I like my new Endocrinologist

[MickinMD ★]

With a name like Dr. Jawaad Siddique Khokhar, MD, I expected someone with an Indian subcontinent accent and a 3rd-world country medical school degree.  But I've been treated by foreign doctors before with good to great results and he was the only diabetes doctor at the University of Maryland Baltimore-Washington Medical Center, highly recommended by my family doctor, near me with whom I could get an appointment in January.

Still, I was pleased that he's American-born and went to Medical School at American University in Washington, D.C.  I was also pleased that my family doctor's office's online portal is tied-into the U. of MD Medical System so all the history of my blood tests, medications, etc. were immediately available to him online.  It turned out he could also order a blood test to be done by my family doctor's office!

He asked me about the Dexcom glucose monitor and I said my sister likes hers but I have the Freestyle Libre (on my upper arm) and don't know if Medicare pays for the Dexcom.  He said, "You've got the Freestyle Libre?  Why didn't my office take the readout?"  I never thought to mention it because my family doctor never does that!

I'm glad I always tell the doctors the truth about sometimes forgetting meds or not measuring often but having decent results compared to my November 9.9 A1c reading.  Under 7 is optimal.  When he asked for my Freestyle Libre logs I was able to back up what I said when I showed him the 90 day avg. hourly readings chart on my Libre phone app, where the avg. is 161 mg/dL, which corresponds to an A1c between 7 and 7.5.

I asked if he knew if Medicare was paying for Dexcom and he said, "You can stick to the Freestyle Libre if you want.  They're coming out with Freestyle Libre 3 soon and it's about 30% smaller than the one you're using now (FL-2) and does more frequent readings."

He also looked at my microalbumin levels, which had been rising for a year - indicating my kidneys are not in danger but they are leaking protein into my blood.  He said, "I'm going to put you on a med to address that - we don't want to wait until kidney problems may develop."

I was taking 1000 mg of Metformin 2x/day, he switched me to a med called "Xigduo XR" which is 5 mg of Farxiga and 1000 mg of Metformin per tablet, and I'll take that instead of the Metformin.  The Farxiga (generic: dapagliflozin), a type-II diabetes med, also has kidney cleaning/healing properties.

He decided he wants to see a blood test taken early in February (my retiring-in-2022 doctor had scheduled one for May for my next doc in his office) before he sees me again on Feb. 20th.  When I called my family doctor's office to schedule it, I expected to have trouble explaining that my doctor there retired at the end of 2022, my new doctor I had only met in the hallway, but I needed to schedule a blood test for the first week in February and could my new doctor please order it.

The appointments receptionist looked through my records and said, "Wait a minute.  You've got a blood test order for now. Apparently from your U. of MD endocrinologist!"

I replied, "I didn't know he could do that through your office," and she replied, "Neither did I, but let's go ahead and set it up."  So I've got an 8:15 am blood test scheduled for Fed. 6th!'

Through all the drama, I had forgotten to feed my sister's 4 pets, so I finally got over there to feed them fed around 4 pm instead of noon. They survived, though they gone through the bowl of extra dry food I had set out.  My sister and BiL are arriving home late tonight from their Arizona vacation so this is my last day with that 4-week job and I'll be headed there shortly.

 

 

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

I thought that the Freestyle Libre 3 was already out. My wife’s new PCP recommended it as you can track the results on your smartphone. The doctor showed us how that works; so she’s got the new 3. Maybe it’s an inside job.

[donkpow]

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

Thanks Dr Pow

[donkpow]

Just now, Parsnip Totin Jack said:

Thanks Dr Pow

That's fine, y'all. (My fake American  southern accent)

[Kirby ★]

Glad you were so pleased with the visit.

[Razors Edge ★]

1 hour ago, donkpow said:

WTF!!!!

Guidelines

As needed we'll update these rules.

• No porn - there are no exceptions to this rule ever.  This includes nudity that is considered art.
• No nudity.

[donkpow]

3 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

WTF!!!!

 

Guidelines

As needed we'll update these rules.

• No porn - there are no exceptions to this rule ever.  This includes nudity that is considered art.
• No nudity.

Do you see a pecker? No. Do you see boobs? No. There's only so much crap I can take off you.

[Razors Edge ★]

1 minute ago, donkpow said:

Do you see a pecker? No. Do you see boobs? No. There's only so much crap I can take off you.

That va-jay-jay is pretty neat, though! 

[donkpow]

That's the "runway" style of trim.

[MickinMD ★]

7 hours ago, Parsnip Totin Jack said:

I thought that the Freestyle Libre 3 was already out. My wife’s new PCP recommended it as you can track the results on your smartphone. The doctor showed us how that works; so she’s got the new 3. Maybe it’s an inside job.

Thanks for mentioning it.  I've been tracking my results with FL2 on my smartphone for a couple years, but there's better/easier tracking with the 3.

I'll have to ask my endocrinologist when I see him on Feb. 20th if he can prescribe it and when I pick up my next 2 14-day sensors later this week, I'll ask the pharmacist what the story is.

I was getting 2 14-day Freestyle Libres every 30 days - meaning 2 days/month without testing.  Now Medicare is doing an extra one every 6 months.

[Airehead ★]

So glad it went well. Good doctors bring a sense of peace. 

[Ralphie ★]

17 minutes ago, Airehead said:

So glad it went well. Good doctors bring a sense of peace. 

I like how one of my doctors said if the drug he was giving me caused a UTI then HE would have a problem.