Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.
Sarah and her husband live in NYC with their cat Gracie. In her spare time, she enjoys doing comedy, taking dance classes, visiting art museums, and exploring different neighborhoods in NYC.
I put 30 to 45 minutes. I don’t usually keep track of how much time I spend with my health care provider. It seems that I usually go 45 minutes to an hour. Over the past 2 years, all but one of my visits has been telemed.
I said 30 to 45 minutes, which was this very morning (Friday, 17th December 2021).
Very thorough
It’s not the quantity. Plenty of billable time. I wish that they acknowledged my presence. Lots of time looking at each test result number avoiding any connection to what I experience. They mark “no symptoms. ” They glance at the first CGM graph, tell me how better it looks than any of their other patients, then tell me I am dosing absolutely the wrong amount of insulin and will probably die. Any symptoms I might have are ascribed to my eating too much, but they never look at my food log. I wish the appointment was briefer. I am thinking of looking outside of Wisconsin for doctors.
My last visit with my endo was telemed and was approx. 40+ minutes long. In person appointments are 1 hour, but half is spent with an assistant answering generic questions, a real waste of time.
Mary, I’m in Madison. I’m very pleased with my endo , Deborah Wubben, MD at Unity Point Health-Meriter. She listens to what I have to say, explains / asks for my opinion on any treatment suggested changes, options are considered/discussed and if she doesn’t know the answer to a question will research and get back to me via MyChart message.
My last appointment was extremely unusual, too. We couldn’t get my pump & G6 to upload, Tandem ended up sending me a replacement pump. So it was only 5 to 10 minutes; normal appointment is 20 min. plus.
It was an “initial visit” as I had to change providers/clinics.
My last appointment was in July 2021. My endo said he really didn’t have anything to say because he knows I know how my pump works and that I am comfortable changing my settings on my own. He recommended one change (correction factor) which I knew was wrong but just hadn’t gotten around to changing it. My A1c is always good, I don’t have complications and my labs looked good except my thyroid has been crazy this year. He recommended making my next appointment for 6 months instead of 3 so I’ll see him next in January 2022.
I said 15-20 and is usually 5-10. I’m sitting in the office waiting longer than I spend with the doc. This time he noticed a nodule on my thyroid and did a scan. Since COVID he is in and out and doesn’t do any body checks. I should change but he is 5 min away.
I hope the nodule proves to be nothing serious.
I am my own T1D provider !!