Good morning CJ. I hope you're enjoying beautiful weather today.
Please tell me, if you don't mind, what supplies do you have access to and what are you lacking? In other words, what insulin and testing resources do you have to work with?
I went through a 4-month period last year when I didn't have health insurance or a steady job. During that period I had to go off the pump and go back to Humalin-R and injections. I was buying an inexpensive disposable glucose meter and strips at Wal-Mart and testing only 3-4 times daily. The biigest problem was purchasing enough healthy food.
There must be a way for you to take care of yourself properly. We just have to find it.
Well after reading your post I am taking Novo Rapid Insulin and using the Countour Link meter with my pump(machine came with the pump for free). And your right that there should be someone out there that could help me, I can't afford the full price but I can pay something for the supplies. And here there are programs for low income to help cover the cost of supplies but I don't qualify for them. The response that I get is that they either don't help people on an insulin pump or that the program is income based and goes from last yrs tax return and I'm always told that I made to much last yr. to qualify for help. And then like you said there is the aspect of eating healthy, and there is no help out there for that as far as I know.
For instance I was able to scrape enough money together yesterday to buy insulin as I was 4 units away from being out and found that when I went to the pharmacy, the price had gone up $1, and it may not seem like much but when you already can't afford supplies it might as well be 1 million dollars.
And with testing I know I don't test as often as I should because I can't afford to buy more strips, and so now I only test when I know something is wrong. Just so I know where I am. And I have even contact my local Social Assistance office to see if I could get a medical card to cover the supplies, and was told that I would have to quit my new job and apply for FULL Assistance to qualify. And I think that this is crazy, I mean I only need the help until I have gotten through my probation period(3 months) at my new job and these people won't help unless I quit and go on Assistance. I really don't understand that.
And this isn't easy for me with the stress of everything we deal with and I mean the "Normal" things like rent and paying the other bills that we all have. Sometimes I have even thought it would be easier to have something happen to me and end up in the hospital so that they would just give me what I need. But it's only a thought and I would never act on it.
I guess I wish that there was a program out there that no matter how much money you made and whatever your situation that they would understand the stress we are under and they would just help us in which ever way we need, just so that we can be healthy and not have to worry about the cost of supplies.
Sorry there I went off on a little bit of a rant, but it really upsets me to know that no one out there will help me because I made the choice to go onto a pump to give me better stability with my bs.
Paul Glantzman Carbs: 81 (Calories: 1362) Exercise: 1:05 total (0:00 at gym) Blood Sugar: 5 test results, Average: 124 Total Insulin taken (basal+bolus by pump): 38 units
Paul Glantzman Carbs: 88 (Calories: 1170) Exercise: 1:50 total (1:30 at gym) Blood Sugar: 7 test results, Average: 112 Total Insulin taken (basal+bolus by pump): 37 units
Paul Glantzman Carbs: 41 (Calories: 1098) Exercise: 1:35 total (1:25 at gym) Blood Sugar: 8 test results, Average: 98 Total Insulin taken (basal+bolus by pump): 28 units
Paul Glantzman Carbs: 72 (Calories: 639) Exercise: 3 hours total (1:00 at gym) Blood Sugar: 9 test results, Average: 76 Total Insulin taken (basal+bolus by pump): 32 units
Paul Glantzman Carbs: 134 (Calories: 1093) Exercise: 10 mins total Blood Sugar:11 test results, Average: 140 Total Insulin taken (basal+bolus by pump): 50 units
Paul Glantzman Carbs: 79 (Calories: 880) Exercise: 2 hours total (1:40 at gym) Blood Sugar: 7 test results, Average: 110 Total Insulin taken (basal+bolus by pump): 36 units
Paul Glantzman Carbs: 78 (Calories: 1082) Exercise: 3 hours total (2:00 at gym) Blood Sugar: 8 test results, Average: 112 Total Insulin taken (basal+bolus by pump): 39 units
Paul Glantzman Carbs: 105 (Calories: 1364) Exercise: 1.5 hours total (1:30 at gym) Blood Sugar: 10 test results, Average: 123 Total Insulin taken (basal+bolus by pump): 39 units