[Madea]

Greetings & Salutations ! :wave:

After some serious thought, soul searching, praying & research, I have decided to go with an Endochrinologist. I like my np, don't get me wrong, but I think she's fixin to put a non-compliant patient letter in my file.

The Endo I found also specializes in Thyroid, Pancreas, Hormones, & Menopause! She is also a Board Member of The Endochrin Society & American Thyroid Association.

I found out she is in my insurance network, she's taking new patients, and she is NOT associated with any of my other physicians. She's even in the best clinic & hospital network in my area, both of which are in my insurance network as well.

I'm going to start all over from scratch. It will be refreshing working with somebody that actually specializes in D!

My first appointment is June 13 @10:30am.

For the first time in a loong time, I have hope again. From reading all of the info on here all the way to finding an Endo. I'm starting to feel better already.

You guys ROCK!!! :grouphug:

 

[Shalynne]

Sounds like a plan!

 

[moon]

Madea, this sounds excellent. Since I'm also in menopause (at 60 you'd think I'd've been past this nonsense a long time ago...), if I could have found a female endo like her I would've camped out on her doorstep.

By mid-June you're going to be so smart - not that you aren't already, mind - and if she's as smart as she sounds, she's going to love having you, engaged and involved, as a patient.

Great decision. Congrats!

 

[Shanny]

And be proactive from the get-go - tell her what you've been through. Tell the little story about the specifically-prescribed ham sandwich with milk = 233 fasting. Tell her you already know what carbs do to BG, so please spare you the "brain-needs-carbs" discussion & remind her about gluconeogenesis, if need be. I'm so glad you have a doc of that caliber in your network. Go get 'em, girl!

 

[jwags]

I agree with Shanny be proactive from the start. Also remember ultimately bg management is your responsibility, not the endos. Many people use endos and still have tons of problems. I think the important thing is you educate yourself and know how your individual D body reacts to carbs, exercise, stress, etc. I hope you have a great visit. Be careful though if they tell you that you need more carbs at each meal.

 

[tgreen]

so do we get a report on how the visit to the Endo was today? Im very interested in this my self. and feel that there is a trip to the endo here for me soon. the diffaculty is here in alaska where i am there in only 1 endo. so good or bad that is all we got.

 

[Patdart]

Oh, I want a report too! Hope it was very successful!

 

[Madea]

Hello my friends!

My Endo appt went great!
I explained to her what the NP told me about my night time snack. She said if I wasn't hungry and my bg are good then I shouldn't need a snack.
I told her about my thoughts on me being Carb Sensitive. Amazingly she said whether I was carb sensitive or not, nobody needs to have so many carbs per meal, per day, even though some dieticians tell you to have 30 - 60 carbs per day! I told her about all the meds the docs kept throwing at me too. She believes that if I am totally committed to this, (which I am), then there is no reason I can't control my bg's with diet, exercise, and only Metformin. (Eventually NO meds at all). Since I joined this wonderful site and changed my eating habits & carb intake, I have already lost 5 pounds. It was because of this site that I found out that I am carb sensitive.

I had been having these freaky little spells. I get dizzy, shakey, I sweat EXCESSIVELY, and just feel like hell in general. It feels like my bg's are bottoming out. But when I test, they are generally 140 - 150.
The dizziness is an automatic trigger for my anxiety attacks as well, so I feel as though my body is kicking my butt!!

My Endo said it is my body adjusting to me getting healthier & getting my bg's under control. My hormones are shifting and insulin being a hormone also adds to the mix along with carb withdrawl and menopause symptoms. Sometimes walking or exercise makes the feeling pass. But over the weekend it happened during one of my walks.
When I explained this to a doc that I was seeing last year, she couldn't find anything wrong with me or have any explination why I was having these episodes. Her final diagnosis was that it was all in my head and I should go see a psychiatrist. It upset me, but I went. The psychiatrist said there is nothing wrong with me except for my anxiety issues. She gave me a scrip for Xanax and told me to fire my doc. I did that day!

I see a light at the end of the tunnel. My Endo scheduled my appointment for 10:00 am and she was with me till 12:00! She listened to every word.

During the initial exam, she found my Thyroid to be enlarged as well as a nodule on it. (That can also make bg's run high & weight gain). I explained to her that another doc sent me in for an Ultrasound 2 years ago. They found 5 nodules on my Thyroid, but nothing was ever done. She wasn't very happy with that. So, she scheduled an Ultrasound for this Thursday. She said if it's bigger than 3cm, she needs to do a biopsy. When they did the Ultrasound 2 years ago it was 3cm. But they said if I have any pain or problems give the doc a call. Really? Just blow me off again.

I told her that I am NOT a noncompliant patient, but with doctors treating me like that I'm starting to get a little pissed. Being overmedicated, misdiagnosed, and pretty much ignored I've pretty much have had it up to my pretty brown eyes with doctors.

She promised me she will work WITH me and help me get to where I want/need to be. It's all up to me at the end of the day, but she said she will be with me every step of the way.

I have my exercise routine worked out, and I'm measuring every little crumb that goes into my mouth, I'm reading nutritian labels and trying to keep my stress level down. (That is soooo not easy) I'm ready to kick my own butt here and get back on track!!

I'm happy to have you all for moral support, ideas, help, etc. And I'm glad I am able to share things with everybody too. Maybe I can even help somebody.

I will keep ya'll posted about my Thyroid. She said every Thyroid Nodule has a 5% chance of being cancerous. She said not to be alarmed, but she had to let me know. She wasn't going to lie or blow me off. Generally it is curable and treatable. It will be on my mind of course, but I'm not going to be trippin out over it.

Have a great night/day.

Thanx for listening

I am soooo glad I found you guys!!

Hugs to ya'll!!

 

[Shanny]

OMG Rhonda - did you pinch her to see if she's REAL?! Incredible to have a 2-hour sitdown & get the whole bloody mess hashed out. You have hit the jackpot! I'm so happy - you SO deserve this! And I think we're all encouraged to learn there are a few professionals who dare to speak the truth with their patients.

Wow - your post got me pumped! lol!

 

[moon]

This is really wonderful news! There could be planes loaded with diabetics travelling to Wisconsin after reading your report. You hit the jackpot with her, and your determination is going to get you there.

Congrats!

 

[Patdart]

What a wonderful report and such a piece of luck for you! Well done, and enjoy your relationship with your new 'partner'. So happy for you!