My husband was diagnosed with Diabetes yesterday

[Horse with no Name]

As a nurse, I know what to do and what not to do regarding the disease process.
However, my insurance is NOT the greatest...nor is it the worst.
Had to go out today and buy a glucometer, strips, and lancets. My COPAY to this was $175.
This doesn't count some of the little incidentals that have to be purchased OR the medication.
I want to know HOW people that have little to no resources afford this?
The strips alone were $90.
How do poor people manage their diabetes when you should be checking your sugars at LEAST twice a day?
It's definitely something to think about because the answer I keep coming up with is that they CANNOT afford to manage it.

[bleedingheart]

1. Many can't manage it and they just get by..

I have asthma, the copays for my maintenance meds come to around $50 a month. However...without insurance my drugs would be around $300 a month or more.

This explains why a lot of poor kids end up in the ER all the time for asthma. The maintenance drugs are too expensive so the parents basically do their best and when it gets too bad the kid ends up in the ER to treat it.

[Epiphany4z]

2. some buy the strips on

ebay. I have good insurance that covers mine so I don't have to. When I was first diagnosed I scoured the internet. read on some of message boards they have lots of good hints and such.

Buy the meter that has the cheapest strips...I hate to give wall mart a plug but I'm told they make one that has strips for 20.00.

I cried when I was diagnosed because we had crap insurance at the time..meds strips and everything it cost me nearly 200 a month to manage things...a lot on our income...anyhoo good luck hope I was some help.

[Contrary1]

7. I get my strips on Ebay...

Ends up being a whole lot cheaper, even though I have halfway decent insurance.

Also, some companies will send you a free meter and a few strips to introduce you to
their product. Hoping, of course you will continue to buy the over-priced strips.

Go online and look around. I'm betting you can get several to help defray the cost.

What type of meter did you end up with?

On edit: Smartees candy work just as well as glucose tabs, and so much cheaper.

[Horse with no Name]

11. I bought a One Touch Ultra Smart

and all the supplies.
There is a $50 rebate on it.

[Contrary1]

15. That's the one I use too...

After tryng a couple others, I decided on this one. It will keep track of averages, doctor visits, test results, etc.

One has to wonder how much these things really cost. There's an Ultrasmart with 10 strips and 10 lancets on Ebay
right now for $8.99 +$6.50 shipping.

[Horse with no Name]

18. No way?

This thing retailed for about $90, my insurance paid $20 and it has a $50 rebate...so in the end it will only be $20.
But that is pretty hefty price difference. I bet they are stolen.

[Epiphany4z]

24. not stolen

I figure some people get there supplies paid for by there insurance then sell them. The meters are easy to get free..i have 4 of them. Different companies will send you one free ..On the bet you will like it and use there over priced strips.

[Lurking Dem]

27. They are the Gillette razor of health care.

Give away the handle and rob them blind on the blades.

[WinkyDink]

3. Poor people do what they've always done: they DIE.

[babylonsister]

6. I knew a lady who did just that; she was low on meds towards the end of

the month, so she was halfing them. She went into a coma and died; she was around 62 years old.

[WinkyDink]

42. You should hear my mother tell of my great-uncles and aunts and their diabetes-caused blindness,

amputations, and deaths. Oy.

[hobbit709]

4. Is he Type I or II

Both my wife are type II and once you get stabilized and get a good feel for your levels you don't really need to test yourself as often. After 10 years I can tell within 10 points or so what my level is by the way I feel.

[Horse with no Name]

9. He is Type II

He didn't even feel bad when he went to the Doctor for his blood pressure.

[Epiphany4z]

14. with type 2

I went through a lot of strips at first....I tested like 4x a day to learn how different foods effected me. Once I lost a bit of weight and got the hang of what foods and how much I could have a stable exercise routine I was able to test only once a day.

A good diet and just walking helped me a lot.

