Her bedside demeanor was perfect for me when she diagnosed me with Type 1 diabetes in January 2004. I saw her every three months for the next almost six years. She helped me keep my blood sugar levels stable, transition from using syringes to insulin pens, and keep this chronic disease in perception. She was what I needed, and I was so heart broken when she decided to close her internal medicine practice in November 2010.
Not long after she closed her doors, I got pink eye. I hadn’t settled on a new doctor and couldn’t get in to see the one I thought I wanted to see. With two kids who were 3 1/2 and 1 at the time, waiting 24 hours to get eye drops wasn’t wise. With a couple weeks until Christmas, I didn’t need pink eye spreading through my house. I settled on someone else that day, but later ended up securing regular patient status with the doctor recommended to me more than once.
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| Yeah, I know it’s Friday. Better late than never, right? |
It was a frustrating season of transition, but this new doctor turned out to be instrumental in improving my diabetes care. I was only his patient from the spring of 2011 until August 2012, when he moved away.
But he taught me so much about this crazy, chronic disease that affects my life and is affected by nearly everything in my life. With his encouragement, I started using an insulin pump in September 2011. {Of course, I never do one thing at a time … and went on vacation less than a week later!}
I didn’t know how I’d feel about having a pager-like device attached to my body via a small tube all of the time, but it’s become my best diabetes management tool. I’ve learned from a couple people on Medtronic’s staff and found freedom in having a little device literally at my side.
Transitions aren’t always what we want, but sometimes they are part of the journey to something better. One stressful season of settling on a new doctor led me to someone who impacted my life in such a short time and to a piece of technology that truly has changed how I feel and live.
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Oh Kristin, I understand all to well how difficult this transition is. My younger son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 16. Your post brought back memories of those first few weeks as we transitioned together as a family. He spent a couple years on the pump but has now gone back to insulin pens. Thank you for sharing a part of your journey. Wishing you a wonderful weekend. (((hugs))) Beth
Since having kids, I've often thought how challenging it would be to help a child manage diabetes. I know a couple little kids who were diagnosed before they even went to kindergarten. At least your son was more independent than that. Still, it certainly affects an entire family. I hope he's doing well with it.