{
  "file_id": "dr_DL0111",
  "full_text": "Transcription details: Date: 25-Jul-2025 Input sound file: dr_DL01111.MP3 Transcription results: S1: 00:00 Participant ID DL0111. And this is a DR patient. Okay. I set that close to you so it can make sure we get your voice on there. S2: 00:13 Okay. S1: 00:13 , okay, so, before we start, do you have any questions about anything? S2: 00:17 No. S1: 00:18 No? Okay. , so, first, I'll go over just some general questions about how you take care of your diabetes, and then we'll explore more into that afterwards. So what are some things that you do each day that are related to your diabetes? S2: 00:35 , , just take my-- take my medications. I count carbs-- S1: 00:41 Okay. S2: 00:41 --, to try to get my A1C down. My A1C in January of last year was 15.8. S1: 00:48 Hmm. S2: 00:49 It was 12-something in May, and I started Ozempic. And in December, it went down to, , 4.5. It was too low, so they got me to bring it back up. So now I'm , I think, 7.7 or 7.8. S1: 01:01 Okay. , was adjusting to that difficult for you, --? S2: 01:07 , no, not really. The Ozempic made it really easy. S1: 01:12 Okay. Good. S2: 01:12 But I just call it the wonder drug. I wish I had it five years ago. Maybe I wouldn't have lost my leg, but. S1: 01:17 Yeah. S2: 01:18 So. S1: 01:19 Okay. , what do you see as your biggest priority for you in those things that you do daily? S2: 01:25 Just making sure this is working, the-- S1: 01:28 Your Dexcom? Okay. S2: 01:29 --Dexcom is working, and then I follow what it's doing. S1: 01:33 Mm-hmm. S2: 01:34 -- TranscribeMe 1 S1: 01:34 Yeah. What -- do you have the 6 or the 7? S2: 01:37 The 7. It's the new one. S1: 01:38 The 7. Do you ever experience, , any faulty readings or anything that with that Dexcom? S2: 01:43 I, I did with the-- at the end of the last sensor, he kept saying I was low reading, low reading, and I was pricking my fingers. And I was in the three hundreds, so. S1: 01:51 Okay. S2: 01:52 , but I always have the backup for the one touch barrier that I, I check against it. S1: 01:58 Yeah, of course. S2: 01:58 I just don't prick my finger every day. I, -- so, , so-- S1: 02:01 Mm-hmm. S2: 02:02 --if I feel off of or feel different than what that number's reading-- S1: 02:05 Yeah. S2: 02:06 --I'll do a finger prick. S1: 02:06 , and have you, , brought that up with your doctor that-- well, if it was just your last sensor, have you spoke to your doctor since then, your diabetes doctor? S2: 02:14 Yeah, we just-- actually, this is, the second month I've been using this-- S1: 02:19 Oh, okay. S2: 02:20 --because I was on the Libre 3. S1: 02:22 Mm-hmm. S2: 02:22 And the Libre 3 kept-- , the sensors were supposed to last 15 days, and they were only lasting sometimes between 6 and 11. S1: 02:32 Hmm. S2: 02:33 And then I ran out. S1: 02:33 Unreliable. S2: 02:34 And I couldn't keep-- , so I had-- S1: 02:36 Oh, yeah. S2: 02:36 I had to go-- I had to go, , 20 days without one-- S1: 02:39 Okay. S2: 02:40 --'cause I had three months' supply. S1: 02:41 -huh. S2: 02:42 And so they put-- they-- S1: 02:43 Okay. S2: 02:43 --gave me the Dexcom 7-- TranscribeMe 2 S1: 02:44 Yeah. S2: 02:45 --'cause they didn't have any Libre 3s. S1: 02:46 -huh. S2: 02:47 , and they said, \"Do you wanna try it?\" And I'm , \"Yeah.\" So I've-- I this one better, so. S1: 02:51 Yeah. Yeah, that's . S2: 02:52 And they're only 10-day sensors, so-- S1: 02:54 -huh. S2: 02:54 --I'll just, , wire them. Once they come off-- S1: 02:58 Mm-hmm. S2: 02:58 --I'll finger stick for two or three days, and then I'll put it back on. S1: 03:02 Okay. , and was that a hard adjustment for you to, , get use to? S2: 03:05 Mm-mm. S1: 03:06 Okay. That's good. S2: 03:06 No. S1: 03:07 That's good. -- S2: 03:08 The only thing hard is to put that little sticker on. , I have to have somebody else do it. S1: 03:12 Yeah. , I have a friend who wears one, and she's all the time , \"Is my sticker on right? , does it look okay?\" , okay, so you mentioned that if you feel bad and maybe the Dexcom isn't reading what you expect it to read, , you'll finger stick, right? S2: 03:30 Right. S1: 03:30 So what do you look for to tell you-- or how do you feel to tell you that maybe your diabetes is getting worse or your sugar's out of whack? S2: 03:38 , I'm very-- I get very tired when it goes too low. S1: 03:42 Okay. S2: 03:42 That's my main concern, is that it drops too low. S1: 03:45 Okay. S2: 03:46 , I get very tired. If it happens when I'm sleeping, I sweat profusely. S1: 03:51 Okay. S2: 03:51 I-- to the point where I-- the first couple of times it happened, I thought I wet the bed. S1: 03:55 Okay. Mm-hmm. S2: 03:57 'Cause I was soaked, I had to change the sheets, everything. S1: 03:59 Okay. TranscribeMe 3 S2: 04:00 I sweat that much. S1: 04:00 Hmm. S2: 04:01 , so I just-- I always keep little candies beside my bed and-- S1: 04:05 Okay. Yeah. S2: 04:06 --, I try to keep an orange juice, but warm orange juice just doesn’t taste good. S1: 04:09 Yeah, that's true. , okay, so how do you-- how has diabetes affected your eyes specifically? S2: 04:16 , my sight was really, really bad. And, , they just told me I was 20/20 in this eye and 20/25 in this eye. But I had surgery last fall-- S1: 04:30 Mm-hmm. S2: 04:30 --to remove cataracts. And ever since I haven't-- no contacts, nothing. I just re-- wear readers for reading closeup. S1: 04:36 Okay. That's good. S2: 04:37 I haven't seen this well since, -- I was probably 11, 12 years old-- S1: 04:42 Okay. S2: 04:42 --when I first started wearing glasses. S1: 04:44 And so did the-- so your vision's gotten better, right? S2: 04:48 Yeah. And that-- S1: 04:49 And was that because of the cataract removal? S2: 04:50 The cataract removal and, I think, because of the, the Ozempic and-- S1: 04:54 Oh, getting your-- S2: 04:55 --numbers coming down. S1: 04:56 Okay. S2: 04:57 Because, , when the numbers are high-- even now, -- S1: 05:00 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:01 --I-- there's a little slight difference in my, my-- with my sugar being 300. I don't know why it's 300 right now. But they're-- S1: 05:08 Yeah. S2: 05:08 --saying it's 300. S1: 05:09 Yeah. S2: 05:10 , 'cause all I-- well, I had an orange juice - maybe that's what did it - before I came in. But, , I can see a slight difference. But once it-- S1: 05:17 Okay. S2: 05:17 --comes back down and it's-- if it's below 140, I-I'm fine. TranscribeMe 4 S1: 05:21 Okay. And what specific changes have you noticed in, , the past year or so since, since you s-said that your vision's changed? S2: 05:29 , since the vision's changed? S1: 05:31 Yeah. S2: 05:31 , driving at night is much better. I s-- S1: 05:34 Okay. S2: 05:34 I still-- and basically, I call it night blindness unless there's a light on. S1: 05:39 Okay. S2: 05:40 And if it's dark, I have no balance. I'm all over the place. S1: 05:41 Okay. S2: 05:42 I-- S1: 05:43 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:43 I can't stand. I'm always tripping or falling or stumbling. S1: 05:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:48 So-- S1: 05:48 Okay. S2: 05:49 --I, I have to-- I always have a-- S1: 05:50 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:51 --, a flashlight if I go out and have to do something in my yard, especially in the wintertime. Putting wood in our outdoor burner-- S1: 05:57 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:57 --I wear a headlight, or a lamplight-- S1: 06:00 Okay. S2: 06:00 --so I can see. S1: 06:01 Yeah. S2: 06:01 And I've got motion lights all along the path to get there. S1: 06:04 Yeah. , what does your-- what has your doctor told you about the changes in your vision that you've noticed, if anything? S2: 06:12 , not really anything. She ju-- they're they're impressed that, , I've maintained the 20/20 in this eye, and-- S1: 06:18 Yeah. S2: 06:19 --this eye is still fairly good. And it's-- S1: 06:20 Okay. S2: 06:20 And it's healing, -- TranscribeMe 5 S1: 06:21 Okay. S2: 06:21 --and getting better. S1: 06:23 , so what has your doctor expressed or told you about how diabetes could possibly affect your eyes? S2: 06:32 , I know that you can go blind from it. S1: 06:36 Mm-hmm. S2: 06:36 , but you just need to really watch your-- watch your, , your sugar levels because it-- S1: 06:42 Yeah. S2: 06:43 --, it affects so many things: your internal organs-- S1: 06:45 Mm-hmm. S2: 06:45 --your eyes, every-- S1: 06:46 Yeah. S2: 06:46 --and kidneys. S1: 06:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 06:48 So. S1: 06:48 , so have they, , said anything specific about, , the risks or anything that-- S2: 06:54 -- S1: 06:55 --that you can think of? S2: 06:57 I, I know they have. , I just think of can't think of them or-- S1: 06:59 That's okay. That's okay. Yeah. S2: 07:00 --, off the bat. I mean, they, -- , the chances are that you-- that I- - that I could lose my sight altogether. S1: 07:05 Yeah. S2: 07:06 And we pretty much thought that was gonna happen at one point. S1: 07:09 Hmm. Mm-hmm. S2: 07:10 So. S1: 07:11 Okay. S2: 07:11 And that's when, , Dr. L sent me to Dr. P, . S1: 07:16 -huh. Okay. , so where do you typically get your eye exams at? S2: 07:21 Here. S1: 07:21 Here? You get them here, all of the-- S2: 07:22 Mm-hmm. TranscribeMe 6 S1: 07:22 --, all your eyecares here? S2: 07:24 E-except for when I would wanna get contacts 'cause I-- S1: 07:26 Okay. S2: 07:27 --work with, , special needs, and it's hard to wear glasses around them-- S1: 07:29 Mm-hmm. S2: 07:30 --because they're, they're-- S1: 07:31 Yeah. I understand that. Mm-hmm. S2: 07:31 --always ripping them off, and they're breaking them. So I have to-- they don't do the, , contact exams here. So I go-- I have an ophthalmologist at home that I-- S1: 07:43 Okay. S2: 07:43 --go see. S1: 07:45 , you got your eyes dilated today, right? S2: 07:47 Yeah. S1: 07:48 Okay. S2: 07:48 Yeah, there's probably still pretty blurry right now. S1: 07:51 What-- , do you think that, , your dilated eye exam is important? S2: 07:58 Yes, because-- S1: 07:58 Yeah. S2: 07:59 --she shows me the pictures of what's-- she's looking for. -- S1: 08:02 Yeah. S2: 08:03 --, the, the reason for the dilation today was to take pictures-- S1: 08:06 Mm-hmm. S2: 08:07 --and then that the pictures haven't been taken since-- I think, March was the last time. So they take the pictures and, , she can tell better idea of what's going on. S1: 08:16 Okay. , and how often do you think you should have your eyes checked, just in general? S2: 08:22 Well, for the last year, I've been going every four weeks. And-- S1: 08:27 Okay. S2: 08:27 --ne-- my next visit will be in eight weeks now, October, I guess. S1: 08:30 Oh. S2: 08:30 So. S1: 08:30 That's good. Because of your improvement? S2: 08:32 'cause of the improvement. Yeah. S1: 08:34 Okay. That's great. TranscribeMe 7 S2: 08:35 And it won't need the inject-- I get injections every time too. S1: 08:38 Oh, okay. S2: 08:39 In my eyes, so. S1: 08:40 In your eyes. Okay. , so going back, I know you couldn't recall, but can-- do you remember if your doctor has expressed, , the risk of different, , eye conditions due to diabetes, or was it just , \"Oh, you could go blind,\" or? S2: 08:59 , no, she, -- S1: 09:01 And that's okay if you can't recall. S2: 09:02 The-- I know that they said there's something with capillaries. S1: 09:06 Okay. S2: 09:07 And they-- 'cause Dr., , L was doing a laser and zapping-- that's what I call it, zapping, -- S1: 09:14 Yeah. S2: 09:15 --the capillaries to ho-- keep them at bay. S1: 09:17 Okay. S2: 09:18 , that could progress and cause blindness-- S1: 09:20 Okay. S2: 09:21 --so glaucoma. S1: 09:22 Mm-hmm. S2: 09:22 They keep the pre-- , they-- S1: 09:24 Yeah, pressures. S2: 09:24 --check on my pressure and stuff-- S1: 09:25 -huh. S2: 09:26 --, the cataracts, obviously-- S1: 09:29 Yeah. Mm-hmm. S2: 09:31 --and ta-- and removing those-- S1: 09:32 Mm-hmm. S2: 09:32 --so I could see. I mean, at one point, , a doctor had told me-- and that's before I started coming to the eye institute, told me-- S1: 09:38 Okay. S2: 09:38 --that, \"Oh, you got the cataracts, but they're not bad. They're not bad.\" And I'm , \"What do you mean they're not bad? I'm I'm looking through a prism sometimes-- \" S1: 09:45 Oh, yeah. TranscribeMe 8 S2: 09:46 And you're , \"They're not wor-- bad enough to do anything about it.\" And as soon as Dr. L saw them, she sent me to Dr. P. And P-P was , \"Yep, they're coming off.\" S1: 09:55 Okay. Yeah. Well, that's good that you got that second opinion. S2: 09:59 Well-- and I also had a tear in the retina-- S1: 10:01 Oh, okay. S2: 10:01 --in my right eye, so she had to repair that too. S1: 10:04 Okay. , how comfortable are you to talk about, , diabetes-related eye problems with your doctor? S2: 10:11 Very. S1: 10:12 Very comfortable? S2: 10:12 Mm-hmm. If something's wrong, I tell them. And-- or if I notice something -- , this eye-- S1: 10:19 Mm-hmm. S2: 10:20 --was-- , it was I had a sticky contact in it. S1: 10:22 Hmm. Yeah. S2: 10:23 I don't know if you wore contacts or not, but-- S1: 10:24 Yes. I have contacts. S2: 10:25 --it feels it's, it's sticking and it's gumming up. And I'm -- S1: 10:27 Yeah. S2: 10:27 --always moving it, trying to s-slide it around so that-- S1: 10:30 -huh. S2: 10:31 --I could see through it again. And I was having problems with that. And, , you know, I-- MyChart's my best friend, right? S1: 10:37 Mm-hmm. Yeah. S2: 10:38 \"Dr. P, this is what's going on,\" or-- and that's with any of my doctors. S1: 10:41 Mm-hmm. S2: 10:42 , I-- if I notice something, I send them a message right away. S1: 10:46 Okay. That's good. How, , how would you describe your trust with your doctor? S2: 10:53 I trust him 100%. S1: 10:55 100%. Okay. That's great to hear. , okay, could you give me, , an example of a question that you would typically ask either your eye doctor or your diabetes doctor? S2: 11:06 Well, I just see my family medicine and pharmac-- , family medicine, or PCP-- S1: 11:11 Yeah. S2: 11:12 --and, -- TranscribeMe 9 S1: 11:12 -huh. S2: 11:13 --, see the pharmacy team with the, , family medicine-- S1: 11:16 Mm-hmm. S2: 11:16 --, for diabetes. , I didn't feel I was getting anywhere with, , endocrinology-- S1: 11:22 Okay. S2: 11:22 --, 'cause it was the same thing, \"Okay, we're gonna slide. We're gonna do this. We're gonna slide. We're gonna do this.\" And then speaking with the diabetic educators and, , my family doctor and the pharmacy team has opened my eyes a lot more. S1: 11:38 Yeah. Okay. S2: 11:38 , and I-- , they got me to counting carbs, , \"Okay, I know that I can have this many carbs, or I can have that many carbs.\" And one thing with the Ozempic, I'm not hungry all the time. S1: 11:50 Okay. S2: 11:51 , and a lot of foods turn me off. -- S1: 11:54 Mm-hmm. S2: 11:55 --the, the smell of food cooking sometimes makes me sick to my stomach. S1: 11:58 Mm-hmm. Okay. S2: 11:59 And I've noticed that-- I call it the Thanksgiving pause. , at Thanksgiving, they say when you're eating, your body has that natural sigh-- S1: 12:08 Yeah. S2: 12:09 --when you're full, but everybody eats past it. S1: 12:11 -huh. S2: 12:11 When I get to that point, if I go past it, I get sick. S1: 12:15 Okay S2: 12:16 So I know that, \"Okay, I'm done.