I just got home from my endo appointment about 20 minutes ago, and I wanted to write this blog post while everything was still fresh in my mind. First, let me mention what some of my thoughts were going into this appointment. I knew my A1C was going to be high, actually, probably the highest it’s been since being diagnosed. Why did I think this? Because my meter results over the last three months say so. I also knew that I did not wear my Dexcom at all during the last 60 days, so I knew that was going to be a point of discussion. Finally, I did not reach my goal for my weight loss. Now, onto what happened.
The first discussion point was my lab results. All numbers were great, except for the A1C. Guess what? It was the highest A1C in 7 years. My A1C was 8.7. I am not happy with it, but that was the number. There was a great plan of action discussed during the appointment, so I am confident that when I am back in November, that won’t be the case.
Today I saw the nurse practitioner, but she is great. She performs lectures all across the country and is involved in a lot of diabetes research, so her opinions are given high priority in my mind. We went off track of my own diabetes and started discussing the DOC and DSMA and some issues that she has with the diabetes world and was wondering how she can go about getting those opinions out there. After that, we went onto eating habits and losing weight.
We talked about my diet, and well, I admitted, my eating choices have been horrible which is leading to the high blood sugars. She reads a lot of different books on different thought processes and opinions of the low-carb, high protein, gluten-free, low calorie diets that are out there and which are best for those with diabetes. She mentioned a book titled, Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health
I then introduced her to Glooko and showed her how simple and easy it was to use the product. She loved it and thought that it could be a great idea to have her patients use it.
The final discussion point was a segment of my BG data that was…perfect. She asked me what occurred during that time period? The answer….. Apidra.
I have written previously about my usage of three different insulins within 45 days because of insurance changes. I went from Novolog to Humalog, then tried Apidra because I had the Rx card that provides up to $250 worth of free insulin a month. During my time of using Apidra, I was able to lower my basal rates and achieved a lot of my BG goals.
I LOVE Apidra. I would love to continue to use Apidra. However, my insurance charges $150 / 3 month supply. My previous insurance charged the same amount. United Healthcare and now Aetna. Both charging high prices for this awesome insulin. I am now forced with the decision, do I break the bank and pay for the Apidra or do I save the $40/month and stick with Humalog?
This decision would be so much easier if sanofi-aventis can negotiate better deals with the insurance companies which could then provide cheaper co-pays.
What to do, what to do.