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 I might actually break down and buy a new box of sensors.  I misread this paragraph:

The Dexcom Open Choice is being shipped to all new customers. Existing customers can pay an upgrade (about $200 currently). Dexcom is waiting for FDA approval to provide a download capability for software upgrades. The hope to get this approval by July and will then provide the upgrade for free to existing customers.

Source: Bernard’s Diabetes Blog

I thought I was going to have to pay an extra $200 to get the new capabilities, but I just called Dexcom to tell them why I wasn’t going to buy new sensors — basically the cost.

I probably won’t wear the system all the time, but just in weird situations.

I also complained about losing the label on the back on the receiver.  I still can’t understand why they can’t just ship out a new label and let me put it on the back.  Doesn’t even have to have the S/N on it, but it would be nice.

The sensors are STILL too expensive.  Sure wish insurance would cover it.

Will have to call Animas first thing tomorrow and get a replacement pump.  The vibrator stopped working. I think the third one in a row.  I used to be really attached to my pumps, but now i realize that they rotate out every few months.

<sigh>

I don’t have any more Dexcom sensors, and I’m not in a hurry to order any more.

They are very expensive — basically $240 a month and are a pain to keep going, even as long as 7 days. 

I might get another receiver and another set of sensors and try out the system with my own meter, but not even sure I’ll do that.  Having to keep up with an insulin pump, the receiver, and my phone has proved to be too much several different days.  So far, the insulin pump hasn’t gotten left behind but everything else has.

I don’t like the insertation pain. Yeah it’s not a big deal but worse than putting in a set.

But the biggest issue IS the cost.  And even if insurance would pick it up, they are currently out of network so it would still be $120.00 a month.

Basically taking a break.  A break from tight control and a break from blogging. Seems the two go hand in hand.

I had even been taking a break from exercising probably not a good idea, but it was just stressing me out.

So I’ve gotten through TAKS testing last week, 4 days of staring at students.  Okay only three, one day was spent entertaining them.  I used my last Dexcom sensor to keep me from getting completely screwed up on control — a good thing, as I went low on Wednesday when I was relieving. 

I’m not sure why this year has been so stressful, but I do know a huge part of it was running regular staff developments for my co workers.  I think it is more stressful dealing with them when they don’t want to learn, than when they do, which has been a huge problem.  I have to come up with a topic — I think this week’s topic is going to be Camastia — a program used to record what you are doing on the computer.  It was a request.

We only have about a month of school left, so maybe I can do better the rest of the school year.

The announcement I was worried about was good — we finally have a Dean (well, the official title is Associate Principal of Instruction.

 

It also looks like my evaluator may be forgetting me again this year — different evaluator, still forgetting about me though . This time I didn’t get a form in my box.  Last year, I didn’t get my evaluation until after finals.  They are always good, but still it is worrisome.

 

So now the biggest stress — we had a storm Wednesday night.  Power went out, then we heard the tornado sirens.  Both husband and I hit the first floor as quick as possible.  I went back to bed for a few hours, on the emergency battery, but my first mistake was not taking the backup battery to school and recharging it. Power did not come back on until Friday morning, so I ended up staying at a hotel Thursday night.

 

The good news, I’ve been able to get a lot of good sleep on Saturday and Friday night.  Especially Saturday when I got a new mask from the DME.   My old one just wasn’t sealing good. This one fits well and gives a good seal.

 

I’ve accomplished a huge major goal though this year, and maybe things can start settling down.

It’s weird, but life keeps getting more and more stressful.

 

We’d gotten a note in our boxes last week telling us about a Faculty get together, can’t remember the exact wording, but these are never good.  They are not a meeting, but are usually an announcement. The last one, we lost our dean.  This one, we got a new one.

 

She seems good.  Still stressful though.  I’m not good at any change.

 

Also had an AP meeting last week, and we had an classroom management issue at our last tutorial, and I took the whole situation way too personally.  I tried to deal with the situation and was unsuccessful, so was the presenter AND apparently the kids teacher.  I don’t know why I put it on me.

 

The worst was Wednesday. I have been working on a curriculum project and I got a bunch of new equipment.  The bad part of it was that I was given the computer I’m posting on.  A $1995 tablet computer.  I am not sure I like it, and I not sure it is worth the $1995 price tag.  It did not come with a CD/Rom for example.  And the keyboard sucks.  I already have a tablet computer I like and like the way it is set up most of the time.

