sometimes, you have to be a little pushy

When dealing with health issues or questions, you really have to put yourself out there and BUG people. If you want an answer, you shouldn't wait around--this is what having diabetes has taught me. My mom always tells me, "you really have to be your own advocate," and it's true. It's not necessarily that other people aren't capable or aren't going to get you the info you need, but I've found that you more often than not get your answers MUCH faster when you poke at people.

I get it. Doctors, nurses, other staff members, etc. are busy. They've got things going on and it's not that they aren't going to get back to you...they just might not get back to you as quickly as you'd like. You're not really their #1 priority, and that's okay. I'm not offended, but I am the #1 priority in my world when it comes to my health. I'm pretty impatient (except when it comes to small children and letting people vent), so I want my answers, and I want them ASAP. I strongly believe that if you want the results of whatever test you took, or if you have any kind of question, or if you just want to be reassured about something, you should give that person/company a call and poke, poke, poke.

For instance, I'm super excited because I got my CGM approved within a week! YAY! The lady I was in contact with told me she was surprised it went through so quickly because it can take up to 4-6 weeks. I received my shipment from Medtronic TODAY (I actually have no idea what's even in there yet) and I am so eager to get it going. She told me to wait for someone from Medtronic to call me and come train me. Well, I can't wait. So as soon as my dad called me and told me they had arrived (I shipped it to my parent's place because I'm at work and can't sign for it), I called Medtronic and told them I wasn't sure if I needed to wait for a call, even though that IS what I had been told. The lady was nice and gave me the name and # of the person who would train me, and then she transferred me to her line so I could leave her a message. I am really, really hoping she will call me today so we can make an appt. this weekend. I don't even know if they do weekend visits!

Anyhoo.

I guess the point of this post isn't to point out my impatience, but to point out that you really need to take a stand for yourself and be your own advocate. If you're not happy with your endo, search around for another one that is better suited to your needs. If you don't want to wait more than a day for your test results, call back the next morning. If you want that appointment or second opinion, call, be pushy, do whatever you have to do so that your health and wellbeing come first. Lesson of the day: Diabetes can make you more ballsy, and, that's a GOOD thing.