I’m conserving test strips - sort of. I was trying, but somehow I just needed to
test a few things and I only have one left in my allotment for the month. It’s
almost addictive, really. The more I test, the more I want to test. It’s so hard to NOT test, to keep on my test strip budget.
If I test, I know (sort of) what’s going on with my body. I may not always know WHY things are going the way they
are, but at least I know if i’m on target at the moment.
Diabetes makes me feel out of control a lot. Or perhaps thats not quite right - diabetes makes me feel like I’m
constantly STRIVING for control. Eat this, not that, try this, not that.
But
if I don’t test, how do I know its working? That feedback, that little number
on the meter - that’s what tells me, okay, i’m doing well, or no, never ever
ever eat a whole small new york fries again. Even if I don’t like the message,
I’m very comforted to have it.
The finger pricks don’t bother me. Not with the new, itty bitty blood drop meter. On the
old meter, yes, it sucked. But now, I’d pretty much test a dozen, two dozen
times a day if it were 10cents a test. I’d rather KNOW than hope I’m where I
need to be.
The first company that comes out with a really cheap, accurate blood test or constant monitoring system
will have hit the jackpot, really. Knowledge is power here, and it really,
really, really bugs me that it isn’t affordable.
Dipping into savings this week to buy more strips - two weeks of not testing is just unthinkable.
Laura:
I test about 7-8 times per day. I think it’s the best thing you can do.
Now, about dipping into your savings, if you have insurance, I am sure you can talk to your doctor and ask him/her to up the test strips prescription, so that you can get the insurance to take a chunk of the expense.
Hear hear Manny. I wouldn’t jack it up too high, they may get a little suspicious and deny your request. Gotta do it little by little. I did the same with my insulin cuz I know I would just FREAK OUT if I ran out of insulin. I had to pay $250 for a vial of Humalog once.
…and the day they come out with a generic insulin or test strip…I’d love to be able to go into a Target or Wal-Mart, get my insulin, and get change back from my 5 dollar bill.
Hey Laura,
I totally understand how easy it is to become a little obessesed with testing the more you test. And I too, am nearing the last of my strips. It’s actually about time to reorder, but I’m always afraid I’ll later get a bill form the insurance company after denying the mail order. Funny note: My last order included pen needles and the order was written for “self injestions”. Not too tasty! Anyway, I test at least 5 times a day, but when I get and unexpected number, I fixate on whether it’s on the climb, or not. That can drive me crazy.
hi laura,
i feel your pain. i test between 10-15 times per day. for me, i just put up with the extra cost by reminding myself that it’s information that i need to know. cannot wait for the cgm!
and i agree with what manny said about talking to your dr to up your prescription. i get my prescriptions online, and my dr writes a prescription for a huge amount of test strips over a 3-month period… he always includes a note on the prescription that details that i test 10-15 times per day. because he writes that, i haven’t yet had a problem.
laura
