Living with Diabetes

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  • OMG My Phone – Backup Plans

    Kerri blogs about losing her phone at OMG My Phone

    I've left my phone behind enough, and not had a charge enough that I have a ton of back up plans.  Do bad I don't have an affliate relationship, but I always carry a second tablet and a hot spot.  I've been caught in enough places without WIFI too, so I like mine own.

    I've got Skype set up the tablets I can (yes, I have an Ipod Touch, a Google Nexus, an Amazon Fire AND a Surface but I don't always go out with all of them).  Of course, I also have my ham radio license and a rig in the truck.

    I also have Skype set up in my classroom.  However, then its usually easiest to be old fashioned and send a kid.  Since we're not supposed to use our phones during class periods, its ingrained on me to use sneaker network rather than anything higher tech. 

    So Kerri – find a backup solution.  Yeah, I was even carrying two phones for a while, just in case.

     

     

  • Sleep

    Still having trouble sleeping.  It is absolutely no fun.

  • I don’t get to keep my insurance – comparing the new plan vs. the one I lost

    We were notified in September that there was no longer an Active Care 3. 

    I currently pay $496 a month, my employer pays $300. 

    I will pay $329 this year, but it's gone up every year.  I think I had the better deal.  I will definately be more out of pocket.

    My deductible was $300, now it is $1000
    My out of pocket max was $1000, now it is $4000
    Co insurance is still 80%/20%
    Preventative Care is still 100%
    Radiology is the same.
    Inpatient Hospital is the same
    Emerency room is the same
    Output surgery is the same
    Prescription drug deductible was $75 and now $200
    Prescription drugs are higher retail, same mail order

     

  • Sleep Time is actually increasing

    In small increments.  Glad I got the Fitbit.  I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it's the best measure I have.  I'm tracking it as much as I can until I can get to the Insomia team.

    Yes, there is an Insomia Team.  Don't know much yet — I have an appointment with the intake doctor.

  • Been to the Sleep Doctor

    The machine is working.  The restless leg medication is working (when I let).

    We are switching masks.  We are going to treat me for insomnia.  Waiting for those appointments.

    Sleep was better, weight is better. 

    Working on it all.  Talking to a friend has also helped.  She put things in prespective. 

  • Recovery

    I have a sleep doctor appointment

    Sent from my Windows Phone

  • @ExpressScripts called me again

    And it was one of those you love.

    First, they called at the end of my 2nd period class.  Since we had gone over material and they were supposed to be working on an assignment, I took the call — also I didn't want to play phone tag.

    A pharmacy tech told me a pharmacist want to talk to me.  I told her that I had already contacted Express Scripts before I contacted them, I already had a plan, that I was hoping that Express Scripts would leave me alone, and went through the fact that they had already annoyed me to the point I had filed a complaint with the state board of insurance and that I'm about to file a second.  I also told them if I heard from them again about this matter I was going to find a lawyer and file harassement charges.

    I was on hold for over 90 seconds waiting for the pharmicist and she interrupted me when I tried to tell her what was going on.  I told her that I was a teacher, I was going to talk, she was going to take notes and I was going to make sure she understood what I said. 

    I said that I was a very educated diabetic, that I knew before Express Scripts contacted me and had reached out to them.  I told them that I was using a Medtronics pump and was using my durable medical equipment to purchase scripts.  I went through the procedure my doctor and I used to determine that I was not having an allergic reaction to humalog and that I would get a new script when the current insulin was used up.

    I also told her I was putting on my blog and that her company needed to review my phone so they could learn how not to treat patients.

    As in all my phone calls I protested the fact that the forumlary was changed in the middle of the plan and that was the basis of my complaint with the state board of insurance.

    By the way, the students high-fived me at the end and agreed that I was nice since I hadn't cussed yet.  They were pretty appalled at their end of the conversation.

    Do you think that might be one of the reasons I'm not sleeping, it was in November.

  • Access Issues

    Nothing really big.

    Yesterday at the robot competition one of the volunteers got on me because Dulce was walking on the basketball court.

    She was okay with it when I replied that the university knew about Dulce (they did) and that she was a service dog.  I also spent the day trying to keep her off the court as much as possible.

    But right after that a competitor barked at her.  Now I'm usually pretty gentle with people about that, but I got in his face and told him in no certain terms that not only was the behavior unacceptable but it was a behavior that would get him bit.  The whole thing was getting on my nerves.

    PEOPLE, teach your  children.

    But keeping Dulce off the court surface meant that I had carry her when we had to be on it, and she does weigh 15 pounds.  That also meant that a few people had the ability to reach over and pet her and did — ANOTHER good way to get bit.  Dulce is a really good dog, but because she is a service dog she is very protective and I don't like putting her in a position where she feels the need to protect me.  She also weighs 15 pounds.

    By the way, she is still tired, but I think she enjoyed the afternoon off.

    Other notes:  it's the first time I've been in public with students and they saw in a quick hurry what a PITA it can be.  I think they got it in about 5 minutes, as we were followed with comments of "puppy" and cute. 

    After we were done competing, we were in the audience in the bleaches and one of my kids, an athlete looked down at her, looked at me, and said,"wow, Miss, she's really ripped".  I just rolled my eyes, looked at him, and said, "you expected less, she's more of an athlete than you — she runs dog agility plus all her relatives are show dogs".  We then spend some time talkimg about conformation and what judges are looking for.   Of course, I didn't use the "c" word.  I did use the "B" word, as everything thinks it funny she won "Winner's Bitch"

  • @ExpressScripts phone call worked

    Friday my plate was too full, and I got a call from Express Scripts telling me that their formulary had changed.

    Okay, I've gotten two letters each from the following:

    •     my school district
    •     the state

    I lost count of how many letters I got from Express Scripts, but each time, I got two. 

    Next time this happens I'll keep them.  I am sure it has been more than 10, less than 20.

    For the past three months, everytime I go to the website to do anything with Express Scirpts a pop up comes up and tells me that formulary changed.

    There is supposed to be a checkbox to click to make it go away and it hasn't worked.

    Something in my brain snapped with that phone call.  I called it back and I got the same freaking message, so I actually took time out of my day.

    The idiot who took my call didn't seem to get my complaint:

    "Okay people, I got it, you've told me countless times, next time, I'm going to save every single interaction and I'm going to send it to you in a box. My doctor and I have a plan.  You don't get to know what the plan is until I want to tell you.  I will tell you that you are losing money because of one of our plans.  MAKE IT STOP NOW".

    I think it repeated it 4 times. 

    I had children in my room and on third repetition one of the child told me to be nice.  My response: "I'm being nice, I haven't started cussing yet.".  There was also another teacher in the room, and she agreed that I had not broken the nice barrier yet, and that I had earned a lost of patience.

    The good news: The pop ups didn't show up on the web site today.

    The bad news on their end: I've complained to the state board of insurance.  I'm not holding my breath of course.

    I still maintain that is not fair for anyone to change the rules in the middle of a policy. 

    My plans: Medtronics gets to supply me my test strips.  I'm am liking Medtronics more and more every day.

    I'm successfully used a vial of Humalog without an allergic reaction. 

    When I run out of Novolog, and can't get any more, I will switch.  I will still support @racingwithinsulin and I will still support Charlie Kimball, and be envious of him.  I will still like NovoNordus as a company better than Lily even if they are foreigners.

  • Dulce is exhausted

    We had a long day yesterday and the poor dog is tired.

    It is days like yesterday that worry me. I have been following Tara and Duchess and I know that Duchess has stopped working.

    I am letting her rest as much as possible.

    Dulce is exhausted