You never know

Sometimes you never know how a patient sees you.

I saw K today for follow-up of her diabetes. I last saw her over a year ago; she is a 20-something year old woman on an insulin pump for her type 1 diabetes. In the past, I've always had the sense that she was not too interested in what I had to say. I wasn't sure she actually followed my insulin instructions. And so, when she waited that long to come back I just assumed she didn't want to be here.

Turns out she and her husband moved north, and she had been under the care of a different endocrinologist. Except she didn't like her and didn't think their personalities matched.

And so today she drove 4 hours to come see me (with another 4 hours home).

And said she didn't think the new endo cared about, or listened to her as much as I did. Said she missed the great care our clinic provided to her over the years.

I was flattered- and on a crazy busy day with quite a few other uninterested patients, this was refreshingly very encouraging words.

And from her, of all people; I would not have thought!