Hello everyone. If you haven't read my post in the new members section, my name is Thoa and I'm new to this forum. Briefly, a little about me. I am 21 years old and I live in Miami, FL. I am a thalassemic major. I get blood transfusion once a month and about two months ago, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes due to iron overload. I wasn't being compliant with my desferals or exjade and diabetes is the consequence I now face. LESSON LEARNED! Now, I am very compliant with my desferal treatments. My ferritin level when I was hospitalized 2 months ago was 13,000 or above (I'm not quite sure), and now it's about 6000. So I'm really working on it and although 6000 is still high, it's a major improvement from what it was 2 months ago.
Anywho, on to my main topic.. For the past 8 years, I've been going to the same hemetologist who's pediatric. I love both of my doctors and the entire staff. In about a month, I will be moving to Orlando, FL for school. I got into a radiology program at the University of Central Florida, which is why I'm moving, or else I'd stay where I am. Which means I have to transfer doctors and the whole shabang! So what I'm afraid of is that now I'll be going to an adult hemetologist. I'm sure my current doctors are going to refer me to a good doctor but I'm sure the adult doctors are much different than the pediatric doctors. I guess I'm just a bit nervous on how I'll be taken care of as an "adult" and whether there will be a change in attitude with the new doctors and nurses since they deal with adults and not children. I'd love to hear some of your experiences if you've gone from seeing a pediatric hemetologist to an adult hemetologist. I'm also very sad to know that I'll be leaving my doctors and nurses since I've been going to them for so long. I feel like they know me so well and they know my whole medical history. I remember when I first moved to Florida from Chicago. I was also very sad that I had to leave my doctors and nurses, but now that I'm an adult, it's much more sad and hard to start all over with a new doctor and staff. Especially since I just recently got very ill and got diagnosed with diabetes. It's like thing are barely starting to become a routine for me and now I'll have to start all over with the new doctors and places, etc. *sigh* I know I'll be fine, but just the thought you know? Anyway, anything you can tell me would be great.