\" S1: 12:17 Mm-hmm. Yeah. S2: 12:18 And it used to be-- two quarter pounders at McDonald's is now-- if I can get half of one down, it's a-- it's something. S1: 12:26 Okay. , and are you pleased with, , the outcomes from that Ozempic, , do you think? S2: 12:30 Yes. S1: 12:31 Okay. S2: 12:32 Yeah. S1: 12:32 That's good. TranscribeMe 10 S2: 12:32 , I said, I wish I would've known about it six years ago, and maybe I would still have my leg. S1: 12:37 Yeah. , so in your opinion, how likely, , do you think that you are to lose either, , partial or full vision because of your diabetes? S2: 12:49 Say that again. S1: 12:50 In your opi-- in, in your own opinion-- S2: 12:51 My opinion. S1: 12:52 --, how likely do you think you are to lose either partial or full eyesight because of your diabetes? S2: 13:00 If you were to ask me that a year ago, I would've said, \"100%, I think I'll lose it.\" S1: 13:04 Okay. S2: 13:04 , now I'm, I'm fairly comfortable with it, and I think it's-- if I can keep maintaining what I'm doing-- S1: 13:11 Mm-hmm. S2: 13:12 --I'll, , I-I'll be okay. S1: 13:15 Okay. , and in regards to other eye conditions, have you ever-- so you had your cataracts removed. Do you have glaucoma? S2: 13:23 No. S1: 13:24 No. Do you have any other-- dry eye or age-related eyesight decline, anything that that anyone's mentioned? S2: 13:29 No. S1: 13:30 Okay. , does anyone in your family have anything of that nature that you can recall? S2: 13:34 No. S1: 13:36 No? S2: 13:36 Not-- I mean, my stepmom, she had the cataracts, but she's not diabetic, so. S1: 13:41 Mm-hmm. Okay. S2: 13:42 Yeah. And-- S1: 13:43 -- S2: 13:43 And she had the same results when her cataracts were resolved. She, , didn't need glasses anymore. S1: 13:49 That's great. S2: 13:49 And she's worn glasses since, since I-- since I was four, I've known her-- or since I was two, I've known her. S1: 13:54 Yeah. TranscribeMe 11 S2: 13:55 They got married when I was four. , but I, -- , she just now had to go get an eye exam and get glasses again. And that's been a year and a half. So I'm, I'm looking to-- , \"Okay. I'm coming up on a year next month--\" S1: 14:10 Yeah. S2: 14:10 --or-- yeah, I guess it is July, so August. S1: 14:12 Mm-hmm. S2: 14:13 And then the second I was done in July-- or September, I think so. Coming up on a year, so I'm looking at maybe this time next year, having to have an exy-- eye exam to get glasses. I don't know. S1: 14:23 Okay. S2: 14:23 Just if I go by what she's on, but she's 20 years older than me too, so. S1: 14:27 Yeah. That's true. Yeah. , so how would you describe just your overall experience with being diagnosed with these exa-- eye, eye issues? -- S2: 14:37 Very scary at first. S1: 14:39 Okay. S2: 14:39 , I was actually at an amusement park when the doctor called me and said, \"Listen, we-- you need to change things, or you're not gonna have any eyesight,\" so. S1: 14:48 Mm-hmm. Okay. S2: 14:49 , it was-- and it was-- I just remember it was dark out when he called me. There was-- S1: 14:54 Mm-hmm. S2: 14:54 --a lot of noise, and I had to go off into the corner to talk to him, and that set [trails off] S1: 14:57 Yeah. Really set the mood for that. S2: 14:59 Yeah, it really changed the mood, and so. S1: 15:02 , what about your experience with follow-ups, , after treatments and things that? What's, wha-what's your overall experience with those things? S2: 15:11 So far so good, I haven't-- S1: 15:12 Okay. S2: 15:12 --had any problems. I mean-- S1: 15:13 That's great. S2: 15:14 , and everybody's , \"Y-you live an hour and a half away. Why do you keep coming here?\" And I'm , \"Because I don't have to worry about what's gonna happen,\" and I know what's gonna happen. S1: 15:23 Yeah. TranscribeMe 12 S2: 15:24 And I know that being in WVU Medicine, here, , what happens here-- they know my family medicine. My cardiologist knows. Everybody knows, so they can see it, so. S1: 15:39 Mm-hmm. S2: 15:40 And I know that the, the system goes through, , the Reynolds. There's WVU Medicine-- S1: 15:46 Yeah. S2: 15:46 --where I live. S1: 15:47 -huh. S2: 15:47 But I don't trust them. S1: 15:49 Oh, that's okay. S2: 15:50 And, and I always say I'm coming, and I, I, g-- I-I-I'll go to the mothership. That's what I call it. They got a kick out of it one day 'cause I brought my-- I had to go to the emergency room, and I brought myself here. I drove an hour and a half by myself, and I came to the emergency room and ended up being admitted. And they're , \"Why did you drive yourself here when there's--\" I was , \"Because I don't them. I, I don't trust them. I--\" S1: 16:11 Mean you feel the care is better here? S2: 16:13 Yes. The care is better here. S1: 16:14 Okay. S2: 16:14 I'd said, \"All you guys did was put lipstick on a pig. You're making those buildings look beautiful, but you need to change the staff.\" S1: 16:20 That's fair. S2: 16:20 And I'm not tal-- and I'm not talking about the support staff. S1: 16:23 Yeah. S2: 16:24 I'm talking about the doctors because-- S1: 16:26 Mm-hmm. S2: 16:27 I went to Reynolds last year because I literally went blind-- S1: 16:31 Hmm. S2: 16:32 --a year ago in April. S1: 16:33 Mm-hmm. S2: 16:35 , my blood pressure dropped to, -- the bottom number was in the 30s. S1: 16:40 Okay. S2: 16:41 And I could not see. I wa-- i-it was dropping. And we-- and I said, \"I think I need to go to the emergency room.\" And first, we thought it was a sugar drop. S1: 16:48 Okay. TranscribeMe 13 S2: 16:49 And then we were -- I ate and nothing was changing. S1: 16:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 16:52 So my mom had a blood pressure cuff, and she's , \"Oh my gosh, we gotta get you emergency room.\" S1: 16:57 Hmm. S2: 16:58 And I'm -- to me, the emergency room was coming here. S1: 17:01 Yeah. S2: 17:01 But she said that was too far for what was happening, so she took me to Reynolds, and we were there for 14 hours. They put a, , IV in me. They did a CAT scan, the IV that would give me fluids, which they never gave me. The only thing-- and then they had to change the IV because it was too small gauge 'cause they did another CAT scan with contrast. S1: 17:22 Yeah. S2: 17:23 , and they did the-- all this within the first three hours. S1: 17:28 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:29 And they kept saying they were gonna give me fluids. I begged them for water and never got it. S1: 17:34 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:34 , and, yeah, after 14 hours, they come in , \"Well, we don't know what to do with you, so we're going-- we're going to get an ambulance and take you to W-- to Ruby.\" I'm , \"I'll take myself to Ruby, and I don't need an ambulance.\" S1: 17:47 \"I'll drive myself.\" S2: 17:47 And I couldn't see the whole time. My, my eye-- S1: 17:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:50 By the time I-- I actually got out of the car and fell along the wall and found my way into the hospital as my-- S1: 17:57 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:58 I mean, I could-- I, I c-- I could tell that there was a wall. S1: 18:02 Yeah. S2: 18:03 But I couldn't make out any features. I couldn't read anything. S1: 18:05 Okay. S2: 18:05 Couldn't see faces. S1: 18:07 Interesting. S2: 18:07 And by the time I got-- they got me back, I was totally blind. S1: 18:10 Mm-hmm. S2: 18:11 And that's-- it lasted for, well, over-- when I got to here. TranscribeMe 14 S1: 18:17 Yeah. S2: 18:17 And they started giving me fluids. S1: 18:19 Were you-- sorry. Were you able to, , express those concerns when you were here? , did they-- were they responsive of-- S2: 18:24 Well-- well, yeah, they did because they said, \"Well, we'd to give you another, , bag of fluids, but we can't because Reynolds has already charted that they did do.\" I said, \"They didn't give me anything.\" S1: 18:36 Okay. S2: 18:36 They didn't do anything, so-- S1: 18:38 -huh. S2: 18:38 --I mean-- so they couldn't do it. So, , they brought me, , Pedialyte and-- S1: 18:43 Oh, okay. S2: 18:43 --water. And I, I was drinking-- S1: 18:45 Oh, the methods to keep you-- S2: 18:46 Yeah, I was drinking and drinking and drinking, and I was -- I begged for ice water. My mom finally went and got a, -- S1: 18:52 -huh. S2: 18:52 --a bottle of water out of a vending machine and gave it to me-- S1: 18:55 Mm-hmm. S2: 18:55 --because I was so thirsty. S1: 18:56 Okay. -- S2: 18:58 And I-- and I know that one of the things for blood pressure low is to drink water to increase it, so. S1: 19:04 Yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay. Well, it's good that you got-- S2: 19:07 Yeah. S1: 19:07 --to here and that you're comfortable here. , that's great. S2: 19:11 Yeah. S1: 19:11 So-- S2: 19:12 I'm down here once a week, sometimes four times a week. I try to get them all-- S1: 19:19 You ge-- S2: 19:20 --on the same day, but -- S1: 19:21 Drive the route blindfolded now. S2: 19:22 Yeah, probably. But I don't mind to drive. I to drive. S1: 19:25 Yeah. TranscribeMe 15 S2: 19:25 So it doesn't bother me to drive down here. S1: 19:27 Mm-hmm. Yeah. , what helps you keep up with, , using regular healthcare services, such as, , your dilated eye exams, follow-follow-ups, treatment? S2: 19:38 , a doctor said, \"This is when you come back,\" so that's when I come back. S1: 19:43 Okay. Yeah. S2: 19:44 I-I'm, I'm just always been one that I know when something's wrong with me. S1: 19:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 19:49 And I will seek help for it. S1: 19:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 19:52 And, , in 2006, I had appendicitis. S1: 19:55 Mm-hmm. S2: 19:57 And-- or 2005, I had appendicitis. And I took myself to the emergency room-- well, I had my dad take me. And they're telling me that it-- I was-- had kidney stones. And I'm , , \"No, I do not have kidney stones.\" And I argued with the doctors in the emergency-- S1: 20:12 Yeah. S2: 20:13 --room at Wheeling. And finally, another doctor came in and goes, \"Yep, you have-- you have appendicitis.\" And it was a Sunday morning. My dad's , \"Well, I'm going home.\" It was, , 4 o'clock in the morning. He said, \"I'm going home.\" , \"You're not going home. They're gonna do surgery.\" \"It's Sunday. They're not gonna do it.\" I was , \"They're gonna do surgery. This is an emergency Dad.\" And the doctor asked me, he goes, \"Most guys would just let it burst.\" I'm , \"I'm not those guys. If something's wrong, I'm getting it fixed.\" S1: 20:34 Yeah, yeah. S2: 20:35 Yeah. I know. I know my body. It's, it's when I had, -- my gallbladder was bothering me. And, and gone and gone and gone, and I-- finally, I said, \"Would you just do a HIDA scan to see if it's how my gallbladder--\" \"How do about it?\" I said-- S1: 20:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 20:49 \"--Don't worry about how I know about it. Just-- just do one.\" And so we did one, and , \"Yeah, we gotta take that out. It's not functioning at all. S1: 20:54 Oh, interesting. Hmm. . Wow, that's crazy. So-- S2: 21:03 I have a nur-- a friend who's a nurse, so who's an ex-girlfriend, and-- S1: 21:07 -huh. S2: 21:07 --we're still good friends. And she told me, she said, \"Ask them for HIDA scan.\" And I'm , \"Okay.\" S1: 21:12 It worked good. S2: 21:13 Yeah. TranscribeMe 16 S1: 21:13 Worked in your favor, though. -- S2: 21:14 And she know-- it's if something's wrong, when I was having this amputated-- S1: 21:18 Mm-hmm. S2: 21:19 --she called me and goes, \"What's going on? Something's wrong with you, and I d-- I haven't figured it out yet.\" And I'm -- cause we're both born-- we have the same birthday-- S1: 21:26 Mm-hmm. S2: 21:26 --both born at 5:05 in the morning-- S1: 21:28 Yeah. S2: 21:28 --five years apart. S1: 21:29 Oh. S2: 21:30 I'm . S1: 21:30 So it's -- S2: 21:31 Well, that's why-- I think that's why we didn't work out as a couple is because we were so in tune-- S1: 21:36 Too much alike. S2: 21:37 We were so in tune to each other that, , we could actually have a conversation and not say a word. S1: 21:42 Yeah. , do you face any challenges with receiving your eye care? S2: 21:48 No. S1: 21:48 No? Okay. S2: 21:49 No. I, I come down here-- S1: 21:50 Other than-- S2: 21:51 --and, , sometimes I, I will plan it, and I'll say, \"Okay. I, I need somebody to drive me home.\" S1: 21:58 Mm-hmm. S2: 21:59 \"Otherwise, I'm gonna go take a nap in the car until my eyes are back, and--\" S1: 22:02 Yeah. S2: 22:03 \"--my vision's back.\" S1: 22:03 Mm-hmm. Do you-- do you have any suggestions on what we can do to maybe help patients have a better experience with using their diabetes and eye care? S2: 22:17 The only thing I could say is just, if your doctor's suggesting it, follow through with it-- S1: 22:23 Yeah. S2: 22:23 --, because it-- they're the professionals, and they know best. S1: 22:27 Mm-hmm. Yeah, correct. TranscribeMe 17 S2: 22:27 And it-- and it works. S1: 22:29 Okay. -- S2: 22:30 , because I wasn't paying attention and I wasn't doing anything, and, , when Dr. L started doing the, the lasers on my eyes and, and I was coming back and she goes, \"They're coming back. They're, they're growing faster, and I can zap them away. And-- \" , , , finally, I was , \"Yeah, I, I need to s-- come up with this. I need to follow through with getting my sugars down and getting--\" S1: 23:01 Yeah. S2: 23:01 \"--everything down,\" so. S1: 23:03 Okay. -- S2: 23:03 And I notice, a lot of times, when my sugar goes real high, I've noticed I've had an infection somewhere. S1: 23:09 Mm-hmm. S2: 23:10 And-- S1: 23:10 Mm-hmm. S2: 23:10 Because I'm , \"I don't eat carbs. Well, I don't eat potatoes. I don't eat bread. I don't eat all this stuff, the carbs. I eat a lot of protein.\" So we're trying to figure out where is it coming from. , it's an infection. S1: 23:20 Do you have someone to help with your daily diabetes care? S2: 23:24 No, I do it myself. Well-- S1: 23:25 Okay. S2: 23:26 --my mom lives next door. And the first thing she says when she see me, \"Did you take your meds?\" And I'm , \"Yes, mom.\" S1: 23:33 Do you-- do you fill--? S2: 23:33 And she actually comes over and checks to make sure that I've filled up my weekly pill bottle. Daily thing. S1: 23:40 Yeah. S2: 23:40 She'll go up and check them. She goes, \"Are these filled out? Oh, yes, they're filled,\" . Or if they-- S1: 23:46 Yeah. S2: 23:46 --go up and I was , \"It may--\" I fill them up on Saturday night, and she'll go up on Tuesday. And it's , \"I filled those up. They were empty.\" I say to her, \"It's only three days empty. I filled them up on Fri-- on Saturday.\" S1: 23:58 She's gonna make sure you're on top of it. S2: 23:59 Yeah, . S1: 24:00 Do you feel comfortable, , and well-managed doing it on your own? S2: 24:05 Yes. TranscribeMe 18 S1: 24:05 Okay. That's good. S2: 24:07 'Cause I got the ha-- the, the pharmacy team-- S1: 24:09 Mm-hmm. S2: 24:10 --and Dr. P-- S1: 24:12 Yeah. S2: 24:12 --, who message me and say, \"Hey, how's this going? How's--\" , I was having problems with, , , being nauseous a lot. S1: 24:23 Hmm. Okay. S2: 24:24 , and they put me on Jardiance, and they asked, they said, 'Hey, we're gonna take you off--\" and this is two weeks ago. \"We're gonna take you off Jardiance to see if that's what's causing you to be nauseous.