i went for a number of years (the early ones) with and endo who was a real A-hole. i was always so dismayed after i saw him that i didnt want to go back for regular check-ups. finally,(and luckely for me) he moved across the ocean, and i needed to find myself a new endo in a hurry. well, this new doctor was taking over the practice of the former doctor, and i figured i'd give him a try. in the beginning he was very sterile with me. all about numbers and statistics. i wasnt on the pump yet, and i was using 3 different insulins at once(Lente, NPH, and Regular) and averaging 10 shots a day. i am very very brittle and it was near impossible to mannage my D. i felt discouraged and hopeless and frustrated with my doctor.
THEN, one day, a D friend of mine suggested that i tell the doctor exactly how i felt when i would come and see him, and how i didnt want to make regular appointments because i always felt like a failure every time i left his office.
WELL at the beginning of my next appointment, i mustered up all my courage and the moment he walked in the room (always starting at my feet with that stupid pricker/needle) i told him exactly how i felt. i told him he was cold and insensitive, and that i felt like never coming back.(of course he was an excellent endo, despite his lack of social skills)
To my suprize he stated:" ya know, many of my patients have said the same thing to me. Maybe you can remind me during your next visit to be more encouraging. in fact, you are doing very well." OMG!!!!!
and its been that way ever since.
stick with it. dont let anybody boss you around. remember, at the end of the day, its YOU, not the doctor who is living with D.
I agree that if the doc sucks you should move on. But some people, even doctors have a subdued personality and that doesn't necessarily make them bad doctors. He knows he has a problem and has admitted it. If he's really trying then I would give him a chance.
Gary
Dear Stemwinder:
i might not have been all that clear decribing the situation with my endo. to clarify, he USE to be silent and "uncaring"...just a numbers man.BUT, ever since i have spoken up to him, he is a gem. and he is extremely good at what he does. i shall continue on....
still, thx 4 Ur input. Daisy Mae
I had an endo like that(worst part he was also a prof. At my college med-school)a really big prick in follow-ups and very ruthless in rounds with me. Once I graduated ,aawwww hell noooo, I went up to him in his clinic closed the door and said " you need to work on your people’s skills because you suck at it!.now he said one of the most weirdest replays I’ve ever heard"son your a type 1 and just graduated from med-school with flying colors?now your ready for what ever hell meets you in your career and you’ll be finding a lot of me on your way.(I had know idea how to respond to THAT) replied next"now get the hell out of here I got a special patient coming in"
Relised later on my internship he was actually quiet nice to his patients (but god damn how these guy can switch attitudes >:(.
I don't think I'd see a doctor who wasn't at least civil for very long. My docs don't tell me all that much, more like "do you have any questions" as my numbers are generally ok. When I was heavier, I found heavier doctors by looking at their glamour shots online who, while they'd still bust my chops about my weight.
Then he referred me to an endo and I could pick the white head of dept, who I figured would take longer to get into, or the younger, Indian "new girl" so I picked her, got right in and had a pump a short time later. She was very good at math and got my pump settings *nailed* right out of the gate, despite the gibberishy quality of my log. I made a couple of small changes that made things fall into place and made me realize that I could do it much more efficiently. When we moved, I called a clinic based on geography, what town they were in. The "Big Clinic" at the hospital I reconnoitred while hanging out during my mom's hip surgery turned out not to have any doctors but to work with a clinic in an adjacent town, the wrong direction from work *scratch*. I found another clinic, called and got a doctor who is very supportive and not very intrusive and was interesting during the one interesting situation I've encountered.
