STEPS TO CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGAR:
NOTE: Please wash hands before proceeding.
1. Open everything up and sit it out on the table beside you.
2. Open the glucose meter bag and load the lancet device. Double check the depth gauge on the lancet device so you don't accidentally poke yourself on the highest level.
3. Get your test strip ready and put in the edge of the meter....just enough so that it holds itself but does not actually trigger the meter to turn on yet.
4. Get a cotton ball or alcohol pad ready. Personally I buy cotton balls and a bottle of rubbing alcohol and then just mix my own into a mason jar. It seems to be cheaper and quicker that way IMO.
5. You should have already washed your hands, but depending on the situation and where your meters bag has been you may want to use an alcohol pad and lightly wipe off the area that you are fixing to prick. In diabetes class they told us to not necessarily use alcohol pads at this point because the alcohol can cause the blood and meter to give a false reading. Give the spot plenty of time to dry before poking if you have to do this. If I am at home doing the testing I will go wash my hands now, then come back and poke myself.
6. Go ahead and push the test strip into the meter at this point and let it activate.
7. Now prick your finger! - Have your alcohol pad or cotton ball at the ready.
8. Take your blood sample - Be sure to hold the meter and let it do the work. It will suck up the blood on it's own like a straw....you don't need to force it. Let the test strip gather as much blood as it will hold so you get an accurate reading.
9. Wipe off your finger on the alcohol pad, but don't throw the ball away. If you are insulin dependent you will have to give yourself a shot in a minute. You can flip the cotton ball over and use the other clean side. There's no sense in wasting another ball of alcohol. They don't cost much, but between that and the cost of everything else that's involved in being a diabetic, it adds up! Especially, if your like me and do not have health insurance at the moment.
10. Now at this point, the doctors really recommend to write down your blood results in a log for future reference. I recommend that also for many reasons, but do not honestly follow my own advice all the time.
11. Now you need to dispose of your test strip, and lancet that you poked yourself with. Also, probably the cotton ball cause it has your blood on it. I use an old bleach container. It has a wide mouth for dropping the stuff into and then I just tape the lid to the side for whenever it's finally full. (As a note: When it's full, tape the lid on it with duct tape, and write on the side of the bleach jug in permanent maker "DO NOT RECYCLE" then just dispose of the jug as normal. This is what the hospital told me to do whenever I was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in July of 2010.)
At this point your ready to take your insulin if you need to. That I will not describe because it is different for everyone. I personally am on a sliding scale with the amount of carbohydrates that I eat. For every 30g of carbs i have to take 1 unit of fast acting insulin with my meals. I also take 10 units of long lasting insulin before bed with a protein snack. The basics of your insulin taking would be to be cautions of germs and infections, so once again use rubbing alcohol to clean the area you will be poking the needle. I was also recommended to wipe down the top of my insulin bottle with an alcohol pad before coming in to contact with my needle.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
It's hard Counting Carbs Sometimes
Counting Carbohydrates - "Carbs"
I think that one of the main complaints I have of being a diabetic is counting carbs when not cooking my own food. When you don't add each individual ingredient yourself, or weigh out each portion, it's easy to mis-count the amount of carbs that is going in to a meal. I tend to not give myself enough insulin at times because I'm afraid of getting "The Lows" rather than to be a little higher on the chart.
For instance:
I ate some wonderfull vegetable soup the other day, and it was hard to judge the exact amount of carbs that was in it. I had 2 cups of soup. There was potatoes and many different vegetables in it. I added some saltine crackers which I had accounted for when I added up the carbs. I checked my sugar, and I personally take 1 unit for every 30 grams of carbs that I eat over my target blood sugar goal (yours may be different), I took the amount of insulin that I thought I should take for a 60g meal. However I found out a couple hours later that my blood sugar was up 100 points more than I wanted!
Fast food is hard to judge too.
I never really was a fast food eater before I found out I was diabetic, but I guess my favorite fast food restaurants used to be Sonic and BurgerKing. I now see why they say that Fast Food is so bad for you... If you pull up to the drivethrough or even go inside the restaurant, there is not a single menu showing the nutrition information of each meal. I have been out to eat a couple times in the past few months and was unable to judge the amount of carbs correctly. I can get it pretty close and always try to keep something to snack on in the car just incase I misjudge, but it's still aggravating not knowing the exact numbers!
