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Old 07-20-2011, 02:24 PM   #141
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rgarling, adding my thanks for that link, very interesting and entertaining at the same time.
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Old 07-20-2011, 06:49 PM   #142
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Originally Posted by Texas Proud View Post
I have not looked at any of this, but do thank you for the links.... I have to learn more about my problem to understand it...

So far down about 5 to 6 lbs but starving along the way... still working on getting the doc to do something to get my test strips, but decided to buy some online so I can do more testing right now to understand what my body is doing...

Don't starve yourself. That is a guaranteed fail over the long term. At the very least, find things to eat that are filling but non-harmful. When I first got diagnosed, I asked a cow erker that was T2 what we were supposed to eat. He said "salad is your friend". Of course he was eating a slice of anchovy pizza as he said it. But it's true. When I'm doing the right thing (which is only sometimes), I eat a lot of salad and other raw or steamed or grilled veggies. It's not always satisfying, but it keeps the hunger down to the level where you don't lose control and eat a pint of ice cream while waiting for the pizza delivery.

This isn't a disease that will kill you tomorrow if you slip up, so take your time. Educate yourself, develop better eating habits, slowly drop the weight (it took years to put on, right?). If you can identify one or two things that are major contributors and cut them out, you can make a big difference fast whle taking your time getting the details right. Like if you drink a lot of sugary soft drinks (or beer), or eat a lot of white bread or pasta. Cut those things out or way down and you've made a huge step in the right direction.
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Old 07-21-2011, 09:30 AM   #143
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Don't starve yourself. That is a guaranteed fail over the long term. At the very least, find things to eat that are filling but non-harmful. When I first got diagnosed, I asked a cow erker that was T2 what we were supposed to eat. He said "salad is your friend". Of course he was eating a slice of anchovy pizza as he said it. But it's true. When I'm doing the right thing (which is only sometimes), I eat a lot of salad and other raw or steamed or grilled veggies. It's not always satisfying, but it keeps the hunger down to the level where you don't lose control and eat a pint of ice cream while waiting for the pizza delivery.

This isn't a disease that will kill you tomorrow if you slip up, so take your time. Educate yourself, develop better eating habits, slowly drop the weight (it took years to put on, right?). If you can identify one or two things that are major contributors and cut them out, you can make a big difference fast whle taking your time getting the details right. Like if you drink a lot of sugary soft drinks (or beer), or eat a lot of white bread or pasta. Cut those things out or way down and you've made a huge step in the right direction.

I have not stopped eating... in fact I am eating more than before, just not the things I used to eat.... but I think the pills that the doc gave me has increased my appitite... and even after eating a big meal, I am 'starving' (hungry) in about an hour...

I have cut back on the carbs, but am still eating enough of them (I will eat two sandwiches for a meal).... but now I try to get less of breads etc.

My big contributors were candy, ice cream and breads... have stopped the first two and cut back on the third...

Thanks for the post... I do have a lot to learn and do know that this is a long term (heck, for the rest of my life) issue and can not be fixed in a few weeks or months..
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Old 07-21-2011, 09:32 AM   #144
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Another question to anybody that has this....

Does your insurance pay for your test equipment... specifically test strips?


It seems that my insurance does not want to pay... the doc finally got to them and was told that they would not pay for the drug... they did not pay for the test strips when I went to get them, but am hoping that it will change... but so far it has not....
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Old 07-21-2011, 09:44 AM   #145
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I think you will find a lot of variation in insurance coverage. Many of the co-pays are high too.

On the open market (amazon) you can get a fairly good meter, e.g. Wavesense Presto, pretty cheap and the test strips are about 30 cents each.
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Old 07-21-2011, 09:56 AM   #146
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rgarling, adding my thanks for that link, very interesting and entertaining at the same time.
I'm glad people are finding it useful. Dr. Connelly plans to publish a book early next year, which I am looking forward to. I hope he does well.
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Old 07-21-2011, 10:50 AM   #147
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Does your insurance pay for your test equipment... specifically test strips?
Interesting question, since there was a similar situation with a guy I wor*ed with (both T2, same insurance).

He had his perscription filled by a local chain pharmacy (e.g. Walgreens), while I had mine filled by a local (non-chain) pharmacy that also had a "durable medical equipment" department - wheel chairs, walkers, etc.

While he paid full price, mine was always filled with a small co-pay of a few dollars.

It might be a situation of how the pharmacy codes the claim or it might be the way the doctor writes the perscription (and the IDC code).

I don't know the reasoning, other than I always paid much less for strips (and still do)...
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Old 07-21-2011, 11:18 AM   #148
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Originally Posted by Texas Proud View Post
Another question to anybody that has this....

Does your insurance pay for your test equipment... specifically test strips?


It seems that my insurance does not want to pay... the doc finally got to them and was told that they would not pay for the drug... they did not pay for the test strips when I went to get them, but am hoping that it will change... but so far it has not....
Did you check with your insurance carrier as to which part of the policy covers the strips? Some insurance policies cover them under major medical while others cover them as part of the drug coverage. Usually the major medical part has a higher deductible than the drug part. For example, Medicare covers strips under part B (and pays 80%), not part D (drugs).
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Old 07-21-2011, 01:41 PM   #149
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Did you check with your insurance carrier as to which part of the policy covers the strips? Some insurance policies cover them under major medical while others cover them as part of the drug coverage. Usually the major medical part has a higher deductible than the drug part. For example, Medicare covers strips under part B (and pays 80%), not part D (drugs).

No, I have not looked into it... from what the pharmacy said they needed more info from the doc... the doc contacted them and the message I got back was 'they will not cover the drug he prescribed'... I said I was not concerned about the drug right now, but the test strips which I told you about on the last phone call... She said "Oh"...

Still no answer, but I did order some from Amazon and will see what I can do going forward...
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Old 07-21-2011, 08:19 PM   #150
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No, I have not looked into it... from what the pharmacy said they needed more info from the doc... the doc contacted them and the message I got back was 'they will not cover the drug he prescribed'... I said I was not concerned about the drug right now, but the test strips which I told you about on the last phone call... She said "Oh"...

Still no answer, but I did order some from Amazon and will see what I can do going forward...
One thing to consider about meters is the size of the drop of blood (sample) that you need to test. I think the range is about 0.3 microliters to 1.0 microliters. This means a lot! My old meter needed 1.0, and it felt like I was pounding a nail into my finger to get an adequate sample. The one I use now is 0.6, and I am going to look into getting a 0.3 microliter drop size. I'm taking aspirin now which makes the stick bleed more freely, but still the smaller drop needed the better, given similar accuracy. (None are very accurate)
Blood Sugar Meters With a Small Sample Size: Nearly Painless Glucose Testers Help People Monitor Their Diabetes | Suite101.com


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