6 things for 6 years

Happy D-blog Day!

To celebrate the 6th annual d-blog day, here are 6 things I think people should know about diabetes.

1. Yes I can eat that! With the advent of insulin pumps and CGMS, there is no real reason I can’t eat whatever I want.  Not to mention that sugar-free stuff just plan tastes nasty.  If I’m going to eat the carbs anyway, it might as well be something delicious.
2. Taking insulin is not “bad”. I do not have it “really bad” because I have to take insulin. My body simply doesn’t make insulin anymore, so I need to replace it manually.
3. I’ve got it, but sometimes I need help. Most of the time, I am super aware of all the intricacies of what’s going on in diabetes-land.  I know that my blood sugar is going up, but it’s okay because I just ate and I know I bolused accurately, etc.  Or that I may be dropping, but that’s good because I was high before.  However! Sometimes I am low and I don’t know why and I need someone to cut me some slack and get me some Starburst.
4. My CGMS is amazing. This thing catches everything.  It tells me when I’m high; it tells me when I’m low; it tells me when I’m going up or down too fast; it will remind me later if things haven’t improved.  Because of this device, I have kept my A1c at 6.2% or lower (below 6.0% is NORMAL) for 2 years.
5. Diabetes is expensive. 4 endo visits, regular doctor, OB/GYN, eye doctor, dentist.  6 test strips per day x 365 days = over 2000 strips per year.  New infusion site, pump cartridge, and tubing every 3 days.  A CGMS sensor is $135 before insurance, which is only supposed to last 7 days.  The pump itself is over $6000.  I just started with new insurance, and next year I will EASILY hit the out of pocket maximum of $2500.  Probably by May.
6. The D-OC is awesome. George, Kerri, Scott, Bernard, LeeAnn, and Allison are all household names.  You are all my friends.  And not qualified with “diabetes online friends”.  Just “friends”.  <3

Advertisement