\" S1: 24:33 Mm-hmm. S2: 24:33 They sent me a message yesterday. \"So we're checking up about the Jardiance. Is it-- ?\" S1: 24:37 That's nice. S2: 24:38 \"Since you-- are you still having--\" I said, \"I'm still having it. Haven't made any changes. I'm going back on Jardiance.\" She's , \"Okay,\" so. S1: 24:45 Well, it's good that-- S2: 24:46 Yeah. S1: 24:46 That feels more personal, . S2: 24:49 Yeah. S1: 24:49 Yeah. Great. S2: 24:49 I-- that's why I it, because the-- it, it is more personalized. S1: 24:53 Mm-hmm. S2: 24:53 Just there was a question on that survey that asked about, , do I feel comfortable with them? I'm , \"Yes. I feel comfortable with them.\" S1: 24:59 Yeah. Okay. , so who do you share your, , , worries and fears about your diabetes and eyesight with? S2: 25:11 -- S1: 25:12 If, if at all you do. S2: 25:13 I, I, I, I really don't-- I, I really don't worry about it anymore. S1: 25:17 Okay. That's good. S2: 25:18 I-- , I don't-- I-- , I'm the type of person-- , it is what it is. When I made the decision to have my w-- my foot amputated, I'm -- I cried for two weeks, and then I'm, , realizing, , \" what? I'm still alive. And it's, it's not as bad as the guys in, in the military that are coming back--\" TranscribeMe 19 S1: 25:38 Yeah. S2: 25:38 \"--from overseas. And--\" S1: 25:39 -huh. S2: 25:40 \"--, I'm not gonna cry about it.\" And-- S1: 25:43 Yeah. S2: 25:44 --when, after the surgery and Dr., , M came in, the surgeon, saw me in recovery, , I asked her, I said, \"Hey, when you come in tomorrow, would you stop at IHOP and get me an application?\" S1: 25:58 That's so silly. I bet they got a kick out of that, didn't they? S2: 26:02 And I s-- I said, \"Well, there's a good thing.\" And she goes, \"What's good about losing your leg?\" I said, \"I don't have to worry about where that other sock goes.\" She's -- she goes, \"At least you have a good-- a good sense of humor about--\" I was , \"If you can't laugh about it-- S1: 26:17 Mm-hmm. That's true. S2: 26:17 \"--i-it will--\" I, I have-- , it's better than the alternative. I can't-- I'm not gonna lay around and cry about it, . S1: 26:22 Yeah. S2: 26:23 It is what it is. I'm-- I gotta live with it, so. S1: 26:25 Yeah. , so what about-- who do you call or ask for advice in regards to, , handling any eye problems? S2: 26:37 , I will call here. S1: 26:39 Okay. S2: 26:39 , again, the MyChart messaging and-- S1: 26:42 Yeah. S2: 26:43 --Dr. P or Dr. L. S1: 26:46 Okay. S2: 26:46 It's , \"Hey, this is going on. What should I do, or any suggestions?\" S1: 26:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 26:50 \", do you think I need to make a-- an appointment sooner?\" S1: 26:53 Yeah. S2: 26:54 , and usually, it's , \"Well, we see you every four weeks, but you-you'll be good till then, . But we know that concern is there, and we will--\" S1: 27:01 Mm-hmm. S2: 27:01 \"--keep it-- that's something we'll definitely look at when you get in here.\" 'Cause-- S1: 27:04 Okay. TranscribeMe 20 S2: 27:04 'Cause usually, by the time I have something, it's , \"Okay, you're a week out from an appointment.\" S1: 27:08 Yeah. S2: 27:09 And i-it's hard to get an appointment-- S1: 27:11 Mm-hmm. S2: 27:12 --that quick anyways. S1: 27:13 Yeah. You mentioned earlier that you did, , diabetes education classes, right-- S2: 27:17 Mm-hmm. S1: 27:18 --of sof-- of some sort. -- S2: 27:21 That's true. S1: 27:22 --so how long are those? Were they, , week-long sessions, or? S2: 27:26 No, it was-- it was the diabetic educators. A lot of it was when I was hospitalized. They'd come in and talk to me. S1: 27:32 Okay. S2: 27:33 , and then I'd come down, and I'd see the educators and pharmacists and-- S1: 27:38 Okay. S2: 27:39 --, someone from family medicine would come in and talk to me. S1: 27:42 Mm-hmm. S2: 27:42 It was probably about three hours or-- , altogether-- S1: 27:45 Okay. S2: 27:46 --when I c-co-- visit an offi-- or a clinic visit. S1: 27:48 Do you-- do you feel that was sufficient for you, or do you wish you would've had more education? S2: 27:53 , I think it's sufficient because the, the big thing I noticed is, when I started counting carbs and I learned how to count carbs-- S1: 28:00 Okay. S2: 28:01 --, the-- I saw a big difference. S1: 28:03 Okay. That's g-- that's so good. That's great to hear. S2: 28:07 Sometimes I -- I, , tell every-- I'll tell myself, I'm , \"You can have six carbs for dinner.\" S1: 28:17 Yeah. S2: 28:17 Six carb choices. S1: 28:18 All of a sudden, all foods look-- S2: 28:19 Yeah. TranscribeMe 21 S1: 28:20 You just see their carbs. S2: 28:21 And, and the thing is, is that I was never one for sweets. I mean, I, I would eat them. I liked sweets. S1: 28:28 Yeah. Yeah. S2: 28:29 I just wasn't-- it wasn't something, , I had to have. S1: 28:31 -huh. S2: 28:32 , now if I saw ice cream, I would eat that, definitely. S1: 28:35 Yeah. Yeah. S2: 28:36 That's my favorite. S1: 28:37 Mm-hmm. S2: 28:38 But for most parts-- S1: 28:38 baked goods, those sweets. S2: 28:40 Mm-hmm. , birthday cake. , I want the sweetest icing I, I can when I have it, but-- S1: 28:45 Yeah. S2: 28:46 --it's not something I have to have. , I was always breads-- S1: 28:50 Yeah. S2: 28:51 --potatoes-- S1: 28:52 Mm-hmm. S2: 28:52 --the-- all the starches. , and now, with the Ozempic, I'm craving sweets crazy. But I know that I can eat them-- S1: 29:03 Yeah. S2: 29:04 --and it doesn't-- it's not going to, -- because I'm not eating any other carbs-- S1: 29:08 Yeah. S2: 29:09 --I pretty much drink my carbs. , I-- S1: 29:12 Yeah. S2: 29:12 --I, I was drinking Coke Zero-- S1: 29:15 Mm-hmm. S2: 29:15 --, which I still do, if I'm gonna have a soda. S1: 29:17 Mm-hmm. S2: 29:18 But I've drank a-- grabbed the wrong bottle, drank a Coke, and it doesn't really have that much of a bad effect on me. S1: 29:26 Yeah, of course. TranscribeMe 22 S2: 29:26 , but n-- so now I'm-- because I was dehydrated, Leys's saying, \"Hey, you need to drink some Pedialyte or drink this, or drink s-- the sports drinks. Don't drink the energy drinks,\" , the-- S1: 29:39 Yeah. S2: 29:39 I'm , \"So--\" I, I get the-- my favorite is the, the, , Powerades over the Gatorades. S1: 29:48 Mm-hmm. S2: 29:49 , they're, , they're, they're sweeter-- S1: 29:51 Yeah. S2: 29:51 --to be honest. S1: 29:52 Yeah. S2: 29:53 , and I don't get the zero sugar. And I'll just drink the s-- the straight ones. I'll drink one. And I've noticed that my blood pressure's better since I've been drinking more. And ju-just-- S1: 30:04 That's great. S2: 30:04 --everything's functioning better. S1: 30:06 Yeah. It's always good when you realize the things you're doing are actually paying off, and you're -- S2: 30:11 Yeah. S1: 30:11 \"--Ugh. Maybe, maybe I can have it.\" S2: 30:14 And I-- and I t-- and I tell people all the time, I'm -- I'm -- 'cause a friend of mine was on Ozempic and her body just didn't it. S1: 30:22 Yeah. S2: 30:23 , and she came off of it. S1: 30:25 Mm-hmm. S2: 30:26 And she's , \"How-- you better watch out for that. You better watch out.\" And I'm , \"I am not having any side effects on them.\" And then i-it's been 13 months I've been on it. S1: 30:34 Yeah. S2: 30:34 14 months now. S1: 30:35 Yeah. S2: 30:36 I said, \"I'm not having the side effects-- that you--\" S1: 30:37 Mm-hmm. S2: 30:38 \"--had, and I'm happy with it.\" S1: 30:40 Mm-hmm. S2: 30:41 And I'm at the top of the full dose right now, so. TranscribeMe 23 S1: 30:44 Okay. , so earlier-- S2: 30:46 I wa-- S1: 30:47 Go ahead. S2: 30:47 , the-- one of the big things was, when I started the Ozempic, I was taking 40 units of Lantus, the long ac-- with slow acting or-- S1: 30:57 Mm-hmm. S2: 30:58 --, taking it at 11 o'clock every night. I was taking 26 units of Humalog with every meal, so four times a day. If I had four meals, I had four doses. S1: 31:08 Okay. S2: 31:09 , I'm taking 12 units of Lantus and no Humalog. S1: 31:14 Oh, that's a big change. S2: 31:16 Yeah. So-- S1: 31:16 That's nice. Wow. Okay. S2: 31:18 Yeah. So that's a big thing. I, I don't take the insulin anymore. I keep saying, \"Well, if I get off the Lantus, does that mean I can get my CDL back?\" Because as long as I was on-- they took me off of it 'cause I was taking injections, so. S1: 31:29 Yeah. , so, circling back to your visits specifically, you mentioned you live, , an hour a half away up. S2: 31:37 Yeah. S1: 31:38 Are you in the Panhandle? S2: 31:39 Yep. S1: 31:39 Okay. S2: 31:39 Up in Wheeling. S1: 31:40 -- S2: 31:40 Up by Wheeling. S1: 31:41 Okay. Yeah. , how would you feel about using telemedicine for, , follow-up visits? S2: 31:50 I've done that a couple of times, not with the eye doctor, but. S1: 31:53 Mm-hmm. Would you be comfortable with do-- , if-- S2: 31:56 Yeah. S1: 31:56 --if that was offered to you, are there any barriers that you could see about telemedicine on your side of the-- of it, so, , a-as a patient's perspective? S2: 32:07 , the only thing would be is if she nee-- if it was for eyes-- S1: 32:13 Yeah. S2: 32:13 --them being able to visually see my eyes-- TranscribeMe 24 S1: 32:16 Yeah. S2: 32:17 --and look into them and-- S1: 32:17 Mm-hmm. S2: 32:18 --see what they're looking at when they're-- S1: 32:19 Mm-hmm. S2: 32:20 --using that. That's the only thing. S1: 32:21 What about for meeting with your primary care or-- a diabetes doctor, but in your ca- case, your PCP? -- S2: 32:27 Oh, no, we do that. S1: 32:28 You see that-- you do that? S2: 32:29 Yeah. S1: 32:30 Okay. S2: 32:30 Yeah. S1: 32:31 , okay, so let's talk-- S2: 32:33 I-- that's how I got through COVID 'cause I-- S1: 32:35 Oh, yeah. S2: 32:36 --couldn't get down here to it. S1: 32:36 'Cause you lived in-- mm-hmm. -- S2: 32:39 I actually tried changing my PCP to a local, and that was a disaster. And th-that's when I was getting sick with this. And I, , I was sick, a-and nobody could tell me. I went to the ER and-- 'cause I couldn't come down here because of COVID. S1: 32:55 Yeah. S2: 32:56 , and even-- it was in 2020-- 2021. , I got sick the second week of May. S1: 33:04 Mm-hmm. S2: 33:04 And nobody could figure out-- I was going to the-- I was going to the emergency room, , weekly. And they told me, , I had, , Lyme disease. They told me I was- - 'cause I was-- a lot of it was dizziness and-- S1: 33:20 Yeah. Okay. S2: 33:20 --and, , Lyme disease, they told me I had vertigo. -- S1: 33:25 Lots of different things. S2: 33:26 \"--We told you there's nothing wrong with you. Why do you keep coming here?\" S1: 33:29 Oh. S2: 33:29 , I went back again. They told me, \"We told you you had Lyme disease.\" But they admitted me every time for one night. S1: 33:37 Hmm, interesting. TranscribeMe 25 S2: 33:37 And the person who was supposed-- doctor who's supposed to be my PCP, walk past the room every time I was in the hospital but never stepped in to see me. And she's supposed to be my PCP. When she was going around-- S1: 33:47 Hmm. S2: 33:48 --, I was , \", yeah.\" And I'd make-- and then they would tell me, \"You need to make an appointment with your PCP.\" I'd make a P-- appointment with PCP, and then they tell me I didn't have an appointment, or they cancel it or change it. S1: 34:00 Okay. S2: 34:00 And one time, they made one on a Friday. And I went in there, and the office was dark. And I walked up to the window, and the glass slid open. And she goes, \"Can I help you?\" I'm , \"Yeah, I have an appointment.\" They're -- she's , \"No, you don't. We, we don't have appointments on Friday.\" I'm , \"I do.\" I said, \"It's in MyChart. I've got a text message reminding me about it.\" And she looked. She goes \"Oh, somebody screwed up,\" and that's all she said and slid the window u-- down. S1: 34:23 Oh. S2: 34:23 So I'm , \"Okay.\" I went back across the street to the emergency room. S1: 34:27 Mm-hmm. S2: 34:29 They admitted me-- or they didn't admit me this time. They told me that I had-- oh, what's it called? It was cancer of the bone marrow. S1: 34:44 It was what? S2: 34:45 Cancer of the bone marrow, from an ER. And they s-- S1: 34:48 Hmm. S2: 34:49 I said, \"Well, what do I do?\" And they said, \"See-- visit your-- you need to go see your PCP.\" And I just looked, and I'm , \"Well, if I have some type of cancer, wouldn't you suggest I see an oncologist?\" S1: 34:59 Mm-hmm. Yeah. S2: 35:00 And, and he just look-looked at me, and I just got up and walked away. S1: 35:03 Yeah. S2: 35:04 And, , I sai-- I didn't even let them-- S1: 35:05 Yeah. S2: 35:05 --take the IV out. I took it out myself. I was -- S1: 35:10 \"I'm done.\" S2: 35:10 \"--I'm, I'm, I'm done.\" And I called, -- as I was walking out the door, I called Dr. P's office and said, \"Is there any way I can come see you?\" She goes, \"I don't have an appointment for-- , I don't have anything available until August something. In the meantime, if something happens, come down here to the ER.\" Well, a couple days later, I was down here in the ER, and they admitted me for three days. S1: 35:30 Mm-hmm. TranscribeMe 26 S2: 35:30 And then Dr. P, I saw her and was-- she has this lovely Thursday night office hours. So, -- S1: 35:37 Yeah. S2: 35:37 --I usually pick one around 6:30, 7 o'clock. S1: 35:40 Mm-hmm. S2: 35:41 And I was in her office with her until after 10 o'clock that night. S1: 35:44 Hmm. S2: 35:44 The first visit back-- so she could-- and she likes very thorough, da, da, da. S1: 35:49 That's great to hear. S2: 35:50 And she said, \"You have--\" a-and I said, \"I know I have an infection, but nobody will listen to me in, in Glendale. Nobody--\" S1: 35:56 Yeah. S2: 35:56 \"--will listen to me at all.\" And she looked, and she said, \"I'll find it.\" And she kept looking and looking. It took her a couple of weeks. S1: 36:03 Mm-hmm. S2: 36:03 , and she says, \"Good God, osteomyelitis.\" S1: 36:07 Mm-hmm. S2: 36:08 And so they started treating it, and-- and it's-- and it just-- i-it w-- couldn't be treated. S1: 36:13 Yeah. S2: 36:13 Had it-- probably, had it been treated earlier-- S1: 36:15 Yeah. S2: 36:16 --it wouldn't-- I wouldn't have lost my leg, so. S1: 36:19 That's unfortunate. S2: 36:19 Right. S1: 36:19 But, , that's a good bridge to talk about, self-advocacy. , so with your eye doctor specifically, could you explain a little bit about how you advocate for yourself regarding your eyes? S2: 36:35 For myself-- S1: 36:36 Yeah. S2: 36:36 --I do whatever she tells me to do. S1: 36:39 Yeah. S2: 36:41 I t-- I mean, if-- S1: 36:41 'Cause you trust her a lot, right? S2: 36:42 Yeah. If, if-- I trust her. I trust-- , the two I've seen her and Dr. L, , they'll ask me, \"Do you mind if--\" I said, \"I understand this is a teaching hospital--\" TranscribeMe 27 S1: 36:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 36:52 \"--and your students have to learn.\" S1: 36:55 Mm-hmm. S2: 36:55 \"I-I'm Guinea pig. I'm good for it, .\" S1: 36:58 Yeah. -- S2: 36:59 \", they need-- th-they-they're learning from you, and you're teaching them. It's not you're just letting them, , 'Okay, you go in, and, and you--\" S1: 37:05 Yeah. S2: 37:05 \"--tell me when.\" , you come in, and you're -- they-they'll come in. They'll do their exam and whatever they need to do, and then she'll come in. And she goes, \"Okay.\" And she'll ask me, \"Do you care if they give you the injections?