Most the meters you can get for free have really expensive strips. So it may be worth it to buy your meter based on the cost of the strips.

[Richard D]

20. Check out . . .

. . . Black soy beans. They help manage Type II.

[EFerrari]

5. We can't afford it. n/t

[Horse with no Name]

19. Hugss

It's sad isn't it? Is there anything you specifically need that maybe we DU'ers can help out with?

[EFerrari]

22. I'm very grateful that you are putting this topic in our faces.

We need to deal with healthcare.

I'll see a doctor for the first time in 12 years next week. And, I'm more lucky than so many people.

:hug:

[upenn264]

8. I work at a pharmacy

I work at a national retail pharmacy and I know that almost all the machines have rebates you can mail in. Also, all the machines work the same so find out the cheapest strips and buy the machine that fits the strips, you can buy any lancets - heck you can even use a safety pin. Just realize not to skip your insulin because that will worsen the condition. If you take it regurlary you may be able to reduce the quantity you need down the road.

[sinkingfeeling]

10. Well, I got my meter for free by buying one 100 ct. of strips. From then on, I buy them

on Ebay! You can also get the lancets there. I am not diabetic, but my dog was diagnosed 3 years ago. They use the exact same insulins and supplies as people and of course, my insurance doesn't pay a dime! My chief complaint has been how much insulin has increased in price. When we stared on Humulin Lente, 3 years ago, it cost me $24.95 a vial (lasts my Crissy about 1 month) and it's now up to $37.99!

Lots of people with diabetic dogs use Novolin-made, private brand carried by Wal-Mart at about $24 a vial. However, since I won't shop at Wal-Mart, I pay more.

[cmd]

12. Amazing, isn't it?

My husband has been dealing with diabetes for at least five years. He takes a ton of drugs that are always still under patent. His insurance pays a hefty chunk, but we still have a lot left to pay. My dad, on the other hand, is a retired coalminer. The United Mine Workers not only pay for the drugs, test strips, lancets, and test kit; but they also send him many pairs of socks and tubes of foot cream every six months. They even have a nurse that makes follow up calls to do education and make sure there is nothing else he needs. I am totally impressed with their service.

[kestrel91316]

31. Those evil unions!

[SoCalDem]

13. how ironic is that? a NURSE who has shitty insurance provided for her & her family

:grr:

I wish I had known you needed a monitor. My husband has an extra he no longer uses. His new one was actually free when he switched brands of "stuff"..

My husband is FINALLY going to see an endocrinologist after seeing the goofy doctor he has for a few years now. Every time he goes, he comes back with a new scrip for something or other.

he went from being a robust healthy guy to being skinny, tired ..with a stent ..had a bout with bleeding ulcers (from the aspirin)..

and every new med gives him a reason for a new pill for the side effects.

I went to the customer relations dept and raised hell so he can see a specialist to evaluate his meds.. He usually feels better when he FORGETS to take them :grr:

watch him like a HAWK !!!

[Horse with no Name]

17. Yeah it is something that many of us lament

Walmart has better insurance for their employees than we do.
Our "new" insurance policy doesn't pay for ANY prescription allergy medicine or any type of stomach medicine UNLESS you have documented biopsies of esophageal erosion--and even then I think it is grade III, I'd have to look but it is flat ridiculous.
I have a pretty hefty healthcare spending account that I was actually planning on getting Lasik for my daughter--but because of this as well as her needing her wisdom teeth out...looks like that will have to wait.
So the money was there...it wasn't a hardship...at least not at this time.
I appreciate your sentiment though :hug: and I betcha there is a DU'er who could use it if you were offering it.
I am glad your husband is going to see the endocrinologist. I am a firm believer that is where people with serious diseases need to go to at least set up their regimens.
I hope he gets to feeling better.

[helderheid]

16. It's shameful. Simply shameful. I'm sorry to hear about your husband.

[eShirl]

21. a combination of Medicare, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D

type 1 diabetes & complications including retinopathy and renal failure

[Horse with no Name]

23. ...

