Well, some of you may recall my saga. I saw an Endo for about a year, from September 2009-2010. I went to him in hopes that I would find some treatment to improve my blood sugar control and first thing through the door I made it clear I was fine moving to insulin right then and there. My year long experience did not go well and in the end I found out he had been feeding like a pig at the big pharma trough. So I took the matter in my own hands and started insulin.
So last week, I was contacted by a filmaker. I am active in the diabetes community, he had been asked to produce a film on insulin use by T2s and want to capture some film of a T2 injecting. So I agree to help. Yesterday he started to schedule the shoot, the same day he was going to shoot some film of a doctor.
Can you see where this is going yet?
Today, he asked me whether I could travel to the doctor, then he could film me injecting as well as a scene of me having the doctor speak with me. Yes. He sent me the address. It is my old Endo. He returns. Oh the irony.
So, this could either turn out to be viral on youtube or worse. See the endo, who by the way repeatedly refused to prescribe insulin. Who I am still totally p*ssed at because of his lousy behavior, failure to listen and pharma feeding. And this Endo was always a total control freak. I can’t imagine how far the veins on his forehead will bulge when he sees me walk through the door.
So, I’m not sure what I will do. Pull out? Go through with it and have a total wig out for the filmmaker? What do you think I should do?
Wow, interesting! You don’t say a lot about what the filmmaker is looking to do. If it’s just a tame piece on type 2’s who take insulin, you might want to talk to him and let him know the feelings you have. Not sure why he scheduled you with that endo, but he might want to reconsider if he wants a congenial doc visit in his film…lol
Otoh…if he is looking at some controversy in his film…like exposing how the DOC knows more than many endos and how much mistreatment goes on (send him to me for the segment on misdiagnosis…lol) then you can talk to him about that option. So whichever, I would definitely talk to the filmaker and let him know more about your history with that doctor and go from there. Very interesting! Let us know how it goes!
The film is for an arm of the government looking at getting more quality care for diabetics.
My former endo has positioned himself to be a Key Opinion Leader (KOL). These are doctors that are paid to go talk to others. There is a whole industry (see ThoughtLeaderSelect). It is my former endos work as a KOL on behalf of big pharma that really made me question who he was working for (it clearly wasn’t me).
Well given what you said about the goal, more of an expose type piece would certainly be warrented and helpful for many of us who are victims of poor care.
But given what you said about your former endo it remains to be seen whether the filmaker and the people he/she works for are willing to stick their necks out. My guess is that they might be willing to do that if you tell your story because you are a highly articulate person and will come across well. But they are unlikely to be willing to do an expose on the endo. Perhaps this is an opportunity to talk with them about your story and see if they would like to do a more provocative piece without using names. Can’t hurt to ask and would do the Diabetic community a world of good! That’s what I would do. Then if he says he can’t go there either, you and he might look at using your current doctor instead.
That is a tough call! Your doing it is good to show T2s that there is nothing wrong with taking insulin but I would have a really, really hard time sitting there with that doctor.
I wonder what would happen if you told the filmaker about the doctor. I wonder if there is any chance he would use a different endo?
The endo will probably be very polite on film. I would let the filmmaker know, and see if he wants to do another piece about your story.
LMBO! That is too funny!
You strike me a well-informed A-type personality. Please go through with the filming! Let your ex-endo do the squirming. Let Dr. Big-Pharma back out if he is too uncomfortable to handle the situation.
Maybe, just maybe, your ol’ ex-endo will learn something truly beneficial from this experience.
What a golden opportunity! 
That’s freaking funny. You should dress up:
To be fair I would inform the filmmaker of your past history. Then if he wants to go ahead just be unfailingly polite. Given your past contentious relationship that should throw him for a loop. Irony can be sweet.
Perhaps you can interest the filmmaker in doing a segment on how the DOC helps diabetics educate themselves and have better outcomes.
Thanks, I feel a lot better. My favorite part was when they threw that “guy” off the bridge and then out of the car.
One time I was working in a restaurant and a guy w/ a 'stache came in and this kid, maybe 5 or 6 stood on his chair and pointed yelling "“Sabatoge, Sabatoge” and his mom was like “I have no idea what he’s talking about” to her friend…
There are few things more useful to attack pomposity with than “beer swilling , glue-sniffing tactiques Brechtienne”
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions (a special call out to acidrock).
I talked with the filmmaker. I basically told him I was this endo’s patient and he had declined to prescribe insulin to me. And suggested that confronting him with his own patient like that might be “uncomfortable.”
I further told him that I left the endo because I was “unhappy” with him and if I started in on the Endo, it might not be productive.
So we are filming at my house. Sorry, no viral youtube video. Case closed.