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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on April 7, 2011 at 7:08pm

Hmmm, interesting. I am not sure I would expect an assistant at an eye doctor's office to be much more than clueless? For a long time I was always like "1984 or 85, I can't ever remember" so they'd raise their eyebrows but my A1C usually made them think "he must know what he's doing" although I was sort of seriously whacked out of my gourd a lot of the time from like 1987 until 2008? I managed about 7 years w/o any doctor's appointments or tests at all b/c my doctor's staff was too lazy to cut me off and Walgreen's staff did a great job getting rx's refilled despite the threats to cut me off.

The whole medical management of diabetes issue amazes me. At work, I evaluate claims for people injured in car accidents some of whom, of course, have diabetes. I'm always amazed by the lack of detail in reports even when, for whatever reason, we subpoena stuff from endos just in case there's something about the MVA stuff in there, the notes are really sparse, like A1C, doses, maybe an adjustment or two. Compared to the stuff people talk about around here, it is really amazing. Or it is amazing that we and our insurance companies pay for what we are getting?

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Permalink Reply by nel on April 7, 2011 at 8:06pm

I need to agree with others ...Your first visit at this eye Doc ??
You got diabetes, when you were diagnosed ( or ..possibly before you were diagnosed and untill it was diagnosed with resulting numbers ) .. best not being frustrated in this case ...hang in christie .

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on April 7, 2011 at 8:15pm

Hmm, I still agree with Christie but I will admit that I'm sort of particular about language and diabetes. You don't "get" it, your body, or at least a very important part of it, fails and you have the pathology. Get implies that something "gave" it to you. I'd probably just answer the question but I'd be peevish about the visit. I think that it's good that Christie told her her feelings and will certainly pay more attention when/ if I get back to the opthamologist.

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Permalink Reply by nel on April 7, 2011 at 8:38pm

Yes, I agree Acid....., it's in the language ...but there is maybe where you and you and you and I differ ...for me the treatment is most important ...do I not receive what works , then I will look at other possibilities ...I recall being diagnosed , 1983 with diabetes ...Doc did not call it type 1, 2,3 , other ..but perscribed meds ...they did not work ..I asked for insulin, Doc listened ...and insulin worked .

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Permalink Reply by christie on April 9, 2011 at 7:18pm

She asked me the same question the last time I was there in the same way. I just answered that time but the second time I felt like I needed to inform her that I didn't get anything! 

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Permalink Reply by PatientX on April 7, 2011 at 8:21pm

I agree with the other posts, asking when did you get diabetes is not saying that you have type 2 or you caused diabetes. I guess a better question should be when were you diagnosed. Let me ask you something do you understand the difference between type 1 and type 2 when it comes to vision because the complications are the same when you have high bgs from type 1 or type 2. No difference in going blind. Blind is blind from high bgs wether they are caused by type 1 or type 2.

I have been going to the eye doctor for a very long time and there is a difference in the eye exam of a non-diabetic person and a type 2 or type 1 person. I asked my eye doctor and an eye specialist who works with diabetic patients a lot of question on treatment of a type 1 and a type 2 patient from a vision point of view when I was first diagnosed. My glucose leves were so high at the time of diagnosis that my eyes actually reshaped themselves and I could see 20 20 without contacts or glasses. He said there are no differences in complications in the eyes in either type and blind is blind either way if you dont take care of bgs on either patient.

Also if you noticed that when they bill you for exam usually a diabetic gets billed under medical and not vision. I have one set of test that are billed for a general exam and I have another set of test that are billed under medical. It makes the visit cheaper according to my eye doctor. I asked if there was a difference when it comes treatment between type 1 and type 2 and he said no difference.

So I do try to read about both treatments for both types before I talk to doctors to see if different protocols are followed.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on April 7, 2011 at 9:17pm

Type 2 is not preventable either. Makes it sound like you were insulted to be possibly considered a T2 who "got" diabetes?

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Permalink Reply by PatientX on April 7, 2011 at 9:41pm

Nope. Not insulted at all. But thanks for the concern. The point is that if someone wants a doctor to know the difference between type 1 and type 2 they should know both sides of the coin also. I once believed I was type 1. That is what the doctor told me until I got the Holly Berry type 1 diabetic cure(sarcasm here, I dont believe a cure exists just management and she is a type 2 and not a type 1) . You could look back at some of the heated debates I had with LizMari when she was here about how I accepted that my lifestyle was a possible culprit for my acquisition of diabetes and she said that it was not my fault. The landmine was there, I just happen to step on it.

I am one of those type 2's who believes my earlier behaviour had a major role in me getting the disease. I do believe some level of type 2 is preventable and the complications under certain conditions. Maybe I am just a freak of nature but when i slimed down my insulin requirements went down to zero and even to this day when I lose 10 pounds or so my pills level goes down. So my levels go up and down depending how hard I work out and control diet. I "got" the diabetes cant complain now and cant be offended since you cant step out of a door without throwing a rock and hitting a type 2 diabetic these days(sarcasm again). All I can do is deal day to day.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on April 8, 2011 at 9:29pm

My comment was a question to Christie:) She sounds somewhat offended to be thought a T2, which isn't something people can prevent.

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Permalink Reply by Kathyann on April 7, 2011 at 9:25pm

Like the nurse, medical assistant, whatever, when I went to Urgent Care. She looked up my meds on the computer and wanted to know why a "pen" was a prescription since a pen is something you write with. lol

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Permalink Reply by nel on April 7, 2011 at 9:29pm

I suppose you here on this earth to train " them " ...but at least she asked the question :)

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Permalink Reply by MossDog on April 7, 2011 at 9:32pm

I can understand your frustrations but you need to look at it with some perspective. Although you would expect a certain level of knowledge from the Medical community in all truth they know very little about diabetes- any type. I have decided to simply ignore anyone I don't trust unless they give me some reason to. If they ask me questions about my diabetes I answer as succinctly as possible and try to head to the next thing they need or want to know from me.

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