\" I'm , \"No, I don't care.\" S1: 37:18 Yeah. S2: 37:18 And today I told her, I said, \"Well, the last three injections, the f-- the first two, , I was in pain, and it felt he was pushing the needle. It was gonna come out the back of my skull.\" S1: 37:30 Yeah. S2: 37:31 \", the last time, in May, that was good. That was a good experience. It wasn't--\" S1: 37:35 -huh. S2: 37:35 \"--bad.\" I said, \"When you do it, I, , I flinch a little bit, but nothing that's gonna-- S1: 37:40 Yeah. S2: 37:41 It doesn't-- , my eyes don't hurt now. S1: 37:43 That's good. It's great. S2: 37:44 And the last two times, they hurt for two or three days from the-- S1: 37:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 37:47 --where the injections were. S1: 37:49 Okay. S2: 37:50 So, but, -- so I trust her. S1: 37:53 Yeah. S2: 37:53 . And-- S1: 37:53 And it's good that you felt comfortable enough to express that to her. S2: 37:55 Yeah. S1: 37:56 Do you feel comfortable to ask questions about things with her also? TranscribeMe 28 S2: 37:59 Yes. If-- I said, if it's something that I'm not familiar with or something's changing, , a sticking eye, . S1: 38:08 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:09 , so. S1: 38:10 Yeah. , could you explain, , how you and your doctor make decisions about your care together? -- S2: 38:20 , I pretty much just go with whatever she suggests. S1: 38:24 Okay. Yeah. S2: 38:24 I mean, if she says something-- and it's with any of my doctors if they-- S1: 38:27 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:28 --say something. Now, multiple myeloma, that's what it was called. S1: 38:33 Okay. S2: 38:33 , when he said that, I just kinda looked at him and said, \"That's not it. When you told me to go see my PCP, I knew that was not it.\" S1: 38:44 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:45 And I told him, I'm , \"You're crazy.\" S1: 38:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:48 Yeah. The same way with the doctors when-- I-- when I-- when my blood pressure-- and I was blind. And it was, , the first doctor because I went in at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. And it was, , 6 o'clock in the morning when they said, \"Oh, we can't do anything for you.\" So the doctors changed at midnight, and I felt-- a-as it was getting closer to midnight, I, I could feel that that doctor didn't know what he was doing and was gonna pass it off, pass me off. S1: 39:17 Yeah. Yeah. S2: 39:18 And when he came in, he goes-- but the second doctor, he at least attempted-- S1: 39:24 Mm-hmm. S2: 39:25 --or, , or acted he was attempting. S1: 39:27 Yeah. S2: 39:27 , but the nurses didn't come in; nobody came in, . S1: 39:31 Hmm. Yeah. S2: 39:33 So. S1: 39:34 Okay. S2: 39:34 I'm , \"I'm not going back.\" S1: 39:36 I don't blame you, honestly. , so let's talk about your communication with your providers. So, , how do you feel about, , the tempo and the speed of your communication with your doctor? So when they're explaining things to you, or-- , I know you-- TranscribeMe 29 S2: 39:55 They-- I feel that the doctors here, anywhere in this facility, or-- S1: 40:00 Yeah. S2: 40:01 --any of these facilities-- S1: 40:02 Okay. S2: 40:02 --, they talk to me, not down to me or at me. S1: 40:07 That's good. S2: 40:08 And they-- if I have a question about something-- S1: 40:11 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:11 --they will explain it so that I understand it. I mean, I know a lot of medical stuff-- S1: 40:17 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:18 --, because I was an EMT at one time. S1: 40:21 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:21 So I, I got a general idea of things that are going on. S1: 40:24 Yeah. S2: 40:25 , but if I don't understand something-- S1: 40:28 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:28 --I'll, I'll tell them. I'm , , \"Could you explain that so I can understand it?\" And-- S1: 40:32 Yeah. S2: 40:33 --they, they-- I definitely do. S1: 40:34 Okay. -- S2: 40:36 I've been with Dr. P since she was a resident. S1: 40:40 Oh, long time. S2: 40:42 When I-- the first time I came down here in 2012, I was seeing a doctor in family medicine when they were over here where the dental school was. S1: 40:52 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:56 And, , when she started practicing, I said, \"Hey. I wanna be your patient.\" She said, \"Okay.\" So I've been with her ever since. S1: 41:09 Okay. , so how respected do you feel by your eye doctor? , do you feel she respects you? S2: 41:16 Yeah. S1: 41:17 Okay. S2: 41:17 I do. S1: 41:17 That's good. , okay. Is there anything else that you wanna share about eye-related problems, diabetes-related problems that you think we could benefit from knowing? TranscribeMe 30 S2: 41:29 Nope. Just everybody needs to learn to count carbs-- S1: 41:33 I'll put that in bold letters-- S2: 41:33 --and fo-- and fo-- S1: 41:34 \"--Learn to count carbs.\" S2: 41:35 --and follow instructions. S1: 41:38 Okay. S2: 41:38 Follow your medications, whatever they're prescribing to you. S1: 41:42 Okay. S2: 41:43 I mean, unless it makes you sick or-- so I've had my-- they found out after, , 18 years, that I was allergic to metformin. S1: 41:54 Oh. S2: 41:54 So I took myself-- we took my-- we took-- they took me, D-Dr. P and I made the decision-- S1: 42:01 Yeah. -huh. S2: 42:02 \"--Don't take it.\" S1: 42:03 Okay. S2: 42:03 So I quit taking it. , I went to her a couple of weeks ago, and I said, \"--\" or about a year ago, I went to her and-- after being off of it for three years. And I said, \", this metformin stuff.\" And she goes, \"Yeah?\" And I was , \"It is-- the--\" what do I want to say? \"The side effects-- the, the benefits far outweigh the side effects. So--\" S1: 42:31 Okay. S2: 42:32 \"--I want to go back on it.\" She said, \"Are you sure?\" And I'm , \"Yep.\" She said, \"Okay.\" So-- S1: 42:36 Hmm. S2: 42:36 --I'm back on it. S1: 42:38 Well, it's g-- well, it's good that you were able to-- S2: 42:40 Yeah. S1: 42:40 -- talk about that with her. S2: 42:42 Yeah. So I told her, I said, \"Yeah.\" I was , \"I think the, the side effects-- the benefits are-- far outweigh the side effects.\" S1: 42:48 Hmm. S2: 42:48 \"I can deal with them.\" S1: 42:49 Yeah. S2: 42:49 \". They're, they're minimal.\" TranscribeMe 31 S1: 42:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 42:52 \"I can live with that,\" so. S1: 42:54 Okay. Well, , those are all the questions we have for you. So-- S2: 42:58 Okay. S1: 42:58 --I'll go ahead and stop this. TranscribeMe 32",
  "chunks": [
    "Transcription details: Date: 25-Jul-2025 Input sound file: dr_DL01111.MP3 Transcription results: S1: 00:00 Participant ID DL0111. And this is a DR patient. Okay. I set that close to you so it can make sure we get your voice on there. S2: 00:13 Okay. S1: 00:13 , okay, so, before we start, do you have any questions about anything? S2: 00:17 No. S1: 00:18 No? Okay. , so, first, I'll go over just some general questions about how you take care of your diabetes, and then we'll explore more into that afterwards. So what are some things that you do each day that are related to your diabetes? S2: 00:35 , , just take my-- take my medications. I count carbs-- S1: 00:41 Okay. S2: 00:41 --, to try to get my A1C down. My A1C in January of last year was 15.8. S1: 00:48 Hmm. S2: 00:49 It was 12-something in May, and I started Ozempic. And in December, it went down to, , 4.5. It was too low, so they got me to bring it back up. So now I'm , I think, 7.7 or 7.8. S1: 01:01 Okay. , was adjusting to that difficult for you, --? S2: 01:07 , no, not really. The Ozempic made it really easy",
    "It was too low, so they got me to bring it back up. So now I'm , I think, 7.7 or 7.8. S1: 01:01 Okay. , was adjusting to that difficult for you, --? S2: 01:07 , no, not really. The Ozempic made it really easy. S1: 01:12 Okay. Good. S2: 01:12 But I just call it the wonder drug. I wish I had it five years ago. Maybe I wouldn't have lost my leg, but. S1: 01:17 Yeah. S2: 01:18 So. S1: 01:19 Okay. , what do you see as your biggest priority for you in those things that you do daily? S2: 01:25 Just making sure this is working, the-- S1: 01:28 Your Dexcom? Okay. S2: 01:29 --Dexcom is working, and then I follow what it's doing. S1: 01:33 Mm-hmm. S2: 01:34 -- TranscribeMe 1 S1: 01:34 Yeah. What -- do you have the 6 or the 7? S2: 01:37 The 7. It's the new one. S1: 01:38 The 7",
    "S1: 01:33 Mm-hmm. S2: 01:34 -- TranscribeMe 1 S1: 01:34 Yeah. What -- do you have the 6 or the 7? S2: 01:37 The 7. It's the new one. S1: 01:38 The 7. Do you ever experience, , any faulty readings or anything that with that Dexcom? S2: 01:43 I, I did with the-- at the end of the last sensor, he kept saying I was low reading, low reading, and I was pricking my fingers. And I was in the three hundreds, so. S1: 01:51 Okay. S2: 01:52 , but I always have the backup for the one touch barrier that I, I check against it. S1: 01:58 Yeah, of course. S2: 01:58 I just don't prick my finger every day. I, -- so, , so-- S1: 02:01 Mm-hmm. S2: 02:02 --if I feel off of or feel different than what that number's reading-- S1: 02:05 Yeah. S2: 02:06 --I'll do a finger prick. S1: 02:06 , and have you, , brought that up with your doctor that-- well, if it was just your last sensor, have you spoke to your doctor since then, your diabetes doctor? S2: 02:14 Yeah, we just-- actually, this is, the second month I've been using this-- S1: 02:19 Oh, okay. S2: 02:20 --because I was on the Libre 3. S1: 02:22 Mm-hmm. S2: 02:22 And the Libre 3 kept-- , the sensors were supposed to last 15 days, and they were only lasting sometimes between 6 and 11. S1: 02:32 Hmm. S2: 02:33 And then I ran out",
    "S2: 02:20 --because I was on the Libre 3. S1: 02:22 Mm-hmm. S2: 02:22 And the Libre 3 kept-- , the sensors were supposed to last 15 days, and they were only lasting sometimes between 6 and 11. S1: 02:32 Hmm. S2: 02:33 And then I ran out. S1: 02:33 Unreliable. S2: 02:34 And I couldn't keep-- , so I had-- S1: 02:36 Oh, yeah. S2: 02:36 I had to go-- I had to go, , 20 days without one-- S1: 02:39 Okay. S2: 02:40 --'cause I had three months' supply. S1: 02:41 -huh. S2: 02:42 And so they put-- they-- S1: 02:43 Okay. S2: 02:43 --gave me the Dexcom 7-- TranscribeMe 2 S1: 02:44 Yeah. S2: 02:45 --'cause they didn't have any Libre 3s. S1: 02:46 -huh. S2: 02:47 , and they said, \"Do you wanna try it?\" And I'm , \"Yeah.\" So I've-- I this one better, so. S1: 02:51 Yeah. Yeah, that's . S2: 02:52 And they're only 10-day sensors, so-- S1: 02:54 -huh. S2: 02:54 --I'll just, , wire them. Once they come off-- S1: 02:58 Mm-hmm",
    "S1: 02:51 Yeah. Yeah, that's . S2: 02:52 And they're only 10-day sensors, so-- S1: 02:54 -huh. S2: 02:54 --I'll just, , wire them. Once they come off-- S1: 02:58 Mm-hmm. S2: 02:58 --I'll finger stick for two or three days, and then I'll put it back on. S1: 03:02 Okay. , and was that a hard adjustment for you to, , get use to? S2: 03:05 Mm-mm. S1: 03:06 Okay. That's good. S2: 03:06 No. S1: 03:07 That's good. -- S2: 03:08 The only thing hard is to put that little sticker on. , I have to have somebody else do it. S1: 03:12 Yeah. , I have a friend who wears one, and she's all the time , \"Is my sticker on right? , does it look okay?\" , okay, so you mentioned that if you feel bad and maybe the Dexcom isn't reading what you expect it to read, , you'll finger stick, right? S2: 03:30 Right. S1: 03:30 So what do you look for to tell you-- or how do you feel to tell you that maybe your diabetes is getting worse or your sugar's out of whack? S2: 03:38 , I'm very-- I get very tired when it goes too low. S1: 03:42 Okay. S2: 03:42 That's my main concern, is that it drops too low. S1: 03:45 Okay",
    ", I have a friend who wears one, and she's all the time , \"Is my sticker on right? , does it look okay?\" , okay, so you mentioned that if you feel bad and maybe the Dexcom isn't reading what you expect it to read, , you'll finger stick, right? S2: 03:30 Right. S1: 03:30 So what do you look for to tell you-- or how do you feel to tell you that maybe your diabetes is getting worse or your sugar's out of whack? S2: 03:38 , I'm very-- I get very tired when it goes too low. S1: 03:42 Okay. S2: 03:42 That's my main concern, is that it drops too low. S1: 03:45 Okay. S2: 03:46 , I get very tired. If it happens when I'm sleeping, I sweat profusely. S1: 03:51 Okay. S2: 03:51 I-- to the point where I-- the first couple of times it happened, I thought I wet the bed. S1: 03:55 Okay. Mm-hmm. S2: 03:57 'Cause I was soaked, I had to change the sheets, everything. S1: 03:59 Okay. TranscribeMe 3 S2: 04:00 I sweat that much. S1: 04:00 Hmm. S2: 04:01 , so I just-- I always keep little candies beside my bed and-- S1: 04:05 Okay. Yeah. S2: 04:06 --, I try to keep an orange juice, but warm orange juice just doesn’t taste good. S1: 04:09 Yeah, that's true. , okay, so how do you-- how has diabetes affected your eyes specifically? S2: 04:16 , my sight was really, really bad",
    "S2: 04:01 , so I just-- I always keep little candies beside my bed and-- S1: 04:05 Okay. Yeah. S2: 04:06 --, I try to keep an orange juice, but warm orange juice just doesn’t taste good. S1: 04:09 Yeah, that's true. , okay, so how do you-- how has diabetes affected your eyes specifically? S2: 04:16 , my sight was really, really bad. And, , they just told me I was 20/20 in this eye and 20/25 in this eye. But I had surgery last fall-- S1: 04:30 Mm-hmm. S2: 04:30 --to remove cataracts. And ever since I haven't-- no contacts, nothing. I just re-- wear readers for reading closeup. S1: 04:36 Okay. That's good. S2: 04:37 I haven't seen this well since, -- I was probably 11, 12 years old-- S1: 04:42 Okay. S2: 04:42 --when I first started wearing glasses. S1: 04:44 And so did the-- so your vision's gotten better, right? S2: 04:48 Yeah. And that-- S1: 04:49 And was that because of the cataract removal? S2: 04:50 The cataract removal and, I think, because of the, the Ozempic and-- S1: 04:54 Oh, getting your-- S2: 04:55 --numbers coming down. S1: 04:56 Okay. S2: 04:57 Because, , when the numbers are high-- even now, -- S1: 05:00 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:01 --I-- there's a little slight difference in my, my-- with my sugar being 300. I don't know why it's 300 right now",
    "And that-- S1: 04:49 And was that because of the cataract removal? S2: 04:50 The cataract removal and, I think, because of the, the Ozempic and-- S1: 04:54 Oh, getting your-- S2: 04:55 --numbers coming down. S1: 04:56 Okay. S2: 04:57 Because, , when the numbers are high-- even now, -- S1: 05:00 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:01 --I-- there's a little slight difference in my, my-- with my sugar being 300. I don't know why it's 300 right now. But they're-- S1: 05:08 Yeah. S2: 05:08 --saying it's 300. S1: 05:09 Yeah. S2: 05:10 , 'cause all I-- well, I had an orange juice - maybe that's what did it - before I came in. But, , I can see a slight difference. But once it-- S1: 05:17 Okay. S2: 05:17 --comes back down and it's-- if it's below 140, I-I'm fine. TranscribeMe 4 S1: 05:21 Okay. And what specific changes have you noticed in, , the past year or so since, since you s-said that your vision's changed? S2: 05:29 , since the vision's changed? S1: 05:31 Yeah. S2: 05:31 , driving at night is much better. I s-- S1: 05:34 Okay. S2: 05:34 I still-- and basically, I call it night blindness unless there's a light on. S1: 05:39 Okay. S2: 05:40 And if it's dark, I have no balance. I'm all over the place",
