No matter how well I am doing with my 7 year old daughter's diabetic control, the diabetes educators in my endo's office have to find something wrong. My daughter's A1C was 6.7. I have been without sleep for over two weeks now readjusting her basal rates, ratios, etc. (Illness 2 weeks ago and growth spurt.) My daughter is having a little difficulty in school (one B, the rest Cs), missing days, having to spend time in the nursing office, and just not liking school. (Vicious cycle. She's never liked school so that's a big part too.) Anyway, the school nurse manages her diabets care, and she is wonderful. Beyond wonderful. She even goes on field trips with Carol Ann to be her own private nurse. I am so blessed! Yesterday, I was given a speech by the diabetic educator about how some schools don't have school nurses and my daughter should be able to do her own fingersticks in her class and there should be someone in the class that is designated to help her so that she doesn't have to leave class to go the nurse's office. I simply told her that we have an IEP/504 in place and that I was a fortunate person to have a school nurse and would not consider giving up the immaculate care that my daughter was being given just so that instead of feeling miserable in a nurses office for 15-30 minutes she could feel miserable in her class. But I said it with a smile. Despite my fatigue. Even when you do everything right, they're going to find something wrong with your abilities! As if I need anyone else to list all of my faults for me. :o(~
I am sorry you feel discouraged leaving your endo.'s office. You are doing such a great job...her numbers are fantastic and I know it is A LOT of work and care to pull that off. Especially when the majority of that is on you since she is still young. I think it is important for you to feel empowered when you leave the endo. They should not make you feel overly criticised and down. Although it is a lot of trouble, you may consider switching dr.'s. Think of doing it for your daughter...she will soon enough be the one that will need an endo whom she can really talk to. You will want her to walk out the door encouraged and ready to take on / or continue on good control - no matter what her A1c is when she wallks in the door. Tween /Teen girls can be very sensitive and you want someone who will acknowledge her hard work and empower her.
As she gets older, she will take on more care for herself at school too. Just keep communicating with her - "does she resent going to the nurses office each time she checks her sugars?" "does she ever feel low and not want to go to the nurses office?" You will know when you need to make changes to her 504.
Take Care,
C
p.s. I HATE growth spurts!!!!!
I have an added detraction, I think. The (endocrine) doctors are really nice, helpful, intelligent and supportive. The problem is that whenever I go there some of the Diabetic educator Nurse Practitioners grill me until they find something wrong. And I really feel grilled. I think that the reason they do it is because I am a Nurse Practitioner. I've experienced this before in many other situations. It's as if they want me to know that they know more than I do. I swear it happens. I am very humble and truly go there for support and help.But I just get grilled until the Dr. or endo NP comes in.
I try not to let anyone know that I am a Nurse Practitioner whenever I go into a medical scenario because it is sometimes a relief just to be the "patient". When Carol Ann was diagnosed, there was this one night nurse that would come in all night long and give me all of the supplies to check her glucoses and give her insulin. I was so distraught from 1. new diagnoses, and 2. no sleep in the ICU for a week, that I just broke down and finally told my doctor to ask them to leave me alone at night and let me sleep. My name was mud and that nurse refused to take care of Carol Ann from that time on, but I didn't care. I was so afraid of making a mistake on her insulin because of lack of sleep! I wouldn't have taken care of any patient as fatigued as I was. Anyway, being a Nurse Practitioner is a blessing and a curse. All this knowledge but I just want someone to help me with my daughter. Even if it is only once every 3 months. My husband is in the Air Force and we've been apart for 2 years (a week after Carol Ann's diagnoses), so I'm basically a single Mom. I'm tough, hard working, and intelligent but I just feel overwhelmed and stupid sometimes.
I know that Dr., NP whatever. We don't take care of our own and that is because we cannot be emotionally detached from our own, therefore we don't think as logically. No matter who. So maybe the Diabetic educators are just trying to find my mistakes that I can't see because of "the heat of the moment", but how things are done in the school? That's a bit ridiculous.
Thanks for letting me blow off steam. Done with my pitty party. I'm tough again. :o)
Rita