A friend of mine has just found a new endo and is loving it. I'm very excited for her because I know how much trouble she went through with her last endo. I remember telling her the difference between her reluctant-to-listen-to-the-patient doctor and Dr. C: "After having never spoken to Dr. C about Symlin before, I came into his office for a regular check up, said I wanted to try Symlin and 15 minutes later the nurse was hooking me up with a sample pen."

While I had a lot of freedom when I spoke with Dr. C, I have often wondered how much latitude he gave me because he knew how involved I am in the diabetes community, knew that I was up on the latest information and technology, and was proactive. I was sad to leave him behind. (Maybe there's a little too much ego there, but I really got very little resistance from Dr. C about anything.)

And now I'm wondering how good my own new endo will be. Nervous may be a better word. I'm wondering how much freedom I'll have to make suggestions about my own healthcare. Wondering how long I'll spend in the waiting room. Trying to be frugal with my spending means not making any COBRA claims. Which means waiting to see my new doctor, whose name I can't pronounce, until the benefits kick in on Sept. 1. In a city this big and with only one diabetic friend here who lives an hour away, finding a good endo was a little challenging.

When I called for an appointment, I did make sure that the doctor was familiar with MiniMed pumps and used CareLink to communicate with patients. That was one of the best aspects of my relationship with Dr. C -- I uploaded my pump information to CareLink twice a month (or more often if I was having trouble) and then sent Dr. C an e-mail with my login and password. He'd look everything over and send an e-mail back saying it all looks good, keep up the good work; or one saying let's adjust your basal slightly or decrease your insulin:carb ratio. It was a wonderful way to get input between appointments.

So I'm anxious to meet Dr. S, to get some feedback and, interestingly, have an A1C drawn since it's been more than three months. I just hope the rapport -- and waiting room time -- is as good as it was with Dr. C.