Changes everywhere when it comes to the care of our kids. Enough to baffle the mind, don’t you think?
On any given day, you can make an appointment to see your Doctor. (NOTE OF IMPORTANCE: When ever you go to your 1-out-of-4 endocrinology appointments annually, make sure you make your appointment before you leave the office for your next appointment,; do not say “I’ll call you later when I check my schedule.” The front desk hates it and you will not get the appointment in the timely manner you should so be ready at your appointment to schedule the next.). Over years the times have changed from what used to be a one-on-one appointment WITH your doctor to visiting, what now seems like a city, called ‘a practice’.
These days, do you see your Doctor, and if so, for how long? After you get passed around from different members of the office, kindly share with us who you see the most and how engaging is the conversation?
PA, Nurse Educator, Doctor, are any of them or all of them Certified Diabetes Educators as well? Have you ever asked?
Is there a dietician, has anyone suggested a dietician; or to see a diabetes educator? Are they on staff or outside the practice?
So kindly let us know your experience “…at the doctor’s office.” Please DO NOT use any of the names of the Doctor’s or the name of the Practice; but a city might be interesting to see.
Please also let us know if what you encounter is good, bad, and how you moved forward. This is not merely a ‘gripe’ session but rather a way your experiences may help others. Those who have been at this while, what changes have you seen?
So folks, vent, praise, complain, send accolades but let’s hear it about your experiences at your Doctor’s offices and what you did about it……it could be a great help to others.
I am a Diabetes Dad.
9 replies on “The Doctor’s Visit……Oh My….Let us Know.”
We see the endo nurse and the endo. Occasionally, the endo will request us to see a dietitian, but that is not very often. We have not seen a CDE since the hospital at dx. Since our endo is part of a clinic which includes a teaching hospital and a med school, we will see med students once in a while as well. I actually enjoy meeting with the med students. They are so bright and young. They haven’t had time to become jaded and they honestly love what they are doing. They also bring fresh ideas and energy.
Our endo takes her time with us, and we never feel rushed. She answers our questions, and always gives us the pros and cons to every treatment option that we discuss. She talks to my daughter at at her level, and makes sure that she understands and has input on everything we go over. We wouldn’t trade her for the world.
We seem to have come to a point in the Center-Type1 family relationship where they cannot do much more for my son. His insulin is maxed out. His eating is not conducive to the best control. He has no energy for exercise. He has depression issues since diagnosis. And now he is a TEENAGER.
I have asked repeatedly for help from the psychology department (the clinic is related to a college) regarding cognition and Type 1 to try to get my son the help he needs to take better care of his sugar. I get no answers. I am concerned that he will develop that type 1 1/2 or whatever silly name they have given to it where he will not be able to properly utilize the insulin he pumps (like a type 2 diabetic).
We adore the nurse practitioner. There has been no suggestion on either side of a dietitian visit since he was first diagnosed. (We have one living in our house). Never has there been some kind of exercise consultation. Disability makes it very hard for me to coach with physical issues. If I could afford a coach, I’d start interviewing now. There is a certain lady many of us have heard of in Burlington, Vt about three plus hours away. Wish we could attend FFL more than once a year and that my son could make real connections with teens that can speak his language and get him going on the right paths. Most of all, I wish the cure was available right now so all these other issues can just go away.
I fund raise and raise awareness like a mad woman because I can’t just do nothing to paraphrase Diabetes Dad. Hopefully Devin will last long enough to receive it!
By the way, the NP is a CDE and the Center is in Syracuse, NY.
I live in Chicago and go to the doctors that work with our Children’s hospital. I was told at a support group that some people who see the same NP (by the way she is terrific) never see the doctor. Maybe once in the last 4 years. That made me really nervous, but this NP is fantastic so I didn’t look for care elsewhere. Someone else in the same group mentioned they have an office in the burbs too. Even though I live in the city that seemed to be more convenient (less traffic, closer to her school, free parking) so I started going there after the first visit. Well surprisingly enough there while we still spend majority of the very long visits with the NP, the doctor comes in every visit! I believe the NP is a CDE as well. The D Educators, Dietician, and Psychologist who are all also terrific work out of the hospital so that would be a separate visit if necessary and billed as outpatient (not to mention don’t think the Psychologist takes our insurance), but still very happy with what we have available to us. Though the University of Chicago has a full team available for every visit. Still happy at the Children’s hospital for now, but love that we have this available to us when she is older.
Always GREAT to look ahead Mara—-thinking people are MY KIND of people. Glad so far so good is the rule of teh day. Thanks for sharing.
I consider the following to be a funny story–even at the time it happened I laughed out loud. My son was about 3 weeks into T1D and we went to our clinic, he was 6 at the time and my 8 year old daughter was with us. My son had a VERY loose tooth–smack in the front–just ready to come out. I have my notebook full of questions, and the NP walks in. ‘Hello, newly dx, how is it going” she says then gets a look at my son. “you need to pull that tooth” she said. “Oh–well don’t worry about the tooth–we just let them fall out on their own, so about his diabetes, I have my 10,000 questions” I say. I begin with my questions, and this lady just can’t get past the tooth. For every question–she goes back to saying I should pull the tooth. I end up saying “ok, we are not going to pull it–it will fall out on it’s own like every other tooth he has had fall out–so about these questions…” The reply, “While only a bad mother doesnt pull a tooth like THAT”
Both my kids jump out of their seats “Our mom is the best mom” ” dont call our Mom bad” , ect. They scared the living daylights out of this NP—but boy, did I feel GOOD! Nothing like having your kids stick up for you! NP went and got the Endo–who is awesome and we have seen every visit ever since. My kids, now 9 and 12 still crack jokes about my ‘bad mom’ moment.
Okay—THAT I JUST LOVED—-I needed to laugh today and I laughed loudly at this one…..thank you so much for telling us the story……”OF THE TOOTH”—-I take it that it eventually fell out. 🙂
I bet you surely are ‘the best mom’.
We go to a large clinic in Boston, MA – love it there been going there now for 8-10 years typically every other visit we see endocrinologist and then Certified Diabetes Educator – back and forth – have also seen dietician there as well as social worker who works only with kids who have D – love it there = best care in all the years since diagnosis (15+).
So glad to hear that it is exactly what you need Anne—-love to hear when it is done correctly. Thanks for sharing