:hug:

[eShirl]

33. right back atcha

:hug:

[kineneb]

29. Hubby is in similar boat

Type II, insulin, dialysis, heart problems

Full disability, Medicare, Medi-Cal, Part D

Yesterday was his 60th birthday.

I am the caregiver.

[eShirl]

34. oh, I'm the caregiver, too, actually

It's my husband who has the type 1 diabetes, etc. He's only 38, but has had diabetes since he was 10 years old (back when they called it juvenile diabetes).

[tavalon]

25. Exactly!

We have a person living with us who doesn't have insurance and she had a sinus infection last week so I paid for her to go to the doctor and get amoxicillin. The total bill was over $200.00! We need universal health insurance now. It's just insane that we don't have it.

[Lurking Dem]

26. When I divorced my first husband

I was left uninsured with type 1 diabetes and an insulin pump. Supplies were outrageously expensive for a pump and it all came out of pocket.

I did without stuff like pelvic exams, dentistry, etc. I worked 60-80 hours a week. Got so sick at one point I waited until I was peeing blood and drove myself to the ER. When I got there my blood pressure was 60/45.

I remember reading about a type 1 man who was living with his family in his truck because he was completely blinded by his disease and was unemployable. He was 34 years old.

There is no excuse for a 34 year old to be blinded by diabetes. It was because he was poor and had no access to care.

Shame on us.

[jwirr]

28. Medical Assistance rules were made at a time when diabetes

was an old person's disease. Today many younger people are getting it so the assistance given from Medicare does not cover them. Our health care coverage needs to keep up with the times.

[kestrel91316]

30. People who have little or no resources get their feet and legs

amputated. Then they die of renal failure. Or sepsis, Or they go blind and fall and die of a head injury. It's that simple.

But it saves the taxpayer some money up front, so that's ok.

[grace0418]

32. I know, the other part that really gets me is all the little bills for his care.

My husband was diagnosed last June. He's doing great, he's lost 60 lbs, works out daily and eats super healthy (he always ate well, just too much). His readings are consistently normal now, to the point that his doctor is going to take him off his meds. He actually told my husband he should be a motivational speaker because he's doing so well. Apparently a large number of people go into denial at the initial diagnosis.

Anway, all of this is really great and I am so proud of him. But in order to maintain his health, he's been going in for a lot of check-ups and tests and follow-ups. It seems like every other day we get eight pieces of mail, four of which say "This is not a bill" but have huge lists of charges and another four that are actual bills for random amounts that don't correspond to anything. I can't make heads or tails of any of it, so what can I do other than pay it? I swear, if someone made up some fake medical billing stationery and started sending bills to me, they could bilk me out of thousands of dollars because I have no idea what any of it is.

So yeah, in addition to all the money for test strips and whatnot, how do the poor manage all these random bills that keep cropping up? I've been wondering why I can't seem to put any money into savings lately and I realized it must be all these random bills for $31.73, $96.27, $11.34, etc. that are adding up. It's very frustrating.

[doodadem]

35. How do the poor do it?

They do what both of my sisters did--

Type 1 diabetics since children, who became catastrophically ill as the years wore on. When it got too bad, both of their husbands divorced them. These were too women who had never lived alone, and never been self-supporting.

They went on Medicare and Medicaid, who basically took anything they had managed to hang onto. But they did pay the medical bills, which by the time they both passed away (one on Thanksgiving Day 6 years ago, the other two days before Thanksgiving last year), were certainly in the millions of dollars. One became totally blind, the other lost both legs, and also developed bone cancer. They both died penniless.

Am I bitter? You bet'cha. It gets better. My dad had always been an incredibly healthy guy his entire life, except for a little high blood pressure once he got into his 80's. He'd been on the same meds which worked great for him for several years. We decided to sign him up for VA benefits, as he was a WW II vet, and had never taken a dime. VA looked at his BP med, and said, we'll put you on this generic that is ALMOST as good, and a whole lot cheaper. Within the month, he had a stroke that paralyzed the entire right side of his body.