    "I s-- S1: 05:34 Okay. S2: 05:34 I still-- and basically, I call it night blindness unless there's a light on. S1: 05:39 Okay. S2: 05:40 And if it's dark, I have no balance. I'm all over the place. S1: 05:41 Okay. S2: 05:42 I-- S1: 05:43 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:43 I can't stand. I'm always tripping or falling or stumbling. S1: 05:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:48 So-- S1: 05:48 Okay. S2: 05:49 --I, I have to-- I always have a-- S1: 05:50 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:51 --, a flashlight if I go out and have to do something in my yard, especially in the wintertime. Putting wood in our outdoor burner-- S1: 05:57 Mm-hmm. S2: 05:57 --I wear a headlight, or a lamplight-- S1: 06:00 Okay. S2: 06:00 --so I can see. S1: 06:01 Yeah. S2: 06:01 And I've got motion lights all along the path to get there. S1: 06:04 Yeah. , what does your-- what has your doctor told you about the changes in your vision that you've noticed, if anything? S2: 06:12 , not really anything",
    "S2: 06:00 --so I can see. S1: 06:01 Yeah. S2: 06:01 And I've got motion lights all along the path to get there. S1: 06:04 Yeah. , what does your-- what has your doctor told you about the changes in your vision that you've noticed, if anything? S2: 06:12 , not really anything. She ju-- they're they're impressed that, , I've maintained the 20/20 in this eye, and-- S1: 06:18 Yeah. S2: 06:19 --this eye is still fairly good. And it's-- S1: 06:20 Okay. S2: 06:20 And it's healing, -- TranscribeMe 5 S1: 06:21 Okay. S2: 06:21 --and getting better. S1: 06:23 , so what has your doctor expressed or told you about how diabetes could possibly affect your eyes? S2: 06:32 , I know that you can go blind from it. S1: 06:36 Mm-hmm. S2: 06:36 , but you just need to really watch your-- watch your, , your sugar levels because it-- S1: 06:42 Yeah. S2: 06:43 --, it affects so many things: your internal organs-- S1: 06:45 Mm-hmm. S2: 06:45 --your eyes, every-- S1: 06:46 Yeah. S2: 06:46 --and kidneys. S1: 06:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 06:48 So. S1: 06:48 , so have they, , said anything specific about, , the risks or anything that-- S2: 06:54 -- S1: 06:55 --that you can think of? S2: 06:57 I, I know they have. , I just think of can't think of them or-- S1: 06:59 That's okay",
    "S2: 06:46 --and kidneys. S1: 06:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 06:48 So. S1: 06:48 , so have they, , said anything specific about, , the risks or anything that-- S2: 06:54 -- S1: 06:55 --that you can think of? S2: 06:57 I, I know they have. , I just think of can't think of them or-- S1: 06:59 That's okay. That's okay. Yeah. S2: 07:00 --, off the bat. I mean, they, -- , the chances are that you-- that I- - that I could lose my sight altogether. S1: 07:05 Yeah. S2: 07:06 And we pretty much thought that was gonna happen at one point. S1: 07:09 Hmm. Mm-hmm. S2: 07:10 So. S1: 07:11 Okay. S2: 07:11 And that's when, , Dr. L sent me to Dr. P, . S1: 07:16 -huh. Okay",
    "S2: 07:11 And that's when, , Dr. L sent me to Dr. P, . S1: 07:16 -huh. Okay. , so where do you typically get your eye exams at? S2: 07:21 Here. S1: 07:21 Here? You get them here, all of the-- S2: 07:22 Mm-hmm. TranscribeMe 6 S1: 07:22 --, all your eyecares here? S2: 07:24 E-except for when I would wanna get contacts 'cause I-- S1: 07:26 Okay. S2: 07:27 --work with, , special needs, and it's hard to wear glasses around them-- S1: 07:29 Mm-hmm. S2: 07:30 --because they're, they're-- S1: 07:31 Yeah. I understand that. Mm-hmm. S2: 07:31 --always ripping them off, and they're breaking them. So I have to-- they don't do the, , contact exams here. So I go-- I have an ophthalmologist at home that I-- S1: 07:43 Okay. S2: 07:43 --go see. S1: 07:45 , you got your eyes dilated today, right? S2: 07:47 Yeah. S1: 07:48 Okay. S2: 07:48 Yeah, there's probably still pretty blurry right now. S1: 07:51 What-- , do you think that, , your dilated eye exam is important? S2: 07:58 Yes, because-- S1: 07:58 Yeah",
    "S2: 07:43 --go see. S1: 07:45 , you got your eyes dilated today, right? S2: 07:47 Yeah. S1: 07:48 Okay. S2: 07:48 Yeah, there's probably still pretty blurry right now. S1: 07:51 What-- , do you think that, , your dilated eye exam is important? S2: 07:58 Yes, because-- S1: 07:58 Yeah. S2: 07:59 --she shows me the pictures of what's-- she's looking for. -- S1: 08:02 Yeah. S2: 08:03 --, the, the reason for the dilation today was to take pictures-- S1: 08:06 Mm-hmm. S2: 08:07 --and then that the pictures haven't been taken since-- I think, March was the last time. So they take the pictures and, , she can tell better idea of what's going on. S1: 08:16 Okay. , and how often do you think you should have your eyes checked, just in general? S2: 08:22 Well, for the last year, I've been going every four weeks. And-- S1: 08:27 Okay. S2: 08:27 --ne-- my next visit will be in eight weeks now, October, I guess. S1: 08:30 Oh. S2: 08:30 So. S1: 08:30 That's good. Because of your improvement? S2: 08:32 'cause of the improvement. Yeah. S1: 08:34 Okay",
    "S2: 08:30 So. S1: 08:30 That's good. Because of your improvement? S2: 08:32 'cause of the improvement. Yeah. S1: 08:34 Okay. That's great. TranscribeMe 7 S2: 08:35 And it won't need the inject-- I get injections every time too. S1: 08:38 Oh, okay. S2: 08:39 In my eyes, so. S1: 08:40 In your eyes. Okay. , so going back, I know you couldn't recall, but can-- do you remember if your doctor has expressed, , the risk of different, , eye conditions due to diabetes, or was it just , \"Oh, you could go blind,\" or? S2: 08:59 , no, she, -- S1: 09:01 And that's okay if you can't recall. S2: 09:02 The-- I know that they said there's something with capillaries. S1: 09:06 Okay. S2: 09:07 And they-- 'cause Dr., , L was doing a laser and zapping-- that's what I call it, zapping, -- S1: 09:14 Yeah. S2: 09:15 --the capillaries to ho-- keep them at bay. S1: 09:17 Okay. S2: 09:18 , that could progress and cause blindness-- S1: 09:20 Okay. S2: 09:21 --so glaucoma. S1: 09:22 Mm-hmm",
    "S2: 09:15 --the capillaries to ho-- keep them at bay. S1: 09:17 Okay. S2: 09:18 , that could progress and cause blindness-- S1: 09:20 Okay. S2: 09:21 --so glaucoma. S1: 09:22 Mm-hmm. S2: 09:22 They keep the pre-- , they-- S1: 09:24 Yeah, pressures. S2: 09:24 --check on my pressure and stuff-- S1: 09:25 -huh. S2: 09:26 --, the cataracts, obviously-- S1: 09:29 Yeah. Mm-hmm. S2: 09:31 --and ta-- and removing those-- S1: 09:32 Mm-hmm. S2: 09:32 --so I could see. I mean, at one point, , a doctor had told me-- and that's before I started coming to the eye institute, told me-- S1: 09:38 Okay. S2: 09:38 --that, \"Oh, you got the cataracts, but they're not bad. They're not bad.\" And I'm , \"What do you mean they're not bad? I'm I'm looking through a prism sometimes-- \" S1: 09:45 Oh, yeah. TranscribeMe 8 S2: 09:46 And you're , \"They're not wor-- bad enough to do anything about it.\" And as soon as Dr. L saw them, she sent me to Dr. P. And P-P was , \"Yep, they're coming off.\" S1: 09:55 Okay. Yeah. Well, that's good that you got that second opinion",
    "L saw them, she sent me to Dr. P. And P-P was , \"Yep, they're coming off.\" S1: 09:55 Okay. Yeah. Well, that's good that you got that second opinion. S2: 09:59 Well-- and I also had a tear in the retina-- S1: 10:01 Oh, okay. S2: 10:01 --in my right eye, so she had to repair that too. S1: 10:04 Okay. , how comfortable are you to talk about, , diabetes-related eye problems with your doctor? S2: 10:11 Very. S1: 10:12 Very comfortable? S2: 10:12 Mm-hmm. If something's wrong, I tell them. And-- or if I notice something -- , this eye-- S1: 10:19 Mm-hmm. S2: 10:20 --was-- , it was I had a sticky contact in it. S1: 10:22 Hmm. Yeah. S2: 10:23 I don't know if you wore contacts or not, but-- S1: 10:24 Yes. I have contacts. S2: 10:25 --it feels it's, it's sticking and it's gumming up. And I'm -- S1: 10:27 Yeah. S2: 10:27 --always moving it, trying to s-slide it around so that-- S1: 10:30 -huh",
    "S2: 10:23 I don't know if you wore contacts or not, but-- S1: 10:24 Yes. I have contacts. S2: 10:25 --it feels it's, it's sticking and it's gumming up. And I'm -- S1: 10:27 Yeah. S2: 10:27 --always moving it, trying to s-slide it around so that-- S1: 10:30 -huh. S2: 10:31 --I could see through it again. And I was having problems with that. And, , you know, I-- MyChart's my best friend, right? S1: 10:37 Mm-hmm. Yeah. S2: 10:38 \"Dr. P, this is what's going on,\" or-- and that's with any of my doctors. S1: 10:41 Mm-hmm. S2: 10:42 , I-- if I notice something, I send them a message right away. S1: 10:46 Okay. That's good. How, , how would you describe your trust with your doctor? S2: 10:53 I trust him 100%. S1: 10:55 100%. Okay. That's great to hear. , okay, could you give me, , an example of a question that you would typically ask either your eye doctor or your diabetes doctor? S2: 11:06 Well, I just see my family medicine and pharmac-- , family medicine, or PCP-- S1: 11:11 Yeah",
    "How, , how would you describe your trust with your doctor? S2: 10:53 I trust him 100%. S1: 10:55 100%. Okay. That's great to hear. , okay, could you give me, , an example of a question that you would typically ask either your eye doctor or your diabetes doctor? S2: 11:06 Well, I just see my family medicine and pharmac-- , family medicine, or PCP-- S1: 11:11 Yeah. S2: 11:12 --and, -- TranscribeMe 9 S1: 11:12 -huh. S2: 11:13 --, see the pharmacy team with the, , family medicine-- S1: 11:16 Mm-hmm. S2: 11:16 --, for diabetes. , I didn't feel I was getting anywhere with, , endocrinology-- S1: 11:22 Okay. S2: 11:22 --, 'cause it was the same thing, \"Okay, we're gonna slide. We're gonna do this. We're gonna slide. We're gonna do this.\" And then speaking with the diabetic educators and, , my family doctor and the pharmacy team has opened my eyes a lot more. S1: 11:38 Yeah. Okay. S2: 11:38 , and I-- , they got me to counting carbs, , \"Okay, I know that I can have this many carbs, or I can have that many carbs.\" And one thing with the Ozempic, I'm not hungry all the time. S1: 11:50 Okay. S2: 11:51 , and a lot of foods turn me off. -- S1: 11:54 Mm-hmm. S2: 11:55 --the, the smell of food cooking sometimes makes me sick to my stomach",
    "S2: 11:38 , and I-- , they got me to counting carbs, , \"Okay, I know that I can have this many carbs, or I can have that many carbs.\" And one thing with the Ozempic, I'm not hungry all the time. S1: 11:50 Okay. S2: 11:51 , and a lot of foods turn me off. -- S1: 11:54 Mm-hmm. S2: 11:55 --the, the smell of food cooking sometimes makes me sick to my stomach. S1: 11:58 Mm-hmm. Okay. S2: 11:59 And I've noticed that-- I call it the Thanksgiving pause. , at Thanksgiving, they say when you're eating, your body has that natural sigh-- S1: 12:08 Yeah. S2: 12:09 --when you're full, but everybody eats past it. S1: 12:11 -huh. S2: 12:11 When I get to that point, if I go past it, I get sick. S1: 12:15 Okay S2: 12:16 So I know that, \"Okay, I'm done.\" S1: 12:17 Mm-hmm. Yeah. S2: 12:18 And it used to be-- two quarter pounders at McDonald's is now-- if I can get half of one down, it's a-- it's something. S1: 12:26 Okay. , and are you pleased with, , the outcomes from that Ozempic, , do you think? S2: 12:30 Yes. S1: 12:31 Okay. S2: 12:32 Yeah. S1: 12:32 That's good",
    "S1: 12:26 Okay. , and are you pleased with, , the outcomes from that Ozempic, , do you think? S2: 12:30 Yes. S1: 12:31 Okay. S2: 12:32 Yeah. S1: 12:32 That's good. TranscribeMe 10 S2: 12:32 , I said, I wish I would've known about it six years ago, and maybe I would still have my leg. S1: 12:37 Yeah. , so in your opinion, how likely, , do you think that you are to lose either, , partial or full vision because of your diabetes? S2: 12:49 Say that again. S1: 12:50 In your opi-- in, in your own opinion-- S2: 12:51 My opinion. S1: 12:52 --, how likely do you think you are to lose either partial or full eyesight because of your diabetes? S2: 13:00 If you were to ask me that a year ago, I would've said, \"100%, I think I'll lose it.\" S1: 13:04 Okay. S2: 13:04 , now I'm, I'm fairly comfortable with it, and I think it's-- if I can keep maintaining what I'm doing-- S1: 13:11 Mm-hmm. S2: 13:12 --I'll, , I-I'll be okay. S1: 13:15 Okay. , and in regards to other eye conditions, have you ever-- so you had your cataracts removed. Do you have glaucoma? S2: 13:23 No. S1: 13:24 No. Do you have any other-- dry eye or age-related eyesight decline, anything that that anyone's mentioned? S2: 13:29 No. S1: 13:30 Okay. , does anyone in your family have anything of that nature that you can recall? S2: 13:34 No. S1: 13:36 No? S2: 13:36 Not-- I mean, my stepmom, she had the cataracts, but she's not diabetic, so",
    "S1: 13:24 No. Do you have any other-- dry eye or age-related eyesight decline, anything that that anyone's mentioned? S2: 13:29 No. S1: 13:30 Okay. , does anyone in your family have anything of that nature that you can recall? S2: 13:34 No. S1: 13:36 No? S2: 13:36 Not-- I mean, my stepmom, she had the cataracts, but she's not diabetic, so. S1: 13:41 Mm-hmm. Okay. S2: 13:42 Yeah. And-- S1: 13:43 -- S2: 13:43 And she had the same results when her cataracts were resolved. She, , didn't need glasses anymore. S1: 13:49 That's great. S2: 13:49 And she's worn glasses since, since I-- since I was four, I've known her-- or since I was two, I've known her. S1: 13:54 Yeah. TranscribeMe 11 S2: 13:55 They got married when I was four. , but I, -- , she just now had to go get an eye exam and get glasses again. And that's been a year and a half. So I'm, I'm looking to-- , \"Okay. I'm coming up on a year next month--\" S1: 14:10 Yeah. S2: 14:10 --or-- yeah, I guess it is July, so August. S1: 14:12 Mm-hmm",
    "And that's been a year and a half. So I'm, I'm looking to-- , \"Okay. I'm coming up on a year next month--\" S1: 14:10 Yeah. S2: 14:10 --or-- yeah, I guess it is July, so August. S1: 14:12 Mm-hmm. S2: 14:13 And then the second I was done in July-- or September, I think so. Coming up on a year, so I'm looking at maybe this time next year, having to have an exy-- eye exam to get glasses. I don't know. S1: 14:23 Okay. S2: 14:23 Just if I go by what she's on, but she's 20 years older than me too, so. S1: 14:27 Yeah. That's true. Yeah. , so how would you describe just your overall experience with being diagnosed with these exa-- eye, eye issues? -- S2: 14:37 Very scary at first. S1: 14:39 Okay. S2: 14:39 , I was actually at an amusement park when the doctor called me and said, \"Listen, we-- you need to change things, or you're not gonna have any eyesight,\" so. S1: 14:48 Mm-hmm. Okay. S2: 14:49 , it was-- and it was-- I just remember it was dark out when he called me. There was-- S1: 14:54 Mm-hmm",
