want to face the music. I didn’t want to hear about what I have not done right and I just did not want to see my A1C.

My last A1C was from last July and it was an 8.9%. Not good at all. I was upset about it but in the end I knew it made sense. I was not on top of things.

And this year was no different. I just kept gaining weight, snacking, and my BG was high a lot of the time. So when the time for the appointment came I wrote a post here about wanting to ditch and how I needed to face the music.

I still ditched it. (READ MORE)

K Doty

I visited my endocrinologist recently.  Actually, I visited one of his Nurse Practioners.  I was more than a little nervous, because my weight was up a tad, after promising to lower it again, and my exercise had been non-existant. (also again).

  (READ MORE)

I don't do well with change sometimes. Ok, most of the time. Well... honestly, almost all of the time change throws me for a bit of a loop.

I am moving my healthcare from 4 doctors 50 miles away to 1 doc who is 15 minutes away. I was going to get an endo here, but I don't really need a specialist endo, at least not at this stage. I can't afford the fancy MD/PhD nutritionist who was fabulous. I'm not having any more babies, so I don't really need an ob/gyn (debatable). My former primary care doc just left her practice and opened a retainer-based center (much too pricey even with my old paycheck and insurance). It was the "perfect storm" for a big healthcare change.

  (READ MORE)