Clean it Out – Wednesday 5/13 Link List.
“Yesterday we kept stuff in, so today let’s clear stuff out. What is in your diabetic closet that needs to be cleaned out? This can be an actual physical belonging, or it can be something you’re mentally or emotionally hanging on to. Why are you keeping it and why do you need to get rid of it?”
I’ve been sitting with this one since last night, and I haven’t been able to think of anything that I feel I need to clean out, but maybe I’ll discover it while I write. Last year before I sold my house and moved to Maui, I did a major cleaning out of my old diabetes supplies. This included old meters that I’d received for free and never used or didn’t like, ones I no longer had test strips for. Syringes I wasn’t using because they didn’t have half unit measurements, or just too big. LOTS of lancets (as most everyone else has mentioned), and I still have more than enough for the rest of my life, unless I actually start changing them… Instruction manuals I never read. Mostly I was able to give away the still useful supplies, and was again grateful as some of them had been given to me.
I love the way those of us in the diabetes community are so generous and willing to share when we have an abundance, or give when we know of someone in need. I was the very lucky beneficiary of my first Dexcom CGM, from a woman in my diabetes group in Tucson (Penny – thank you!) who has amazing insurance. Her company would give her a new CGM receiver every year! So she had several extras of them around, plus plenty of expired and near-expired sensors, from times she’d taken breaks from using it. I was thrilled to receive this amazing device, that has made a huge difference in my day to day life with diabetes, and hopefully my long-term wellness as well.
At the time I had no health insurance. Before Obamacare was the law, the state where I lived, the wild west of Arizona, did not require insurance companies to cover people with preexisting conditions, and I could not get any health insurance. I was paying for all my medical care and prescriptions myself. I bought insulin from Canadian pharmacies at about a third the cost of US prices. Test strips I was able to buy at Walmart (Relion brand) for also about one third the cost of any other brand sold (about $36/100 vs $110/100 for all others). And I just prayed I didn’t have an accident or major illness!
A CGM receiver costs thousands of dollars, and the sensors are about $80 each, and depending on how lucky you are with each one, only last anywhere from 7 days, to my personal record of 3 weeks. There was no way I would be paying out of pocket for that. So I was incredibly blessed to receive this gift, along with another couple of friends giving me “extra” insulin they had, that they’d been over-prescribed.
It makes me wonder about the amount of waste of our medical resources in this country, when there are many people with diabetes who can’t even afford enough insulin to stay alive, and there are people throwing it away here. But that’s another topic. Today, I’m grateful for the abundance I’ve been blessed with through friends, and that I’ve been able to join in that spirit of generosity when I’ve had more than enough, and shared some of the extra supplies I’ve had whenever I can.
I’m in the process of receiving a new-ish, donated insulin pump soon (I hope), and am again so grateful that there are those who are wanting to help!
And for those who followed my Omnipod posts – I’ve officially given up on that pump (which was also given to me!) Out of 5 pods I wore, 2 sites became infected very quickly, and every one of them was uncomfortable at best, and painful at worst, and my blood sugars were the worst they’ve been in decades. For now, I’m happy to be back in quite good control with my Luxura half-unit dosing pen, and looking forward to trying a Medtronic pump, and having a trainer to learn the ins and outs, so I can really see if it will give me even better control than MDIs.
Aha! This is what I am ready to clean out – if anyone wants an Omnipod that’s a few years old, and some expired but still usable pods, and you’re close to Maui or willing to pay for shipping costs, let me know!
Lucia's Life with Diabetes 