Keep the boxes or bags of Freezer products
Something else I have experienced is that freezer products can be hard to keep track of how many carbs an item is. For instance, When I first found out I was diabetic I would go buy a box of Blueberry Eggo Pancakes (blueberries are good for diabetics) and after opening the box and then opening the bag inside.. I don't want the rest of the pancakes to get freezer burnt in that open bag, so I put them in to Freezer Bags and store them. After the first time of looking at the box and counting the carbs I instinctivily threw the box away which had that nutrition information on it! Then the next time I went in the freezer and wanted a pancake I didn't have the carbohydrate information on how much a pancake was! Luckily we live in an age of the internet and GOOGLE, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Since then I have tried to remember to label the bags with a permanent marker before throwing the box away.
I think that one of the main complaints I have of being a diabetic is counting carbs when not cooking my own food. When you don't add each individual ingredient yourself, or weigh out each portion, it's easy to mis-count the amount of carbs that is going in to a meal. I tend to not give myself enough insulin at times because I'm afraid of getting "The Lows" rather than to be a little higher on the chart.
For instance:
I ate some wonderfull vegetable soup the other day, and it was hard to judge the exact amount of carbs that was in it. I had 2 cups of soup. There was potatoes and many different vegetables in it. I added some saltine crackers which I had accounted for when I added up the carbs. I checked my sugar, and I personally take 1 unit for every 30 grams of carbs that I eat over my target blood sugar goal (yours may be different), I took the amount of insulin that I thought I should take for a 60g meal. However I found out a couple hours later that my blood sugar was up 100 points more than I wanted!
Fast food is hard to judge too.
I never really was a fast food eater before I found out I was diabetic, but I guess my favorite fast food restaurants used to be Sonic and BurgerKing. I now see why they say that Fast Food is so bad for you... If you pull up to the drivethrough or even go inside the restaurant, there is not a single menu showing the nutrition information of each meal. I have been out to eat a couple times in the past few months and was unable to judge the amount of carbs correctly. I can get it pretty close and always try to keep something to snack on in the car just incase I misjudge, but it's still aggravating not knowing the exact numbers!
Keep the boxes or bags of Freezer products
Something else I have experienced is that freezer products can be hard to keep track of how many carbs an item is. For instance, When I first found out I was diabetic I would go buy a box of Blueberry Eggo Pancakes (blueberries are good for diabetics) and after opening the box and then opening the bag inside.. I don't want the rest of the pancakes to get freezer burnt in that open bag, so I put them in to Freezer Bags and store them. After the first time of looking at the box and counting the carbs I instinctivily threw the box away which had that nutrition information on it! Then the next time I went in the freezer and wanted a pancake I didn't have the carbohydrate information on how much a pancake was! Luckily we live in an age of the internet and GOOGLE, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Since then I have tried to remember to label the bags with a permanent marker before throwing the box away.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Breakfast
I have never been much of a Breakfast eater. I used to wake up at 6am, go until noon without eating, and then eat practically non-stop for the rest of the day. This has been one of the hardest things for me to manage. I'm getting better at eating breakfast finally. I usually eat either a pack of instant oatmeal (blueberries and cinnammon are both very good for diabetics!), a small cup of milk and a piece of toast for breakfast. However; there are some days when I just can't force myself to eat. That's when I grab a Nutrigrain bar, a slimfast shake, or a pop-tart and go on about my business! I don't recommend to live on those things, because nutrition is a very important part of being a health diabetic, however occasionally it is ok to cheat and grab a quick breakfast on your way out the door.
WARNING: If you are allergic to nuts or peanutbutter, like me, then be very carefull when choosing Nutrigrain bars. Many of them have almonds or peanuts in them. Read the Fine Print!
WARNING: If you are allergic to nuts or peanutbutter, like me, then be very carefull when choosing Nutrigrain bars. Many of them have almonds or peanuts in them. Read the Fine Print!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
There are a few things I have learned that help me when I'm hungry or need a sweet:
Meat, Cheese, and Eggs
These three foods are considered FREE FOODS because they are basically protein. If your hungry, but your blood sugar is high; go cook a fat cheeseburger (80% lean) or fry some ham or bacon. Eat it without the bun or bread. Use condiments such as ketchup, mayo, mustard for dressings. Don't use Red Vinegarette, or sweet onion teriyaki sauce as it has more sugar (carbs).
Eggs are great as scrambled, fried, omlets!...ummm!
They recommend to not eat more than 3 - 5 eggs a week. I think it was because they are high in cholesterol, but don't quote me on that!
