So....do you have health insurance? I'm assuming most of you do because most have the "pump". And I hear the pump is quite expensive so if you have one with no insurance you must have a good job or you found a very very convincing salesman on ebay to have you purchase a second hand pump.
I have absolutely no insurance. My job does not offer it. And to get insurance when you are pre-existing....well that is just not in the financial cards. It costs more for insurance per month then it does to by my meds from the pharmacy.
I've applied to every program under the sun and have been denied for making too much money which is a crock. Connecticut is a funny state when it comes to stuff like this. They do not help anyone. We have some of the most wicked high taxes. They think everyone makes too much money here.
What im getting at also is that be happy that you have insurance and can see a doctor when ever you like. I was pretty much thrown right out of the hospital when i got DX. As fast as they could stabilize my blood sugars and give me the quickest speech in the world on what diabetes was and is....i was back on the street left to fend for my own. I barely know what an A1C is. I couldnt tell you whether im doing good with my diabetes is. I go to a clinic for blood work and they pretty much tell me if im alive or dying. I dont know what an endo is nor do i really care at this point. I will never have one.
I guess just be happy that your meds and stuff are for the most part covered. I pay out of the pocket for everything. And it costs a lot. When i dont feel good...i have no where to go. I dont have a doctor to call or see. I just have to take it day by day. Whats a keytone? I couldnt tell you. Its just some more medical jumbo that they quickly spoke about to me and went right on to the next subject. Its like the hospital had a quick checklist of things they had to kind of tell me to cover their own butts. But i never got the full details on what this disease is. And i dont care any more. Its been 7 years now with this and no doctors. I guess it is what it is and some people are just luckier than others when it comes to health insurance and care. Some diabetics will definately out live others.
We might not be able to help you get health insurance, but we are here to support you. If you ever have questions about your diabetes, how to take care of it, or anything not even closely related to diabetes, we are here for you. I realize the importance of health insurance, but have always taken it for granted that I have it. Thank you for reminding me I am lucky. It's easy to forget these things.
An A1C is a three month average of your blood sugars. The American Diabetes Association suggests keeping it below 7% (an average BG of about 180) to avoid future complications (higher does not necessarily mean you WILL have complications, nor does lower mean you WON'T have any). An "endo" is short for an "endocrinologist." They are doctors who specialize in the endocrine system, which includes diseases like diabetes. A ketone is something you spill into your urine when your blood sugars are high, or you are sick, or you are lacking the insulin to process all the sugar in your blood. Everyone (even non diabetics) will spill ketones once in awhile. It is dangerous to have ketones in your urine a lot. That is why they recommend we check our urine for ketones if our blood sugars are elevated. Ketone strips come in a box. You pee on the strip then match the color of the strip to the back of the box and it will tell you if you have ketones are not. I rarely check for ketones, even though I know I should. Ketone strips aren't that expensive and you don't need a prescription for them, if you are interested in using them (you can get them at any pharmacy that sells diabetes supplies).
Hope this helps you a little bit. Please feel free to chat with me (or anyone) sometime if you want to. As is everyone else, I am here for you.
Actually, and I'm on speaking for me here, I've always made a conscious decision to choose a job that offered health insurance, rather than choosing a job or a career path that really interested me. It was a matter of survival for me. It was either, choose the path that you seem to have, as far as work and health goes, or find a job that covered me and make the best of it.
As far as the things that go along with the T1 lifestyle go, like A1C's, ketones, etc., I'm assuming that since you found this website that you have access to a computer and internet access. Try googling some of it instead of claiming ignorance. Not trying to be a hardass here....just pointing out the obvious. Life is hard choices. One after the other. You either choose a job without insurance and pay the consequences, or you don't..
And it's not really a matter of "Luck", money, or education either. I went to college after high school. No money from family for it so I waited tables to pay for it, and got on the college offered health plan to cover my diabetic stuff. After college I started out at the bottom as an admin. assistant, so that I could get health insurance. No reason why you can't do the same so that your health won't suffer.
Kristen, im not claiming "ignorance". But i think its kind of pathetic that after being DX im left to look on the computer to learn about this disease rather then have been shown some actual care by doctors at the hospital. I think the hospital bill was approx $48,000 after i got out. You would think with a bill like that i would be an expert. But that wasnt the case. Yeah i can sit there and look at sites all day and read and read. But its more beneficial to talk to a doctor and real life person as opposed to reading page after page.
And I dont know where you live where there is an abundance of jobs with insurance and a paycheck decent enough to survive off of. But in this country we have a thing called a bad economy. So I have to stick to the job that I have. I cant take a lower paying job. I have to pay for my apartment and everything else. If i go for a lower paying job that has insurance....Then i can get medical but then i can also considrer myself homeless. There is no balance here. Most people are lucky enough to have a job at this point.