    "S2: 14:39 , I was actually at an amusement park when the doctor called me and said, \"Listen, we-- you need to change things, or you're not gonna have any eyesight,\" so. S1: 14:48 Mm-hmm. Okay. S2: 14:49 , it was-- and it was-- I just remember it was dark out when he called me. There was-- S1: 14:54 Mm-hmm. S2: 14:54 --a lot of noise, and I had to go off into the corner to talk to him, and that set [trails off] S1: 14:57 Yeah. Really set the mood for that. S2: 14:59 Yeah, it really changed the mood, and so. S1: 15:02 , what about your experience with follow-ups, , after treatments and things that? What's, wha-what's your overall experience with those things? S2: 15:11 So far so good, I haven't-- S1: 15:12 Okay. S2: 15:12 --had any problems. I mean-- S1: 15:13 That's great. S2: 15:14 , and everybody's , \"Y-you live an hour and a half away. Why do you keep coming here?\" And I'm , \"Because I don't have to worry about what's gonna happen,\" and I know what's gonna happen. S1: 15:23 Yeah. TranscribeMe 12 S2: 15:24 And I know that being in WVU Medicine, here, , what happens here-- they know my family medicine. My cardiologist knows. Everybody knows, so they can see it, so. S1: 15:39 Mm-hmm. S2: 15:40 And I know that the, the system goes through, , the Reynolds. There's WVU Medicine-- S1: 15:46 Yeah",
    "My cardiologist knows. Everybody knows, so they can see it, so. S1: 15:39 Mm-hmm. S2: 15:40 And I know that the, the system goes through, , the Reynolds. There's WVU Medicine-- S1: 15:46 Yeah. S2: 15:46 --where I live. S1: 15:47 -huh. S2: 15:47 But I don't trust them. S1: 15:49 Oh, that's okay. S2: 15:50 And, and I always say I'm coming, and I, I, g-- I-I-I'll go to the mothership. That's what I call it. They got a kick out of it one day 'cause I brought my-- I had to go to the emergency room, and I brought myself here. I drove an hour and a half by myself, and I came to the emergency room and ended up being admitted. And they're , \"Why did you drive yourself here when there's--\" I was , \"Because I don't them. I, I don't trust them. I--\" S1: 16:11 Mean you feel the care is better here? S2: 16:13 Yes. The care is better here. S1: 16:14 Okay. S2: 16:14 I'd said, \"All you guys did was put lipstick on a pig. You're making those buildings look beautiful, but you need to change the staff.\" S1: 16:20 That's fair",
    "I--\" S1: 16:11 Mean you feel the care is better here? S2: 16:13 Yes. The care is better here. S1: 16:14 Okay. S2: 16:14 I'd said, \"All you guys did was put lipstick on a pig. You're making those buildings look beautiful, but you need to change the staff.\" S1: 16:20 That's fair. S2: 16:20 And I'm not tal-- and I'm not talking about the support staff. S1: 16:23 Yeah. S2: 16:24 I'm talking about the doctors because-- S1: 16:26 Mm-hmm. S2: 16:27 I went to Reynolds last year because I literally went blind-- S1: 16:31 Hmm. S2: 16:32 --a year ago in April. S1: 16:33 Mm-hmm. S2: 16:35 , my blood pressure dropped to, -- the bottom number was in the 30s. S1: 16:40 Okay. S2: 16:41 And I could not see. I wa-- i-it was dropping. And we-- and I said, \"I think I need to go to the emergency room.\" And first, we thought it was a sugar drop. S1: 16:48 Okay. TranscribeMe 13 S2: 16:49 And then we were -- I ate and nothing was changing. S1: 16:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 16:52 So my mom had a blood pressure cuff, and she's , \"Oh my gosh, we gotta get you emergency room.\" S1: 16:57 Hmm",
    "And we-- and I said, \"I think I need to go to the emergency room.\" And first, we thought it was a sugar drop. S1: 16:48 Okay. TranscribeMe 13 S2: 16:49 And then we were -- I ate and nothing was changing. S1: 16:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 16:52 So my mom had a blood pressure cuff, and she's , \"Oh my gosh, we gotta get you emergency room.\" S1: 16:57 Hmm. S2: 16:58 And I'm -- to me, the emergency room was coming here. S1: 17:01 Yeah. S2: 17:01 But she said that was too far for what was happening, so she took me to Reynolds, and we were there for 14 hours. They put a, , IV in me. They did a CAT scan, the IV that would give me fluids, which they never gave me. The only thing-- and then they had to change the IV because it was too small gauge 'cause they did another CAT scan with contrast. S1: 17:22 Yeah. S2: 17:23 , and they did the-- all this within the first three hours. S1: 17:28 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:29 And they kept saying they were gonna give me fluids. I begged them for water and never got it. S1: 17:34 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:34 , and, yeah, after 14 hours, they come in , \"Well, we don't know what to do with you, so we're going-- we're going to get an ambulance and take you to W-- to Ruby.\" I'm , \"I'll take myself to Ruby, and I don't need an ambulance.\" S1: 17:47 \"I'll drive myself.\" S2: 17:47 And I couldn't see the whole time. My, my eye-- S1: 17:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:50 By the time I-- I actually got out of the car and fell along the wall and found my way into the hospital as my-- S1: 17:57 Mm-hmm",
    "I begged them for water and never got it. S1: 17:34 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:34 , and, yeah, after 14 hours, they come in , \"Well, we don't know what to do with you, so we're going-- we're going to get an ambulance and take you to W-- to Ruby.\" I'm , \"I'll take myself to Ruby, and I don't need an ambulance.\" S1: 17:47 \"I'll drive myself.\" S2: 17:47 And I couldn't see the whole time. My, my eye-- S1: 17:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:50 By the time I-- I actually got out of the car and fell along the wall and found my way into the hospital as my-- S1: 17:57 Mm-hmm. S2: 17:58 I mean, I could-- I, I c-- I could tell that there was a wall. S1: 18:02 Yeah. S2: 18:03 But I couldn't make out any features. I couldn't read anything. S1: 18:05 Okay. S2: 18:05 Couldn't see faces. S1: 18:07 Interesting. S2: 18:07 And by the time I got-- they got me back, I was totally blind. S1: 18:10 Mm-hmm. S2: 18:11 And that's-- it lasted for, well, over-- when I got to here. TranscribeMe 14 S1: 18:17 Yeah. S2: 18:17 And they started giving me fluids. S1: 18:19 Were you-- sorry. Were you able to, , express those concerns when you were here? , did they-- were they responsive of-- S2: 18:24 Well-- well, yeah, they did because they said, \"Well, we'd to give you another, , bag of fluids, but we can't because Reynolds has already charted that they did do.\" I said, \"They didn't give me anything.\" S1: 18:36 Okay. S2: 18:36 They didn't do anything, so-- S1: 18:38 -huh",
    "TranscribeMe 14 S1: 18:17 Yeah. S2: 18:17 And they started giving me fluids. S1: 18:19 Were you-- sorry. Were you able to, , express those concerns when you were here? , did they-- were they responsive of-- S2: 18:24 Well-- well, yeah, they did because they said, \"Well, we'd to give you another, , bag of fluids, but we can't because Reynolds has already charted that they did do.\" I said, \"They didn't give me anything.\" S1: 18:36 Okay. S2: 18:36 They didn't do anything, so-- S1: 18:38 -huh. S2: 18:38 --I mean-- so they couldn't do it. So, , they brought me, , Pedialyte and-- S1: 18:43 Oh, okay. S2: 18:43 --water. And I, I was drinking-- S1: 18:45 Oh, the methods to keep you-- S2: 18:46 Yeah, I was drinking and drinking and drinking, and I was -- I begged for ice water. My mom finally went and got a, -- S1: 18:52 -huh. S2: 18:52 --a bottle of water out of a vending machine and gave it to me-- S1: 18:55 Mm-hmm. S2: 18:55 --because I was so thirsty. S1: 18:56 Okay. -- S2: 18:58 And I-- and I know that one of the things for blood pressure low is to drink water to increase it, so. S1: 19:04 Yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay. Well, it's good that you got-- S2: 19:07 Yeah. S1: 19:07 --to here and that you're comfortable here. , that's great",
    "Mm-hmm. Okay. Well, it's good that you got-- S2: 19:07 Yeah. S1: 19:07 --to here and that you're comfortable here. , that's great. S2: 19:11 Yeah. S1: 19:11 So-- S2: 19:12 I'm down here once a week, sometimes four times a week. I try to get them all-- S1: 19:19 You ge-- S2: 19:20 --on the same day, but -- S1: 19:21 Drive the route blindfolded now. S2: 19:22 Yeah, probably. But I don't mind to drive. I to drive. S1: 19:25 Yeah. TranscribeMe 15 S2: 19:25 So it doesn't bother me to drive down here. S1: 19:27 Mm-hmm. Yeah. , what helps you keep up with, , using regular healthcare services, such as, , your dilated eye exams, follow-follow-ups, treatment? S2: 19:38 , a doctor said, \"This is when you come back,\" so that's when I come back. S1: 19:43 Okay. Yeah. S2: 19:44 I-I'm, I'm just always been one that I know when something's wrong with me. S1: 19:49 Mm-hmm",
    ", what helps you keep up with, , using regular healthcare services, such as, , your dilated eye exams, follow-follow-ups, treatment? S2: 19:38 , a doctor said, \"This is when you come back,\" so that's when I come back. S1: 19:43 Okay. Yeah. S2: 19:44 I-I'm, I'm just always been one that I know when something's wrong with me. S1: 19:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 19:49 And I will seek help for it. S1: 19:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 19:52 And, , in 2006, I had appendicitis. S1: 19:55 Mm-hmm. S2: 19:57 And-- or 2005, I had appendicitis. And I took myself to the emergency room-- well, I had my dad take me. And they're telling me that it-- I was-- had kidney stones. And I'm , , \"No, I do not have kidney stones.\" And I argued with the doctors in the emergency-- S1: 20:12 Yeah. S2: 20:13 --room at Wheeling. And finally, another doctor came in and goes, \"Yep, you have-- you have appendicitis.\" And it was a Sunday morning. My dad's , \"Well, I'm going home.\" It was, , 4 o'clock in the morning. He said, \"I'm going home.\" , \"You're not going home. They're gonna do surgery.\" \"It's Sunday. They're not gonna do it.\" I was , \"They're gonna do surgery. This is an emergency Dad.\" And the doctor asked me, he goes, \"Most guys would just let it burst.\" I'm , \"I'm not those guys",
    "My dad's , \"Well, I'm going home.\" It was, , 4 o'clock in the morning. He said, \"I'm going home.\" , \"You're not going home. They're gonna do surgery.\" \"It's Sunday. They're not gonna do it.\" I was , \"They're gonna do surgery. This is an emergency Dad.\" And the doctor asked me, he goes, \"Most guys would just let it burst.\" I'm , \"I'm not those guys. If something's wrong, I'm getting it fixed.\" S1: 20:34 Yeah, yeah. S2: 20:35 Yeah. I know. I know my body. It's, it's when I had, -- my gallbladder was bothering me. And, and gone and gone and gone, and I-- finally, I said, \"Would you just do a HIDA scan to see if it's how my gallbladder--\" \"How do about it?\" I said-- S1: 20:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 20:49 \"--Don't worry about how I know about it. Just-- just do one.\" And so we did one, and , \"Yeah, we gotta take that out. It's not functioning at all. S1: 20:54 Oh, interesting. Hmm. . Wow, that's crazy. So-- S2: 21:03 I have a nur-- a friend who's a nurse, so who's an ex-girlfriend, and-- S1: 21:07 -huh. S2: 21:07 --we're still good friends",
    "Hmm. . Wow, that's crazy. So-- S2: 21:03 I have a nur-- a friend who's a nurse, so who's an ex-girlfriend, and-- S1: 21:07 -huh. S2: 21:07 --we're still good friends. And she told me, she said, \"Ask them for HIDA scan.\" And I'm , \"Okay.\" S1: 21:12 It worked good. S2: 21:13 Yeah. TranscribeMe 16 S1: 21:13 Worked in your favor, though. -- S2: 21:14 And she know-- it's if something's wrong, when I was having this amputated-- S1: 21:18 Mm-hmm. S2: 21:19 --she called me and goes, \"What's going on? Something's wrong with you, and I d-- I haven't figured it out yet.\" And I'm -- cause we're both born-- we have the same birthday-- S1: 21:26 Mm-hmm. S2: 21:26 --both born at 5:05 in the morning-- S1: 21:28 Yeah. S2: 21:28 --five years apart. S1: 21:29 Oh. S2: 21:30 I'm . S1: 21:30 So it's -- S2: 21:31 Well, that's why-- I think that's why we didn't work out as a couple is because we were so in tune-- S1: 21:36 Too much alike. S2: 21:37 We were so in tune to each other that, , we could actually have a conversation and not say a word. S1: 21:42 Yeah. , do you face any challenges with receiving your eye care? S2: 21:48 No. S1: 21:48 No? Okay. S2: 21:49 No",
    "S2: 21:37 We were so in tune to each other that, , we could actually have a conversation and not say a word. S1: 21:42 Yeah. , do you face any challenges with receiving your eye care? S2: 21:48 No. S1: 21:48 No? Okay. S2: 21:49 No. I, I come down here-- S1: 21:50 Other than-- S2: 21:51 --and, , sometimes I, I will plan it, and I'll say, \"Okay. I, I need somebody to drive me home.\" S1: 21:58 Mm-hmm. S2: 21:59 \"Otherwise, I'm gonna go take a nap in the car until my eyes are back, and--\" S1: 22:02 Yeah. S2: 22:03 \"--my vision's back.\" S1: 22:03 Mm-hmm. Do you-- do you have any suggestions on what we can do to maybe help patients have a better experience with using their diabetes and eye care? S2: 22:17 The only thing I could say is just, if your doctor's suggesting it, follow through with it-- S1: 22:23 Yeah. S2: 22:23 --, because it-- they're the professionals, and they know best. S1: 22:27 Mm-hmm. Yeah, correct. TranscribeMe 17 S2: 22:27 And it-- and it works. S1: 22:29 Okay. -- S2: 22:30 , because I wasn't paying attention and I wasn't doing anything, and, , when Dr. L started doing the, the lasers on my eyes and, and I was coming back and she goes, \"They're coming back. They're, they're growing faster, and I can zap them away. And-- \" , , , finally, I was , \"Yeah, I, I need to s-- come up with this. I need to follow through with getting my sugars down and getting--\" S1: 23:01 Yeah",
    "-- S2: 22:30 , because I wasn't paying attention and I wasn't doing anything, and, , when Dr. L started doing the, the lasers on my eyes and, and I was coming back and she goes, \"They're coming back. They're, they're growing faster, and I can zap them away. And-- \" , , , finally, I was , \"Yeah, I, I need to s-- come up with this. I need to follow through with getting my sugars down and getting--\" S1: 23:01 Yeah. S2: 23:01 \"--everything down,\" so. S1: 23:03 Okay. -- S2: 23:03 And I notice, a lot of times, when my sugar goes real high, I've noticed I've had an infection somewhere. S1: 23:09 Mm-hmm. S2: 23:10 And-- S1: 23:10 Mm-hmm. S2: 23:10 Because I'm , \"I don't eat carbs. Well, I don't eat potatoes. I don't eat bread. I don't eat all this stuff, the carbs. I eat a lot of protein.\" So we're trying to figure out where is it coming from. , it's an infection. S1: 23:20 Do you have someone to help with your daily diabetes care? S2: 23:24 No, I do it myself. Well-- S1: 23:25 Okay. S2: 23:26 --my mom lives next door. And the first thing she says when she see me, \"Did you take your meds?\" And I'm , \"Yes, mom.\" S1: 23:33 Do you-- do you fill--? S2: 23:33 And she actually comes over and checks to make sure that I've filled up my weekly pill bottle",
