Getting your first appointment

Thank you for sharing. Currently my husband is in need of finding a specialist in managing his diabetes II. We need to get this balanced before tackling the other issues. In November he went into a diabetic keto acidosis & is now basically bedridden, has memory gaps and is weak. He’s also dealing with long Covid (possibly) as well as 2 other issues: a 7cm brain tumor (non cancerous) and a hernia. Both surgeries are on hold though until his A1C is down from 12 to a 7 or 8 for a period of 2 months or so. His glucose level in November was at 680 I was informed!!
After being in ICU and the neuro ward hes now at a skilled nursing facility/rehab and everything is strictly controlled- his meals are regular, portioned and tests & meds are performed regularly & efficiently - no room for error by him managing this.
However I feel I’m living in a nightmare - his improvement is very slow. I have 2 boys at home and I’m
Trying to keep positive and balance life but we’ve not been together as a family since Nov 20th & see no end insight. The facility is great but i feel he needs more specialized care. We have a endocrinologist appointment in 2 weeks - an MD until I’m able to complete the forms from Mayo to Internal medicine / I already have a Mayo # but that’s all I’ve managed to achieve so far. Any advice you can give me as to what to expect as far as what happens next at Mayo ? Husband has Medicare and a BCBS supplement plan. Hoping that was the best option considering his needs .

Regarding "Husband has Medicare and a BCBS supplement plan. Hoping that was the best option considering his needs ." If that is traditional/original Medicare where you have Part A, Part B and Part D and you have a supplement (Medigap plan) that is the best thing to have. It gives you choice on where to go. I have BCBS Senior Gold as my supplement plan and I can self-refer and go wherever they accept Medicare. It is the Advantage plans (Part C) that restrict where you can go.

Are there Mayo Clinic’s on the east coast. Washington DC ?

Hi @mayo4meplease Mayo Clinic has 3 campuses. They are located in Rochester, Minn, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona and Jacksonville Florida. So Jacksonville would be the nearest to you on the east coast.

If you’d like to request an appointment, here is the link which will take you to the Mayo Clinic main page to find the phone numbers for the campus most convenient for you.
http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

Is there anything in particular I can help you find?

There are some Mayo Clinic Care Network members in the area. Here's a map and more information - https://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/care-network/network-members.

Hi @bea66, you've been on an intense and frightening journey with your husband. I can imagine with 2 sons at home and their dad in care, it is hard to keep a semblance of normal. I want to acknowledge the burden that you are carrying.

Post intensive care syndrome is something that some patients experience after spending time in ICU. What many people and providers don't recognize is the post-ICU can affect family members too. You can read a bit more in this blog post.
- Post Intensive Care Syndrome and The Family https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/pics/newsfeed-post/breaking-it-down-post-intensive-care-syndrome-and-the-family/

If you wish to connect with others talking about ICU experiences and getting support, see this support group:
- Intensive Care (ICU) https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/intensive-care-icu/

To connect with others about diabetes or to talk with other caregivers, see these groups:
- Caregivers support group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers/
- Diabetes & Endocrine System support group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/diabetes-and-endocrine-problems/

Did you meet with the endocrinologist? How are you doing?

Hello Colleen, thank you for your caring message and for the links. Yes, we met with the endocrinologist on Monday and he was pleased with my husband’s diabetic levels and he recommended a surgeon for the brain tumor. He believes my husband is now ready for surgery even though Physically he’s very weak still, his diabetes numbers are good now. We have a Neuro appointment 3 March. In the meantime, the rehab facility want to discontinue my husbands services as apparently he doesn’t meet Medicare criteria. I’m trying to understand this I think this is something to do with the number of minutes he has for OT and PT , I think they need to be totaling an hour to meet Medicare criteria. I’m trying to have the endocrinologist support my belief that my husband still needs services. The rehab facility issued me a NOMNC form which I was encouraged to sign as a way of trying to keep services going. However the NOMNC decision favored the rehab facility so now I’m trying to appeal this decision. I’m looking after myself as much as possible but It still feels I’m getting ready for battle each day. Thank you for your concern. I’m taking one day at a time and I’m grateful for the support offered here.

My daughter Kimberly needs a kidney transplant. She's been on dialysis for 10 years now. She's 45. I'm Brenda and I want to give her one of my kidneys. We're having trouble with it here in Texas. We're going to try a couple more hospitals. If not we're going to Mayo in Florida. Florida is closer to us. We're worried about paying rent there

I am a patient and I received my transplant at the Mayo in Rochester.

Here is the link for Mayo Clinic Transplant where you will find the contact information for Jacksonville, as well as information about the Liver Transplant Department.

- Liver Transplant Program
https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/liver-transplant/home/orc-20211818

@kimberly90, Please accept my apology! I posted to the liver dept instead of the Kidney Dept. Here is the information for the Kidney Department:

- Kidney Transplant Program
https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/kidney-transplant/home/orc-20203197

- Transplant Living Donors
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/transplant/tab/resource-36/