It seem like everytime I go they find something wrong. Today I was told I have diabetes. Great 21 yrs old with diabetes. Thats not the bad part. I dont have insurance, anyone ever see the price on blood test an meds? Dam I spent almost $350 already today on the crap. So I need to decide what not to pay, car insurance, credit cards or just not get the meds. I think I wont pay my credit cards. I get to go back to the doctors friday. Maybe this time they will tell me I have cancer.

Problem is we always go to 'practicing physicians'. The trick is to go to a doctor that's done practicing.

I thought this was going to be a simple "I haven't been to the doctor in XX years thread."  I was prepared to brag about the fact I haven't been to a doctor, except for quick exams by a nurse for work and by a doctor in the Army, since I was 13.  I'm now 72, and you can do the math.  Instead, there's something more serious.

I've had many friends with diabetes that ended-up with serious complications, including two that are now mostly blind.  I'm not trying to scare you, but I want you to know the ultimate penalty if you do not discipline yourself.  I've had a good bit of experience with it via friends, family, and my wife who is a retired nurse who worked for a gp and has diabetes.  johnp, get a second opinion from a different doctor.  I know that costs money, and coming from someone who has never spent a cent on a doctor or a prescription, the advice to spend money should carry some weight.  In the vast majority of cases when a young person tests positive, it is because something else is happening.  Are you sure you didn't eat anything before the test?  According to my wife, most young people that test positive admit later that they had food before the test.  The "but it was just one cookie" can cause a false positive.  Where she worked, they stopped testing females under 25, unless they were pregnant, because they almost never had the will-power to not eat before the test.  Sad, but true.  If you're having another test done Friday, make sure you do what they recommend, times two.

What to do about it?  For most people, controlling diabetes can be done without medication.  It is done through eating correctly and exercise.  Learn what the GI index is.  Don't drink grape juice, don't eat white rice, don't eat more than 30 grams (varies for everyone) of fructose per day (a little fruit is very good, too much is bad because your liver can't convert it to glucose), etc..  That is good advice in general, and especially leading-up to your follow-up on Friday.  My two friends, who ended-up blind, did not eat correctly or exercise.  Decades of rollercoasting between eating carbohydrates and taking insulin shots caught-up with them.  When eating properly, neither of them had to use any medication at all, but when they didn't eat right, their condition got much worse.  They could have controlled it.  If it does turn-out that you're diabetic, fats and protein are your friends.  Carbohydrates are the enemy.  More advice on keeping the carbs low is available on request.  I'm on a less than 35 grams of carbohydrates per day diet, so I have to be creative.  You won't have to go to that extreme, but reducing does help.

Finally, don't let the diabetic label get slapped on you if it's not correct.  That's another reason to get a second opinion from a different doctor at a different practise.  If the label stays, then you WILL have trouble getting health insurance later.  Diabetes has so many potential complications that even if you do get health insurance, you probably won't be covered for most problems, because it is caused by a preexisting condition.  It's a hard reality.

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And, $350 for what?  My wife spends about $30 per month between needles, test strips, and insulin.  If $350 is more than you can afford, then TELL the doctor you won't keep spending that.  He will then have to come-up with a cheaper solution, if possible, or he will be negligent.  You're not dealing with a car mechanic who can refuse to help you find a cheaper solution (e.g. refuse to use a remanufactured part), you're dealing with a professional with well defined responsiblities.

About your car insurance, credit cards, etc., more often than you think, you can get extentions for medical hardships.  My 22 year old great-nephew just got an extension (with coverage) from Continental when he explained to them that he had been temporarily out of work due to an injury.  Remember, they want their money, but if they drop you coldly, they'll be less likely to collect.  Also, offer to pay something in good faith.  

Remember, don't give-up yet.  You're not sure you have it, and if you do, you can mostly deal with it through discipline.

PS:  Use the internet to your advantange.  There is a tremendous amount of material and support available.  Look at the usenet newsgroup misc.health.diabetes.  There is more knowledge there than any single doctor could possess.  sci.med.nutrition if you need help with your diet, and alt.support.diabetes if you need emotional support.  misc.fitness.weights is the place to go for help on how to eat a low carbohydrate diet (if you feel that is necessary).

johnp--

In my classes, we learn a tremendous amount about diabetics.  Hopefully (yes, you should take Zoom's advice and get a second opinion), the test was mistaken.  If it is not, AND YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!, you have a lifetime of medical problems to face--diabetic retinopathy (blindness), diabetic nephropathy (kindney failure--antiUSSA can probably tell you what kidney problems feel like), diabetic neuropathy (loss of sensation and all the good stuff that comes with that--ulcers, amputations, etc.).  

Get yourself a second opinion.  If the doctor is correct, take your meds regularly.  One of the most common things doctors see in long term diabetics is (especially the non-compliant diabetics) that they come in with a serious problem--blindness, gangrene, kidney failure and  it comes out that "I didn't take my meds because I felt fine".

AFARR

I could not move my arm behind my back (for 3 months) due to a shoulder problem. Finally went to a doctor. He took a half dozen x-Rays and said nothing was wrong.

Decided to go to a chiropractor and after 5 minutes of adjustments I was able to move my arm. Sure it still hurt, but after 5 minutes I had the most movement I had in 3 months.

The trouble is finding a decent "practitioner" that will be stright with you and not a "pill pusher"...i have been dealing with this just recently. i was put on bp meds "as a precaucion" but the md decides to retire, and the replacement doc wants to push MORE meds, for ANY GIVIN complaint, run extensive tests every 6 months or so, AND has now started to use the ONE AND ONLY prescription i have as a lever to force me into compliance!!!!...F**K HER!!!!there ain`t a g/d thing wrong with me, and i could see the discouragement in her attitude when the "results" come back.....sorry folks...there are a LOT of these types out there...don`t get a second opinion..get a third and forth or more if need be.....wether it`s doctor dentist, chiro...whatever...i`ve seen good and bad in both......most of all...take care of yourself....personally, i`m leaning toward holistic practice....(flame-on)...B&G..[heavy]

Johnp,

My wife is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. Get all the information you can from your doctor on what type of meds you'll be taking, what you can afford consistently, then e-mail me. I'll put you in touch with her and she can help you come up with a diet and lifestyle plan that'll keep you healthier longer. I think we even have some "appliances" in the garage, but I can't guarantee it.

She tells me stories about people who have not kept up with their meds and diet, and they're not pretty. Eyes, feet and johnson are key here, and hugely impacted by the circulation problems that jacked up blood sugar bring.

Semper Fidelis
Jarhead out.

[email protected]

Hell my Dr gets all woried when I come in because he knows it has to be or feel like near Death. [sniper]

Well, I couldn't think of what else to call it. Penis sounds a little silly, you have to admit. Tallywhacker is not heard much these days. Schwantz is kind of obscure. Pork sword? Pecker? Wang?

Johnson just seemed the least offensive yet most current terminology.

Seriously though, got to keep the johnson on the up and up, if you know what I mean...and I know that you do.

Semper Fidelis
Jarhead out.

OK! You have found a cure to my terminal PDS!

one time i wnt to the doctor with a concusion once, tests later i was found to have a congeneal brain disorder ( so yes i really have a problem, im not just an asshole:)that was a freaking mess cat scan, MRI nerosergions, nerological tests, what a hell, maaybe oneday they will crack my skull, that would be cool

Imbroglio.....you better eyeball her first.........[puke]