Not sure what to do...

[laborcat]

A little bit of background here. My previous doctor has moved practices a couple of times since I started seeing him. I really, really like him, but this last place he went to is clear across the county and I just don't want to drive that far.

Before he moved the last time, he had called me to tell me my blood sugar, insulin, and those sort of numbers were really off and he wanted to discuss them with me. Three days later I got the letter that he was jumping ship again and his first day at the new place was in three days (this right before Christmas when he called me and the week after when I got the letter) so I just never followed up on it. Toward the end of 2011 I decided the dizzy spells I was getting at work were really bothering me so I asked my mother-in-law to make an appointment with the doctor she sees, because she is really happy with him. Unfortunately I couldn't get in until the end of February of 2012.

OK so last Friday I collapsed at work after puking up my mid-shift meal so my husband came and took me to the urgent care near my house. I couldn't stand or move without puking. I was dizzy. I was miserable. Urgent care said there wasn't much they could do for me if I needed fluids, they gave me phenergan and dilauded shots but once I tried to get off the table to go back to the truck I started puking again. The nurse fetched the doctor and he told me in no uncertain terms to go to the ER and called an ambulance for me.

Long story short, after fifteen hours in ER and two spinal taps, they admitted me with viral meningitis and a blood sugar nearing 400. Sunday they sent me home with instructions to follow up with someone within seven days. The doc at the hospital said to call the doc I am waiting to see, to see if I can get in earlier, because of this.

So, Tuesday I drove over there to see what I could do. The receptionist there was a real bitch when I told her my story. Kept repeating that the Dr only saw one new patient a day and that they are booked well into March with new patients. When I asked her what I was supposed to do, since they only sent me home with enough medicine for a month, she said, and I am not kidding, "Feel free to follow up with another provider while you are waiting for your appointment with us."

I was nearly in tears. I've just been diagnosed with a very scary thing, I don't have a current provider and she totally just blew me off. My husband was ready to flip. She did manage to change my appointment to within my 30 days of medication but she certainly didn't seem happy about it.

OK if you've kept up with all that, here are my questions. With staff like that, do I even WANT to keep my appointment? Truthfully, if I find someone else to follow up with in the meantime, I certainly don't want to juggle two doctors. Or should I suck it up, and drive across the county to the one I know and like? Or should I just try to find a new one altogether? My mother-in-law really likes this guy, a couple of my husband's co-workers go to him and really like him. Truthfully though, though this Dr is billed in my insurance listings as a general practitioner, he seems to be more of a diabetes specialist type of doc and if he's so flipping busy to get in to see, he won't be much use to me anyway.

I hate doctors. They make themselves so busy that they aren't approachable. And I just want to shoot that bitch in that office. She was hateful.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Personally, I've chosen not to use certain providers based on their staff. And I let them know why.

You have to deal with the staff,and they are the ones keeping your records and making your appointments and such. If they suck, I consider the provider to be off the table as far as options go.

[Slayer]

Staff can affect my choice of doctor, but only if I'm not completely sold on the doctor. I'll deal with nastiness if it means I can get a doctor I like. You can definitely try to find someone else

With your blood sugar level going up to 400 (I had to convert to the Canadian system which seems like it's around 22; hope that's right), I would do whatever you can to see a doctor right away. Since that doctor can see you before whatever meds you're taking (insulin, too?), I would keep that appointment. Try to get an appointment with another doctor in the meantime, but don't lose that appointment.

For your other doctor, how far is across the county? I sometimes drive my mom just over 40 minutes to get to one of her doctors.

The thing with specialist doctors is that when you have your appointment, you make your next appointment right away. Like a dentist would. He's busy now, yes, but you're supposed to be able to get your next appointment in the correct amount of time.

My mom sees one doctor (or two) every 3 months and another doctor every 6 months. Her appointments always flow. She goes in, boom, same time frame for next time. Sure, sometimes a couple of weeks difference, but never more than that.

