The Most Important Member of Your Healthcare Team is You
Sunday October 29, 2006
On the average, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, doctor visits are approximately 16 minutes long. If a person with diabetes has an appointment once a month, that's only 192 minutes spent with a doctor a year. This works out to 3.2 hours a year for face time with a doctor. For the other 8,760 hours of the year, patients must go it alone.
For people with diabetes, this means that the majority of their care rests squarely on their own shoulders. There's a lot to keep track of:
- Blood glucose levels
- Ketone testing
- Knowing the signs of hypoglycemia
- Knowing the signs of hyperglycemia
- How to use insulin for Type 1 and sometimes Type 2
- Knowing about oral medications for Type 2
- Eating the appropriate foods at the appropriate times
- Exercise
- What to do when you're sick
- Watching for complications
Diabetes is a 24 hour a day job. This makes you the most important member of your healthcare team. Knowledge is power and knowing how to manage diabetes effectively can help you live a happy, healthy life.
Comments
Wish I did have all those minutes with my doctor. I have a total of 15 mins. two times a year! Am looking for another dr. that takes my ins.
Well my time with doctor is 10minutes a year which is 5mins a visit,yes is lonely time with a massively dangerous disease just feel it is too much for the medics who have no answers yet
If doctors do not or can not give me at least a 1/2 hour office visit - it is a complete waste of my time and theirs. I look elsewhere. An unforfilled office visit also wastes money. I am most fortunate to have two doctors who do give me the time to discuss, to learn and we work as a Team that includes a diabetes educator.
We need to work at spreading correct diabetes education as there is far too little understood about diabetes and its eternal effect on us!
I won a reversal on a denied refill perscription from my insurance coverage providers - because I helped them to understand what I needed to be healthy and to cost them less $$ over the years.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Type 1 for 50 years A1c 6.1