Still on a break …

Wow it’s been a whole year since my last post. Life gets busy I guess! I am still on a pump and CGM break … Let me see if I can catch up on everything else …

Earlier this year I started a new job – it was a necessary move because my last job was very toxic and it was affecting my health. But that meant new insurance. Which like I’ve always said, I am so very thankful to have insurance. I know a lot of people aren’t as fortunate.

But at the same time I am incredibly frustrated because I was in DC last week visiting with Representatives on Capitol Hill regarding hot topics in the diabetes community (more will come on this soon). One of the activities we did was put pen to paper and add up what our out of pocket cost is to live with diabetes. I mean I’ve always know it’s an expensive disease but I’d not done the math in a very long time. And I had some serious sticker shock when I saw it in writing.

I pay almost $1,000 a month for my insurance through my employer for family coverage. And since my policy became effective March 1st I have paid over $2,000 just for MY prescriptions. And the kicker is not a dime of that goes toward my medical deductible. It goes toward my out of pocket for the year. But the problem is my pump and CGM both go toward Durable Medical Equipment (DME) which means I’d have to pay 100% of the cost until I reach my deductible (which I’ve not paid a dime toward this year). It’s a vicious cycle ….

I called #Medronic and #Dexcom this week to see what my cash pay options would be and it’s just not feasible right now. My husband is currently unemployed so we are having to make decisions on “must have’s” vs “would be nice to have’s” and insulin trumps pump/CGM right now. And my pump is apparently not eligible for upgrade until next March so I’ll likely stay with what I have until at least then. And at that point I’ll consider changing to their closed loop system – I have several friends who have tried it and love it!

I have also started running this year and my insulin needs have changed drastically. For those that don’t know, when I’m on MDI (daily insulin injections) I take one shot in the morning and that’s what my body gets for 24 hours as my basal rate. (And then I take 3-5 shots of Humalog a day to cover meals/snacks or correct highs) When I’m on a pump I can adjust my basal rate throughout the day as needed. I am currently waking up low almost every day either in the middle of the night or in the morning, even when I eat a snack before bed. That could be avoided with the ability to change/lower my overnight basal rate.

Not looking for sympathy, but using my blog to vent my frustrations about not being able to manage my diabetes in the best way possible. Again I know it could be so much worse and I’m SO very thankful that I have insurance and that my insulin is currently affordable. I know I’ll be back on my pump and CGM soon- just gotta keep doing my very best to take care of myself until then. 🙂 #ivegotthis #lifewithdiabetes