    ", it's an infection. S1: 23:20 Do you have someone to help with your daily diabetes care? S2: 23:24 No, I do it myself. Well-- S1: 23:25 Okay. S2: 23:26 --my mom lives next door. And the first thing she says when she see me, \"Did you take your meds?\" And I'm , \"Yes, mom.\" S1: 23:33 Do you-- do you fill--? S2: 23:33 And she actually comes over and checks to make sure that I've filled up my weekly pill bottle. Daily thing. S1: 23:40 Yeah. S2: 23:40 She'll go up and check them. She goes, \"Are these filled out? Oh, yes, they're filled,\" . Or if they-- S1: 23:46 Yeah. S2: 23:46 --go up and I was , \"It may--\" I fill them up on Saturday night, and she'll go up on Tuesday. And it's , \"I filled those up. They were empty.\" I say to her, \"It's only three days empty. I filled them up on Fri-- on Saturday.\" S1: 23:58 She's gonna make sure you're on top of it. S2: 23:59 Yeah, . S1: 24:00 Do you feel comfortable, , and well-managed doing it on your own? S2: 24:05 Yes. TranscribeMe 18 S1: 24:05 Okay. That's good. S2: 24:07 'Cause I got the ha-- the, the pharmacy team-- S1: 24:09 Mm-hmm. S2: 24:10 --and Dr",
    "S1: 24:00 Do you feel comfortable, , and well-managed doing it on your own? S2: 24:05 Yes. TranscribeMe 18 S1: 24:05 Okay. That's good. S2: 24:07 'Cause I got the ha-- the, the pharmacy team-- S1: 24:09 Mm-hmm. S2: 24:10 --and Dr. P-- S1: 24:12 Yeah. S2: 24:12 --, who message me and say, \"Hey, how's this going? How's--\" , I was having problems with, , , being nauseous a lot. S1: 24:23 Hmm. Okay. S2: 24:24 , and they put me on Jardiance, and they asked, they said, 'Hey, we're gonna take you off--\" and this is two weeks ago. \"We're gonna take you off Jardiance to see if that's what's causing you to be nauseous.\" S1: 24:33 Mm-hmm. S2: 24:33 They sent me a message yesterday. \"So we're checking up about the Jardiance. Is it-- ?\" S1: 24:37 That's nice. S2: 24:38 \"Since you-- are you still having--\" I said, \"I'm still having it. Haven't made any changes. I'm going back on Jardiance.\" She's , \"Okay,\" so. S1: 24:45 Well, it's good that-- S2: 24:46 Yeah. S1: 24:46 That feels more personal, . S2: 24:49 Yeah",
    "Haven't made any changes. I'm going back on Jardiance.\" She's , \"Okay,\" so. S1: 24:45 Well, it's good that-- S2: 24:46 Yeah. S1: 24:46 That feels more personal, . S2: 24:49 Yeah. S1: 24:49 Yeah. Great. S2: 24:49 I-- that's why I it, because the-- it, it is more personalized. S1: 24:53 Mm-hmm. S2: 24:53 Just there was a question on that survey that asked about, , do I feel comfortable with them? I'm , \"Yes. I feel comfortable with them.\" S1: 24:59 Yeah. Okay. , so who do you share your, , , worries and fears about your diabetes and eyesight with? S2: 25:11 -- S1: 25:12 If, if at all you do. S2: 25:13 I, I, I, I really don't-- I, I really don't worry about it anymore. S1: 25:17 Okay. That's good. S2: 25:18 I-- , I don't-- I-- , I'm the type of person-- , it is what it is. When I made the decision to have my w-- my foot amputated, I'm -- I cried for two weeks, and then I'm, , realizing, , \" what? I'm still alive. And it's, it's not as bad as the guys in, in the military that are coming back--\" TranscribeMe 19 S1: 25:38 Yeah. S2: 25:38 \"--from overseas",
    "That's good. S2: 25:18 I-- , I don't-- I-- , I'm the type of person-- , it is what it is. When I made the decision to have my w-- my foot amputated, I'm -- I cried for two weeks, and then I'm, , realizing, , \" what? I'm still alive. And it's, it's not as bad as the guys in, in the military that are coming back--\" TranscribeMe 19 S1: 25:38 Yeah. S2: 25:38 \"--from overseas. And--\" S1: 25:39 -huh. S2: 25:40 \"--, I'm not gonna cry about it.\" And-- S1: 25:43 Yeah. S2: 25:44 --when, after the surgery and Dr., , M came in, the surgeon, saw me in recovery, , I asked her, I said, \"Hey, when you come in tomorrow, would you stop at IHOP and get me an application?\" S1: 25:58 That's so silly. I bet they got a kick out of that, didn't they? S2: 26:02 And I s-- I said, \"Well, there's a good thing.\" And she goes, \"What's good about losing your leg?\" I said, \"I don't have to worry about where that other sock goes.\" She's -- she goes, \"At least you have a good-- a good sense of humor about--\" I was , \"If you can't laugh about it-- S1: 26:17 Mm-hmm. That's true. S2: 26:17 \"--i-it will--\" I, I have-- , it's better than the alternative. I can't-- I'm not gonna lay around and cry about it, . S1: 26:22 Yeah. S2: 26:23 It is what it is. I'm-- I gotta live with it, so. S1: 26:25 Yeah. , so what about-- who do you call or ask for advice in regards to, , handling any eye problems? S2: 26:37 , I will call here. S1: 26:39 Okay. S2: 26:39 , again, the MyChart messaging and-- S1: 26:42 Yeah. S2: 26:43 --Dr",
    "S1: 26:25 Yeah. , so what about-- who do you call or ask for advice in regards to, , handling any eye problems? S2: 26:37 , I will call here. S1: 26:39 Okay. S2: 26:39 , again, the MyChart messaging and-- S1: 26:42 Yeah. S2: 26:43 --Dr. P or Dr. L. S1: 26:46 Okay. S2: 26:46 It's , \"Hey, this is going on. What should I do, or any suggestions?\" S1: 26:49 Mm-hmm. S2: 26:50 \", do you think I need to make a-- an appointment sooner?\" S1: 26:53 Yeah. S2: 26:54 , and usually, it's , \"Well, we see you every four weeks, but you-you'll be good till then, . But we know that concern is there, and we will--\" S1: 27:01 Mm-hmm. S2: 27:01 \"--keep it-- that's something we'll definitely look at when you get in here.\" 'Cause-- S1: 27:04 Okay. TranscribeMe 20 S2: 27:04 'Cause usually, by the time I have something, it's , \"Okay, you're a week out from an appointment.\" S1: 27:08 Yeah. S2: 27:09 And i-it's hard to get an appointment-- S1: 27:11 Mm-hmm. S2: 27:12 --that quick anyways. S1: 27:13 Yeah. You mentioned earlier that you did, , diabetes education classes, right-- S2: 27:17 Mm-hmm. S1: 27:18 --of sof-- of some sort",
    "S2: 27:09 And i-it's hard to get an appointment-- S1: 27:11 Mm-hmm. S2: 27:12 --that quick anyways. S1: 27:13 Yeah. You mentioned earlier that you did, , diabetes education classes, right-- S2: 27:17 Mm-hmm. S1: 27:18 --of sof-- of some sort. -- S2: 27:21 That's true. S1: 27:22 --so how long are those? Were they, , week-long sessions, or? S2: 27:26 No, it was-- it was the diabetic educators. A lot of it was when I was hospitalized. They'd come in and talk to me. S1: 27:32 Okay. S2: 27:33 , and then I'd come down, and I'd see the educators and pharmacists and-- S1: 27:38 Okay. S2: 27:39 --, someone from family medicine would come in and talk to me. S1: 27:42 Mm-hmm. S2: 27:42 It was probably about three hours or-- , altogether-- S1: 27:45 Okay. S2: 27:46 --when I c-co-- visit an offi-- or a clinic visit. S1: 27:48 Do you-- do you feel that was sufficient for you, or do you wish you would've had more education? S2: 27:53 , I think it's sufficient because the, the big thing I noticed is, when I started counting carbs and I learned how to count carbs-- S1: 28:00 Okay. S2: 28:01 --, the-- I saw a big difference. S1: 28:03 Okay. That's g-- that's so good. That's great to hear",
    "S1: 27:48 Do you-- do you feel that was sufficient for you, or do you wish you would've had more education? S2: 27:53 , I think it's sufficient because the, the big thing I noticed is, when I started counting carbs and I learned how to count carbs-- S1: 28:00 Okay. S2: 28:01 --, the-- I saw a big difference. S1: 28:03 Okay. That's g-- that's so good. That's great to hear. S2: 28:07 Sometimes I -- I, , tell every-- I'll tell myself, I'm , \"You can have six carbs for dinner.\" S1: 28:17 Yeah. S2: 28:17 Six carb choices. S1: 28:18 All of a sudden, all foods look-- S2: 28:19 Yeah. TranscribeMe 21 S1: 28:20 You just see their carbs. S2: 28:21 And, and the thing is, is that I was never one for sweets. I mean, I, I would eat them. I liked sweets. S1: 28:28 Yeah. Yeah. S2: 28:29 I just wasn't-- it wasn't something, , I had to have. S1: 28:31 -huh. S2: 28:32 , now if I saw ice cream, I would eat that, definitely. S1: 28:35 Yeah. Yeah. S2: 28:36 That's my favorite",
    "S1: 28:31 -huh. S2: 28:32 , now if I saw ice cream, I would eat that, definitely. S1: 28:35 Yeah. Yeah. S2: 28:36 That's my favorite. S1: 28:37 Mm-hmm. S2: 28:38 But for most parts-- S1: 28:38 baked goods, those sweets. S2: 28:40 Mm-hmm. , birthday cake. , I want the sweetest icing I, I can when I have it, but-- S1: 28:45 Yeah. S2: 28:46 --it's not something I have to have. , I was always breads-- S1: 28:50 Yeah. S2: 28:51 --potatoes-- S1: 28:52 Mm-hmm. S2: 28:52 --the-- all the starches. , and now, with the Ozempic, I'm craving sweets crazy. But I know that I can eat them-- S1: 29:03 Yeah. S2: 29:04 --and it doesn't-- it's not going to, -- because I'm not eating any other carbs-- S1: 29:08 Yeah. S2: 29:09 --I pretty much drink my carbs. , I-- S1: 29:12 Yeah. S2: 29:12 --I, I was drinking Coke Zero-- S1: 29:15 Mm-hmm",
    "But I know that I can eat them-- S1: 29:03 Yeah. S2: 29:04 --and it doesn't-- it's not going to, -- because I'm not eating any other carbs-- S1: 29:08 Yeah. S2: 29:09 --I pretty much drink my carbs. , I-- S1: 29:12 Yeah. S2: 29:12 --I, I was drinking Coke Zero-- S1: 29:15 Mm-hmm. S2: 29:15 --, which I still do, if I'm gonna have a soda. S1: 29:17 Mm-hmm. S2: 29:18 But I've drank a-- grabbed the wrong bottle, drank a Coke, and it doesn't really have that much of a bad effect on me. S1: 29:26 Yeah, of course. TranscribeMe 22 S2: 29:26 , but n-- so now I'm-- because I was dehydrated, Leys's saying, \"Hey, you need to drink some Pedialyte or drink this, or drink s-- the sports drinks. Don't drink the energy drinks,\" , the-- S1: 29:39 Yeah. S2: 29:39 I'm , \"So--\" I, I get the-- my favorite is the, the, , Powerades over the Gatorades. S1: 29:48 Mm-hmm. S2: 29:49 , they're, , they're, they're sweeter-- S1: 29:51 Yeah. S2: 29:51 --to be honest. S1: 29:52 Yeah. S2: 29:53 , and I don't get the zero sugar. And I'll just drink the s-- the straight ones. I'll drink one. And I've noticed that my blood pressure's better since I've been drinking more",
    "S1: 29:52 Yeah. S2: 29:53 , and I don't get the zero sugar. And I'll just drink the s-- the straight ones. I'll drink one. And I've noticed that my blood pressure's better since I've been drinking more. And ju-just-- S1: 30:04 That's great. S2: 30:04 --everything's functioning better. S1: 30:06 Yeah. It's always good when you realize the things you're doing are actually paying off, and you're -- S2: 30:11 Yeah. S1: 30:11 \"--Ugh. Maybe, maybe I can have it.\" S2: 30:14 And I-- and I t-- and I tell people all the time, I'm -- I'm -- 'cause a friend of mine was on Ozempic and her body just didn't it. S1: 30:22 Yeah. S2: 30:23 , and she came off of it. S1: 30:25 Mm-hmm. S2: 30:26 And she's , \"How-- you better watch out for that. You better watch out.\" And I'm , \"I am not having any side effects on them.\" And then i-it's been 13 months I've been on it. S1: 30:34 Yeah. S2: 30:34 14 months now. S1: 30:35 Yeah. S2: 30:36 I said, \"I'm not having the side effects-- that you--\" S1: 30:37 Mm-hmm",
    "You better watch out.\" And I'm , \"I am not having any side effects on them.\" And then i-it's been 13 months I've been on it. S1: 30:34 Yeah. S2: 30:34 14 months now. S1: 30:35 Yeah. S2: 30:36 I said, \"I'm not having the side effects-- that you--\" S1: 30:37 Mm-hmm. S2: 30:38 \"--had, and I'm happy with it.\" S1: 30:40 Mm-hmm. S2: 30:41 And I'm at the top of the full dose right now, so. TranscribeMe 23 S1: 30:44 Okay. , so earlier-- S2: 30:46 I wa-- S1: 30:47 Go ahead. S2: 30:47 , the-- one of the big things was, when I started the Ozempic, I was taking 40 units of Lantus, the long ac-- with slow acting or-- S1: 30:57 Mm-hmm. S2: 30:58 --, taking it at 11 o'clock every night. I was taking 26 units of Humalog with every meal, so four times a day. If I had four meals, I had four doses. S1: 31:08 Okay. S2: 31:09 , I'm taking 12 units of Lantus and no Humalog. S1: 31:14 Oh, that's a big change. S2: 31:16 Yeah. So-- S1: 31:16 That's nice. Wow. Okay",
    "S1: 31:14 Oh, that's a big change. S2: 31:16 Yeah. So-- S1: 31:16 That's nice. Wow. Okay. S2: 31:18 Yeah. So that's a big thing. I, I don't take the insulin anymore. I keep saying, \"Well, if I get off the Lantus, does that mean I can get my CDL back?\" Because as long as I was on-- they took me off of it 'cause I was taking injections, so. S1: 31:29 Yeah. , so, circling back to your visits specifically, you mentioned you live, , an hour a half away up. S2: 31:37 Yeah. S1: 31:38 Are you in the Panhandle? S2: 31:39 Yep. S1: 31:39 Okay. S2: 31:39 Up in Wheeling. S1: 31:40 -- S2: 31:40 Up by Wheeling. S1: 31:41 Okay. Yeah. , how would you feel about using telemedicine for, , follow-up visits? S2: 31:50 I've done that a couple of times, not with the eye doctor, but. S1: 31:53 Mm-hmm",
    "S1: 31:40 -- S2: 31:40 Up by Wheeling. S1: 31:41 Okay. Yeah. , how would you feel about using telemedicine for, , follow-up visits? S2: 31:50 I've done that a couple of times, not with the eye doctor, but. S1: 31:53 Mm-hmm. Would you be comfortable with do-- , if-- S2: 31:56 Yeah. S1: 31:56 --if that was offered to you, are there any barriers that you could see about telemedicine on your side of the-- of it, so, , a-as a patient's perspective? S2: 32:07 , the only thing would be is if she nee-- if it was for eyes-- S1: 32:13 Yeah. S2: 32:13 --them being able to visually see my eyes-- TranscribeMe 24 S1: 32:16 Yeah. S2: 32:17 --and look into them and-- S1: 32:17 Mm-hmm. S2: 32:18 --see what they're looking at when they're-- S1: 32:19 Mm-hmm. S2: 32:20 --using that. That's the only thing. S1: 32:21 What about for meeting with your primary care or-- a diabetes doctor, but in your ca- case, your PCP? -- S2: 32:27 Oh, no, we do that. S1: 32:28 You see that-- you do that? S2: 32:29 Yeah. S1: 32:30 Okay. S2: 32:30 Yeah. S1: 32:31 , okay, so let's talk-- S2: 32:33 I-- that's how I got through COVID 'cause I-- S1: 32:35 Oh, yeah. S2: 32:36 --couldn't get down here to it. S1: 32:36 'Cause you lived in-- mm-hmm. -- S2: 32:39 I actually tried changing my PCP to a local, and that was a disaster",
    "S2: 32:30 Yeah. S1: 32:31 , okay, so let's talk-- S2: 32:33 I-- that's how I got through COVID 'cause I-- S1: 32:35 Oh, yeah. S2: 32:36 --couldn't get down here to it. S1: 32:36 'Cause you lived in-- mm-hmm. -- S2: 32:39 I actually tried changing my PCP to a local, and that was a disaster. And th-that's when I was getting sick with this. And I, , I was sick, a-and nobody could tell me. I went to the ER and-- 'cause I couldn't come down here because of COVID. S1: 32:55 Yeah. S2: 32:56 , and even-- it was in 2020-- 2021. , I got sick the second week of May. S1: 33:04 Mm-hmm. S2: 33:04 And nobody could figure out-- I was going to the-- I was going to the emergency room, , weekly. And they told me, , I had, , Lyme disease. They told me I was- - 'cause I was-- a lot of it was dizziness and-- S1: 33:20 Yeah. Okay. S2: 33:20 --and, , Lyme disease, they told me I had vertigo. -- S1: 33:25 Lots of different things. S2: 33:26 \"--We told you there's nothing wrong with you. Why do you keep coming here?\" S1: 33:29 Oh",
