I’m overly irritated with doctors and their assistants who make assumptions instead of reading my chart. Every time I see my retinologist there’s a new assistant there. She/He always looks at my chart, sees ‘Diabetes’ and reads no further. They assume I’m a T2.
Then they assume I’m a T2 who must have poor control (after all, why else would I have retinopathy?) and so ask:
Did you check your blood sugar today?
When I give them a ‘are you kidding me?!’ look and say yes, they then ask:
What was it?
Usually I give them my fasting BG or an average for the day. Today I was just not in the mood for these stupid assumptions that I test ONCE a day, and responded with all of my BGs for the day, in order.
The assistant looked stunned, embarrassed, and slightly offended.
Too bad. I’m offended that she couldn’t take the time to read that I’m a T1 with a 5.9% A1c.
You should have been stronger and said, did they teach you in school there is different types of Diabetes, and that you should ask the PT that question, not just assume because you need to be prepared if there is a crisis. Then whisper to that lady and say I am a Type 1 just so you will know:) and keep on smiling:)
Some of them are big dumbies. I went through something the other day. Waiting in the Urgent care with a Medical Assistant looking at a computer asking me a bunch of stupid questions. I said my illnesses and I never saw such a puzzled face. I said do you know what Type 1 is, or a Adrenal Tumor, or Valley Fever. She said no not really. I said well then, does that computer have Google, you can read up on all three in 3 mins. She said I don’t have Google on here. So she went on a Hunt and only found the Type 1 Diabetes. And said well I have to leave the others off. OMG, this is our Governments Idea of Electronic Medical info sharing. Thats my Life and Ills I said. Then I said never mind, I will talk to the Dr. And I DID. The Dr made a excuse that they were just learning the system. OK scary again…What you don’t put, or can’t find to PUT is a risk of Life for your PATIENTS I said, and she said yes it is, were working on that… SO look out for mistakes in our health care and Lives when it comes to passing on the Info…Pretty darn scary to me.
Good for you. Educating even medical providers is essential in getting what you want and need from them. I will always explain I am a currently controlled type 2 who is on these meds, who tests 4 times a day, and these are my numbers, and my last A1C was this date and this result. I don’t stop talking until I am done. Yea, I know it sounds witchy, but hey, the work for me. Some know nothing about diabetes, they only know what can happen to a person…the average doc gets about 12 hours of education on diabetes in his whole medical education if that. I had a doc who told me that he didn’t understand or wasn’t educated on diabetes until he got it himself. Wow, that’s scarey.
When I was in the hospital with a coma, they were using Type 2 protocols, and couldn’t figure out why my BG was not coming down. Well, hell, I LOOK like a Type 2 – 62 years old, and a round middle-aged belly (but not obese), so I must be a Type 2, yes? When you hear hoofbeats, think horse, not zebra, except that I AM a zebra. In Natalie’s utopia, we would all be treated for the diabetes we HAVE, no matter what we look like or how old we are. If Type 1 protocol is what I need, damn it, give it to me!! Fortunately, the CDE on duty knew me, and made the hospitalist (how much do THEY know about diabetes?) change the protocol. Then I had to fight it out all over again at the convalescent hospital. Remind me NEVER to go into a coma again!
I agree not all the various health care “professionals” are up to the same speed. But… despite the silly form questions at the opthamologists office from the staff I feel that my eye doc actually has a pretty decent comprehension of T1 diabetes and long-term eye care.
No, he doesn’t really grok every little detail like we do, but he knows that long term, the number on one particular bg test doesn’t define me :-).
