Doctor yesterday

So, what were my impressions of the new doctor yesterday?

What I know of him so far.

He is young. in his early 30’s…actually, just a year older than me LOL. now that is an odd feeling LOL. He attended BYU here in Utah (this is info that he provided about himself), then attended medical school at Tulane U in New Orleans when Katrina hit, then he came back to Utah to finish school at the U of U (University of Utah). Then he went and did his residency at Oregon Health and Science U in Portland. So he came out here to this small town. small town small town. did I say it is a small town? LOL. Where he is specializing in complicated diseases.

Where he told me, and I quote “You are a very complicated patient. I am really looking forward to working with you” ROFL.

So, the first thing he says to me, when he enters the office was “So, tell me why someone as young as you (Which, where he is only a year older, he would consider me young LOL), has so many health problems.” So we talked about that for a few.

Then we talked about my blood sugars and my insulin pump settings and my insulin pump, and we both agree that we do not think that it is working properly and that there is not much we can do about my numbers right now. that priority one is getting me the new insulin pump. He is very angry at Medicare that they have been jerking me around and that the other doctors have been not been pushing very hard. He told me that when he was done with his patients for the day, he was going to call both Medicare and the pump rep and if he has his way, I will have that new pump by the end of the week.

He is also very worried about the cleaning jag I was in. Luckily, it seems that I am out of it. It took me going into a severe diabetic episode to snap me out of it, but I am out of it. But he wants me to call if I start it again. He is afraid I am starting to have manic episodes and that my anxiety is leaving the generalized category. I scored 98% on the anxiety test. :-S He is also wondering if I might be slipping into OCD. Neither of which are good at all in terms of my diabetes. If this is what is happening, it could increase my blood sugars, which could increase my trips to the hospital.

So, he increased my anxiety medication, and put me on it on a schedule, instead of one or two a day. He also took me off of my depression meds, because of my sleeping pills, because they are the same class of drugs and cause what is called “Serotonin syndrome”…He still wants me to take the sleeping pills, but no more than what I am taking now.

As I posted on Facebook, he had 9 vials of blood drawn. some to test the normal stuff, some to test my vitamin levels…with how little I eat (which sucks, because I still weigh as much as I do….yeah I know, I don’t want to starve to death)…but he is afraid I am not getting proper nutrition. But I am going to be getting on medication soon for my Ulcerative colitis and my gastroparesis, so hopefully I will be able to eat more. But there are lots of things he is testing.

He is also having me see a diabetic educator and a nutritionist…the nutritionist to try to help me get as much nutrition out of what little I do eat as possible. There are lots of other things we need to address, but we are doing them in priorities.

He wants to see me as often as possible until we get me out of the danger zone. He says that if we don’t, I will not be around long. It is that bad. He told me that as long as I am willing to work with him, he is willing to work with me. I told him I am willing. I am tired of living like this. So I go in and see him in one week….technically a week from tomorrow LOL.

He told me that He is willing to be my all around doctor. He specializes in diabetes and other complicated diseases, but he also does primary care. And he told me that unless it is important, he would prefer that I do not travel. especially short distances, like I was doing for doctor appointments to Salt Lake. that with all of my health problems, it is asking for trouble, and it just makes me sicker unnecessarily. The shorter trips, like to Salt Lake, are harder on the system than longer ones, say to another state, because those ones can be broken up easier, but still, he would prefer no traveling.

He is hoping to have my lab results back today and he is going to call me with them, especially if he has any information from Medicare about the pump.

So, my initial impression….very impressed. I hope he continues this momentum.