Paul, deep breathing…you just haven’t found the right doctor for you. These men and women have spent a goodly portion of their lives in an ivory tower studying and think that gives them the right to know everything — I am sure you have heard of the “God complex” in relationship to doctors. Well, it looks like you are weeding out all the little gods. so as Shannon said, you ARE better off without someone who doesn’t admit that they don’t know everything, and is willing to discuss and work WITH you on your treatment.
I live in a small town in northeastern SD, we don’t have many specialists here, and when we do need one, it is a 200 miles journey either north to FARGO or south to Sioux Falls. But in the 10 years I have been diabetic, I have had a Certified Nurse Practictioner who works with a medical doc, and my care, although not big city fine, has been better than most of the people I know who live in the big city near specialists. My suggestion is to keep looking, ask how they feel about patients cooperating in their treatment before you ask for a referral. Ask what they expect of you as a patient in relationship to their treatment plans. Explain, if you haven’t already, that you are the diabetic and you know your body…you want to work WITH them, not against them in treatment. It takes time to build a relationship as you well know…and maybe it’s the springing it on them at your “interview” visit that is causing a problem. Internet doctoring to some docs is a quack of a different kind…they don’t realize that we do know a little bit more than most about this disease.
So keep trying, you have to kiss a lot of frogs, as they say…but you will find one in Ontario I am sure that will meet your needs and be able to work with.
You are right. I do need a Dr that will work with me. We are not sheep!!! I like your points about asking how they feel about patients cooperating and what they expect.
I am glad some of you have good doctors, and I am glad that you are so self-educated and motivated. Unfortunately, in real life, a lot of patients lack basic knowledge, motivation, can not afford to buy enough testing supplies, etc. I would be frilled to have more patients like you. I do not have to think how to aske a question not to offend your doctor. You should have freedom to ask any questions you want and expect an answer.
Thank you, Marina
I agree 100%! We are not Sheep. This is our disease and we know how it is affecting us mentally as well as physically not the Drs. Why should I not be proactive and knowledgeable about my condition?
Just because I did some research shouldn’t be a reason why a Dr doesn’t want to have me as a patient!!!
Thinking about it I am still shocked and outraged over this incident. My wife thinks I should complain to the body that governs Drs here in Ontario.
Cathy,
I agree with you on several issues.Yes, a doctor and a patient have to work together, after all, they both have the same goal - good and safe BS control and prevention of complications. Second, it takes time to build trust and relationship and one visit can not do it. If I meet the person first time and her A1c 6.8% and she has no serious hypoglycemia and checks BS several times a day - she does not have to convince me she knows “her body”, I can tell that and I do not have to do much but prise her good work. But if I meet the patient and he tells me he “knows it all”, and it is better for him to have BS >200 all the time and he feels bad of his BS <150, and his A1c 10% - what do you do? Marina
Thanks for that perspective. I am currently establishing my relationship with my new endo. I’ve seen him 3 times. I decided more than two years ago that I had serious doubts about my diagnosis and it has been a source of friction with my doctors. Although I know that I desire certain tests and have certain opinions about treatment directions, these last three visits have been mostly about the relationship. I’ve agreed to restarting metformin and escalation with two additional medications, not because I believe they will help, but because I feel I have to demonstrate a willingness to work with him as a team member. He has to know that when I say I follow a certain diet, I mean it. When I say I’ve been exercising, I mean it. And when he gives me advice, I will listen to him and work with him on it. He clearly now knows that I have some background and thoughts on matters and I will speak my mind. Now, after seeing me show up with detailed logs, standard deviations in my blood sugar readings, and me agreeing to comply with his recommended treatment, the last visit finally agreed to a GAD test. If I had just showed up on my first visit and told him what I wanted, I’m not sure we would have gotten off to a very good start and I doubt I would have gotten the test.
Find a better doctor. They couldn’t even talk with you and go over their viewpoint/experiences? What a bunch of crap. If you cant have a good in-depth conversation about any aspect of diabetes with your Endo, then move on.
I would recommend my doctor to you, she’s wonderful! but I think it’s a bit of a ways to travel. I’m so sorry D: Just keep trying, you’re going to find a good doctor eventually! I’m going to be in the same boat when mine retires. I’ve had the same family doctor since I was born.
It seems that your doctor’s doing give you credit for being able to separate the wheat from the chaff. To dismiss you out of hand because you ask questions based on something you’ve been researching on the internet is irresponsible and bad practice. You didn’t say you believed it and it had be true because you got it off the internet. Your question about LADA was completely reasonable. Rather than focus on your source, the doctor should have (a) admitted that she didn’t know that much about it and then done some research or (b) she should have talked to you about it. She’s not a very good doctor. You should have told her you read about it in “Diabetes Forecast” from the ADA to get past that part. She’s judging you on what she thinks is the reliability of your source, not the validity of your question. She really is a dreadful doctor. More and more I find that as far as most docs are concerned, they aren’t all that well versed in diabetes care. Is this a primary care physician? Can you manage to get a referral to an endo and cut out the middle and ignorant part of the transaction?
