Diabetic Recipes
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.
Hi michelle, Im going crazy that I really dont know anything about my diabetes. for one thing where i live we have 2 endos one you have to be reffered by another doctor.the other one is really not a endo but treats most of the people where i live they say he is great. im going to a GP and am very unhappy nobody has told me anything about diet oranything . the doc i had before was a GP but was very smart and would spend an hour with her pts if they needed it. well she all so found my hypothyroidism. i have been on medicine for about 3 years. but she had a falling out with the hospital and left town. since then Ive been on my own.I had problems with oral meds so she let me try insulin. sorry so long i know your not a doctor but do you know anything about humalog insulin? my hair has been coming out like crazy, but the doctor says my readings are fine do you think it could be the insulin. I dont eat right because everything i eat my sugar goes sky high. specially the diet i got off the net one time. my aic readings are5.5 to 6.1 . But i feelsomethings just not right.When it com es down to it i know nothing about my own disease.The drs whre I live just dont seem to care and im basically on my own. the only thing my last dr. said was he wanted me to try metformin. and yes i have a bottle, I dont know much about it either. Im sorry michelle Im just at my wits end.please give me some feed back if you can.Ive been a type 2 for 5years.sorry I took up so much time.any advice would help.Thanks Karen wilson and God Bless. sorry about my grammer and typing.
Hey Karen. I do know a little about the medicines you mentioned, but everyone reacts differently to these medicines. I advise talking to your doctor, or getting a referral for the other doctor in your town, or exploring finding an endo in another city. I know how tough that can be as I lived in a small town for seven years. Good luck.
Hi, Karen. In your comment, you wrote that every time you eat, your blood sugar goes sky high, and that you're following a diet you found on the internet. I understand where you're coming from - I was first diagnosed with diabetes by my GP, but he didn't really understand how to treat my disease, and he offered me no guidance on managing my diet or activity levels, or anything.
The best thing I did was get in to see a couple specialists. First, I saw an endocrinologist. I strongly recommend you see the one in your area, even if you need a referral. You won't be hurting your doctor's feelings (and if you are, well, your health is more important). You wouldn't hire a carpenter to work on your wiring or your plumbing, right? That's what electricians and plumbers are for.
Second, I saw an endo education nurse, who took me through how the drugs work, what happens when you're high or low, and so forth.
The third person was a dietician who helped me figure out how much I should be eating in a day, and - most importantly - how to count my carbohydrates. For me, on my treatment schedule, it's very important that my insulin doses (I'm taking Humalog, same as you) are scaled according to the amount of carbohydrates in my meals. The amount of the Humalog dose, though, is different for every person, and no one out here on the internet can tell you how to adjust your dose or diet.
Hi andrew , Thanks so much for the feed back, its hard to believe that a city that i live in only has 2 endos. But i will find one .Thank you so much it gets lonleywhen you have know one to talk to about your diabetes and other diseaes we all have.Im here for you anytime you want to scream or laugh. God Bless Karen Wilson P.S. sounds like your doing well?
Hi. Yes, Karen, I'm doing well most of the time. I just got through a period of about a month where, because of my diabetes, I was seriously visually impaired. I'm not 100% better yet, but good enough to watch TV, read a book, or use my computer. Ups and downs.
When you go to see your endo doc, find out if someone in the doc's office - typically a registered nurse - runs a support group for diabetics. I'm blessed with an abundance of sympathetic family, but I know it can feel very isolating. Hang in there.