This question is frustrating. I have had success steering the conversation the way I want it to go. I like answering something like “well my last A1C was X.X%” The doctors seem to like that answer pretty well. I think the more blood sugars I do the more frustrating that question is.
The one that upsets me a little bit is what is your BG when you wake up? Maybe someone can correct me, but this question seems heavily wieghted towards T2. Like the Doctor (or staff) did not do thier homework? Do I take out my pump, cycle through it and tell them the correct number? Do I make one up? I don’t want to get a lecture from a well-meaning nurse or doctor because that day I woke up at an atypical number like 68 or 185? I think I will start answering this question with the average BG for my last A1C?
Good point with the eye shape and/or function at different BGs. I had never thought of that but it makes a lot of sense.
They just get the A1C results and don’t worry about how I get there?
My endo actually wants to get a fasting blood sugar every time they draw blood. Drives me crazy and I refuse to fast unless we’re taking cholesterol readings, too. It’s not a useful number for type 1s, besides which, I’ll give them a whole log of fasting numbers when I go in. One blood sugar reading every three months is a useless piece of information.
Right on Lili, I was just about to log off however when I saw your entry I had to respond. Due to the fact that we know things that most people do not, it is always our job to in a user friendly manner, let people know just how difficult the task is, and how small the window of a reasonably good sugar is, both long and short term. In short help them understand what the numbers mean, how difficult they are to achieve, and how equally difficult it is to “stay” anywhere. They don’t know it but even they can’t do that.
Many people think it’s much easier to do than it is and will openly criticize or compare you to other diabetics they may have known. The problem of course is that while you seem “out of control” because your sugar went too low in public, the one they admire is quietly and somewhat discretely suffering from depression, retinopathy, arteriosclorosis, proteinuria, impotence and neuropathy. It is a body buster bar none!
Years ago there was a pack invented for men to wear to give them a better (although very vauge) idea of what it was like to be pregnant. It should have also included pills to make them sick in the morning (ha ha) however it was done with good intention. We don’t have to go that far but I suggest that if you are diabetic and someone thinks you are not being honest about whatever has happened to you, ask them to go to thier family doctor and ask for a script for fast acting insulin, and to tell them why.
The doctor of course will immediately say “No that would be both dangerous, irresponsible and illegal for me to do” because it is. Imagine watching your boss mow his or her lawn after a shot of rapid acting insulin, and you are sitting on thier porch drinking pop telling them "You can’t stop, your break is in twelve minutes"
Now this is not something that anyone should do however when anyone criticizes me and it is not done so in a constructive manner, I offer them the oppurtunity to stay at thier house the following weekend and let them literally call the shots. Due to the fact that they seem to know more than I do, they can tell me what to eat, drink or how much insulin to take, with one proviso. The moment things go out of spec, I take over and immediately leave the house.
I have even offered this challenge to doctors etc. and not one person has ever taken me up on it. For the record I would NEVER jeopordize my health and safety or anyone elses for that matter. Furthermore I am sure most people have never heard of, or know how to deal with Gluconeogenesis, the Somogyi Effect or the Dawn Phenomonon. These cats wouldn’t make it past breakfast, but we do! Yes we do and will continue to do so. Please have patience for those who do not, understand and try to help them. In fact on some levels I hope they never understand both directly, and indirectly.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK Y’ALL!!!
Love Always
The Anonymous Diabetic.
It definitely makes a difference. I got my prescription during a pretty good spell blood sugar wise. When I have a bad week my prescription is not quite right. As a T2 who watches his diet and is not on insulin sometimes I just have to blame a bad week on the diabetes gods and go through a week with everything a little blurry.
Diabetes is so misunderstood. So many people believe that IF you are taking your insulin, then your blood sugars will remain steady all day. They really do not understand that everday is different, it is very frustrating. I remember thinking at diagnosis that my daughter just needed to take her insulin and all would be well - I pictured her taking it daily just like I take allergy medicine daily - same time, same amount and my allergies are gone. WRONG.
I was surprised when my GP asked if I measured my blood sugar. Does he think an A1c of 6% occurs by miracle.
I was asked that question last week by my Gyn and all I said, “oh, it’s going ok”. I knew he was just making small talk and I didn’t really feel like getting into it while I was lying there with my legs wide a$$ open!!! haha Sorry for the visual!! lol
Now, my Opthomalogist on the other hand frustrates me because he will always ask if I’m STILL on insulin as though I’m a type II. I mentioned this to his assistant last time I saw him and she made a note of it on the top of my chart that I’m a Type I.
