New Endo

A few things about Kaiah's new endocrinologist here on the island: 

• We could only choose between 2 with our insurance, and this guys was the only one who had availability before her insulin and supplies ran out. 

• He is as old as dirt and has hair growing out of his nose and ears. 

• He has a fridge in his office and calls it the "ice box."

• There are no electronic charts in his office. All paper. Including when you check in. No computer programs, only a day planner with the patient's name written in it. It is then crossed off by the receptionist when you arrive. 

• He dictates his finds orally to his nurse who stands in the examination room with him writing them down. 

•  After the exam in the exam room, you are seated at his desk across from him in his office to hear how it all went.

• He does not look at her trends or charts that we come prepared with. He just asks how it's going and what her settings are. 

• He does not have an e-mail, nor does anyone else working in the office.

•  He writes down instructions and summary of the appt in chicken scratch that we are unable to decifer on a small piece of notebook paper. 

• He seems to know what he's doing, but we are so thankful we had training from our endo and diabetic educator in Oregon! All we really need is his prescriptions for insulin and pump supplies. 

• And every time we've been, he emphasizes (in front of the whole family) how she's entering puberty and is in puberty, and talks about all the changes and increased insulin requirements she will have... which has lead to a very casual and relaxed environment of puberty talk among the kids at home. So I guess that's good... Haha! 

• Anytime we have need something, they respond right back. When Kaiah's pump broke, he personally called to help us with Lantus shot settings. And his nurse does all the calling to insurance companies so we don't have to.  I guess their system works for them!

He's really a very nice guy... It just felt so strange stepping into that environment after experiencing the state of the art equipment and staff from OHSU. It felt like we entered a wormhole to the 50's. 

I thought, surely he's the only one who runs his office this way, but the other day I met another Type 1 Diabetic at a garage sale. She spotted Kaiah's pump and we naturally struck up a conversation about it. She said her endo (a woman) was the same way! Paper charts, handwritten notes, no e-mail... so interesting and quirky this island living is!