    "Okay. S2: 33:20 --and, , Lyme disease, they told me I had vertigo. -- S1: 33:25 Lots of different things. S2: 33:26 \"--We told you there's nothing wrong with you. Why do you keep coming here?\" S1: 33:29 Oh. S2: 33:29 , I went back again. They told me, \"We told you you had Lyme disease.\" But they admitted me every time for one night. S1: 33:37 Hmm, interesting. TranscribeMe 25 S2: 33:37 And the person who was supposed-- doctor who's supposed to be my PCP, walk past the room every time I was in the hospital but never stepped in to see me. And she's supposed to be my PCP. When she was going around-- S1: 33:47 Hmm. S2: 33:48 --, I was , \", yeah.\" And I'd make-- and then they would tell me, \"You need to make an appointment with your PCP.\" I'd make a P-- appointment with PCP, and then they tell me I didn't have an appointment, or they cancel it or change it. S1: 34:00 Okay. S2: 34:00 And one time, they made one on a Friday. And I went in there, and the office was dark. And I walked up to the window, and the glass slid open. And she goes, \"Can I help you?\" I'm , \"Yeah, I have an appointment.\" They're -- she's , \"No, you don't. We, we don't have appointments on Friday.\" I'm , \"I do.\" I said, \"It's in MyChart. I've got a text message reminding me about it.\" And she looked. She goes \"Oh, somebody screwed up,\" and that's all she said and slid the window u-- down",
    "And I walked up to the window, and the glass slid open. And she goes, \"Can I help you?\" I'm , \"Yeah, I have an appointment.\" They're -- she's , \"No, you don't. We, we don't have appointments on Friday.\" I'm , \"I do.\" I said, \"It's in MyChart. I've got a text message reminding me about it.\" And she looked. She goes \"Oh, somebody screwed up,\" and that's all she said and slid the window u-- down. S1: 34:23 Oh. S2: 34:23 So I'm , \"Okay.\" I went back across the street to the emergency room. S1: 34:27 Mm-hmm. S2: 34:29 They admitted me-- or they didn't admit me this time. They told me that I had-- oh, what's it called? It was cancer of the bone marrow. S1: 34:44 It was what? S2: 34:45 Cancer of the bone marrow, from an ER. And they s-- S1: 34:48 Hmm. S2: 34:49 I said, \"Well, what do I do?\" And they said, \"See-- visit your-- you need to go see your PCP.\" And I just looked, and I'm , \"Well, if I have some type of cancer, wouldn't you suggest I see an oncologist?\" S1: 34:59 Mm-hmm. Yeah. S2: 35:00 And, and he just look-looked at me, and I just got up and walked away. S1: 35:03 Yeah. S2: 35:04 And, , I sai-- I didn't even let them-- S1: 35:05 Yeah. S2: 35:05 --take the IV out. I took it out myself. I was -- S1: 35:10 \"I'm done.\" S2: 35:10 \"--I'm, I'm, I'm done.\" And I called, -- as I was walking out the door, I called Dr",
    "S1: 35:03 Yeah. S2: 35:04 And, , I sai-- I didn't even let them-- S1: 35:05 Yeah. S2: 35:05 --take the IV out. I took it out myself. I was -- S1: 35:10 \"I'm done.\" S2: 35:10 \"--I'm, I'm, I'm done.\" And I called, -- as I was walking out the door, I called Dr. P's office and said, \"Is there any way I can come see you?\" She goes, \"I don't have an appointment for-- , I don't have anything available until August something. In the meantime, if something happens, come down here to the ER.\" Well, a couple days later, I was down here in the ER, and they admitted me for three days. S1: 35:30 Mm-hmm. TranscribeMe 26 S2: 35:30 And then Dr. P, I saw her and was-- she has this lovely Thursday night office hours. So, -- S1: 35:37 Yeah. S2: 35:37 --I usually pick one around 6:30, 7 o'clock. S1: 35:40 Mm-hmm. S2: 35:41 And I was in her office with her until after 10 o'clock that night. S1: 35:44 Hmm. S2: 35:44 The first visit back-- so she could-- and she likes very thorough, da, da, da. S1: 35:49 That's great to hear. S2: 35:50 And she said, \"You have--\" a-and I said, \"I know I have an infection, but nobody will listen to me in, in Glendale. Nobody--\" S1: 35:56 Yeah. S2: 35:56 \"--will listen to me at all.\" And she looked, and she said, \"I'll find it.\" And she kept looking and looking",
    "S2: 35:44 The first visit back-- so she could-- and she likes very thorough, da, da, da. S1: 35:49 That's great to hear. S2: 35:50 And she said, \"You have--\" a-and I said, \"I know I have an infection, but nobody will listen to me in, in Glendale. Nobody--\" S1: 35:56 Yeah. S2: 35:56 \"--will listen to me at all.\" And she looked, and she said, \"I'll find it.\" And she kept looking and looking. It took her a couple of weeks. S1: 36:03 Mm-hmm. S2: 36:03 , and she says, \"Good God, osteomyelitis.\" S1: 36:07 Mm-hmm. S2: 36:08 And so they started treating it, and-- and it's-- and it just-- i-it w-- couldn't be treated. S1: 36:13 Yeah. S2: 36:13 Had it-- probably, had it been treated earlier-- S1: 36:15 Yeah. S2: 36:16 --it wouldn't-- I wouldn't have lost my leg, so. S1: 36:19 That's unfortunate. S2: 36:19 Right. S1: 36:19 But, , that's a good bridge to talk about, self-advocacy. , so with your eye doctor specifically, could you explain a little bit about how you advocate for yourself regarding your eyes? S2: 36:35 For myself-- S1: 36:36 Yeah. S2: 36:36 --I do whatever she tells me to do. S1: 36:39 Yeah. S2: 36:41 I t-- I mean, if-- S1: 36:41 'Cause you trust her a lot, right? S2: 36:42 Yeah. If, if-- I trust her",
    ", so with your eye doctor specifically, could you explain a little bit about how you advocate for yourself regarding your eyes? S2: 36:35 For myself-- S1: 36:36 Yeah. S2: 36:36 --I do whatever she tells me to do. S1: 36:39 Yeah. S2: 36:41 I t-- I mean, if-- S1: 36:41 'Cause you trust her a lot, right? S2: 36:42 Yeah. If, if-- I trust her. I trust-- , the two I've seen her and Dr. L, , they'll ask me, \"Do you mind if--\" I said, \"I understand this is a teaching hospital--\" TranscribeMe 27 S1: 36:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 36:52 \"--and your students have to learn.\" S1: 36:55 Mm-hmm. S2: 36:55 \"I-I'm Guinea pig. I'm good for it, .\" S1: 36:58 Yeah. -- S2: 36:59 \", they need-- th-they-they're learning from you, and you're teaching them. It's not you're just letting them, , 'Okay, you go in, and, and you--\" S1: 37:05 Yeah. S2: 37:05 \"--tell me when.\" , you come in, and you're -- they-they'll come in. They'll do their exam and whatever they need to do, and then she'll come in. And she goes, \"Okay.\" And she'll ask me, \"Do you care if they give you the injections?\" I'm , \"No, I don't care.\" S1: 37:18 Yeah. S2: 37:18 And today I told her, I said, \"Well, the last three injections, the f-- the first two, , I was in pain, and it felt he was pushing the needle. It was gonna come out the back of my skull.\" S1: 37:30 Yeah. S2: 37:31 \", the last time, in May, that was good. That was a good experience. It wasn't--\" S1: 37:35 -huh",
    "S2: 37:18 And today I told her, I said, \"Well, the last three injections, the f-- the first two, , I was in pain, and it felt he was pushing the needle. It was gonna come out the back of my skull.\" S1: 37:30 Yeah. S2: 37:31 \", the last time, in May, that was good. That was a good experience. It wasn't--\" S1: 37:35 -huh. S2: 37:35 \"--bad.\" I said, \"When you do it, I, , I flinch a little bit, but nothing that's gonna-- S1: 37:40 Yeah. S2: 37:41 It doesn't-- , my eyes don't hurt now. S1: 37:43 That's good. It's great. S2: 37:44 And the last two times, they hurt for two or three days from the-- S1: 37:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 37:47 --where the injections were. S1: 37:49 Okay. S2: 37:50 So, but, -- so I trust her. S1: 37:53 Yeah. S2: 37:53 . And-- S1: 37:53 And it's good that you felt comfortable enough to express that to her. S2: 37:55 Yeah. S1: 37:56 Do you feel comfortable to ask questions about things with her also? TranscribeMe 28 S2: 37:59 Yes. If-- I said, if it's something that I'm not familiar with or something's changing, , a sticking eye, . S1: 38:08 Mm-hmm",
    "And-- S1: 37:53 And it's good that you felt comfortable enough to express that to her. S2: 37:55 Yeah. S1: 37:56 Do you feel comfortable to ask questions about things with her also? TranscribeMe 28 S2: 37:59 Yes. If-- I said, if it's something that I'm not familiar with or something's changing, , a sticking eye, . S1: 38:08 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:09 , so. S1: 38:10 Yeah. , could you explain, , how you and your doctor make decisions about your care together? -- S2: 38:20 , I pretty much just go with whatever she suggests. S1: 38:24 Okay. Yeah. S2: 38:24 I mean, if she says something-- and it's with any of my doctors if they-- S1: 38:27 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:28 --say something. Now, multiple myeloma, that's what it was called. S1: 38:33 Okay. S2: 38:33 , when he said that, I just kinda looked at him and said, \"That's not it. When you told me to go see my PCP, I knew that was not it.\" S1: 38:44 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:45 And I told him, I'm , \"You're crazy.\" S1: 38:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:48 Yeah. The same way with the doctors when-- I-- when I-- when my blood pressure-- and I was blind. And it was, , the first doctor because I went in at 4 o'clock in the afternoon",
    "When you told me to go see my PCP, I knew that was not it.\" S1: 38:44 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:45 And I told him, I'm , \"You're crazy.\" S1: 38:47 Mm-hmm. S2: 38:48 Yeah. The same way with the doctors when-- I-- when I-- when my blood pressure-- and I was blind. And it was, , the first doctor because I went in at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. And it was, , 6 o'clock in the morning when they said, \"Oh, we can't do anything for you.\" So the doctors changed at midnight, and I felt-- a-as it was getting closer to midnight, I, I could feel that that doctor didn't know what he was doing and was gonna pass it off, pass me off. S1: 39:17 Yeah. Yeah. S2: 39:18 And when he came in, he goes-- but the second doctor, he at least attempted-- S1: 39:24 Mm-hmm. S2: 39:25 --or, , or acted he was attempting. S1: 39:27 Yeah. S2: 39:27 , but the nurses didn't come in; nobody came in, . S1: 39:31 Hmm. Yeah. S2: 39:33 So. S1: 39:34 Okay. S2: 39:34 I'm , \"I'm not going back.\" S1: 39:36 I don't blame you, honestly. , so let's talk about your communication with your providers. So, , how do you feel about, , the tempo and the speed of your communication with your doctor? So when they're explaining things to you, or-- , I know you-- TranscribeMe 29 S2: 39:55 They-- I feel that the doctors here, anywhere in this facility, or-- S1: 40:00 Yeah. S2: 40:01 --any of these facilities-- S1: 40:02 Okay",
    "S1: 39:34 Okay. S2: 39:34 I'm , \"I'm not going back.\" S1: 39:36 I don't blame you, honestly. , so let's talk about your communication with your providers. So, , how do you feel about, , the tempo and the speed of your communication with your doctor? So when they're explaining things to you, or-- , I know you-- TranscribeMe 29 S2: 39:55 They-- I feel that the doctors here, anywhere in this facility, or-- S1: 40:00 Yeah. S2: 40:01 --any of these facilities-- S1: 40:02 Okay. S2: 40:02 --, they talk to me, not down to me or at me. S1: 40:07 That's good. S2: 40:08 And they-- if I have a question about something-- S1: 40:11 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:11 --they will explain it so that I understand it. I mean, I know a lot of medical stuff-- S1: 40:17 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:18 --, because I was an EMT at one time. S1: 40:21 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:21 So I, I got a general idea of things that are going on. S1: 40:24 Yeah. S2: 40:25 , but if I don't understand something-- S1: 40:28 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:28 --I'll, I'll tell them. I'm , , \"Could you explain that so I can understand it?\" And-- S1: 40:32 Yeah. S2: 40:33 --they, they-- I definitely do. S1: 40:34 Okay. -- S2: 40:36 I've been with Dr",
    "S2: 40:28 --I'll, I'll tell them. I'm , , \"Could you explain that so I can understand it?\" And-- S1: 40:32 Yeah. S2: 40:33 --they, they-- I definitely do. S1: 40:34 Okay. -- S2: 40:36 I've been with Dr. P since she was a resident. S1: 40:40 Oh, long time. S2: 40:42 When I-- the first time I came down here in 2012, I was seeing a doctor in family medicine when they were over here where the dental school was. S1: 40:52 Mm-hmm. S2: 40:56 And, , when she started practicing, I said, \"Hey. I wanna be your patient.\" She said, \"Okay.\" So I've been with her ever since. S1: 41:09 Okay. , so how respected do you feel by your eye doctor? , do you feel she respects you? S2: 41:16 Yeah. S1: 41:17 Okay. S2: 41:17 I do. S1: 41:17 That's good. , okay. Is there anything else that you wanna share about eye-related problems, diabetes-related problems that you think we could benefit from knowing? TranscribeMe 30 S2: 41:29 Nope. Just everybody needs to learn to count carbs-- S1: 41:33 I'll put that in bold letters-- S2: 41:33 --and fo-- and fo-- S1: 41:34 \"--Learn to count carbs.\" S2: 41:35 --and follow instructions. S1: 41:38 Okay",
    "S1: 41:17 That's good. , okay. Is there anything else that you wanna share about eye-related problems, diabetes-related problems that you think we could benefit from knowing? TranscribeMe 30 S2: 41:29 Nope. Just everybody needs to learn to count carbs-- S1: 41:33 I'll put that in bold letters-- S2: 41:33 --and fo-- and fo-- S1: 41:34 \"--Learn to count carbs.\" S2: 41:35 --and follow instructions. S1: 41:38 Okay. S2: 41:38 Follow your medications, whatever they're prescribing to you. S1: 41:42 Okay. S2: 41:43 I mean, unless it makes you sick or-- so I've had my-- they found out after, , 18 years, that I was allergic to metformin. S1: 41:54 Oh. S2: 41:54 So I took myself-- we took my-- we took-- they took me, D-Dr. P and I made the decision-- S1: 42:01 Yeah. -huh. S2: 42:02 \"--Don't take it.\" S1: 42:03 Okay. S2: 42:03 So I quit taking it. , I went to her a couple of weeks ago, and I said, \"--\" or about a year ago, I went to her and-- after being off of it for three years. And I said, \", this metformin stuff.\" And she goes, \"Yeah?\" And I was , \"It is-- the--\" what do I want to say? \"The side effects-- the, the benefits far outweigh the side effects. So--\" S1: 42:31 Okay. S2: 42:32 \"--I want to go back on it.\" She said, \"Are you sure?\" And I'm , \"Yep.\" She said, \"Okay.\" So-- S1: 42:36 Hmm. S2: 42:36 --I'm back on it. S1: 42:38 Well, it's g-- well, it's good that you were able to-- S2: 42:40 Yeah",
    "And I said, \", this metformin stuff.\" And she goes, \"Yeah?\" And I was , \"It is-- the--\" what do I want to say? \"The side effects-- the, the benefits far outweigh the side effects. So--\" S1: 42:31 Okay. S2: 42:32 \"--I want to go back on it.\" She said, \"Are you sure?\" And I'm , \"Yep.\" She said, \"Okay.\" So-- S1: 42:36 Hmm. S2: 42:36 --I'm back on it. S1: 42:38 Well, it's g-- well, it's good that you were able to-- S2: 42:40 Yeah. S1: 42:40 -- talk about that with her. S2: 42:42 Yeah. So I told her, I said, \"Yeah.\" I was , \"I think the, the side effects-- the benefits are-- far outweigh the side effects.\" S1: 42:48 Hmm. S2: 42:48 \"I can deal with them.\" S1: 42:49 Yeah. S2: 42:49 \". They're, they're minimal.\" TranscribeMe 31 S1: 42:51 Mm-hmm. S2: 42:52 \"I can live with that,\" so. S1: 42:54 Okay. Well, , those are all the questions we have for you. So-- S2: 42:58 Okay. S1: 42:58 --I'll go ahead and stop this. TranscribeMe 32",
    "S1: 42:58 --I'll go ahead and stop this. TranscribeMe 32"
  ],
  "num_chunks": 61
}