Poll: Have you ever traded or exchange any diabetes supplies with others?

Have you ever traded or exchange any diabetes supplies with others?

  • Yes
  • No

0 voters

NOTE: We are not encouraging this practice, but we understand members of the DOC have to do it due to lack of access or temporary hardships.

Yeah I do it all the time… not due to hardship or lack of access though

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I have never traded or exchanged but have given supplies to friends in a bind. You all know how many can have issues with insurance delays or not getting enough supplies. Have given friends insulin, test strips, infusion sets, usually due to delays in processing of my favorite was insurance wouldn’t approve the major increase in insulin requirements when a friend was in her third trimester. And while the doctors office and insurance company battled, I gave her a bottle to keep her going.

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I was assuming this includes giving supplies to someone in need, so yes. In my case a T1 friend new to Medicare and its notorious Part B “donut hole” was staggered by how much she was going to have to somehow scrape together to pay for her insulin back around the turn of the year. I gave her three vials of Novolog to tide her over.

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I’d do in in a heartbeat if I knew another T1, but I don’t.

BTW, if anyone has or knows of an older Medtronic pump that someone has no need for please let me know :grinning:

I offered to trade, using a Facebook “pay-it-forward” site, some excess CGM sensors for a Loop-compatible insulin pump. One person generously offered to give me their old no-longer-in-service pump. Inspired by that pay-it-forward spirit, I gave away the CGM sensors to another member of the group.

I have also given away extra supplies when I became aware of certain circumstances.

I encourage you to monitor the Looped Facebook group. There has been a consistent stream of pumps offered for sale and sometimes even given away. I have some serious reservations about using Facebook but I find the Looped community especially helpful for learning about this do-it-yourself technology. Good luck with your search. I’ve witnessed many people finding their compatible old pumps on that forum. Persistence is your friend!

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https://boomerbenefits.com/medicare-donut-hole-going-away/

I don’t know if that pertains to her insulin costs… if she is a pumper, insulin goes on Part B.

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Re the donut hole, yes, I’ve heard that too. Yay.

She isn’t, but yes, I told her about that. She was only dx’d about 9 yrs ago, and doesn’t like tech gadgetry, though her Dr finally persuaded her to get a CGM (G5). I told her it’s pretty simple and if I had to choose between pump and CGM I’d opt for CGM.

No, I have no reason to trade or exchange supplies, but I wouldn’t have much problems doing it if needed.

There used to be someone who would advertise in the classifieds. This was back when I had a little too many chem strips laying around. He would ask to buy at a very reduced price. He said he was doing it to help people who couldn’t afford the supplies. The price was way under though, and I was never really sure if he was just turning a big profit or what. I don’t recall if I ever did sell to him. It was years years ago.

Countless times. I’ve traded with & borrowed from other parents of kids with T1 locally. I’ve also been a member of a pay-it-forward group on Facebook for several years. I help when I can, & I’ve received help when we’ve been in a bind.

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I have both received supplies from others and provided supplies to others.

I have occasionally given a day’s worth of supplies to my brother who has either run out or was in the hospital. But that’s happened maybe three or four times in ten years.

And twice, a few years ago, I shared test strips with someone whose cousin had no insurance, to get him through a rough spell.

ive gotten supplies for my pump when i was in a bind due to insurance issues i ran into. ive given supplies to someone on something i dont need anymore as im on a different pump, etc. but overall that is what ive done. for those that has helped me it lessen the stress i was in on what do i do now type thing, etc

I gave some lantus to a guy who lived in an apartment near me. He was so embarrassed because he had run out, but I told him we had all been there, done that. He was the only type 1 that I really knew ever, but it was cool while it lasted.

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It’s one thing to not like “gadgetry” but when it comes to prolonging one’s life, making it less stressful and healthy, I think it’s beyond ludicrous to lump a medical device such as a pump or CGM in with general “gadgetry”. SMH.

I can’t imagine running out of insulin…or strips. But then I’ve only been at this for 41 years. there’s always tomorrow. LOL!!

I started packing my own diabetes supplies when I was 11 or 12, and nobody ever checked to see if I remembered. When I was 14, we were on family vacation for 4th of July when I realized I hadn’t packed enough, and was starting to run out. My mother dropped me at the er and everyone else went to enjoy the fireworks. It taught me a lesson, but I don’t want anyone else to live that lesson, regardless of age.

Don’t disagree with what you’re saying but I may have given the wrong impression about her situation: it’s not an esthetic dislike, it’s a lack of confidence in her ability to understand and use complicated devices correctly. She’s afraid of screwing something up.

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ah, don’t we all have stories to tell about “screwing up”? NO? Well I’ll start: 1) I’ve forgetten to reinstall my pump after removing it for a shower, or whatever, 2) I’ve neglected to properly attach the tubing connector the to Sure-T connection point, 3) I’ve forgotten to take my insulin just before a meal, 4) I’ve forgotten that I’ve already bolused (did that in the hospital once, after surgery–the nurses got angry as if it is their job to chew out their patients), 5) I’ve forgotten to check my reservoir level before going out to eat.

I could go on and and on and on. We all screw up!

oh, FYI, I’ve done many of those things far more than once. I’m still alive and kicking.

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