My first Endocrinologist app

I’ve never been. I was just wondering, is there anything I should ask or expect. I’ve been diagnosed since Feb of this year. any info would be great. I’m also planning on telling him I want to go on the pump.

Is there any discomfort in your injection sites?
What is your A1c?
How is your blood pressure?
How is your cholesterol?
Any sensitivity in your feet?
How are your dosages? Do you notice any fluxuations in your carb: insulin ratio?
Any new medications out there that YOU want to try?
Does injecting get “in the way” of your daily routine?
Any major problems?
How are your ketone levels? (Do you get frequent bladder/ UTI ?)

For the pump:
What’s the co-pay?
Is the training at his office free?
How much will your insurance cover?
How much does insurance cover the monthly supplies?
Do you have any allergies that will prohibit your use of the pump?
What brand of short acting insulin are you on now? (I’ve heard on numerous occasions that Humalod clogs the pump tubing. Novolog moves better through the pump- I’ve never tested Apidra)
Are you blood sugars constant as of today? (good control)
How do you feel about having it connected to you at all times?
Do you play physical activities that will snag the tubing?

I dunno… this is about five minutes worth of questions. I don’t know how verbal you are with your doctors, but I send mine a letter, like an update, once per month- and see him once every three months.

Some of it should be the same as what they ask at a regular doctor visit if you’re a new patient (weight, height (to have a baseline before osteoporosis may set in) temp, BP, pulse personal and family medical history). They may also feel your neck (to see if you have potential thyroid problems I think), they should check your feet (usually by poking it with a plastic thing which doesn’t hurt at all). They should also check your injection sites to see if there are problems there. They should also test your blood sugar too.

Check to see if you may need prescription before you will see them again (most prescription & refills are good for a year). Bring your log books. If yu are already analyzing and have noticed problems you should bring it up, otherwise you may want to ask about what you can do to learn more about self-management and pattern recognition.

As far as the pump goes they may or may not know what your insurance will cover. You may actually want to contact your insurance ahead of time to see if there are specific pumps they cover and how much, and if there are any particular forms or things you need to do (e.g. a letter of medical necessity). Definitely bring up the possibility with the endocrinologist to at least find out their take on it and how much experience they have with pumps.

You should also expect to get lab work or papers to do so at the end of hte visit…unless you’ve had recent blood work done (for lipid panels etc.) because some places I’ve been to will do an in-office HBA1C test (though usually not for the first visit).

Also if you still have any questions that haven’t been answered since you were diagnosed bring them up too.

Thank you so much or the advice and info! i will deff take notes and ask as much as i can remember. im actually excited to see my Dr being the first time and all. i know theyre checking my A1C because i went to get blood drawn a week ago. last time they checked was before i started inulin and it was 7.5% so i hope its lower. will post my results and my experience when im dont. Thanks again for the help! :slight_smile:

If you write a log of your blood sugar readings, the doctor can often give much better advice by looking at your blood sugars.