I need to win the lottery. Or cure diabetes. Whatever.
I test a lot. I mean a lot. 10- 15 times a day, usually. For me, that’s my guide to diabetes management. If I don’t test, I don’t feel equipped to make a diabetes management decision. Being without my meter makes me feel like I don’t know which way is up, and I hate the feeling of not being able to get that information. I know that seems like a lot to your average diabetic, but for me it’s been the only tool that really helps me keep my health in control.
Because I test so much, my doctor got special permission from my insurance to cover 300 test strips a month. He basically wrote a prescription saying I required “intensive blood glucose monitoring.” (Duh. Really? Doesn’t every Type 1 technically require that?) Even still, I have times when I burn through 300 strips and am left with a gap in supplies. This routinely happens during the holidays when the copious amounts of food force me to check more often.
This past Friday, I reached for my last box of strips and checked the calendar. Shoot. 7 days until my next shipment arrives. I did the math in my head – 50 strips would only last my 5 days, max, and I had two birthday parties that weekend which would involve lots of food, drinks, and ultimately testing.
Sure enough, by Sunday evening, I was down to my last 3 strips. With everything going on over the weekend, I had needed to test more than usual, and it had drained my supplies. My “official” half marathon training was starting on Monday, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to wing it for even one day, let alone 5. I was going to have to suck it up and pay for test strips – without insurance coverage. Uuuuuugghhh. I checked my bank account, which was already hurting after my big party weekend, and headed to the pharmacy at the drugstore down the street.
Walking in to the store, I realized there was a good chance the pharmacy would be closed early on Sunday evening. Sure enough, the dim lights in the back of the store let me know it was closed before I even got to the counter. I wandered over to the diabetes supply section and scanned for test strips. All I saw were pictures of the boxes and a note stating “see the pharmacist for your diabetes supplies.” Really? Really? I’ve had diabetes 16 years, I know I need more strips but I should talk to the pharmacist? Right.
With an exasperated sigh, I hopped in the car and headed towards the grocery store pharmacy. Also closed. Also had test strips locked up like Fort Knox. It was 7pm and I had three test strips. I could 1.) Deal with it, and hope I had no major ups or downs and hit the drugstore first thing in the morning or 2.) Drive to the 24 hour pharmacy 20 minutes away and buy more. I opted for option #1 and headed home, crossing my fingers that it would be a tame night. I lucked out, drifting off to sleep early and not rousing until my alarm went off at 6 the next morning.
I swooped in to the drugstore at 6:45, caffeinated and ready for a Monday. I explained to the pharmacist that I needed 50 Freestyle test strips (while 2 other people looked on, perplexed by my desire to voluntarily buy something outside of insurance coverage) and that I was prepared to pay full price. He grabbed a box from the shelf and rang me up.
“That will be $70.96.”
Are you f’ing kidding – that’s more than a dollar a strip, this is highway robbery! So not fair! I am only buying these to take better care of myself so the government doesn’t have to pay for me later! This is such a rip-off!
“Ok” is all that came out of my mouth while I swiped my credit card and silently fumed. But there was nothing I could do. I guess I could have bought one of those cheapie all-in-one glucose testers, but those test strips are not compatible with my pump PDM, meaning I would have to carry both devices, and input my blood sugars into the PDM for it to use with bolus calcs.
I was so frustrated with American healthcare yesterday. Intensive blood glucose monitoring in Type 1 diabetics has been shown to be THE tool for preventing long-term complications. So why on earth would insurance not cover a million strips a month if I want them? Better to pay for those than a heart attack/stroke/dialysis/amputation down the road, correct? Instead, as a “good patient,” I am forced to go broke to take care of myself. I don’t understand why I get punished for being proactive and preventative. That’s it – I’m moving to Sweden!
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Comments
I am with you. I have my doc writing scrip for 300+ strips which are for the 1 touch. I am interested in the pod,can you tell me your experience?
Hopefully I will have alot of 1 Touch strips to give away. Like your comment on Sweden, I often tell people I have my bags packed and ready to go
Take care
joe
Hey Joe! I have loved being on the OmniPod. I tried a traditional pump first, and hated the thing. I couldn’t deal with being tethered to something….where do you put it at the beach? Where do you put it while sleeping? In general, I found it hard to get used to after not using one for 15 years, so the Pod was a good alternative for me. It is a little bulky, but less so than you would think - and those Pods are durable - you change the whole Pod every three days, and I will wear that thing through 2 kickboxing classes, a run, 3 showers, and a dip in the ocean and it doesn’t budge. The only time it bugs me is when I am at the beach, so occasioanlly I will go back to shots for about 24 hours from a Sat to a Sunday, and sometimes I just decide not to worry about it and I rock the pump at the beach.
Hope that helps, if you have other questions, email me directly and we can chat. Thanks for checking the blog!
Oh you are so right! That is one of the reasons I got into nursing, hopefully a change is coming. My heart goes out to you until then.