Welcome to Hawaii

It’s July 2013. One year ago I started this blog about our pending move to Oahu. It has sat abandoned every since. We made the move in January. Many times I have thought I should blog about my experience, and each time, I didn’t, thinking it had been too long since the first post to begin again. Silly really, since this experience has been crazy and worth the effort of writing it down.  Finally today I had an experience that convinced me to write. It’s time to start documenting this crazy move we have made. Hopefully I can go back in time and recount the craziness that has enveloped our lives for the last 6 months. To begin, I will start with this morning.

I have been a type 1 diabetic for almost 25 years now. When we moved to Oahu we had to find new doctors. I have been very attached to my doctor of 25 years in Oregon since he basically prescribes the medications that keep me alive.  I found a doctor in Oahu, we will call him ‘doctor M’ to protect the guilty. When I went to see him he seemed like a nice guy. I gave him my list of medications; he willingly prescribed all of them. Even the Cipro antibiotic that I didn’t need at the time but like to have on hand in case I get an infection. He even gave me two new drugs to protect my kidneys and reduce inflation.  I didn’t know I needed those, but, OK, that seems like a good idea. Oh, and he says to me, “let’s try to get you off insulin”. I stare at him thinking he’s either a genius doctor or an in experienced  doctor. Since I don’t know him I decide to let him stay in the genius category for a while. Let’s see how he does this. So, he prescribes for me a type 2 diabetic medication call metphormin. I know this drug, I have tried it in the past. I had to stop taking it because it didn’t do anything except give me horrible stomach cramps. I’m thinking, ‘that’s it? That’s your plan to get me off insulin?” I move him to the inexperienced category. I leave his office with all my prescriptions, including a vaccination for pneumonia. I didn’t know I needed that either.

Today I realized I was low on insulin. I called the pharmacy to refill my prescription.

They called back to say my prescription was expired, but to just call the doctor and he would send a new one. I call Dr M’s office they say ok. Then they call back to tell me that he can’t fill my insulin prescription because I’m on an insulin pump. “What”?

They continue to tell me I have to go to an endocrinologist that they referred me to. “What?” “When?” When was I referred? And who is the doctor? They say they will call back. When they do the lady on the other end gives me 3 names of endocrinologists to call so I can see someone that will prescribe insulin for me. “What?” I say, “that’s your answer? You won’t prescribe insulin to your type I diabetic patient? I have to go to another doctor?" At this point I’m thinking, you have got to be kidding me, he gives me all the medications I tell him I need without checking my medical records, but won’t give me the one medication I need that keeps me alive just because it's administered with an insulin pump instead of a needle? “What?” I hang up the phone, call all the names, no one will see me without a referral, and they can’t fit me in for 2 months. I’ll be dead by then…I call Dr. M’s office and tell the lady on the phone, she tells me to call my old doctor in Oregon to get me a temporary prescription. I hang up. I call my Oregon doctor to see if they can renew my insulin. They regretfully decline because he can’t legally prescribe for me since I no longer live in Oregon, and I’m no longer under his care. I hang up. At this point I’m just pissed off. I call Dr. M’s office back. Tell the lady on the other end that my Oregon doctor cannot prescribe for me, no endocrinologist will see me until September and certainly not without a referral, and that the appointment has to be set up by her!! So, tell Dr. M to prescribe for me, his diabetic patient, a vile if insulin now or I will die……Got it? She says she will call me back. I finally get the call…they will call in a prescription for insulin, and find an endocrinologist for me. Maybe if you are a doctor reading this, you know of some legal medical reason that explains this doctors behavior, however, as a diabetic patient, who needs insulin to survive, there is no explanation. 

This is just one of the screwy crazy totally unexpected experiences we have had since moving here. More to come. 

Welcome to Paradise.