I have some “meatier” blogposts that I need to finish, but I’ve been busy living life and not so busy writing about diabetes. From a “Life” point-of-view, that is good. From a “Blogger” point-of-view, that’s a definite faceplant.
Just so February doesn’t fly by with zero blog entries, here are some diabetes things going on in my life.
Number One! I lit up Facebook and made many D-friends jealous with the news that I had lunch with Kate Cornell last Thursday in Prescott, Arizona. The skies were blue, the temps were warm, and the company was great.
As I summarized our visit: “It was a wonderful day, Kate! Your friendship is one of the good things that has come from diabetes in my life…”
Number Two! I spent quite a while yesterday morning trying to figure out why I couldn’t fill my prescription for insulin. Obviously a #firstworldproblem because I knew that it was just a pharmacy and/or an insurance glitch.
That’s a reminder that if you haven’t yet contributed to the Spare a Rose campaign, please click here to donate. It is more than an insurance/pharmacy glitch when children with Type 1 diabetes in developing nations die because they have no access to insulin. Although Valentine’s Day has passed, it is not too late to Spare a Rose to Save a Child.
After several phone calls to my endocrinology office and pharmacies in both Minnesota and Arizona, I will be able to pick up my 90-day supply of Novolog tomorrow. Should I mention that the insurance-contracted price is $1103.89 or $275 per vial? In June 2014 I wrote a blogpost titled “Then and Now” and shared a 1977 bill of $3.91 for one vial (a 2-month supply) of Lente insulin. Not much else to say….
Number Three! My sister is flying across the country this week to visit me in Arizona. She
also has Type 1 diabetes and my interview of her is one of my most-viewed blogposts ever. We couldn’t be more different in our diabetes care. She uses Lantus now only because Lily quit making Ultralente in 2005 and her refrigerator stockpile ran out. She uses Regular insulin as her bolus insulin and has chosen not to use Humalog, Novolog, or Apidra. All of this is with vials and syringes. I of course have used a pump and CGM for years. Fortunately we are both doing well after almost 4 decades of diabetes.
Because of my free upgrade to the Dexcom G5, I have several unused Dexcom transmitters. (My current G4 transmitter has been in use for 11 months with no signs of failing.) I am going to ask my sister whether she would like to use one of my G5 transmitters along with her iPhone to try out a Dexcom CGM. I suspect that she will say no, but maybe not. Unfortunately she is older than I am and already on Medicare. Maybe it is cruel to let her experience life with a CGM when she would have to self-pay to continue on the system.
Number Four! I have been hiking a ton this winter and playing golf at least once a week. Abby the Black Lab has been enjoying two walks a day. My Fitbit is exploding with steps and I have averaged 18,850 steps (8.5 miles) per day for the last 4 weeks. If only the other parts of diabetes care were as easy for me as exercise. I’d be willing to trade 5,000 steps (or even 8,000 steps!) a day to anyone who would cook me delicious, healthy, low-carb dinners.
That’s it for today. Be strong. Be well. Be happy. Keep fighting the good fight and see you around the DOC.
Test Guess and Go 