How I managed to get my medical insurance to pay for bird toys!

Green Bean is my parrotlet. If you're not already familiar with them parrotlets are related to amazons. They look just like them only they're minime verison with all of the personality and about 1/10th of the bite.

Green Bean thinks he's full sized. Don't tell him otherwise or you'll see that little giant temper of his. He's very vocal about his opinions!

Today, he was on the floor of the living room running around (literally) in circles until he found, you guessed it, a used test strip! He thinks they're the coolest toy around and the bottles??? wooo! fun! When empty they're light weight enough to kick around, and stable enough to balance on if he decides he needs a perch.

I tried to get a picture but he wouldn't sit still.

silly boy!

Labs Labs Labs Labs Labs

My latest A1c was 6.2. Not bad. It's higher then I'd like it but given the holidays and having been sick for the three weeks prior to my last blood draw I'll take it.

My cholesterol however is another story 269. Good lord! it went up 100 points since October. They've upped my Lipitor dose and maybe that will help. High cholesterol has been a constant battle for me since high school when it was first diagnosed. Heart disease runs in both sides of my family so time to nip the eating junk food trend in the bud before it gets out of control. I'm not so sure how much diet really effects my cholesterol at this point. Meds have always been my best option and I've never been much of a high fat food eater. That being said eating better won't cause harm and might actually be beneficial in other areas of my health. I"m trying to convince myself here people!!

Other lab results indicate I'm still anemic (no suprise given the amount of sleep I seem to need lately) and well everything else is normalish. :)

Have I said YayIslets today?

Crazy Birds!

There are geese flying north already! What's up with that? Crazy birds.

I handed out bread at the pond behind my home and counted carbs.

Sad for me. I still see every food item as a number, even if I'm not the one eating.

Medical ID - Do you wear one?

I ordered a new ID bracelet today from www.roadid.com. Anyone that knows me, knows I'm a big fan of their product. I first found them about five years ago when I was searching for medical ID bracelets that were customizable and yet didn't have metal parts that would touch my skin. I've been hooked ever since! They have a new interactive ID (same idea as medic alert) and of course I had to have one!

I'm a dork what can I say? ;)

I'm often befuddled by people that don't wear medical ID's, or in general people that don't carry id with them at all. I work with a woman that lost her state ID a couple of years ago and hasn't bothered to replace it. I mean eesh! she has no medical conditions that would need prompt attention in the case of an accident or emergency but if I were her I'd be afraid I'd end up a Jane Doe with my family wondering what the heck happened to me. I think its kind of selfish to not at the very least carry some identification with you, especially if you have a chronic illness. I mean really, how hard is it? ID, meet pocket, pocket meet id.

So my challenge to you all that don't wear medical Ids or carry a medical id in your wallet, is to convince me that you have valid reason not to. and dont tell me they're ugly, there are enough beautiful and non obvious medical ids out there that I won't accept vanity as an excuse! Besides... Better ugly then dead....

Well, hey I posted one twice and couldn't figure out how to delete it so I edited instead. yayme!

Not MY friend!

Time for one of those "back in the day" stories, boys and girls!

Back in the day (circa Jan 1980) I was diagnosed with diabetes at the ripe old age of nine. My mother, who was also type 1, recognized the symptoms, and took me to the doctor who immediately sent me to hospital where I got all kinds of fun booklets about diabetes. They all infuriated me because dang! I was NINE! ;) and they were written for idiots!

Now that I'm closer to 39 I realize that all medical booklets are written for idiots, even when they're written for grown ups. ;)

Any way, I found my favorite book from back in the day so I thought I'd scan the cover and post it. It's priceless! btw, I was never convinced that Mr. Hypo was my friend!

Primary Care Physicians?

My transplant doctor tells me I need to see a podiatrist. Every diabetic needs to see a podiatrist regularly, an ophthalmologist, an endocrinologist, a you name it, give it a specialty and we need to be there. I'm tired of seeing specialists. What I want is to be a blissfully ignorant completely healthy never needs to see anyone but her comfy little family practice doctor once a year kind of gal. Fat chance.

Not even Fat Chance, No way Jose (which btw is my transplant doctor's name and I so badly wanted to say that when he said "you need to see a podiatrist").

So really the question floating around in my brain today is why even bother with a PCP? I have a doctor for pretty much every system of my body, every appendage, every sub system, every sneeze. I have my endocrinologist, my vitreo-retinal specialist, my cardiologist, my neuro-opthamalmologist, my orthopedic surgeon, my transplant surgeon, my ENT, my oral medicine doctor (what do i call him? i see him for post transplant immunosupression induced mouth ulcers, he's a denitst and an MD all in one but I don't know the name of his specialty, go figure. I affectionately call him Doctor mouth ulcers). So you get my point. by the time I see every other doctor on my vast list my PCP seems well, irrelevant.

Except for one reason. He makes good referrals. He's good at telling me how compicated my medical history is and sending me on my way to someone else, He bows out well. So I keep seeing him about once a year when I need a referal to some other doctor like a podiatrist or when I happen to be between specialty appoinments and need someething like antibiotics for a sinus infection. I wish I could just email him and get what I need but I can't so I go see him, my primary care physician.

When people ask me "who's your pimary care physician?" I always think "Why Dr. transplant of course!" or before transplant "Dr. Endo" but that's not what they want to hear so I say "Dr PCP" and feel like a big fat liar. Because he's not the person that primarily takes care of my health issues. He wouldn't know me as one of his patients if he saw me on the street. The last time I saw him he didn't even recognize me in his office because it had been so long since I'd been there.

I don't want a Dr. Baker ala LIttle House on the Prarie, knows everyones name, an "i delivered your grandmother, I know everyone's family history" kind of doctor. I don't want a friend with a medical degree. I just want someone that isn't afraid of my medical history. Someone that knows where I've been and isn't afraid to suggest an option other then, go see someone else. I think I want super doctor to know all do all, and I know its never going to happen but I can wish right?

I guess there's really no point to me writing this other then to vent the ramblings around in my brain so I can move on and think about calling Dr PCP tomorrow about a podiatrist, after all, he makes good referals...