Should I go on? Right before my dad had his stroke, my mom went in for a routine colonoscopy. While they were doing it--Viola'--they managed to puncture her intestine. She had to be rushed to emergency surgery, and lost about a third of her colon.
Then they decided, oh yeah--she has colon and liver cancer. Within two weeks, the doctor that had screwed up the first procedure was shipped off to Iraq, and no one has been able to track him down since.

Healthcare in this country SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS!!!!!!!!! I could provide other examples, but I need to keep my lunch down.

[leftofthedial]

36. we refuse to die fast enough to suit our lords

who would prefer to control a planet with only a couple hundred million serfs.

[1monster]

37. Consider using Niacin and Vitamin D to delay the possible need for

insulin supplements. (Of course, since you are a nurse, you know to talk to the Doctor regarding any supplements before using...)

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8513/31402/351433.html?d=dmtContent

Niacinamide, a chemical in vitamin B-3, has been proposed as a possible therapy to prevent diabetes or delay the need for insulin. Animal studies of niacinamide use in diabetes have suggested that it may increase the time that oral drug treatment is effective and delay the need for insulin injections. Research in humans has shown mixed results with niacinamide, and most studies had flaws in their designs. More research is needed to determine if niacinamide provides any advantages in delaying or preventing the onset of insulin dependence in individuals with diabetes.

The use of niacin for the treatment of dyslipidemia associated with type 2 diabetes has been controversial because of the possibility of worsening glycemic control. However, a recent randomized, controlled, multicenter trial showed that of 148 patients in the study, only four discontinued because of inadequate glucose control. These researchers reported doses of 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams per day (in a controlled-release formulation) to be a treatment option for type 2 diabetics with dyslipidemia. Check with your physician and pharmacist before starting niacin.

http://www.newstarget.com/003856.html

Highlight:
New research indicates a good dose of Vitamin D can help protect you against diabetes. Researchers have found that low blood levels of Vitamin D interfere with the proper function of insulin-producing cells. Low Vitamin D levels also result in an increase in the risk of insulin resistance, even in otherwise healthy individuals. So consider stepping into the sunshine if you want to increase your own Vitamin D levels.
Original source:
http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm?cmi=845143&cid=28

[walldude]

38. My wife has it too and we have no insurance..

The cost of the strips is a killer. She was on this stuff called Lantis which was basically a 24 hour insulin shot, but when they canceled her Medicaid she had to switch to insulin twice a day. She's on a couple other things as well and if Medicaid doesn't re-instate her we're going to be out close to $300 a month in medication alone.

[Horse with no Name]

39. I am curious and I hope I am not putting you on the spot but

How do you do it?
Do you have to decide what to do without that month in order to get the medication?
I know my husband was laid off in January so he isn't working. They are threatening layoffs at my job.
We're going to be okay no matter what happens so we are very fortunate. However, I know many aren't as fortunate.

[walldude]

43. Well it's been very tight around here.. I work on the road

as a roadie for touring bands so I only work when there are tours. I have been off since Dec. I go back in 2 weeks for an 18 month tour so once we get started we'll be fine but it's been a hassle watching the savings drain with no money coming in. What we did was went to her Doctor and explained our situation that the Doc found cheaper alternatives for most of the meds she takes. Hence the switch from the Lantis which was $130 a month to the insulin which is $37 a month. They switched a couple of her other meds as well. Once we got everything down to it's cheapest we started calling around for prices. Wal-Mart has certain scripts for $4 each. We hate Wal-Mart but our pharmacy at King Soopers will match any price so we just have them call WM and they give us the same price. King Soopers is a Kroger store so I think you can do that at all Krogers. Costco also has good prices on meds. With me going back out we'll be just fine but these last couple months have given us a good feel of what it's like for people with outrageous medication costs. The really messed up thing is that Medicaid dropped her with no warning and no reason except they wanted her to re-apply. She's over 50, on disability and Medicare(which we fought for 2 years to get) and the loss of Medicaid really surprised us. A couple tips for your hubby. Once you start on the insulin the blood sugar goes all over the place in the beginning, keep some life savers around for when it gets too low and some lettuce for when it gets too high. Lettuce will drop the BS level like a stone. If you guys need any help or advice don't hesitate to PM me...