Cheese is awesome with almost anything. I love to eat some mozarella cheese sticks, carrots and broccoli with Ranch sauce to dip it in!
Beef Jerkey on the road is a great snack. Only 3 carbs for the biggest one! Notice that the HONEY one, or Teriyaki may have more carbs than the Original one!
For every 1/2 cup of Raw Vegetables it is 1 carb or 15grams. That's actually alot of veggies for dipping in Ranch Sauce.
Coleslaw - All veggies, and mayonaise. There is no carbs in this!
Canned Vienna Sausages! - Great for the road if you get the ones with a pop-top lid!
TIP:
Milk is Milk when it comes to the carb count factor! 1% milk has almost the same amount of carbs as Whole Milk does, so if you want Whole Milk.. get it!
Meat, Cheese, and Eggs
These three foods are considered FREE FOODS because they are basically protein. If your hungry, but your blood sugar is high; go cook a fat cheeseburger (80% lean) or fry some ham or bacon. Eat it without the bun or bread. Use condiments such as ketchup, mayo, mustard for dressings. Don't use Red Vinegarette, or sweet onion teriyaki sauce as it has more sugar (carbs).
Eggs are great as scrambled, fried, omlets!...ummm!
They recommend to not eat more than 3 - 5 eggs a week. I think it was because they are high in cholesterol, but don't quote me on that!
Cheese is awesome with almost anything. I love to eat some mozarella cheese sticks, carrots and broccoli with Ranch sauce to dip it in!
Beef Jerkey on the road is a great snack. Only 3 carbs for the biggest one! Notice that the HONEY one, or Teriyaki may have more carbs than the Original one!
For every 1/2 cup of Raw Vegetables it is 1 carb or 15grams. That's actually alot of veggies for dipping in Ranch Sauce.
Coleslaw - All veggies, and mayonaise. There is no carbs in this!
Canned Vienna Sausages! - Great for the road if you get the ones with a pop-top lid!
TIP:
Milk is Milk when it comes to the carb count factor! 1% milk has almost the same amount of carbs as Whole Milk does, so if you want Whole Milk.. get it!
STRESSED = Dessert spelled backwards
Luckily, I was never a huge sweet eater. I think I've wanted more sweets since I was told I shouldn't have them, than I ever did before I was diagnosed! By The Way: Notice I said the word "Shouldn't"! Just so you all know, just cause we're diabetics doesn't mean that we can't have any sugar! We actually do need carbs, and as I was taught, a carb is a carb is a carb! We can have a piece of cake (if we trade it for another carb! That may be trading it for some of our milk, a piece of bread, or the apple for lunch!) Sometimes we just have to have something sweet, ya know? I'll teach you some tricks later on!
HOLIDAYS ARE NUTTY:
During the holidays, I don't know what it is about people adding nuts or peanutbutter to everything they make that's sweet, but it seems very common. Cookies, Fruit Cakes, Peanutbutter pie, Peanutbutter fudge, chocolate fudge with nuts in it! Jello with whipped cream and a nut on top! I've always been allergic to nuts, so that's not as hard as it used to be. I can turn my head to that, and over the years I have found awesome substitutes for the Holiday Treats that I can't eat. However, that was before I found out I was diabetic. ... ... now it's back to the drawing board for me!
TEMPTATION:
It's hard! I admit that it was hard on me during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays this year. I'm not going to lie! I splurged, and I know that it will show on my next A1C! There was so many sweets always laying around, tempting me, and calling my name! Until very recently, I could eat those sweets, (or at least I was!)
My favorite sweets during the Holidays!I do love Oatmeal Pie during the holidays, and then my aunt made me some sugar cookies made with Splenda and she always makes me a bannanna bread without nuts for this time of year. I couldn't let it go to waste! Thanks Aunt Vi! Then there's the dreaded EggNog. I LOVE Egg Nog! I swear I used to drink a half gallon a day... be sick as crap at night, and still love it! That all changed this year. I did drink about a quart of EggNog throughout the entire holiday, ate my banana bread and sugar free sugar cookies. I love food in general, but as I said earlier, I didn't crave sweets as bad as I have since I found out I was a diabetic.
Man was I glad when the holidays were over! No more Temptations!
TIP:
Add some cranberries to your turkey sandwich for a little sweetness during the holidays! Leave off the top piece of bread if you need to, and eat an openface sandwich!
