I've been gone a while, huh? Thanksgiving to Christmas is always a busy time for everyone, but we really weren't that busy. We had one Christmas party to attend early in December and then of course the various and random visits to parents and in-laws around Christmas day and New Years. I guess I've just been lazy!
Everyone is blogging about the new year and their new goals--most people are refusing to call them "resolutions" though. The word "goal" seems a little more forgiving and lenient for if/when you fall short of what you set out to do.
I haven't made any new ones. Mine are a continuation of last years that really didn't even start until February-ish. ;)
Although now that I think back on it, last year's goals may have been a continuation from the year before that. Or actually, the year before THAT since 2011 was kind of distracting with a new house and wedding and all that jazz!
My biggest goal is to get my insurance to cover a Dexcom system for me. The third party who reviewed my appeal last year stated that I did not have enough middle of the night lows to justify my insurance coverage for the system.
(Apparently that is all she thinks a Dex is good for.)
She also stated I could achieve better control on my own.
Number one: she obviously does NOT have diabetes herself;
Number two: she may be an endo, but she might not be the most up-to-speed on the newest technology;
Number three: middle of the night lows are scary and so so so annoying! Why should I have to put myself through that to "prove" I need something?
Number four: this past year I have had the best control I have had in a long, long time. Her telling me it wasn't good enough is like a slap in the face (see Number one).
I have my first endo appointment of the year next week. We'll see how that goes. I'm meeting with a new doctor since my previous PA is on maternity leave for another few weeks. I'm a little nervous about meeting her and if our personalities will mesh well. But the good news is that it will probably be the only time I have to meet with her.
This Christmas was my first with my Omnipod and even though I ate drastically fewer sweets than in previous years, it still felt like too much after cutting out almost all of them in months prior. I burned through pods/insulin faster than normal because of the junk I ate. I burned through my last pod a full 24 hours early and had to change out this morning. Fun.
So no more wasting money burning through pods & insulin! Fewer carbs! A good doctor visit! And a happy new year!
good luck with Dex. I do hate that the necessity of Dex is somehow linked to low blood sugars. You hit the hammer on the nail when you said "apparently that's all she thinks Dex is good for" - it is sad that is how it is viewed. CGMs are so much more than a middle of the night monitoring system. I believe using a CGM keeps pwd in check - when my kids did the G4 trial they saw the results of eating fast carbs, slow carbs, exercise, lack of exercise. they and I were more aware of what was going on and made healthier choices to improve or maintain numbers. That is the type of tool Endos and insurance should strive to provide - better management equals fewer complications in addition to helping keep pwd safe. Thus well said and good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Christina!
DeleteI did a one-week trial of the Dexcom 7 system for part of my appeal process. I really was surprised at how my glucose reacted to different things. I definitely think it helped me make better choices regarding what and how much and when I ate.
Her logic in denying me coverage of the system seemed a little backwards to me!
I feel like Dexcom guided us to...not falsify our records, but to make sure we shared BG records from a month with at least a certain number of BGs in the 40's. They were pretty blatant about it--I mean, they asked me to submit a different 30-day period than what I initially offered.
ReplyDeleteIs this just the game? Learn how to make the right fake record, get the device?
good point. and sometimes the name of the game is just to make more money. most likely it depends on your individual insurance too.
Deleteif i had more bg's in the 40's i would definitely share them with Dex/insurance co. i don't have too many because i catch them before they get that low. i still get those random ones "eh...I should test now, although I'm probably only at 60 or so" and a 45 pops up. wtc? helloooo....those are good times to have a dexcom sensor handy!