Wednesday, October 29, 2008

New Diabetes Doctor

Today we made the 50 mile journey to see the new diabetes doctor. Daughter and I both liked Dr. K. He made some major changes in the way we handle her meal time insulin, which makes much more sense and is more in line with what I've been reading elsewhere. He ordered some bloodwork. His first question, which is a good one and has never really been answered, is whether Daughter has type 1 or type 2. We've been treating her as a type 1, but there are some aspects of her response that are not typical type 1. The distinction is important, as if she is type 1, her autoimmune system has attacked the islet cells in her pancreas that make insulin. If she's type 2, it has more to do with obesity and being resistant to the insulin her body is making.
We go back on December 1. He is willing to talk about the insulin pump, but not right away, and would want an assurance from her psychiatrist that it would be safe to put her on one. He also asked questions about her medications-- her antipsychotic can increase her need for insulin. I'm cautiously optimistic. I just wish he weren't 50 miles from here.

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