RE: [IPk] Re: The burden of diabetes
Di,
I asked about posting (ha ha this week), and cost was cited as a barrier. Why
do they not order and Medtronic post to me - after all Medtronic have to post
anyway? So I have to drive to the hospital, park, collect and drive back (min
40 minutes). My employers are fully OK with this - I am very lucky - I know
others are less so. I can also work flexi hours etc.
I find maintaining diary, results etc time consuming. But if I skip these, my
control usually goes haywire. Basically its a pain in the rear end, but we
all know that. I'd like to be able not to test for a day here and there.
Typically I'll do 4-15 tests per day. Even though the sensor only takes 3 or
5 seconds, you have to get the kit out, wash hands (supposedly) and refill the
pouch with lancets and strips. Then there is prescription organisation and
collection, set changes etc. All this adds up.
Yes - it is a right royal pain. Monday/ Tue/ Wed before bed BM ~4.5, last
night similar amount of activity, food and insulin, BM 17. The wonders of the
human body, well I wonder about mine sometimes ;)
Whinge over, time for some sandwiches.
M
> Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2007 11:58:53 +0100> From: email @ redacted> To:
email @ redacted> Subject: [IPk] Re: The burden of diabetes> >
Marc> I certainly don't think we're better off now, just that in some ways it
> was easier because there was nothing we could do. This is why - I am > sure
- so many doctors still put patients on once or twice daily > injections of
pre-mixed insulin, and why they stopped teaching carb > counting and started
promoting things like "healthy eating" and "eating > at regular times". It's
definitely much easier to have a regime like > that - both for doctors and
patients - and for some patients it's all > they can cope with. Especially
when first diagnosed. However, as we all > know, these kind of regimes and
attitudes rarely lead to good control - > in type Is.> > On a practical note,
can you not get your consumables delivered to your > workplace? Even if your
workplace discourage having personal deliveries, > they might make an
exception for medical need (I'm sure you could make a > case....)> I started
doing that to make life easier although I have no set working > hours anyway
and can work from home. To be fair, they used to deliver it > to my next door
neighbour, who's retired, if I wasn't in - by > coincidence her daughter also
has diabetes. But I didn't like them > having to do that if I wasn't there.
I'm impressed you have 4 clinic > appointments a year! I think most clinics
now are lucky if they give you > 1 appointment a year. I really don't think
that - whatever my job - I > could say that (in MY case) I have reduced income
potential because of > diabetes. Everyday diabetes management really takes up
so little time in > my day that I don't see it as a time-eater. I do about 10
blood tests a > day - sometimes more, and each one takes about 5 seconds (plus
30 > seconds to wait for the result, but I can be doing something else in >
those 30 seconds). A couple of minutes every other day to change my > set....a
couple of minutes to refill twice a week - it's not really much > on the grand
scale of things!> > Of course, having diabetes is a right royal pain, and
there's nothing > worse than not having the right BG level when you want to do
something > important, or having a hypo at the wrong moment, or feeling like
**** > due to highs/lows. But it doesn't really have any impact on my life in
> terms of time and money. Just takes up valuable space in my suitcase for >
glucose tablets and infusion sets, and means I need a bigger handbag > than I
would otherwise need!> > Then again, I never really knew what it was like not
to have > DM......(well they are my initials after all!!!)> Di> > > > > Marc
Taylor wrote:> > Di,> >> > (struggling to keep up with the email flood) It may
have been easier in some> > ways, but do you really think we have regressed in
some ways over 30 years> > ago?> >> > Having to take time out for 4 clinic
appointments and at least 6 collections> > of pump disposables per annum. And
then all the GP appointments, and scares> > (auto-immune) whenever something
odd starts happening. Diabetes has a burden> > for the individual and family.
Reduced income potential (any number of> > reasons), having to take time out
for appointments and diabetes management,> > and having to eat carefully
(generally careful/ good diet = more expensive).> > Actually the time aspect
is the thing I resent the most. If I try and take a> > back seat say by doing
<= 4 tests in a day or by ignoring the rigmarole of> the> > diary, my BM then
goes nuts (why does it do this when all else is the same).> >> > Anyhow,
interesting debate!> >> > Ciao,> > Marc> .>
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