Max Feldt, D.O., didn’t think it could happen but fate intervened and he has come to Great Bend to treat young patients and counsel their families. He is at St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center on a regular schedule and sharing information in observance of November as American Diabetes Month.
Dr. Feldt, formerly of Great Bend, and his partner, Dee Spade, D.O., are pediatric endocrinologists at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. Their outreach clinic at St. Rose opened several months ago.
“I always thought about coming back to Great Bend in some capacity,” Dr. Feldt said. “And here we are. St. Rose has this great facility and good office space where we can care for our patients in central Kansas.
“Since it is American Diabetes Month, we wanted to reach out to others in the community and offer some basic education,” he added.
Diabetes symptoms include increased thirst, increased urination and weight loss.
“It is a gradual process,” Dr. Feldt said. “Some parents don’t realize it until the child is quite sick. Another illness or virus may set things off. Any parent with concerns should contact their regular doctor for a screening.”
When patients are referred to Drs. Feldt and Spade, they most likely will have to travel to Kansas City for the first visit. But the follow-up appointments are at St. Rose.
“They need to be at Children’s Mercy for that first meeting,” Dr. Feldt said. “We are better able to provide all the education involved, meet with a nutritionist and run a few tests. This enables us to better educate parents who will need to be aware of their child’s carbohydrate intake.”
Dr. Feldt noted that parents often think a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis is somehow their fault. But that is a myth.
“It is not something they have done,” he said. “With Type 1, it is not because of extra candy at Halloween. It is an auto-immune, gradual process.
“Type 2 diabetes is related to obesity,” he elaborated. “It is more related to a patient’s lifestyle and environment. It can be related to sugary drinks, meal portion sizes and lack of exercise.”
The physicians’ goal is to foster the self-care skills necessary to maintain blood glucose control, and promote normal growth and development.
The endocrinologists are at St. Rose every two or three months, and see an average of 32 patients each time. They range in age from birth to 21, and while many have diabetes, even more have other concerns. These include disorders of the endocrine system such as problems with the thyroid, growth and development, adrenal system and insulin resistance syndrome.
“We appreciate St. Rose accommodating patients with diabetes and other disorders,” Dr. Feldt said. “We couldn’t have asked for a more willing and able partner to provide care and treatment to these young people and their families.”