I've felt that my clinic is a bit behind the times because they always draw the blood after my quarterly visit with Dr. S. I then wait a few days and start to get really anxious, looking for "the envelope" in the mailbox, then ritualistically lay it in a certain spot on my kitchen counter and wait a couple hours to open it.
Well.........this morning when I got to the check-in desk the lady said, "oh, we have a new procedure - your lab orders are already written up and you can go down right now so that Dr. S. can discuss the results with you today.
NO!!!!!!!!! they can't do that to me - I need time to psyche myself up to hear the result - I'm not ready for it today - this was not in my plans..................shit.
So I drag my heels down to the lab and then plod back up to Internal Medicine.
Dr. S. comes in and says I look upset and I mumbled something about not feeling very flexible or adaptable.
But, it was good to have it over with and be able to discuss the AlC number in conjunction with my logging records. Hell, I am a medical consumer, my HMO pays a lot for me to have these appointments and yet I feel like I'm going to the principal and have to defend myself for misperceived bad behavior.
When I was ready to leave I asked him to renew my prescriptio for test strips. I told him I wanted 200, and to specifically say "use as directed" He said, "ok, sure - so 200, that's a 3 month supply. " (Do the math, doc, I've just shown you a log book with 7 tests per day..............................) Ouch.
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You can test your own A1C at home so you do not have to deal with lousy and un-informed Healthcare Workers. Here is one company that manufact the A1C Meter. I have used it and it works well.Manage patient care at the point of care with reliable results that you can act on.
Did you know that lowering your A1C just 1% can reduce serious complications from diabetes by up to 40%?(6)
A1CNow+ is sold exclusively through distributors in the United States and across the globe.
Bayer Acquires Metrika Inc.
Lowering A1C Scores Prevents
ADA: 66th Annual Scientific
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Bayer Diabetes Care expands its portfolio. I do not work for them. 200 test strips would last me no longer than 40-45 days.
Correction: 200 test strips would last me 25 days!! I test 8 or moreX Daily. Metrika makes the A1C Meter for Home use. They have recently been acquired by Bayer Labs.
Kathy-
200 strips for 3 months! That's not even 3 tests per day.
And this is your doctor saying this?
Thank heavens you're a "medical consumer" and not simply a patient!
I hope you found your numbers encouraging. The numbers are to be used FOR you, not against you. But, it's hard to give up rituals.
Thank you all for the comments.
My A1C was 6.6 - actually my best ever by .l point.
And, I do need to remind myself, every day, that the numbers are to be used in a wise and informed way.
When the doc told me the result, I said "that sounds too low", even though I knew I'd been working really hard. It's not easy for me to accept good news (I like to call it "happiness anxiety".......but I did have a slight spring in my step throughout the rest of the day
I'm glad to hear that you were pleasantly surprised by the result!
I can totally relate to feeling defensive about the numbers. I often feel that it's some judgement of my ability to "follow the rules".
It's really quite silly - but I feel that way anyway.
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