Because of this, they're booked well in advance which makes it harder for new patients. Don't let it discourage you. It will even out (if they know what they're doing) when it comes time to your follow up appointments.

I hope you have insulin
22 / 400 is a really scary level to get to. Are you managing better now? Did they attribute the high number due to your illness?

[Dips]

What it boils down to is convenience (not having to drive across the county) vs. your health (being able to see a specialist SOON for an urgent reason).

You know what you need to do. You can worry about whether to switch doctors later.

[Sparky]

What it boils down to is convenience (not having to drive across the county) vs. your health (being able to see a specialist SOON for an urgent reason).

You know what you need to do. You can worry about whether to switch doctors later.

What Dips said!

If you go see your old doctor, you can ask him for advice. "Doc I love ya, but your new location is just so far for me to drive! Could you recommend someone nearer me?" If he's honest, he will. Of course, that doesn't mean you'll like the new doctor, but it's a place to start.

I'd say go see your old doctor now, convenient or not, and find a new one when you're healthy.

[MaggieTheCat]

I would gladly drive over an hour to see a doctor if I could find one I like and trusted. I have had major issues with doctors over the years and inherently don't trust them; so if I found one that I liked, and they moved, I would be willing to travel quite a long ways in order to still see them.

As others have said, rude staff is a warning sign to other issues to come. I would be dropping the new doctor and going back to my old one indefinitely, or at least until you are well enough to "shop around" and don't have immediate health issues.

Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.

[Solumina]

As others have said go to your old doc now and then think about switching, you just got some very scary information and you should get started taking care of that as soon as you can. Most doctors expect to have a few patients request a recommendation for a new doctor when the move their practice so he should have someone in mind so you can ask when you go in.

[Sapphire Silk]

Personally, I've chosen not to use certain providers based on their staff. And I let them know why.

You have to deal with the staff,and they are the ones keeping your records and making your appointments and such. If they suck, I consider the provider to be off the table as far as options go.

Quoted for Truth. I agree totally with this. Keep the appointment with Mom's doc, laborcat, but let him know how his receptionist treated you. If you don't like him, don't see him again.

With your blood sugar level going up to 400 (I had to convert to the Canadian system which seems like it's around 22; hope that's right), I would do whatever you can to see a doctor right away. Since that doctor can see you before whatever meds you're taking (insulin, too?), I would keep that appointment. Try to get an appointment with another doctor in the meantime, but don't lose that appointment.

I'm not sure what you mean about converting; I've never heard any conversion was necessary.

The 400 reading actually means 400 mg/dl of glucose in the blood. Normal is 70-110.

I hope you have insulin
22 / 400 is a really scary level to get to. Are you managing better now? Did they attribute the high number due to your illness?

Insulin may not be indicated outpatient, even if she's a non insulin dependent diabetic.

But I do hope that things are getting better.

I don't think the original off labs from the first doctor have anything to do with the viral meningitis, though, or at least not directly. If laborcat was not previously diagnosed with diabetes, it may be she had become borderline and her doctor was concerned. Diabetics tend to lose control of their blood sugars when they become ill for other reasons (like viral meningitis).

I would gladly drive over an hour to see a doctor if I could find one I like and trusted. I have had major issues with doctors over the years and inherently don't trust them; so if I found one that I liked, and they moved, I would be willing to travel quite a long ways in order to still see them.

I used to feel this way. It nearly killed me.

I lived in one town. I worked in another, 40 miles away (about a 45 minute drive from home). I really liked one of the family practice docs I worked with, so I asked her if she'd become my primary physician, as I did not like my old doctor and HATED the hospital in my town.

Then I developed a pre-cancerous growth in my uterus. I nearly bled to death when it caused a hemorrhage because I was insisting on waiting for an appointment with the doc I liked 40 miles away (the office staff were really nice and made me an appointment for two days after I called--at the time it didn't seem as serious as it was and I was good with the wait at the time).

