Joslin Diabetes Center On East Genesee Street
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Dec 21, 2012
Most of you who read anything I write online know that I’m diabetic, and probably a bad one. What you may not know about is the Joslin Diabetes Center, which is affiliated with SUNY Upstate Medical Center, is a nation wide clinic, and is where I go for checkups related to diabetes. It’s located at 3229 East Genesee Street in Syracuse, across the street from one of the high schools; I’m not sure which one since I went to Liverpool but I think it’s Nottingham.
Why a diabetes clinic? Because regular doctors can only keep up with so much, and they have other things to concentrate on. I’ve been a Joslin Center patient since 2000 and they’ve guided me, as best as they can, through treatment options, education, and once in awhile nutrition.
What do you want in a diabetes center? You want people who are knowledgeable about anything related to diabetes. You want them to know the latest medications. You want them to know all about supplements. You want them to have an understanding of foods and what kind of things are in these foods. You want them to listen to you and to try to understand you because when all is said and done, no two diabetics are the same. For instance, I don’t do well at the lower end of where they recommend diabetics to be and my doctor gets that.
I’m on my second doctor, after being with the first one for 11 years. I tend to learn a lot of things because I’m online all the time, and I’ve never tripped them up with something new that I’ve read about. I have been tripped up by something they knew that I didn’t, but that’s their job.
To be fair, each doctor might not be up on everything. When they recently said my potassium was high, neither the doctor nor the nurse could help me figure things out, but that’s where the nutritionist came in. She helped me figure out what I should stop eating or stop eating as much.
On site you can get nutritional information. They hold classes for people who are newly diagnosed, and if you want a refresher course you can go, though insurance might not cover it. If you have monetary problems or no insurance they will do what they can with that as well, as they have counselors for that. They also have labs on the premises so you don’t have to go elsewhere unless your insurance dictates it.
We’re lucky to have a place like this in our community, and I hope those of you who are looking for more information and people who are very competent in taking care of your needs will at least consider them.