 

I am not prepared to replace it if something happens to it, so I needed to get it insured.  However, I couldn’t reach the insurance company that the district recommended until Friday evening as they are in the middle of a redesign.

 

It is now insured so that helps.

 

There were some weird changes in procedure with the other equipment, that also stressed me out.  In fact, all of the pieces of equipment I’ve gotten have either stressed me out because I am either not sure I want it and not sure what to do with it.

Plus one of the items — the external CD/DVD reader is damaged slightly.   They did offer to exchange it, but that will be a bit of a pain too.

 

All fun. 

Those of you who have followed the blug for a long time will remember that periodically I have to play Protonix games with Medco. Well, I’m hoping now they are over….

I have to go through a review process for the drug itself and then a second review process for the amount of drug.  The last time I had to go through this was at Christmas.  Well, sometime around January 1st, Protonix went generic.

I just got my prescription refill for March … and guess what, it now has a $20.00 co pay.  It took them about a week to process the prescription and they needed up shipping it UPS.  And the best thing — $20.00 co pay. 

And I was paying a $100.00 co pay before that.  The cost to Medco has gone down dramatically too.  They were paying $520.17 and now are paying $274.69

And guess what else.  Tablets look exactly the same, they have a Protonix label stamped on them!

I left a comment on his blog today.

 

Oddly enough, we do agree most of the time, I just don’t put is as angrily as he does — and I do invite the angry pharmacist to come over and take a look.

 

Quoted from http://www.theangrypharmacist.com/archives/2008/03/taking_responsibility_for_your.html:

 

Taking responsibility for yourself – The Angry Pharmacist

 

Patients need to start taking an active role in their own care of whatever they have.

 

I agree with this statement wholeheartily but the system isn’t set up for us to do that.

 

I don’t remember how much I’ve blogged about my mother’s diagnosis of diabetes, and while it happened in Mississippi, only about a few moments of attitude above a third world country when it comes to medicine in my opinion….

 

Mom goes to a major medical center (the Ole Miss medical school in Jackson, Mississippi).  My first problem with her diagnosis is that it too slow.  She had been fighting a cough for over a year, been diagnosed by several different doctors with infections and they didn’t share notes.  In my humble opinion, when an otherwise healthy person presents with three different infections in a year, something is up.

 

In her case, they finally pulled out a meter and did a finger stick — oh and by the way, my contact lens doctor does that much during routine eye exams and catches a few diabetics, but the way.  Many that primary care physicians missed.

 

So they finally do a fasting glucose and get the results back the day before Christmas.  Of course, they drop that bomb on her, leave her with a script and all go out of town until the middle of January.  Kid you not.

 

They finally sent her to a nutritionist a few months later, after my sister and I spent time teaching lower carbs — my sister delivering food, and me giving information on the phone.

 

And she finally has learned which foods to stay away from after my sister and I convinced her to use the test strips at meals.  And yeah, they give her about 100 strips a month. Not really enough if you are trying to learn what not to eat and what to eat, but better than nothing.

 

And by the way, I still resent the doctor blogger who lost a malpractice suit, they say because of his blog, but frankly any pedriatric specialist should never let a patient die of diabetes, I don’t care what his speciality is.  Especially since my school system’s intake center regular catches are immigrants with diabetes (both Type 1 and Type 2) before they hit the classroom.

 

If a contact lens specialist and a urban school district can catch diabetic patients on a regular basis, why in the @#$# can’t the average medical doctor?  Or specialist.

 

But as you can see by the above, patients are not equipped to take care of themselves, it’s been a long slow process and I still but my head up against the medical establishment. 

Here”s the official Abbott Navigator web site.

 

 

Quoted from http://www.abbott.com/global/url/content/en_US/60.15:15/feature/Feature_0033.htm:

 

Abbott

People with diabetes who want more control over their blood glucose can look to Abbott’s FreeStyle Navigator Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, now approved in the U.S.

Finally.  Anyone who has followed this blog for a long time will remember I’ve been waiting on this for YEARS. If it is cost competive, I will try it.

 

Quoted from http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUSN1327658820080313:

 

UPDATE 1-Abbott gets FDA OK on glucose monitoring system | Reuters

Abbott Laboratories Inc (ABT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday it won U.S. regulatory approval for its continuous glucose monitoring system for people with diabetes.