Hi, I have procrastinated writing anything but I think I need some advice here and this community seems to cut to the chase. My friends and family just sort of give non committal responses.
I had gestational (type 1) three years ago and learned enough to get me through the last 3 months of my pregnancy. Had a beautiful healthy girl (my second). Anyway, here is where the advice comes in. I currently have no health insurance and my BG is going high. My morning levels are 200+ and post meals are in the 300’s (an egg and ww muffin send me to 350+). I am currently waiting until January to get on the health insurance at work and do not want to be diagnosed until then for coverage reasons. My husband is sick of me and quite frankly I am sick of me too. I feel like crap, want to sleep all the time and remove the ringing in my ears.
I am painfully aware of what diabetes can do to a person over time without the proper care, I come from a line of diabetics. What I don’t know is how long does it take to do irreversible damage.
not crazy - just scared I imagine. Your numbers are terrible. I think I know what you mean regarding learning enough during your gestational diabetes… but are you doing anything to keep your numbers down? If I was forced to go through a month with some nominal insulin production (I’m a T1), I would exercise every day and eat zero carbs… but it’s a crapshoot.
The damage from high blood sugar is sorta like smoking; it occurs immediately, but it’s anybody’s guess when it’s going to kill you. Please don’t take chances - who will take care of your children?
Thank you Joe & Renee.
Scared definitely. I remember the shock and horror during the pregnancy (I was one of those that did not know I was pregnant until I was almost 6 months! but that for another support group!) Needless to say dealing with diabetes and a new baby all at the same time (my first just turned 16 at the time) I did not retain much other than keep the carbs down and when to call the specialist.
I will try no carbs now. I have been keeping the carbs as low as I can but am hungry all the time. I spend 10 minutes trying to decide to sleep or to eat sometimes. It’s insane.
My children and insurance…so far nothing. They start next month on a private policy on their own. I am done dealing with the state of MD! I transposed my youngest SSN and they do not believe she is a US citizen. I have been battling them for a year now. I found a policy that is only $15 more a month then they would supply so I got them covered. I have an appt for the Clinic in my area on Wednesday but mentioned to my husband I might not keep it so I wont have trouble with getting coverage on our work policy and he’s a little mad at me right now. So I will keep it. If the damage is immediately I have already waited too long.
Each time you have a high blood sugar you immediately damage your organs. Doesn’t matter how long your sugar was high for a matter of minutes or a matter of hours, you have already done damage. Walmart, Target and some other stores have a $4 list of medications. Walmart I know has glucophage on it. Also you can check the drug companies to see if they have a program to help the uninsured as well. At least this way if you can get scripts from the clinic on Wed, you might be able to get help with getting medication to help you get your sugars down. Drink a lot of water, it will help flush the excess sugar out of your system as well.
If you will be obtaining health insurance, through an employer, they cannot deny you coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Only private insurance does that. Which is why so many of us Diabetics long to have insurance through employers!
So, I would go ahead and get yourself to a doctor now!! At the very least, a clinic! You definitely need to have that high BG taken care of NOW!
I went WAY too many years (over 10) with high BG gone untreated, not knowing the ramifications at the time. If I only knew then, what I know now, I never would have went so long without treatment! I am SO very lucky that there wasn’t any damage to my body! How, I’ll never know. The Grace of God, is all I can attribute that to!!
Insurance fears are real and very scary. You can get very sick if you do wait but might not have your meds covered if you don’t wait. Maybe there is something that you can do to keep a diabetes diagnosis off the radar and out of your medical records until January. Maybe you can explain to your doctor your insurance situation and they can pull some strings. One of my doctors have helped me with that in the past. But overall, you need to see a doctor soon because DKA is very serious.
thank you. The exercise is the factor I’m definitely missing and quite frankly have not even thought of. Carbs, I could eat cardboard right now and go sky high. Can’t figure that one out. But, I am becoming more and more confident it’ll all work out in the end thanks to insight from you and all in this community.
Thank you, just printed the list to take with me. I wont see a doctor on wednesday it’s just a paperwork appt. If it is more than a week for doctor appt will have to suck it up and go to my family doctor, the blood test costs are what worry me.