It wasn't until I realized I was getting short of breath walking less than 25 feet from my bed to the bathroom that I couldn't wait and shouldn't try to drive that far. I ended up in the hospital I hated, and lucked out--got VERY good care (the PA who scared me to death in the ER must not have been working that day).

Every since then, I've cultivated a doctor who's close by.

[kpzra]

I'm not sure what you mean about converting; I've never heard any conversion was necessary.

The American system generally uses mass per unit volume (milligrams per deciliter of blood). Canada uses moles per unit volume (millimoles per liter of blood). IIRC, America is one of like 3 countries that uses the mg/dl way of measuring, the rest of the world uses the other.

I'm kinda surprised you didn't know this, we were taught it in Paramedic school, but that was in Michigan so the nearness of Canada may be why.

[Slayer]

I'm not sure what you mean about converting; I've never heard any conversion was necessary.

The 400 reading actually means 400 mg/dl of glucose in the blood. Normal is 70-110.

Sorry, I'm Canadian.

Here, normal levels are about 4-7, though 4-6 is better. Your 70-110 converts to our system as being 3.9-6.1. It's in mmol/L instead of mg/dl.

When my mom collapsed and had a seizure, her level was 33. 600 in US numbers.

When we first starting dealing with meters, I would see the American ads on TV for them with 'high' numbers (more than our two digits) and get super confused, lol. I used to wonder why they weren't dead with three digit numbers since my mom almost died with 33. Not terribly funny, but after I found out why, it was.

I hope that makes sense.

[Sapphire Silk]

Now it makes sense.

[laborcat]

Well, after talking to my various co-workers, my mom, and from reading this, I have decided to keep my current appointment with the Dr that is close to me. I really hope that it was just the overlwhelmingness of everything that warped my perception of the receptionist.

But... I intend to ask him if he is available for stuff like sore throats, etc, or if he's basically practicing as a diabetic specialist. I need someone for everyday concerns too, and if he's that busy and overbooked I may keep him around for the diabetic specific stuff but find someone else for the everyday stuff. I've been ignoring and neglecting some nagging issues for a while and, like the blood sugar, I'm afraid they will catch up with me and bite me in the ass. And if his staff is rude to me like that again... that's it. I don't care how much I like a doc, I really hate dealing with poor service from staff.

I didn't get sent home with insulin, thankfully, just a basic guideline on what/how to eat and metformin and glipizide. My mother-in-law is diabetic, got it pretty well-controlled and is helping me with my food choices and making sure I am testing and taking my pills. I've got it averaging in the 150 range now, need to start exercising more and tightening up on the carbs. I miss Pepsi but it's not killing me to not have it. I'd rather be alive than not.

[Geek King]

Late, but I second talking to the doctor about their how the desk staff acts. I've noticed, and heard from my mother (who credentials doctors for a large hospital organization), that many doctors don't really know what's going on with their office staff. If people don't raise the issue with them, most doctors don't think to consider customer service issues, ending up with good doctors with bad office staff.

[Slayer]

I'm really glad you have help with managing! It can be comforting to know you can pick up the phone and advice is right there. Kind of like google, but friendlier (I hope) lol

As for Pepsi, some diabetics can drink diet with no problems and others not so much. My mom drinks the Caffeine-free diet Pepsi and it does nothing to her sugar levels. Sure, the taste is different, but even I would rather that than regular soda now.

Actually, I'm glad you didn't get insulin shots. They can be a real annoyance. My mom had to at first and hated it so much. She now takes pills to help manage.

[laborcat]

I'm really glad you have help with managing! It can be comforting to know you can pick up the phone and advice is right there. Kind of like google, but friendlier (I hope) lol

Actually my mother-in-law lives with us. Retail doesn't pay enough to have our own place and her social security isn't enough to have her own place. It works well because hubby works overnights, I work early mornings and there's always an adult here with them. And it's nice to have her around for when things get wonky with my health problems. I complain her a lot sometimes but I really do love having her here.