# PWDs: should we use endocrinologists or family practitioners? **URL:** \ **Category:** Type 1 & LADA\ **Created:** [February 10, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503 "2018-02-10T16:21:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TravelingOn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/travelingon/32/1583_2.png) [@TravelingOn](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/TravelingOn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 12:49am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/21 "2018-02-16T00:49:01Z")
> [@Sam](#): > > This has been the opposite of my experience… my gp would put far more effort into going to bat for me than my endo would. Lucky you. We are on GP #4 in as many years. Once we moved, one went into boutique practice which we didn’t elect to join after five weeks of calling 2x a week for the letter to the new endo that his office never sent, one moved back east to care for his wife who got cancer, and this recent one seems okay. I think. We’ve only seen him once. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/22 "2018-02-16T00:52:44Z")
> [@ClaudnDaye](#): > > , etc since that is their sole focus Endocrinologists treat a ton of different conditions, not just diabetes… guess you said that too actually ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/23 "2018-02-16T00:55:24Z")
Yes, I understand that. I meant to say Diabetes is learned SOLELY within the field of Endocronology because it deals with their sole focus…the Endocrine system. They specialize in Diabetes because it’s part of the Endocrine system…so any disease (including Diabetes) that falls within the Endocrine system, is their “sole focus”. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/24 "2018-02-16T00:57:41Z")
So, I wouldn’t expect my FP to have specialized knowledge in any of the areas that make up the Endocrine system: hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, diabetes, disorders of menopause, PMS, andropause, pituitary disorders such as growth hormone deficiency and adrenal disorders such as Cushing’s disease or Addison’s disease. I would expect them to know what these are (maybe) and understand how to spot them or test for them and I would expect them to have a basic knowledge, but that’s as much as I would expect a FP to know. Oh, and perhaps a good referring Endocronologist that I should visit. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/25 "2018-02-16T00:58:06Z")
I dunno… I’ve never felt like I particularly have benefitted from seeing a diabetes specialist… and my gp is about 10x more responsive to my requests for prescriptions, easier to get an appointment with if I needed something, has a clinic that seems to function pretty flawlessly, which are all things I unfortunately can’t say about the “expert” ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/26 "2018-02-16T00:59:00Z")
Perhaps you just have a faulty memory after having lived with it for so long. When we live with, or have, something for many years, we sometimes forget what it was like in the early days as we were learning. You didn’t start out as a Diabetes super stud. Perhaps because you have acquired such a vast knowledge yourself over these years that you’ve just surpassed the need to visit an Endo…but that doesn’t say anything about the Endo’s knowledge…it just speaks to yours, imho. There is a point where you can become just as knowledgeable and can be considered an “expert” in the field of Diabetes after having lived with it for years and years. So, after this point, I can see how an Endo may not be very beneficial. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/27 "2018-02-16T00:59:57Z")
No, but I started out with a family doctor… then later started seeing a specialist. I’m strongly considering going back to the family doc at this point… Granted he does have a t1 child, and a t2 wife, but from my perspective he gets the job done a lot more effectively than the specialist… I suspect he’s more knowledgeable than the average family doc The endo may have more specific education on the subject, but in the exam room it’s still just the same “good job keep up the good work, don’t take too much insulin, exercise regularly… “ ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/28 "2018-02-16T01:03:13Z")
Well, if you think your FP is a better choice for you, I think that’s great. I just don’t think it’s wise to point people…especially people new to Diabetes to FP’s for Diabetes care. That’s my own personal opinion, mind you. I just think it would be foolish to walk in and ask my Doctor to treat, say, for example, my prostate cancer. Much the same way, it would be foolish to expect them to know how to guide me in the correct management of Diabetes. It’s by no means an easy disease until you gain some pretty critical insights that FP’s wouldn’t generally have. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:05am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/29 "2018-02-16T01:05:05Z")
I guess I’ve never really gained any insights from the expert though… they didn’t teach me how to mange my blood sugar… it’s not something a doc can teach someone in an appointment… it’s learned through life experience ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:05am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/30 "2018-02-16T01:05:58Z")
I have. Before I found this group I learned literally everything from mine. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/31 "2018-02-16T01:08:08Z")
I learned from reading dozens of books, taking hundreds of pages of notes on how things affect my blood sugar levels, comparing notes with others in venues like this, tens of thousands of bg tests… I can honestly say I’ve never even gotten a helpful tidbit from a physician. CDEs have been helpful when I was first diagnosed, but honestly docs haven’t taught me a single thing… or even tried to ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/32 "2018-02-16T01:13:53Z")
Then you clearly don’t need an Endo. I’ve done all those things also but after months of being lost, alone, frightened for Liam’s life and calling Liams Endo after every high and low in desperation to figure out what I needed to do so I didn’t kill my son. I don’t need an Endo now as much as I did when I was new to this game but I still value their input because they are trained to recognize potential complications, among other things. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/33 "2018-02-16T01:15:53Z")
But I do agree with you that YOU probably don’t have use for an Endo. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:16am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/34 "2018-02-16T01:16:40Z")
Really depends a lot on where one lives too. Where I’m at there was no diabetes specialist for all history until very recently, just family docs… they were the ones who managed diabetes of all types, so they became reasonably proficient at it, because it was their job… in more populated areas the norm is much more so to refer to specialists than in rural areas… so primary care docs are likely not as good at things like this, because it’s not their job ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/35 "2018-02-16T01:22:22Z")
Sorry my assumption was that we were taking about today. Not the Little House on the Prarie. 😃 Today most people are within reasonable proximity to just about any specialist. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:23am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/36 "2018-02-16T01:23:08Z")
Guess that’s depends on your definition of reasonable proximity. The nearest one to me is 250 miles away. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:24am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/37 "2018-02-16T01:24:06Z")
Yes I think that’s reasonable for one visit every three months. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:24am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/38 "2018-02-16T01:24:41Z")
If I felt there was added value for me, I might agree ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/39 "2018-02-16T01:26:39Z")
Like I said… In your case I agree that you don’t need an Endo. I just don’t want to confuse newbies into believing a FP can treat their diabetes…As someone totally new to the disease… Because I truly don’t believe that to be the case. ---
**Author:** ![kmichel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/kmichel/32/3085_2.png) [@kmichel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/kmichel)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 2:01am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503/40 "2018-02-16T02:01:45Z")
I’ve seen endos that are useless for diabetes, and general practitioners that are useless for diabetes. It depends. [Previous page](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503.md?page=1) [Next page](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pwds-should-we-use-endocrinologists-or-family-practitioners/3503.md?page=3)