The one where I vent about the costs of Diabetes!

This isn't the first time and it definitely won't be the last time I vent my frustration about how expensive diabetes supplies are. Grab a coffee or a snack because this is a long rant....

On Friday, I headed to the pharmacy to stock up on some supplies I was running short on. My test strips were also on sale so I wanted to take advantage and get a little extra while they were a smidge cheaper.

This is what I bought:

• 200 iBGStar test strips
• One month supply of my Hypertension meds
• 5 penfill vials of Novorapid insulin
• 5 pre-filled pens of Lantus

For a grand total of.....drum roll please....

Being that it's finally a new year, my benefits are back into full swing - for now anyway. I have horrible benefits through my employer. I run out of coverage about half way through the year. So of the above mentioned bill, $97 of it I get no reimbursement whatsoever as my Lantus is not covered by my benefits or by our provincial Pharmacare plan. The only way it will be covered is if I have night time lows on NPH which I decided was best not to mess around with especially working shift work. That leaves $238 of which I will get 80% back, so this trip to the pharmacy is really costing me $145.

The test strips will last a little over a month; the hypertension meds are only for a month, the Novorapid tends to last me 2 months depending on how I'm eating and the Lantus only lasts 2 months. Right now that is working out to $70 a month on average for my supplies but when my benefits eventually run out it will be a lovely $170-$200 a month.  Ugh. 

At this point, I want to say that despite all this, I am grateful that I have benefits at all and even more grateful that I live in Canada where I pay for very little when it comes to getting medical care. I just don't understand how the average person affords this disease. I have a good job and make good money. I also work for the government which you would think would have a much better benefit plan than what it does. $1000 cap off per year for prescription drugs is peanuts when you have a chronic disease, but at least I have a benefits package. Sadly, many people do not. Last year I spent $2500 from February to December. But how does someone working an average paying job cover the costs of managing their diabetes? How can they afford not to?

Proper management of diabetes can reduce the risk of all kinds of complications that further add to the cost of a persons medical bills as well as the cost to the Canadian health care system. Therefore, it would make sense that the Canadian Government and the Manitoba Government provide more assistance to Canadians living with this disease as it is cheaper to assist someone with maintaining proper diabetes management rather than having to pay to treat the complications that will result from not managing it well.

I pulled some information from the Canadian Diabetes Association website:

"Compared to people without diabetes, people with diabetes were hospitalized at higher rates for:

• Stroke
  
• Hypertension
  
• Heart attack
  
• Chronic kidney disease
  
• Lower limb amputations.  

 The strain on outpatient resources or in the primary care setting in Canada means that adults with diabetes have 2 times more visits to their family doctor and specialist for: 

 • Anxiety • Depression
• Retinopathy • Obesity • Neuropathy • Erectile dysfunction • Foot ulcers

Assuming that the costs of treating diabetes remain constant between 2000 to 2020, the direct costs of the disease, including direct treatment costs, and incremental costs of treating secondary complications associated with diabetes will rise from $1.1 billion annually (already 3.5% of public spending on healthcare) to $3.1 billion by 2020 "

 These numbers should be a wake up call for our Government. Manitoba has one of the highest rates of diabetes per capita and yet we only just received a juvenile insulin pump program in our province last year. Still no word on an adult insulin pump program. I'm still crossing my fingers because without a program like this, I would most likely not be able to afford to switch to a pump.

I want to be clear, I am not posting about this to make you feel sorry for me. I'm posting because sometimes I need to vent about this kind of thing and I also feel it's important to spread awareness about this issue. 

At the end of the day, I can't afford not to spend whatever money is necessary to keep myself as healthy as  possible.

Day 30: CURE

This is my final entry for the National Diabetes Awareness month photo-a-day challenge.

 

These are pictures of me before and after my diagnosis this year.

 

Not much has changed by looking at these pictures.

 

But I remember everyday what it's like not to have diabetes. It's fresh in my mind.

