Even though disappointing for those with thyroid issues, I had hoped, and actually was under the impression, that at least endos were good diabetes doctors. It seems that I have to rethink that as well. I have a colleague with Type 1 Diabetes who had some horror stories to tell. And he is the second person with Type 1 Diabetes who assured me that endos are most likely not any better in treating people with diabetes than they are with thyroid issues. It sounds like there are also individual differences in diabetes that are treated with the same "one-fits-all" approach as thyroid, sometimes with terrible outcomes. It really sounds like the term "diabetes doctor" is not the best label either. Maybe there needs to be something of a grading term such as a Grade A doctor (extremely rare) and a Grade F doctor (more common) and everything in between. I am getting more disillusioned by the minute. 😞😭
I know there is the odd nugget of a doctor and when I encounter them I wonder whether I somehow landed in a parallel universe. It must be so, since, at least in my life, they always seem to vanish. But when I come across them it makes me almost euphoric. What a blessing this community is! At least somebody to rely on and commiserate with. Thank you all!
Happy Holidays to all of you and those close to your heart. May the next year bring better care and better health and a lot more. May you all have a fabulous 2024.
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buddy99
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Well said buddy99. There are gems out there but you have to find them. The scales of 'specislist' fallen from your eyes making them open. Those gems are not illusions, quite the opposite. They are true doctors who look outside the box and genuine care for their patients and really do understand their subject well. I have come across several over the years and honestly they are amazing. How they survive in the madness of what's around them I just don't know.
Treasure when you find one..... they are not the norm.
In the Southwest US where I live, diabetes is endemic so there are a ton of endos who do seem to know a lot about diabetes but zero about thyroid. As a nurse, even though not “specialized”, we were required to do tons of diabetes teaching (about meds, diet, exercise, tracking blood glucose) in hospital and for home care patients. Our local public health clinics are pretty good at working with diabetics, even with a share of the population they serve being “non-compliant” - usually because of alcohol or drug use.
So I asked a speaker at a thyroid cancer conference 1) why aren’t thyroid patients treated based on total response to medication and 2) why aren’t thyroid patients provided the same level,of education required for diabetes patients. The answer: “It’s too much work.”
Many doctors, including endocrinologists, do not realize that thyroid meds — both T4 and T3 — are required life sustaining medications, especially for those of us who no longer have a thyroid. Like insulin for a diabetic, it is not optional.
I'm not sure what is worse a lazy or an incompetent doctor. Either way, the consequences are all ours. I guess it can only be topped by a combination of the two.
I have often wondered how many doctors are on this forum…
Like, if doctors have no time to learn anything anymore, fine, but they should just come in this board disguised as their patient and get the good advice from our hive mind!
Yeah. That reminds we of a survey done with doctors, where one of the questions was how often they think they get things wrong. The percentage of doctors who thought they could get things wrong was shockingly low, 10% or so, don't quote me on that (not shocking low to us, but to the people who did the survey). I think in order to be open to what is offered here they would have to get a completely new mindset.
The funny thing, though, was that when they were asked how often they thought their colleagues got it wrong, the percentage was much higher. To quote the good book, "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,' when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite!" Sorry, I just had to quote that.
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Time to refresh thinking on the terminology and management of hypothyroidism?
Underactive and Diabetes
Help me understand Thyroid Tests please
