I’m having my first endo appointment on 26 November. I know it’s scheduled to be an hour long.
What can I expect? Will they do tests? What will he ask me? What should I bring with me? I assume my logs and meter.
Definately bring all you logs and your meter. He will look over it and see if any changes need to be made. He’ll ask you how you manage your diabetes and such. My old endo did an A1C in his office everytime I went. Of course, it was just a finger prick (something we’re used to!!!) Just go prepared, and don’t be nervous - he’s there help =)
This is also a great time to ask ANY questions you may have, or get clarification on anything that you are confused about…just relax & enjoy, nothing to be afraid about.
I agree with Sugarrbabie, bring logs, meter, towel, etc… They will almost certainly do tests, mine did a whole barrage of them!
It might also help to bring a list of questions/concerns you have, that way when you get in there you can be certain to get the answers you need. Don’t be surprised tho, if he tells you some things you didn’t know you needed to know!
Be honest with him and I’m sure he’ll help you not only feel better physically, but emotionally about what is going on as well.
Scott
Before you go in ask your new doctor to fax you a script for blood work. Go to Labcorp or whoever your insurance company pays for and get your blood drawn the week before the appointment. That way when you arrive at your doctors office he will already have your blood work numbers and there will be something to talk about and work on.
I do this with my endo and it makes for a better appointment because she can see how I am doing. Most importantly just pay attention to ho you feel with your endo. do they seem like they care or are they lecturing you. Good endo’s can be hard to find.
He’ll probably take some blood samples for testing, if you haven’t had the tests done in advance. You seldom need to take your meter unless you want to compare your test results against your meter; some people do. Also, if you want a prescription for your test strips to get Medicare or possibly your insurance company to help pay for them, your endo will probably need to know what type of meter you have. Take your logs. Taking a log of the foods you eat, especially the ones containing sugar or something starchy such as flour, corn, rice, and spaghetti, is likely to be helpful.
You may want to read this, but don’t start following it until after your appointment since your endo may want to see what you’re like before trying anything more than you’ve done already:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm
If you’ve already had the blood tests, ask for a record of the results, or at least the A1C part.
I had my first appointment with my endo since my diagnosis yesterday. I brought EVERYTHING… all that he looked at was my meter and #'s…My A1c went from 10.7 to 5.6 !!!
He also asked me to start looking into pumps ??? and then asked if I was ready I think he was shocked by the #'s???
Good Luck !!!
Hi there
Another newbie here; just diagnosed a month ago. I am also getting ready to visit an endocrinologist; have an appointment with my regular doctor Tuesday the 18th to get the referral. He drew blood the last time I was in, about a week ago. Should I get a copy of that blood work to take with me or will he fax all the information to the new doctor?
Thanks for the advice. I will probably have to take my old meter records, as my insurance wouldn’t pay for the test strips for it and I had to get a new one. Thankfully, the insurance has paid for everything so far. My insurance is through the new Healthy Indiana Program, and it’s been a Godsend! I pay less than $30 a month for it. I have probably been a diabetic for a couple of years, according to my symptoms and my meter readings I was doing on my own, but without health insurance, I avoided the doctor like the plague. My doctor did do extensive blood work so I can probably get copies of all that. He’s also going to recommend a pain specialist to help with my chronic pain; the less stress I have, the better my readings are going to be!