It is humbling to look in the butter compartment of my fridge and see insulin. It’s necessary. And I’m grateful. The out of pocket cost is upwards of $380 per bottle without insurance, and making sure our family has insurance coverage is our biggest worry in regular rotation. When job situations look dicey, my first concern is insurance. When there’s talk of storms…
A tiny, precious bottle with tremendous responsibility. You might also like: Insulin Pump Refill: In a Pinch. Don’t Mind Me. When Good Insulin Goes BAD. Despite Insulin …
Guest Post: People with Diabetes are Demonstrating for #insulin4all
Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online CommunityToday’s guest post comes from Elizabeth Rowley, director of T1International – an organization working towards sustainable access and affordability of insulin, diabetes supplies, medical care and education for all people living with type 1 diabetes. They are planning a protest at Eli Lilly on September 9th, and Elizabeth is borrowing SUM today to share the who, what, where, and why of…
For several weeks, I was flipping open the charging port on my t:slim insulin pump and plugging it in while I was in the shower. But then I noticed the charging port cover was looking a little worse for the wear, and I connected with a friend about best practices. (“Best practices” standing in for “How the hell do you…
Last night my low alarm went off like a siren in my bedroom, partly because I had hooked my phone up to a bluetooth speaker to (successfully) help amplify the Dexcom alarms, but mostly because my blood sugar was 50 mg/dL. How the alarm didn’t wake up my daughter (clad in Captain American pajamas and asleep in my bed because…
#Insulin4All: A Chat with Elizabeth Rowley.
Diabetes Advocacy, Guest Diabetes Blogger, Insulin, Real Life DiabetesLast week at the International Diabetes Federation’s World Congress in Vancouver, I had a chance to briefly reconnect with Elizabeth Rowley from T1D International. We talked about the #Insulin4All campaign and the work she and her team are doing to help provide access to people with diabetes around the globe, and how our online community can work together to improve…
I’ve been a fan of Pump Peelz for several years, impressed by both their products and their back story. The company, founded in 2011 by high school sweethearts turned married couple Scott and Emily, aims to “help people with diabetes live with more confidence by turning insecurities associated with diabetic accessories into a form of individual self-expression.” Can’t argue with…
I’m not a good traveler, but I am a good packer. Part of my preparation ritual is to make sure I only bring what I need and that outfits are tried on and coordinated before I go. (Because there was that one time I brought a shirt and forgot pants and that made for a different sort of panic before…
Nothing helps remind me more about the importance of being familiar with serving sizes and what they look like than being on the road for a few days. Meals away from the comfort and familiarity of my kitchen make for some guesswork, and these last few days have shown me that I could use a refresher on serving sizes. Here’s…
“Do you pre-bolus for your meals?” “I do.” (I was happy to answer this question because I actually do pre-bolus. Pre-bolusing is my A1C’s saving grace.) “Okay, that’s great.” She made a few notes in my chart. “How about for snacks? Do you pre-bolus for those?” “I … um, nope. I am horrible at pre-bolusing for snacks.” Unfortunately, hat is…
I feel like the beginning of Diabetes Blog Week had so many prompts that really tapped the emotionally-saturated side of my diabetes management that I’m spent. But I didn’t want to phone it in today for the last weekday post, so I’m pulling myself up by the bloggy bootstraps and putting my hacker hat on. (Damn, Gina – that sounds…