[Horse with no Name]

44. Great advice

I appreciate the insight into this.
I purchased some of the glucose tablets but didn't know about the lettuce. I love learning new things, thank you.
And thank you for the offer of help.:hug:

[Contrary1]

45. Never heard that about lettuce...

Do you know what is in the lettuce that would do this?

Thanks for the hint. :hi:

Edit*** Disregard, I did some research. It's chromium.

[walldude]

47. Thanks, I didn't know what it was, another diabetic

turned us on to it and it works great.

[liberalnurse]

40. Many, many poor diabetics can not

manage their disease effectively. The elderly are taught by the home care nurses to re-use their syringes. They do this by not using alcohol swabs to prep the skin prior to injection as this dulls the needles which must be reused. They are stored in the refrigerator. I met a diabetic couple where the wife, she was on glucophage and the husband on insulin.....She elected not to get her pills so that her husband could get insulin.

I know many, many poor that I see in practice who get their insulin over-the counter without a prescription....without a prescribed dose, they just guess their way threw it on their own! Some take a friends oral hypoglycemic prescriptions...the insanity goes on and on! Many of these clients are in their 20's and 30's as well as the senior age groups. Many never treat their diabetes and run around with 600 blood sugars. Another aspect is the diet management. Many are lucky to get food let alone a balanced ADA style diet selection.

[Pathwalker]

41. NEXT TIME: Call your Insurance company!!!! PLEASE!

Sorry to yell, but I just had to buy a new glucometer, and at my pharmacist's suggestion, I called my Insurance Company's Customer Service. They asked me to call one of two health supply companies and arrange to purchase one through them, because if I did so, they would "kick in the rest". I called the first one, and they gave me the latest One Touch II Ultra glucometer, a ninety day supply of test strips (for 3x daily) AND ultra fine lancets for a co-pay of...$35.02. I don't have the greatest coverage either, so I was worried, too, but taking my pharmacist's suggestion saved me a LOT of money.
You never just go to the store and accept what they offer - you must look elsewhere for the real bargains. It only costs a phone call to find out.

[Avalon Sparks]

46. My own blood sugars were gradually increasing....

Due to the way I eat. My fasting glucose has been slightly rising over the last several years. Not at the diabetes stage or even prediabetes... but Doc said I was taking a train straight there - suspected I had insulin resistance. He prescribed a pill.

I was scared to death and spent well over 300 hours researching this disease. Read every medical study I could find, and then I hit the message boards.

Two books I have read and followed have sent my blood sugar completey to normal levels. I would suggest checking them out of your library or purchasing them... but both have websites too.

Dr Akins Diabetes Revolution

and

Dr. Bernstein's Revised and Updated Diabetes Solution by y Richard K. Bernstein, M.D., F.A.C.E., F.A.C.N., C.W.S., FACCWS.

Here's the website for Dr Bernstein, which includes a great forum for discussions:

http://www.diabetes-book.com/

There are many Type II and even Type I diabetics on this site with wonderful advise. It's basically DO NOT EAT CARBS. There are many success stories of people with very high blood sugars that have brought them down with little or no meds by following Dr Bernstein's guidelines. They have also brought down high blood pressure and cholestral levels to normal.

Despite being a bread and pasta loving lady, I will eat a low carb diet for the rest of my life because I believe it's the only way to prevent so many health problems. The American diet has way too much sugar in it.