HOLIDAYS ARE NUTTY:
During the holidays, I don't know what it is about people adding nuts or peanutbutter to everything they make that's sweet, but it seems very common. Cookies, Fruit Cakes, Peanutbutter pie, Peanutbutter fudge, chocolate fudge with nuts in it! Jello with whipped cream and a nut on top! I've always been allergic to nuts, so that's not as hard as it used to be. I can turn my head to that, and over the years I have found awesome substitutes for the Holiday Treats that I can't eat. However, that was before I found out I was diabetic. ... ... now it's back to the drawing board for me!
TEMPTATION:
It's hard! I admit that it was hard on me during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays this year. I'm not going to lie! I splurged, and I know that it will show on my next A1C! There was so many sweets always laying around, tempting me, and calling my name! Until very recently, I could eat those sweets, (or at least I was!)
My favorite sweets during the Holidays!I do love Oatmeal Pie during the holidays, and then my aunt made me some sugar cookies made with Splenda and she always makes me a bannanna bread without nuts for this time of year. I couldn't let it go to waste! Thanks Aunt Vi! Then there's the dreaded EggNog. I LOVE Egg Nog! I swear I used to drink a half gallon a day... be sick as crap at night, and still love it! That all changed this year. I did drink about a quart of EggNog throughout the entire holiday, ate my banana bread and sugar free sugar cookies. I love food in general, but as I said earlier, I didn't crave sweets as bad as I have since I found out I was a diabetic.
Man was I glad when the holidays were over! No more Temptations!
TIP:
Add some cranberries to your turkey sandwich for a little sweetness during the holidays! Leave off the top piece of bread if you need to, and eat an openface sandwich!
My Life With Diabetes
I'm starting this blog a little late, but at least I'm finally starting it! It's probably going to be rough for the first few posts, while I try to gather all my thoughts for the past few months, just bear with me. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes a few days before my 26th birthday in July 2010, and it's now Jan 16, 2011 and I'm typing my first blog about it. Where to start? I guess, with a little background about myself to let you know how I got in to this situation. If you don't want to read that, just skip on to the next blog... now!
A LITTLE ABOUT ME:
So I am 26 years old, a Computer Technician in a small school system, and have also ran my own side business (CGrafiks) since 2006 fixing computers. I am 6 foot tall, and 150 pounds. Not overweight, and besides medical conditions that I cannot control, I consider myself a very healthy person. I have ate healthy all my life. Never cared for sweets much, except late at night before bedtime! I wouldn't say that I exercise daily, but I am a active person to be a computer geek. I was a bad asthmatic when I was young, but when I turned 13 I outgrew most of my asthma. I used to be allergic to allmost everything... dogs, cats, mold, eggs, strawberries, watermelon, fresh cut grass, peanutbutter, nuts in general, etc. I outgrew most of that too, besides my peanut and nut allergy that I will probably always be stuck with! I have always had allergy problems, skin problems that I can't ever get to clear up and, from where I was given steroids for the asthma, I personally believe that I have bone problems, and will have that diagnosed one day.
I was raised kinda rough, in the country, carried water, chopped wood, etc... (that's a whole other blog)so I've always been a hard worker and I don't really know how to stay still for too long. If I sit still for a day I'm usually sick! Since I became an adult, I have worked 2 jobs (or at least 1 and went to school) for as long as I can remember. Between school and work I don't have much time for my loving family, but I do the best I can and am fortunate to have them by my side. I have a wonderfull woman named Melissa, who has stood by me through thick and thin now for over 7 years! She has 2 daughters, one of which, Whitney, is already out of the house and Haley, which I consider to be my little girl. She is 10 now. She was 3 yrs old when I met her mom, so she considers me Dad too!
HOW I WAS DIAGNOSED:
In July 2010 I was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic after Kara and Jesselyn (both are diabetics theirselves!) checked my blood sugar when I was feeling bad one day at school. Karas meter stopped at 600 and she told me to call someone to take me to the ER, or she would take me herself, but I was not allowed to drive. She said she was surprised I was even walking around! After a lot of pricks and pokes, they told me that my A1C (an average of my blood sugar over 3 months) was a high 9 on the scale. I guess my average bloodsugar had been in the 400's for awhile, and my body gradually got used to running that way. They said I have Juvenile Diabetes and have had it for awhile. That was when my 4 day hospitalization started, and my education on Diabetes was just beginning.
