I wish this was an April Fool’s joke, but life has its ups and downs and this is one of the most crucial battles we face. Our health. It’s a fight that demands persistence, resilience, and above all, self-advocacy. In the medical world, it’s essential to stand up for ourselves because, in the end, no one else will do it for us.
This truth hit home for me when I received the unexpected type 2 diabetes diagnosis. I know I am fat, obese, plus size…. whatever you might call it, but I thought I maintained a relatively healthy lifestyle. I was diagnosed with PCOS which made it hard to lose weight, but I was active. I wasn’t working out every day, but I got my steps in each day. I ate more vegetables and salads than my husband. I was conscious about the things I was putting in my body. I was down almost 45 pounds. This revelation was a stark reminder that even minor oversights can have significant consequences.
This blog post is to remind everyone of the importance of taking charge of our health, navigating the complexities of the medical world, and empowering ourselves to make informed decisions for a better, healthier future.
I felt like something was off when it came to my physical health. I was waking up in the middle of the night like clockwork to pee. I would have a hard time falling back to sleep. I was always thirsty no matter how much I drank. I had no thoughts going on up in my noggin. It was empty up there. Forgetfulness. I was always tired no matter how much I slept. I took naps midday. I thought my PCOS symptoms were out of whack. So I took a break from personal growth and this blog to start focusing on my physical health.
Get your blood work done regularly
On February 13, 2024. I went to my Gyno and asked for blood work to be done regarding my PCOS. They don’t do ALL the testing for PCOS, but she said she could run a basic blood test. If I wanted in-depth I would have to see an endocrinologist. At this point, something is better than nothing.
On February 14th, I got an email I had test results back. She made a note on one of my results stating that my Hemoglobin A1C was high 10.5 and that I most likely have type 2 diabetes and to follow up with a PCP.
I haven’t had a PCP since moving to Tampa so I found an all-in-one office. They didn’t have any availability until March. Since knowing what I know I started to make changes. I started doing research so when I went to the Doctors I could let them know I was being proactive. I was serious about getting that number down.
Be proactive when it comes to your health
I joined three Facebook groups and watched a TON of TikTok videos, all to discover healthier alternatives to my favorite foods. Feeling inundated with information, I started a notebook to track my progress and decided to share my journey as I navigated through it. Rather than waiting until I have everything figured out, I’m documenting my experiences in real-time, despite feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of conflicting advice.
Yes, there were many moments of frustration, even tears (well, maybe more than a few), but I refused to let it defeat me. Instead, I allowed myself to feel the weight of this diagnosis and then gathered myself up to push forward.
Following up with a PCP Doctor
March 11th I go to my appointment. The Nurse did an A1C test in the office and took my blood sugar. My A1C was 10.1 and my blood sugar was 213. The doctor came in and was out in about 5 minutes. I was trying to tell her that I had switched the kinds of pasta I use to veggie or chickpea kind. That I started limiting my sodas and if I wanted one it had to be zero sugar. While I told her this she checked my lungs, pushed on some areas of my body, and told me that I needed to not eat pasta and cut out soda fully. No sugar, no carbs.
I wasn’t even a minute into being diagnosed yet and was told the changes I started to make weren’t good enough. I had to quit everything cold turkey. I asked her about seeing a diabetic educator.
Thank god I asked in one of the Facebook groups the day before my appointment if there were any questions I should ask while there. So many people recommended seeing a diabetic educator.
After spending time with this doctor it was clear I needed someone who could point me in the right direction about this type 2 diabetes diagnosis because it was clear she wasn’t interested in helping me. She finished up her exam and said we will get your meds called in for you and walked out.
I feel my subtle changes over the last month did make an improvement I started at 10.5 and a month later in office I was 10.1. That is not a lot but it could have been worse. I could have done nothing and let my number get higher. I had a mini breakdown at the nurse’s station. She was nice to talk to and she gave me some advice.
I left the office and came home to tell my bestie who was visiting from Canada about everything. Later that day we went out and stopped to pick up my meds from CVS. The doctor prescribed me Metformin and Glipizide. As well as Lisinopril for high blood pressure. She called in lancets and test strips for me, but not a meter. She also didn’t tell me I needed a meter. CVS sent an email to her. I continued to check my CVS app to see if she called one in.
Later that day the Drs office called to schedule an appt for me to see the Diabetic Educator on the 13th.
Meeting with a Diabetic Educator
So 2 days later I went to the office for my visit with the diabetic educator. As I am signing in the receptionist looks at me and says “Oh you’re here to see Dr. (Blank)”? I reply “No, I am here to see the diabetic educator”. She replies “Oh okay. Well just to let you know that your Dr as of this morning no longer works here.”
Well, that explains why she hasn’t replied to CVS about my meter.
I go into my appt with the Diabetic Educator. She spent almost an hour and a half with me going over everything about my type 2 diabetes diagnosis. She gave me a loaner meter and 10 test strips. We wasted about 4 in her office because I couldn’t get my finger to bleed.
The uphill battle to get what you need
On March 15th I went to CVS to ask them if they could tell me which lancets and strips went with this loaner meter because I didn’t mind buying them until I got my permanent meter. They didn’t sell that brand so they didn’t know. Mike suggested we go to the doctor’s office and ask them.
