Wow… great job on your A1C. Im also a type 2. Unfortunately I also had a bad experience with a GP. But thats me… It looks like youre doing pretty good with your present medical team. Your doctor may be a GP… he is a GOOD GP then =) And it seems youre comfortable with them too. So long as your questions and concerns are addressed…maybe it is best you stay put =) Wish you the best!
what an endo knows, and we not?
I had the opportunity to get an Endo about a year ago so I jumped at the chance. I have seen him a few times and just use his advice to verify that things are going well. I did fine for the first 4 years without one but always wondered if the GP knew what he was doing. If your insurance will allow it I say, go for it.
Nice numbers, man. I want to know more about how you maintain the 5.6.
Cheers.
Hi Todd,
Thanks for the reply. My GP is very aggressive when it comes keeping my numbers where they are. Actually, my GP is talking about retirement in the next 3-5 years and I had heard good things about this one Endo at the D education center near where I live. I’m trying my best to keep the complications at bay and in the meantime planning for the future. This fantastic website and all the members who contribute to it are partially responsible for the 5.6. They have given me the ability to see how it’s possible to take real ownership of this challenge. The rest of the credit (in direct order of importance) is my wonderful wife, de-stressing (if that’s a real word), exercise and the meds.
Pat
I’m a T1 and I’ve never seen an endo. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I never will! I have great health, good A1c’s.
“don’t fix it if it’s not broken”! that a1c is great! keep up the good work!
myriah
I am in the same boat as you. My PCP says that he can treat me as well as an Endo.
You could of course make a bet with your doctor. You go to Walmart, buy the Relion A1c test for $9. If the test comes out as prediabetic (5.7-6.4%), then your doctor has to pay you back for the test.
Of course, you could just do the test yourself.
You can get the test at Wally World. See http://www.relion.com/diabetes/a1c-test. You do it at home and then mail it away to the lab.
Would it hurt to see an Endo that has a lot of experience with diabetes?
You just test and mail off. You don’t need to fast or anything for the HbA1c. The lab costs are all included.
I second that. I wish I knew what her diet was.
For what it’s worth. A GP learns a little bit of something about a lot of things. For general purposes and especially if you enjoy good health. They are just fine. But for a serious complicated condition. A specialist is probably the way to go.
I’m retired now. I worked and medicine for a very long time. I’m sort of p***ed right now. In a fasting glucose last July the number was 250. I wasn’t alerted and my PCP didn’t seem to think it important. Two visits ago, I mentioned I thought I might be insulin resistant. That’s when he checked my blood work. He said you’re probably diabetic. I have been hypoglycemic in the past. He put me on 500mg of Metformin twice a day. Prescribed a meter, lancets and coded strips. Put me on a d diet.
When I began, my reading were in the 140’s and 150’s. Within a couple of weeks. I was 130’s low 140’s. This morning I was a little high for me. 122. I also had my first A1C blood draw.
Gave the background to make a point. If I hadn’t spoke up that appointment. I likely still wouldn’t be diagnosed. Had I seen an Endo long ago. That wouldn’t be the case. Special disease, special doctor. Cough or flu. PCP good enough.
Hi Thomas,
You make a valid point, I guess I got lucky with my PCP. She listened to me and ran the tests. Since then, she and I have been of a single mind in my treatment. Thanks for your reply.
Pat
I hope this doesn’t sound harsh, Thomas, but had your had a good conscientious PCP, they would not have let a reading of 250 go by without action, either! I absolutely agree that PCP’s have limited knowledge about diabetes. I for one was misdiagnosed as Type 2, because I was 58 and many PCPs just assume that means Type 2. But a decent PCP should be able to maintain someone when they are stable. I’m Type 1 (LADA) and my blood sugar is more or less stable (with the normal fluctuations we all undergo). When I saw some rising numbers I increased my doses a bit and now it’s good again. I get answers to odd questions that come up on this or another site, questions that I wouldn’t bother my endo with even if I had one. I could hit a rough patch next month and need an endo, but for now, my PCP does just fine.
Yes, if it is a good one that has a large patient list of diabetics that he or she is successfully working with. I have a great one that spends the time and energy with me and listens to what I have to say. Just my opinion!
Not harsh at all. I agree, and that’s why I guess it’s good to have one even if you only need them from time to time.
Good point, Thomas; that if you start out with an endo then they are there and available to you and know your history should you need their services down the line. I forgot to mention that I saw an endo when I was trying to sort out my correct diagnosis. Even though I had diagnosed myself by the time I got my appointment, she did get me started on the correct doses of insulin (unlike my PCP who was treating me like a type 2 and started me out way too high). But I lived in Guatemala at the time and returned to the U.S. last July. Since I’ve returned I haven’t needed an endo and so haven’t bothered getting started with one here.