 

I lived a normal, healthy life for 29 years and...

 

 I just want it back.

 

 

 

If you would like to help find a cure for diabetes, please follow this link to the Canadian Diabetes Association and donate. The CDA funds research and programs to help improve the lives of people in your community living with diabetes.

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Finding my groove...again.

Admittedly, I have been lazy for several months. Lazy as in couch potato lazy. Over the winter I didn't really do anything active. I am embarrassed to say that most of my spare time was spent watching old TV shows and movies on Netflix. I'm sure some of it had to do with running high blood sugars for several months pre-diagnosis, but most of it was from lack of motivation on my part.

For a couple years before diabetes I enjoyed running very much. I was never a running pro competing in marathons or anything like that, but I enjoyed getting out on a nice day and going for a nice run. No matter how bad a day I was having, running always made me feel better about everything. It helped me to clear my head and I used to solve a lot of life's problems out there on the pavement. Now that I feel as though I have gotten my health back on track I've been contemplating getting back into running. Obviously, I've been a little nervous about it too. I've heard alot about the challenges that can be involved in trying to manage blood sugars during physical activity as well as afterwards. I was also a little nervous because I was literally starting from square one again, and that can be a horrible feeling. But, I figured I'll never know how my body would respond unless I just got out there and gave it a whirl. I also knew it was going to be a key part of staying healthy with diabetes.

I decided I needed a short term goal to keep me motivated. I signed up for the Canadian Diabetes Association "Run for Diabetes" 10K on September 3rd. The most I've ever ran in an actual race is 5K, but I absolutely loved it so I am confident that with the right amount of training that I would be able to complete a 10K by then. I am also happy to be fundraising for a cause that is now close to my heart. I'm hoping that the fact that I actually have diabetes will resonate with people and I'll be successful at meeting my fundraising goal.

Some time ago, I downloaded an iPhone app called "10K Runner". It's a couch to 10K running program that's 14 weeks long with 3 runs per week. The app is $3.99 on iTunes and the reviews were all really good so I took a chance and downloaded it. I find I need a program to follow otherwise I will head out the door and run wild throughout the neighbourhood with no real purpose. I also like this app because it does a lot of the work for you (well, except the running part). Once you start it up, you can listen to music and a voice will chime in telling you when it's time to walk or run. I calculated out the training program and figured the absolute last day that I could procrastinate any longer would be May 28 in order to complete the program by race day.

So, this morning I woke up to a beautiful day! I had gotten a really good sleep and figured today was as good a day as any to start running again. I decided that throughout the next couple weeks I'm going to experiment with my insulin and blood sugars when I go for a run. I'm going to eat exactly the same thing pre-run but alternate how much insulin I take. This morning I tested at 7.1 mmol/L (128 mg/dl). I ate a banana and took no insulin; typically I would need 2 units. I then headed out for my run with my iPhone in hand...and that's it. I can hear all of you PWD's out there cringing. I know this was irresponsible. I should have had at the bare minimum a couple glucose tablets with me, as well as my meter. My excuse is that I have no where to put this stuff. I must invest in a running belt or Tummietote ASAP. Regardless, I went through my run and felt great! It was a pretty easy run and I was back home in 30 minutes but it sure felt great to be back out there! I had no feelings of a low coming on and was eager to get back inside to check my blood sugar.

Here's what I saw when I tested post run:

Overall, I was happy with that number (that's 198 mg/dl for my American friends). A touch on the high side for my liking but that's easily corrected. I'd prefer to be a bit high after a run rather than too low. Seeing this number also boosted my confidence too. I have a lot of anxiety about having lows, especially when I'm in situations where I can't easily walk away and fix them. I hate having to explain them to people. I know that it's important that I educate the people around me about them, but I haven't quite gotten there with it yet.

Day 2 of running is tomorrow. I'm going to do the same run and I'll eat a banana again and take half of my normal insulin and see how it goes. This time I'll take some life support with me though!