friendo (n.) – An endocrinologist who brings expertise, experience, and engages with a high level of empathy. ex. “My endocrinologist is kind of my friend. And my endo. They’re my friendo.” Last week, I had my quarterly visit with my endocrinologist. Our clinician/patient relationship is still in its fledgling stage, and we’re definitely still getting to know the pros and…
Instagram has been awesome for making connections to artists, designers, and other craftspeople who inspire, and today I have the chance to highlight someone whose work I’ve been admiring for months. Holly Allen, the Witt ‘n Whimsy jewelry entrepreneur, has stopped over to SixUntilMe today to talk about her work, her connection to the patient community, and to announce a…
Visualizing Diabetes
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Complications, Healthcare, Mental Health, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesLast week, I had the pleasure of connecting with Katie McCurdy through my work at The Patient Revolution, and she and I talked about her health visualization tool, Pictal. (That interview can be found on the Patient Revolution blog.) From the article: “Pictal is a set of worksheets that patients can use to create a health history timeline and show…
Great Job! Stellar! You’re a Star!
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Community, Healthcare, Real Life DiabetesMan, all of this. The big mountain that is “the healthcare system?” That thing seems gigantic. But small changes make a big difference. I think about the stickers I used to get on my school papers back in grade school. The happy, bright yellow star grinning its toothless grin at me, delighted by my spelling homework. It seems goofy to…
A wicked little tickle in the back of my throat. Some nausea. No fever, but checking it ten times a day to make sure still no fever. A massive headache. Blood sugars stuck around 130 – 180 mg/dL but not too spikey. No ketones. My anxiety is pretty damn peaky these days, and the aggressive flu season isn’t helping take…
“You have a nice bedside manner. I don’t feel stupid being honest about the health concerns I have. And I don’t feel like you’re judging me when I tell you my A1C went up; that makes it easier to be honest with you about where I struggle.” “I really appreciate that,” she said. I’m in the process of switching to…
(Seems appropriate to write about the flurry of resolution and organizational ideas in my head as a frigging blizzard mows through the Northeast. There’s over 14 inches of snow outside. The cats remain a combination of unsettled and putting on their cat snow gear to go sledding.) The new year turned while I was dealing with a freak eyeball injury,…
I always assumed it would diabetes that took my eyeballs out. Never thought it would be a thumbnail and a hairbrush. Seven years ago, my sweet little Bird accidentally stuck her thumb into my right eye and tore off a sliver of my cornea. The injury has resurfaced a bunch of annoying times and has been a hindrance since. But…
Why We Revolt: An Interview with Dr. Victor Montori
Diabetes Advocacy, Guest Diabetes Blogger, Healthcare, Real Life DiabetesThe founder of the Patient Revolution is Dr. Victor Montori, a leader in the Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit at Mayo Clinic and an endocrinologist at Mayo. Dr. Montori is interested in how knowledge is produced, disseminated and taken up in practice — and how this leads to optimal health care delivery and patient outcomes. His book, Why We Revolt,…
Since deciding that our family of four was the maximum number of people to be in our family (read: no more babies), I’ve been working to transition as much of my healthcare team from Boston to Rhode Island. After almost 30 years at the Joslin Clinic, this has been a tough transition, because I’m so used to their style and…
“You’re early for your appointment!” The receptionist looked at me hopefully. “Less nervous this time?” (My track record as a nervous dental patient follows me everywhere.) “Yep. I’m early. And I have a babysitter this morning for my kid. I have to follow through now!” Over the last seven years or so, I’ve finally hit stride with my dentist visits. Very sensitive…