I agree that would help. And it is happening. I’ve heard many a diabetes conference presentation speaker who also has diabetes. The combination of living with diabetes and a professional credential brings a certain bonafides that a credential alone does not bestow.
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The cde I’ve been seeing actually doesn’t want to do appointments that frequently. She admits I know more about most of this stuff than she does because I’m the only type 1 currently at the practice; most patients are gestational or type 2. She mostly acts as a sounding board/cheerleader, which is good, but not necessarily needed. It’s the obstetrician who wants to do prenatal visits that frequently, and send me for breast ultrasounds and CT scans and all sorts of things. I get why, but it does feel a little too much since I’m spending about 5 hours every two weeks at appointments. Lucky I dont live too far away and am not working or I would be less chill. As it is, I fell asleep in the waiting room last time, which was a little awkward, lol.
I was actually kicked out, banned, from a medical facility for daring to question them after they questioned me on why I checked my blood sugar 14 times a day. Granted this was before CGM’s, thank God for them, but at the time I got huge backlash on requesting a prescription for the strips I needed to manage my A1C. Needless to say there were some harsh words in response to them hoping to educate. I later found out that another type 1 was also kicked out of that hospital for questioning their “practice.” The doctor that I never met had the audacity to write a letter expressing that I wasn’t allowed back in their facility.
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You rock; love your grit!!! You go girl!!!
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That’s outrageous! I tested about 14x/day for many years, even after I started on the CGM. My endo supported me in this but did express doubt that my Medicare supplement would go along with that quantity. The insurance covered that quantity. And this was during the time when CGM readings were not seen as the basis for treatment decisions.
Most people with diabetes easily gave up with an aggressive fingersticking regimen once on a CGM. I kept up with 12-18/day up until a few years ago. I’m fine with relying mostly on my CGM now but all that fingersticking did provide an education.
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Wow. That’s awful!
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It just goes to show you how mercilessly clueless some people and providers can be. You should be celebrated for your data hunger. We are only as good as the tools we use and only as informed by how often we use them.
I would report that provider without hesitation. And if I were a lesser man I’d have them up on charges. Negligent and malfeasance…
I am a diabetic…and a medical professional. You come to my ICU, I can manage your DKA like a champ. I am confident. Get me out of the acute care setting and I am dumb as a rock. Managing this all encompassing illness is a daunting and overwhelming task. It is outside my wheelhouse. It is for many medical professionals. I can’t even manage myself or get my numbers under control. I am paralyzed with indecision on how to manage my myriad of overlapping medical issues. I feel like this is a betrayal by my own body. I have changed doctors 3 times in 4 years trying to find answers and better management. I have been failing. So now I seek my own information and am looking to others rowing the same boat for threads to follow, something different to try. My new doctor doesn’t feel that my current, new med regime is going to work well and is already talking about adding more medication. She is also seeing me every 10 days to the tune of $80 per visit. Ouch.
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Awesome!!! Seek, seek, seek and ye shall find the answer(s). Just don’t give up asking questions and then test and stick with anything that works so keep notes. You are in a marathon to get better, not a sprint. You can get a lot of suggestions on this forum from others that have had one or more of your issues. We are all different so some suggestions will work and others won’t. It takes a lot of baby step improvements to make it to the finish line.
We look forward to hearing of your successes.
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I’m sorry but what is a CDE?
Certified Diabetes Educator®
Don’t get down on yourself. Many of us have been there before.
Most providers suck at diabetic treatment and management because they aren’t interested in the holistic management of the disease which hinges on medication, eating, activity, managing other health conditions, and overall lifestyle.
Each of us here makes 100s of decisions every day about our diabetes between checking blood sugars, calculating insulin doses, timing medication doses, determining what and how much to eat, the impact activity/exercise if going to have, correcting highs/lows, managing a pump, so on and so forth.
It’s a lot. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Pick one thing to focus on in order to master it then move on to the next thing. Obviously prioritize what your own specific issues are. Finding a good doctor is like dating, you might have to try a few to find the one that’s going to be a good partner to keep you well.
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LOL. Maybe the problem IS eating the elephant! Thanks for the words of encouragement.
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Ahhh, thank you
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And vice versa! After engineer Richard Bernstein figured out low-carbs as a way to manage his diabetes, no one paid attention until he went back to school to get “M.D.” after his name.
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CJ114 We have to fight the good fight!
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I just spent eight hours in lock up, indicted on a misdemeanor. The medical official in the “Intake Department” metered my glucose as 190, after two carb heavy meals of Ruffles chips and part of a sandwich. She told me that she would not give me an injection of insulin “unless my glucose went up over 400.” !?!? At four hundred I would have expected to be in the hospital. The “Psych Department “ lady was very helpful, but she had no insulin.
My wife finally bailed me out. So, really no problem. But jail really is a nightmare.
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Even moreso for insulin addicts! Glad you’re out.