OMG, every time! I know what they want, whether I’m having problems with constant highs or lows but I just want to answer “It’s there every time I check it so I guess it’s good!”
I always get this from the nurse at my retinologist… she asks ‘Did you check your blood sugar today? What was it?’. I always have my appointments at 4pm. Which blood sugar reading does she want??? I could give her half a dozen by that point…
I usually tell them my last a1c and a recent reading. At the opthamologist I will take out my meter for them then and there–mostly because I usually end up needing to test about then anyway. My first time I did that, I was a tad low (upper 50s) and they were so cute running around trying to make sure I was okay and didn’t need an ambulance (sigh) while I sat there quietly and ate something–probably tabs or lifesavers.
My endo (former–I haven’t met the new one yet) used to check my three weeks of numbers, spot check a high and a low to see if I could tell him why, and then say that he couldn’t see any trends so keep doing what I was doing (which was good, I like being able to take the doctor’s advice). Of course, the reason he wasn’t seeing trends was because, when I saw them, I fixed them myself.
If they don’t seem to want specifics, I just say, “okay. I try to keep pretty stable” which covers a lot.
This really aggravates me. I usually throw a few questions right back at them, because if they really want to know something specific, they need to clarify what they want to know. I will ask (as politely as possible, through gritted teeth), “well what would you like to know? can you be more specific?, do you want to know my A1C, or what some of my blood sugars today have been, or would you like me to do a test right now for you?”. Something like that. This usually will help distinguish between those who are actually wanting some information, and those who are just trying to make small talk. Also, it allows me to be slightly snarky without being too rude. If they don’t know what they are talking about and just trying to make small talk, they’ll just say something like “Tell me how things are going generally” and then drop the subject. 
Sometimes I feel like that one is a trick question… and that any answer at all is fine (high, low, normal, doesn’t matter), what they’re watching out for is the “I don’t know, I didn’t test” types… I get the impression from the medical community that any diabetic that tests regularly is an unusual encounter, T1 or otherwise. It’s kind of a scary thought actually.
Very well, thank you! Grrr, what a stupid question!
I just say “I’m doing my best to keep them in range”. Then, if they really want info, they can ask what range, or how much of the time I’m in range. Or they can ask what my last A1c was, or what my last BG was. I do my best to answer as truthfully as I can remember, but see no need to get all upset about it. If my BG was high or low, well that was that. I took care of it. End of story.
i think your answer is a god one, Natalie. … I usually just give the asking doctor my last AIc. I give My endo get the downloaded reports from Carellink, the MM software program, which I sasume are reviewed by the CDE on staff, so he doesn’t have to ask… Other docs seem content to get the latest a1c. I will tell them why it may have ben lower or higher than the last time, bevause I generally know why ( extra stress, physiological or emotional(-,if higher), or; better exercise regime and diet ( if lower).
I really do not mind them asking, I believe it is just to get a handle on how we are doing. I do not have any really supercritical docs. They have all been really nice to me thrrough the years. My newest doc, a plastic surgeon ( yes, Brunetta is vain and is getting a lipoma liposuctioned away) asked that question, just this Tuesday. I told him my latest A1c ( 7.2); he wrote it down, then proceeded to examine me…Which I did not mind, as he was “Dr.Mcdreamy” of “Grey’s Anatomy” FINE, an unexpected, but definite benefit ( lol)
God Bless,
Brunetta
I can see it being viewed as a normal question. However, this retinologist works in the same hospital as my endo…they have my records. They know I use a pump and that my A1c is in the 5s. I’m not sure how they think I manage that with one or no pokes a day.
HaHA I meant a “Good One” , Natalie…but for m,e probably an unavoidable " Freudian slip’’(lol)
God bless,
Brunetta
My opthamologist actually does ask, what was your blood glucose this morning ?
so I suppose that’s a start!
I do the same as Brunetta, just answer the BG question with my last A1c reading. They are always impressed as it is always below 7 and mostly closer to 6. That ends the questioning about my diabetes. As many have noted, one BG will not tell them anything but the A1c tells them exactly what they need to know regardless of type of MD it may be. Since I started doing that, I have not been irritated by the question at all.