FIRST BIG MISTAKE:
I had not been to the hospital since I was 18 and fell down 13 stairs! I had only hurt my back and they didn't do any tests on me for it. I hadn't even been to a doctor since then, except maybe 2 or 3 times due to a bad cold. At that time I didn't know anything about being Diabetic. I didn't even know that it ran on both sides of my family until after I was in the hospital! During my stay in the CMC, I was educated on diabetes by several real nice women. I sadly, don't even remember their names now, but they were smart and I learned alot from them. Then after I was released they signed me up in Diabetes Wellness at the Wellness complex, so I had 6 more lessons with professionals to help me get my life on track.
RELEASED TO THE WILD:
So after 4 days of constant pricks on the finger to draw blood samples, shots of Insulin and IVs of fluids, I was released back to the wild to fend for myself. I did not have insurance before I was hospitalized, so it wasn't long before I realized how expensive life as a Diabetic was going to be. The hospital gave me a Bayer Breeze blood glucose meter and enough strips, needles, etc to last me a few days. However, being new to this and not quite sure of what my body was supposed to really feel like, I was having to prick myself more than just 4 times a day for the first week or two. First thing I needed was more test strips and insulin.
The DR at the ER had wrote me a prescription, for a vile of my Novolog and Lantus insulin, when I was released. So I went to the Pharmacy and filled it. ($110.00 + TAX for just the Novolog!) Luckily I had some money put back to cover that. Then I went to Walgreens to get the other supplies. Another $100 easy between the strips, needles, lancets, alcohol and pads. Then there was the fact of food. We didn't have much in the house that I could eat. My diet was very strict and I had to count the CARBS of each item on my plate. I was allowed approx 60 grams at breakfast, 15g at snack, 45g at lunch, 45 at supper.... and that was it! (Look at the back of anything and see the amount of carbs per serving! It's terrible) So it was time to go grocery shopping! Luckily one of the instructors, at the school I work at, gave me a gift card to Krogers! ( I spent the next 2 hours in the store having to read the Nutrition Facts on everything and finding the better food for me to eat! - Did you know that the stuff that says FAT FREE, and should be better for you, is actually worse? That's a whole other blog though!)
HARD TIMES AHEAD!?!?
So there it was, over $300 spent in the first day out, and that was just a small part of what was coming. I still did not have any insurance, the medicine that I just bought wasn't going to last long, and I have to eat 5 times a day so the food won't last long either! Thankfully, the school helped me out with some emergency cash and I began to look for some other alternatives quick. I began to scout the internet and look for ways to help me. I applied for TennCare and FoodStamps, but was denied because I made $2000 more than what the government wanted me to last year! I checked other prices on insurance, but now since I was classified as a Diabetic, nobody would insure me for a decent price. I finally enrolled in the Rural Health Clinic ($12 per dr visit) and the Local Health Dept, and between the two of them, they were able to get me some patient assistance to help with at least one of my insulins (Slow-Acting LANTUS - I take 10 units at bedtime.) It wasn't the insulin that I used the most though. I have to take Fast Acting Novolog with every meal 3 times a day! I had about 1 1/2 viles of Novolog left and needed to find a solution within a month or so! That's when I found a company called www.express-scripts.com. My insulin went from $110 each to about $8. Thank you God!
So that's the main story. Moving On....
A LITTLE ABOUT ME:
So I am 26 years old, a Computer Technician in a small school system, and have also ran my own side business (CGrafiks) since 2006 fixing computers. I am 6 foot tall, and 150 pounds. Not overweight, and besides medical conditions that I cannot control, I consider myself a very healthy person. I have ate healthy all my life. Never cared for sweets much, except late at night before bedtime! I wouldn't say that I exercise daily, but I am a active person to be a computer geek. I was a bad asthmatic when I was young, but when I turned 13 I outgrew most of my asthma. I used to be allergic to allmost everything... dogs, cats, mold, eggs, strawberries, watermelon, fresh cut grass, peanutbutter, nuts in general, etc. I outgrew most of that too, besides my peanut and nut allergy that I will probably always be stuck with! I have always had allergy problems, skin problems that I can't ever get to clear up and, from where I was given steroids for the asthma, I personally believe that I have bone problems, and will have that diagnosed one day.
