So, as you all know I have been without my full coverage for a while now. Which means that I am paying out of pocket for test strips, pump supplies, insulin, etc. It’s now time to purchase some more test strips. I thought that I was good for another two months, but, once again, I left two empty boxes of strips in my inventory cabinet and thought there was strips in the boxes, but there wasn’t.
There are a lot of purchasing decisions in life that can be tough, a car, a home, deciding to buy a new 27″ iMac! However, these type of purchase decisions is not very tough because there is not much of a choice. I have been lucky to have an endo that is so willing to give me anything that I need, but there is only so much that I can take from them without feeling like I am taking from people with smaller incomes that need the samples more than I do.
The part that sucks the most in the situation is that I have to switch from One Touch to a cheaper brand. I don’t think it’s possible for somebody to use One Touch when paying out of pocket, it’s just way too expensive. I’m not even sure if One Touch has a patient assistance program, but I’ve signed up for a few of those things in the past, and I’m always told that my income is too high, doesn’t make sense.
I’m not afraid to switch though, because I’ve recently switched the type of infusion sets I am wearing because I ran out of Quick-Sets (which are still my favorite), but I had an overstock of Mio’s. Thanks to a Mio Angel.
There are many obstacles that we must overcome when living with diabetes, and this is just one of them. If it wasn’t for the support from the DOC and hearing, or should I say reading, stories about others in the same boat, it would be a lot more difficult. But, I’ve seen others get through it, so I know that I can also.
So, I better get back to work now so I can pay for these damn strips.
Also, don’t forget about the Spare a Rose, Save a Child effort this week.
I’ve been there… we lost our coverage a couple of years ago and while we had a good household income, purchasing test strips & insulin, not to mention other medications, really added up. I also had a great endo who game me what he could, but I always hated asking. Thankfully we have coverage again, but I will never forget the period we went through without it.
Hey Chris, I may be able to help you! I have One Touch test strips that I can send you!! Someone helped me some time ago and it’s my turn to help someone else.