It’s been a week since my last post…a crazy busy week filled with Kyle working late every day, a 3 year old on a tantrum rampage, an infant who requires constant supervision, and early morning runs that leave me begging for a nap (or to at least sit down) by 2:00. Have no fear…I’m going out tonight with my friend, Brian to see Verb Ballets. Kyle is staying home with the kids, and they’ll be sleeping soundly when I get home…ahhh.

In other news, I received a packet in the mail from my insurance company with information on Type 2 diabetes and how I should lose weight and exercise more in order to control it. Thanks. I have Type 1 diabetes (you freaking morons were the ones who made me prove it in order to get my hospital stay covered). I’m not in the market for a diet. If I exercised any more than I do, my legs just might fall off (by the way, the 14 miler went very well last week and I’m on schedule for 15 tomorrow…I know, it’s crazy). And no amount of diet or exercise will ever be able to prevent me from taking insulin for the rest of my life.

Insurance companies are so frustrating. I am constantly fighting with them over my testing strips (they don’t think it’s necessary to test 10+ times a day…but they want you to exercise (at least that’s what their little pamphlet said), so you need to test before, during and after so you don’t end up in an ambulance with a bill that amounts to a lot more than the damn strips would have cost). I have been hospitalized twice because of diabetes, went through an appeal process over my diagnosis, had countless scripts filled for insulin and even went through them to get my insulin pump…and they still don’t know that I have Type 1.

Recently, I went to an information session on the advanced features of my pump and the rep there was talking about the real-time continuous glucose monitoring system available (it’s awesome…I wore it during the Cleveland half and it was beyond beneficial…I’d give my right arm to have it back). The only catch is that insurance co’s aren’t covering it yet, which means you pay $1000 out of pocket to get the system and each sensor is $35…you change that every 3 days, which puts you at $350 a month…on top of your scripts for insulin, infusion sets, testing strips, etc…we’re talking big bucks here. He said that some insurance companies (he mentioned the name of mine) are starting to cover it on a case-by-case basis (i.e. pregnancy), and if you can get your doctor to write a letter of medical necessity they want it to state dangerous highs and lows, the need to test at least 8-10 times a day…what…I had to interrupt the guy right there (no offense to him), but MY insurance, the one that bitches and moans over my need for strips, won’t cover this unless you test as much as I do. I’m throwing my hands up now…I’m done…there is no sense to be made in such a senseless system.

You want to help me out…start covering the CGMS, stop fighting with me for trying to get control, get my diagnosis correct and send me some information that actually pertains to it, and while you’re at it…remember that healthcare is not a privilege, it’s a right. That just might result in one less disgruntled diabetic…