And with college. I will never be able to afford that. Im 28 and its kind of late in the game for college. Once again with a bad economy...nothing is promised after college. What is promised is a never ending debt. If i wasnt DX i would have been a Marine. Thats why i never looked at colleges after Highschool. But then came the betes and it all went down hill.
Wolf, I can't offer a suggestion, but I can voice my agreement (if that helps at all). When I was little I had great insurance and didn't understand why people "didn't do what they're supposed to". I had a case of DKA and due to my insurance the hospital kept me overnight for observation in a ridiculously nice private room. The last time I had DKA it was difficult to get a sandwich after my levels had become normal. Treating two diabetics (or the same person at two different times) differently due to money/insurance is shameful.
I contacted the JDRF about your post and this is what they had to say: (I hope this helps)
Many States now require insurance companies to cover diabetes supplies and education. The Health Insurance Portability Act, passed by Congress in 1996, limits insurance companies from denying coverage because of a preexisting condition. To find out more about these laws, contact your State insurance regulatory office. A listing is available at http://www.healthinsurancefinders.com/cr_state_department_of_insurance.html.
Some drug companies offer pharmaceutical assistance programs. The programs are typically for people with diabetes who have little or no insurance to help offset the cost of supplies or prescription medications. The Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers a point of access to hundreds of assistance programs that have joined together to provide savings to the uninsured. To learn more about these programs, visit https://www.pparx.org or call 1-888-477-2669.
Additionally, leading pharmaceutical companies have created the Together Rx Access Card to help hardworking Americans and their families gain access to savings on prescription products. The Together Rx Access Card offers 25 to 40 percent off brand-name prescription medications at pharmacies nationwide. To be eligible, you have to have a household income of less than $30,000 for a single person or $60,000 for a family of four and be a legal resident of the U.S. and Puerto Rico. To learn more about the card, visit: http://www.togetherrxaccess.com/Tx/jsp/home.jsp or call 1-800-444-4106.
A number of national drug store and pharmacy chains also have their own prescription programs to help customers save money on certain medications. Stores with these programs include Costco, CVS, K-mart, Rite Aid, Target, Walmart, and other. Speak with your pharmacist at any of these stores for details.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) also has a publication called "Financial Help for Diabetes Care,” which offers information about resources that may help with medical expenses of a person with diabetes. You can view this publication on-line at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/financialhelp/index.htm or order copies from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-860-8747.
You may also try contacting your county or town health department. It’s possible that there are local resources don’t exist on a statewide or national level.
(This information is also listed on our site: http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=103442#ocho, I also noticed that Kristen responded with the PPA & Together Rx Access Card info from the Diabetes Health article).
Thank you for the information and research Gina. I will give those numbers a call or check the sites. I am so out of options at this point and so sick of looking around that its good to have some new options and choices. Someday I will luck out and catch a break.
The insurance system tied to employment but not all employers providing it stinks. But it's probably not going to change or at least not very much. You're ONLY 28. It is by no means too late for more education. If construction doesn't provide health insurance, you might want to consider working toward changing fields. Like Kristen and I, many of us work in careers where the first priority is health insurance. Fun and doing what you want in your life blah blah blah is mostly fairy tale stuff. For us, we have to put a priority on taking care of ourselves and being able to get what we need medical wise.That means either health insurance or being independently wealthy.
Maybe try going to night school at a community college. Try to get a microsoft certification. Somehow get into the corporate world and work your way up. May be tough for a while, but will be better in the end.
Everyone that has health insurance isn't "lucky". I paid my own way through college on the GI bill and working. I wanted to major in music and did for a while until I finally listened to my Dad and got a marketable degree. It's meant all the difference in the world. You can do it.
Even when I was younger I realized how insurance impacted me. I was thnakfully covered under my father's insurance plan until my own kicked in with my first job. The biggest fear I had was the loss of insurance when I went back into school. I knew that after I left my job I could use Cobra to extend my insurance if necessary, but that was going to cost me an arm and a leg. However, I realized for the long haul I would have to suck it up and pay whatever to keep my insurance.
When I started to meet with the Diocese I was planning on joining my first question after the initial meeting and greeting was about how insurance was handled for the seminarians. I can tell you if I was told that I was not being covered in anyway I would have reconsidered my options and either looked elsewhere or told them they would have to pay the Cobra coverage for me. I was not happy about the possibility, but in the world of insurance companies you are either lucky or not so much. However, Wolf your luck will change eventually. As was pointed out by the others if you are not getting insurance coverage from what you do. You mght have to reconsider the job and find something that will help you out. Maybe find another company to work for, if you are in a union see if they offer options and such.