I was raised kinda rough, in the country, carried water, chopped wood, etc... (that's a whole other blog)so I've always been a hard worker and I don't really know how to stay still for too long. If I sit still for a day I'm usually sick! Since I became an adult, I have worked 2 jobs (or at least 1 and went to school) for as long as I can remember. Between school and work I don't have much time for my loving family, but I do the best I can and am fortunate to have them by my side. I have a wonderfull woman named Melissa, who has stood by me through thick and thin now for over 7 years! She has 2 daughters, one of which, Whitney, is already out of the house and Haley, which I consider to be my little girl. She is 10 now. She was 3 yrs old when I met her mom, so she considers me Dad too!
HOW I WAS DIAGNOSED:
In July 2010 I was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic after Kara and Jesselyn (both are diabetics theirselves!) checked my blood sugar when I was feeling bad one day at school. Karas meter stopped at 600 and she told me to call someone to take me to the ER, or she would take me herself, but I was not allowed to drive. She said she was surprised I was even walking around! After a lot of pricks and pokes, they told me that my A1C (an average of my blood sugar over 3 months) was a high 9 on the scale. I guess my average bloodsugar had been in the 400's for awhile, and my body gradually got used to running that way. They said I have Juvenile Diabetes and have had it for awhile. That was when my 4 day hospitalization started, and my education on Diabetes was just beginning.
FIRST BIG MISTAKE:
I had not been to the hospital since I was 18 and fell down 13 stairs! I had only hurt my back and they didn't do any tests on me for it. I hadn't even been to a doctor since then, except maybe 2 or 3 times due to a bad cold. At that time I didn't know anything about being Diabetic. I didn't even know that it ran on both sides of my family until after I was in the hospital! During my stay in the CMC, I was educated on diabetes by several real nice women. I sadly, don't even remember their names now, but they were smart and I learned alot from them. Then after I was released they signed me up in Diabetes Wellness at the Wellness complex, so I had 6 more lessons with professionals to help me get my life on track.
RELEASED TO THE WILD:
So after 4 days of constant pricks on the finger to draw blood samples, shots of Insulin and IVs of fluids, I was released back to the wild to fend for myself. I did not have insurance before I was hospitalized, so it wasn't long before I realized how expensive life as a Diabetic was going to be. The hospital gave me a Bayer Breeze blood glucose meter and enough strips, needles, etc to last me a few days. However, being new to this and not quite sure of what my body was supposed to really feel like, I was having to prick myself more than just 4 times a day for the first week or two. First thing I needed was more test strips and insulin.
The DR at the ER had wrote me a prescription, for a vile of my Novolog and Lantus insulin, when I was released. So I went to the Pharmacy and filled it. ($110.00 + TAX for just the Novolog!) Luckily I had some money put back to cover that. Then I went to Walgreens to get the other supplies. Another $100 easy between the strips, needles, lancets, alcohol and pads. Then there was the fact of food. We didn't have much in the house that I could eat. My diet was very strict and I had to count the CARBS of each item on my plate. I was allowed approx 60 grams at breakfast, 15g at snack, 45g at lunch, 45 at supper.... and that was it! (Look at the back of anything and see the amount of carbs per serving! It's terrible) So it was time to go grocery shopping! Luckily one of the instructors, at the school I work at, gave me a gift card to Krogers! ( I spent the next 2 hours in the store having to read the Nutrition Facts on everything and finding the better food for me to eat! - Did you know that the stuff that says FAT FREE, and should be better for you, is actually worse? That's a whole other blog though!)
HARD TIMES AHEAD!?!?
So there it was, over $300 spent in the first day out, and that was just a small part of what was coming. I still did not have any insurance, the medicine that I just bought wasn't going to last long, and I have to eat 5 times a day so the food won't last long either! Thankfully, the school helped me out with some emergency cash and I began to look for some other alternatives quick. I began to scout the internet and look for ways to help me. I applied for TennCare and FoodStamps, but was denied because I made $2000 more than what the government wanted me to last year! I checked other prices on insurance, but now since I was classified as a Diabetic, nobody would insure me for a decent price. I finally enrolled in the Rural Health Clinic ($12 per dr visit) and the Local Health Dept, and between the two of them, they were able to get me some patient assistance to help with at least one of my insulins (Slow-Acting LANTUS - I take 10 units at bedtime.) It wasn't the insulin that I used the most though. I have to take Fast Acting Novolog with every meal 3 times a day! I had about 1 1/2 viles of Novolog left and needed to find a solution within a month or so! That's when I found a company called www.express-scripts.com. My insulin went from $110 each to about $8. Thank you God!
So that's the main story. Moving On....
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)