I know this is an old post, but I'm just new to the site tonight and I'm liking all the different viewpoints and discussions.
I switched doctors a month ago - I really like the new doctor. My other doctors (3 prior to this), you had to make an appt for a specific time, but I was in the office for 4+ hrs waiting on the doctor, the nurse, the dietician, the lab.... needless to say, I never looked forward to going. It was also very easy to lie to them - sad that I was, but I think I somewhat believed it myself - if you know the right answers (blood sugars around 100-120, base my insulin on carbs, seldom above 200, I very rarely drink alcohol), it's easy to get them to mark you down as being in good control. So this doctor, I made a promise to myself that I was going to tell him the truth. I told him that I had gotten off track, that my blood sugars had been low enough to make me unresponsive on a couple of instances and that alcohol was involved in those events. He said - that's no problem, we're gonna get you back on track. I really liked that he said it that way - he didn't talk down to me or try to chastise me because he knew that I knew I was doing wrong lately. He was very open to my questions and gave me honest answers. I am looking forward to going back to him to prove that I have done better since seeing him a month ago rather than dreading that horrible endocrinologist visit. It's definitely going to be a turning point in my life and I plan to drop him a little note saying so because I believe it's important for him to know that he has helped me so he will continue to have the same attitude w/ his other patients.
the other thing that I would give a high rating other than my doctor is my boyfriend. He has taken a very proactive role in learing about my condition and being very interested in my treatment and status of my diabetes. It has made me accountable to more than just myself now (which wasn't making me do very well before) and I want to do better for him and I. Great support system and great doctors are definitely beneficial to any diabetic.