Fasting BG 2021

[walkerwally1]

88 this morning.  It is going to warm up for the next few days and this weekend it is supposed to be in the low 80s.  This morning it is clear and no smoke or wind so a nice day.
More testing today with an ultrasound scan of my arteries that my cardiologist has me do a couple of times a year.  It shows how much plaque build up there is and it has always been not too bad.  It is kind of a pain to put up with but all for good I guess.
I have to consider myself lucky being a T-2 and not having to deal with your problems Grammabear.  The only diabetic supplies I have to get are test strips and those I get at my local pharmacy.  All of my prescription drugs I get by mail from my RX provider and I have not really had a problem except when they fax a request for a prescription renewal from my doctor and it often is ignored.  That is when I get on the phone to my doctors office and it is usually taken care of right away. 

[Grammabear]

88 this morning.  It is going to warm up for the next few days and this weekend it is supposed to be in the low 80s.  This morning it is clear and no smoke or wind so a nice day.
More testing today with an ultrasound scan of my arteries that my cardiologist has me do a couple of times a year.  It shows how much plaque build up there is and it has always been not too bad.  It is kind of a pain to put up with but all for good I guess.
I have to consider myself lucky being a T-2 and not having to deal with your problems Grammabear.  The only diabetic supplies I have to get are test strips and those I get at my local pharmacy.  All of my prescription drugs I get by mail from my RX provider and I have not really had a problem except when they fax a request for a prescription renewal from my doctor and it often is ignored.  That is when I get on the phone to my doctors office and it is usually taken care of right away. 

Wally - I hope your tests today turn out good too.  I think this 'supply chain' thing is going to be our new reality.  I have to take stock and see where I can get the best prices for test strips as my insurance doesn't cover them at all.  They don't cover test strips because they think the DME (durable medical equipment) company is taking care of supplying pump supplies and cgm supplies.  The DME might be overwhelmed also, but being without supplies demands I have a 'back-up' plan which I have been lax in doing because it comes out of pocket financially.

[bigskygal]

111 this cloudy morning.

48° was the high yesterday and fortunately it didn't get as cold overnight as the forecast yesterday. Today's forecast is 46°/30° with a chance of rain. Overnight there was quite a bit of new snow on the mountains behind me and a dusting on the lower mountains in front of my house.

Wally, hope all goes well with your tests and no problems are found.

[Grammabear]

With all the grumbling I did about my pump and cgm supplies being late, I figured I should let you all know that my order came 'today' finally.  Itr seems that late, delayed or non existent orders are the "new reality" in the day and age.  Anyway, now I can get organized and use the sensors again for which I am grateful.

[bigskygal]

Yay Kathy!! Good news!

[skb]

With all the grumbling I did about my pump and cgm supplies being late, I figured I should let you all know that my order came 'today' finally.  Itr seems that late, delayed or non existent orders are the "new reality" in the day and age.  Anyway, now I can get organized and use the sensors again for which I am grateful.

Finally. Happy for you Kathy, and do put that 'cheat trick' to use and save a couple of sensors for times like this.

I have to consider myself lucky being a T-2 and not having to deal with your problems Grammabear.  The only diabetic supplies I have to get are test strips and those I get at my local pharmacy. 

Exactly my thoughts. In India, I have not heard of any Insurance product which covers for supplies. Doctors visits, maybe, hospital stays, yes.

[Grammabear]

87 this cloudy morning.  H57/L45 deg F

Wally - When the weather in your area becomes a little cooler like around 80, does it seem 'cold' to you folks since you're used to much warmer weather?

skb - Medicare covers test strips for some people with diabetes, but the requirements are stringent and many people just buy out of pocket.  Medicare did not start covering cgm supplies until 2019 and I think this was because Tandem and Medtronic both had cgm sensors that were a part of their respective pump systems.  Medicare's coverage is also stringent on cgm supplies.  If a sensor should fail, you are either "without it" or call the company for a replacement if you qualify.

We finally turned off our A/C and opened the windows which is wonderful for sleeping.  It was breezy this morning but I do love the fresh air - my favorite time of year. 