If you are getting health insurance through your employer they cannot deny you pre-exsiting conditions. The only thing they can do is PE you for a period of time if you have not been covered. usually they will still pay for your prescriptions just not the visits. If you have been covered they can wave the time period. but the longer you wait the worse it will get and you can then end up in the hospital which will be more expensive. You should call your local hospital or clinic most have a program for financial aid that covers all your expenses within that company. I have had the program in the past several times. for me and my kids they cover everything but prescriptions that means anything that happens in their hospital or clinic. I live in MN so i have been covered with allina hospital and clinics. Allina requirements are based off of my income and if i do or do not have health insurance. this last time i applied they only covered all my past bills that where owed to them cause i have medical through my county for me and the kids. if that drops then i can re apply and then it is good for a year and then you have to reapply if you need it for the next year. My first endo told me that you will not notice any complications till after you have diabetic for three years. If you have anymore question feel free to ask. I have had to make due with out health insurance a lot but i still mange. My BG is not good but i still mange to keep them in the low 200. Good luck. And you already have diabetes on your medical records from your pregnancy so it is not going to matter if you wait or not some people who have gestational diabetes get type 1 or type 2 later in life and the insurance companies know that.
Really I was not aware of that! Good to know. I am the one negotiating the new policy at work, I actually am waiting the response from our broker to that question!
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. Near complete deficiency of insulin and elevated levels of certain stress hormones increase the chance of a DKA episode. DKA is more common among Type I diabetics, but may also occur in Type II diabetics, particularly during periods of increased physiologic stress, such as during an infection. Patients with new, undiagnosed Type I diabetes frequently present to hospitals with DKA. DKA can also occur in a known diabetic who fails to take prescribed insulin, or in diabetics who fall sick due to illnesses such as pneumonia or a kidney infection. DKA was a major cause of death in Type I diabetics before insulin injections were available; untreated DKA has a high mortality rate.
they cannot deny you coverage, but will make you wait one year from the date of enrollment for coverage of a specific pre-existing condition- ie diabetes. I think you have to weigh your financial state vs. your health. it is a horrible position to be in. i didn’t have insurance when diagnosed. was fortunate enough to have parents basically cover all the costs for me. we would’ave been in big trouble if not. the 4 dollar prescriptions don’t cover test strips, insulin etc. test strips were running me $125. for a three week supply. exercise and diet really can have a huge impact. might be worth experimenting with for a few weeks… stress doesn’t help- how to relieve it is the great mystery tho when in this situation. whatever you choose- good luck… glad you found tudiabetes
I started with my family physician, who is willing to let me make payments being un-insured and all that. Problem is the lab for the blood work will not and it was way too expensive for me to be able to pay and feed the family for the next month. So, off to the clinics we go…
Clinic #1 can see me in January to do the paper work.
Clinic #2 wouldn’t even answer the phone.
Clinic #3 after waiting 2 hours for the doctor told me I make too much money.
#3 is the one that really got my blood boiling. My husband and I do ok we certainly are not rich, we live paycheck to paycheck but face it, we still have cell phones, internet and the occasional new clothes, so we do ok. It’s a struggle and maybe lots of other people out there are struggling more than us but this clinic is proud of the fact that they feel everybody in Montgomery County with out health insurance should have affordable health care, if you do not qualify for free care they will put you on the sliding scale. I didn’t even fit on the sliding scale. argghh. I might add at this point I still have not eaten anything, hoping that I was going to have blood tests in the morning.
Anyway, on to the next step. Off to the restaurant I go! Which happens to be where my husband and I work. The plan is to elevate my sugar even more and move on to the GEC (emergency center which is an offshoot of our local ER to handle the overcrowding and lesser emergencies). The very high carb brunch was wonderful! I got to eat the things I’ve not allowed myself to eat, although my friend Debi still wouldn’t let me have the mashed potatoes to dip my french fries into, imagine that. I did get a shot of kahlua in my coffee though as a consolation.
All in all it worked out, I got the blood tests, put on Metformin and got the name of a doctor that will let me make payments for my office visits and blood work.
I am feeling better, but still a little scared about what is happening with my body, but that too will pass eventually I know.
Thank you all for the support and advice. I must say it is the thing that kicked me in the butt to move now and not wait until January.
