My son is now 7 years old and was diagnosed at 13 months. We have always lived in this location which is 500 miles from the nearest diabetes specialists. It has always been difficult for us to see specialists on a regular basis. As time passes I get more and more concerned about my son’s health and our testing and record keeping seem to go down hill. It is difficult to remain focused on taking good care of the diabetes.The last time he saw a specialist was one year ago. He is also due to have a kidney function test which he has never had. It has been difficult keeping my husband involved in his care as well. Our situation has gotten even more difficult trying to find a doctor for him to see on a regular basis here, such as a family physician etc. Do you have any suggestions for me?

You are in a difficult situation. Some regular feedback on your progress is essential. If your family physician works in conjunction with the specialist it should be possible to arrange for HbA1c tests to be taken locally and sent to the centre for analysis. Perhaps your specialist would also send written protocols to your local physician. This is something that you should discuss. If you work on the basis that the family physician is not taking sole responsibility then it should be easier to find someone. Good luck.

KJR
Additional comments from Dr. Larry Deeb:

All the specialty care in the world is only complementary to your care. You first need to commit to managing his diabetes. Testing and regular insulin are critical. You should find a pediatrician where you are at the least. Maybe you should also see someone to offer psychological support too. Likewise, you should commit to some reading and lots of time with this website.

LD
Additional comments from Dr. John Schulga:

It sounds like what you need to do is to link up to a diabetes team who can communicate and contact you electronically, if you are already wired. Do you know of anyone near where you live who can do that? There are also lots of good blood glucose monitoring machines where you can download the results and you can then e-mail them to your team. It would be worth enquiring.

JS
Additional comments from Lois Schmidt Finney, diabetes dietitian:

I think the distance from the specialists does not matter, as we have folks who live within walking distance of a fantastic facility but do not avail themselves of that opportunity. I think the suggestions of being your son’s advocate for the best health care possible by E-mailing blood glucoses to a health care provider and reading up as much as possible on the subject (use our website as a starting point). I hope that helps. It sounds as though you feel alone as a parent with a child with diabetes, so we hope these ideas will help you feel a part of the larger community.

LSF