[walkerwally1]

104 this morning.  Yesterday we had a high of 75° and it was clear and sunny with no wind.  Just a really nice day and should be around the same today. 
No Grammabear, 80° is still warm and I don't feel cold until it gets into the 60s then I get warmer clothing.  It gets cold here also in the winter and we do get below freezing but it doesn't usually last long.
Medical insurance plans offer a variety of options depending on how much you want to pay and some will cover things like test strips and medical supplies.
Medicare is a Government health plan and That covers hospital and doctor visits.  It also has coverage of what they call "durable equipment" and for some reason it puts diabetic test strips under that classification.  For me they only will cover 2 tests a day so I also purchase additional strips so I can test about 4 times a day.  I have a separate prescription insurance but it does not cover test strips.

[bigskygal]

121 this partly cloudy morning.

49° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 57°/34°. Warming up a bit, which is nice.

Fortunately I don't get my rxs through Medicare. My secondary insurance covers them and will fill anything I have a dr's rx for. They cover my strips and meter but I actually like my back up meter better so I buy my own strips for that as the ins only covers the one brand. I don't mind as thed one I like gives me 3's that are more in alignment with my A1c's when the dr tests me.

[skb]

A friend of mine who is in a senior position with a major Multi National Corporation in the Insurance sector had joined up with us way back in 2016. He has some sort of degree in Insurance subjects and this was his post;

https://www.diabetesforum.online/index.php?topic=190.msg1541#msg1541

[Grammabear]

113 this bright, sunny morning.  48 deg F, 61/37 deg F

If I didn't have a cgm, then Medicare would pay for 4 strips per day which is not near enough.  It took me a long time to decide to get the new pump last November and to continue with Dexcom and have Medicare impose their rules about how many sensors I could have.  Prior to that, starting in 2008 I paid out of pocket for test strips and for cgm sensors.  I am not kidding, it was not easy but I could get my supplies when I needed them.  Now, the new reality is that some DME (durable medical equipment) companies have trouble getting people to work for them.  The ones that do work for them - some are working from home.  My last call to the DME came from one such individual who had children crying in the background and also a dog barking.  Such is reality now.

[walkerwally1]

98 this morning.  We got to a high of 76° yesterday and it is supposed to get to 80° today and tomorrow.  Clear and no wind, weather that I really enjoy being outside.  It looks like this will be the norm for a few more days.  Not typical Fall weather but I am not complaining.
I am lucky that my retirement package includes supplemental insurance to cover the cost Medicare doesn't pay.  The two hospital stays I had cost over $150,000 and the heart valve replacement more than that so 20% cost that was paid by my supplemental ins. saved me from a cost I would not have been able to handle.
 

[bigskygal]

112 this blue sky morning. 30° when I got up around 8:30AM

58° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is a surprising 70°/32°.

Did my errands yesterday as I was driving to the PO my chest was so tight, I thought maybe I was having a heart attack...just a panic attack I think in reality. A little deep breathing and I was fine. It is harder and harder for me to go out any more. I hit the PO, grocery, pharmacy and liquor store in 1.5 hour!!

I shopped at my local grocery, not the big one. They constantly have a bird or two up in the rafters. Yesterday as I was going into the produce section a bird flew down and sat on a pineapple. I noped out of there right away. Won't be buying my produce there any more. Bird droppings, bird pecking, NOPE!

[Grammabear]

Barbara - If you had a number of errands yesterday, maybe it would help you feel less stress if you spread out the errands into two or three days.  That is what I do, and not that you need to do what I do, but that is what works for me.  Doing two or maybe three errands is my limit.

[skb]

If I didn't have a cgm, then Medicare would pay for 4 strips per day which is not near enough.  It took me a long time to decide to get the new pump last November and to continue with Dexcom and have Medicare impose their rules about how many sensors I could have.  Prior to that, starting in 2008 I paid out of pocket for test strips and for cgm sensors.

Just a loud thought. Wouldn't something like the Freestyle Libre make more sense for T1s and LADAs in times when you have equipment failure.