I explained to 6 different people that I needed to know what lancets and strips this loaner meter took so I could buy some to last me the month til my next appt or I needed a doctor to call in my permanent meter. Not one of them could help me. They were nice but were no help. One lady got a provider to call it in for me to their pharmacy. I walk in happy that we resolved this. Only for the tech to say she called in test strips for me.
Again back to square one… I explained to the lady she called in the wrong thing. So she goes back into this room and comes back with another loaner meter. I said I don’t need another loaner one. I have 30 days til my next appt. I have 6 test strips… How am I supposed to monitor my blood sugar if I don’t have enough lancets and test strips?
I understand this is hard because my doctor is no longer there. It would have been so much easier if I could have talked to her. So everyone else is scrambling, but as the patient I held back so many tears and frustration. I am trying to be proactive and it just keeps biting me in my fucking ass. Why does all of this have to be so difficult??
I finally spoke to someone who got what I was saying at the pharmacy. While she sorted that out. Mike and I went outside to sit in our car and drink our coffee. I get a call that a meter has been called in for me at CVS. She said she had to call another provider at another facility, which I have never seen to get this called in for me because everyone at her facility had left for the day.
We drive back to CVS to get my meter. I give the tech my information, she walks away to talk to the pharmacist. I look at Mike and say “I am not leaving with a monitor today”. I just had a feeling something was wrong. The way the tech walked away I just felt it in my chest. She came back and said that the meter they called me in was discontinued and that the provider made the prescription closed so they couldn’t even play around with it to see what meter my insurance would cover. They sent an email to the provider and I called while I was there. The answering service said they would send the message over as urgent, but we got no response back.
Again be proactive when it comes to your health
I was just gonna leave it until Monday. Except it was Sunday and I only had 1 test strip left. So I got my ass up and drove to CVS. I asked them which monitor would I need to with the lancets and test strips that were called in for me. The pharmacist wrote down which model I would need. They didn’t have it there, but another CVS did that was about 20 minutes away.
I said let me pay for my strips and lancets and I will drive to the other one. They pull up my information again to grab my scripts only for my test strips to be CANCELLED by my provider… I am supposed to be managing my stress and this whole situation since my fucking appt has been nothing but stressful!!!!
It’s these fucking hurdles that everyone has to jump through that make most of us not want to take care of our health. I am trying to be proactive and at every turn, it’s fucking something.
Thank god for the pharmacist and the tech. They were both so helpful. The pharmacist got my script activated again and the tech got it filled in like 5 minutes. The tech had me in tears because she said she also had a type 2 diabetes diagnosis and it sucks that the Drs office is not supporting you like they should be, but don’t worry we have your back here at CVS. ( I am even teary-eyed writing that part.)
I’ve got my test strips and my lancets I am now on my way to the other CVS to get the meter. I get to the pharmacy and give the tech the paper the other pharmacist gave me telling me which meter I would need. He points me to a section and says “if we had it, it would be here. We don’t keep anything like that behind the counter. If you need help ask the front we don’t stock that”. I see one meter, but I am not 1005 sure it’s the one I need. So I asked the tech another question and again I was referred to the front. No help whatsoever. I go to the front and this guy spends 15 minutes with me trying to find these meters. It’s not coming up on his little computer, He goes back to the area by the pharmacy. He checks the back room. He comes back and says our computer shows we have 2 in stock. I will find this for you.
He goes into the pharmacy and asks the pharmacist. She leads him to an area BEHIND THE COUNTER on the bottom shelf in the back. THERE ARE THE 2 METERS. But the previous guy told me “They don’t keep anything like that behind the counter”. He frustrated me, but in the end, this guy helped me.
So now after a week of back and forth. I have everything I need. No thanks to the doctor’s office. But a huge thank you to the pharmacist and tech at the first CVS and the employee at the other CVS.
I am fucking exhausted.
Update
Just a little update on this whole situation… As of 3/31, the meter situation has not been fixed on my doctor’s end. Not one person has reached out through the app or phone call returning my message on 3/15 about the meter.
I have a follow-up appt with a new provider on April 11th and a follow-up with the diabetes educator on the 10th. I will see how these appointments go and then will decide if I should find someone new.
All of this happened the first week after being diagnosed. What a crazy fuckin week man.
Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis
Finding oneself facing a health condition like T2D can be a sobering wake-up call, prompting a reassessment of habits, choices, and attitudes toward health. It’s easy to believe that we’re immune to such diagnoses, especially when we think we’re doing everything right.
However, the reality often presents a different picture. This experience has taught me that proactive health management goes beyond just eating well and staying active; it involves advocating for oneself in medical settings, asking questions, seeking second opinions, and ensuring that every aspect of our well-being receives the attention it deserves.
Through this new journey, I aim to share insights, tips, and personal reflections on how to work to get my type 2 diabetes in remission. Get off the meds and still eat delicious food. We can take better care of our health by being proactive for ourselves when the medical world sometimes feels overwhelming, impersonal, and most often too busy to help us help ourselves.
Let me know in the comments when the last time you got your blood work checked.
Until next time, Have a great day! Remember you are a badass!
