At first glance, I manage my diabetes using an insulin pump from Tandem Diabetes Care, a continuous glucose monitor from Dexcom, Humalog insulin, and either the mySugr meter kit or a Freestyle one. All of these items require prescriptions and $$$ and involvement from my clinicians.
But there’s a number of items that are used regularly to manage my diabetes, only they wouldn’t have an insurance billing code or a reimbursement policy. Here are just a few things you won’t find an active prescription for, but are tied to diabetes wellness all the same:
Muro 128: I use this stuff in my eyes every night before I go to bed because back when Birdy was 9 months old, she tagged me in the cornea with her thumbnail, tearing off a small strip of my cornea which (even in people without diabetes) never fully heals properly and is always at risk of re-tearing. Where this becomes a diabetes-ish issue is that 30+ years of type 1 diabetes can contribute to dry eyes, which can contribute to corneal issues. (I had punctal plugs put in last year to help counteract the dry eyes, which has helped a lot.) A little tube of Muro 128 costs about $25 and I use approximately two of these a month.
Nexcare Waterproof Tape: I spendy-spend on this stuff because of my evil fingertips. In certain kinds of weather and temperatures, my fingertips become cracked and dry, and they split open at the edges. (I’ve written about this at length here.) As the splits are healing, I tape my fingertips with this waterproof tape to protect my skin. It’s not an expensive item to purchase, but it’s very helpful to keep my hands comfortable. (Also add some of this Gold Bond Diabetic Lotion to the list, as well, because this is what I use to help soothe my hands and prevent additional cracks. Skin, yo!)
Glucose tabs: Tabs are my preferred way to treat lows, especially while traveling. My go-to tabs are made by GlucoLift (used to be a Cherry girl, myself, but am switching to Wildberry. Because I’m wild?) On the whole, low blood sugar treatments are always on my mental shopping list because I don’t like to use candy or something universally yummy to treat lows, as that often leads to overtreating for me. Glucose tabs feel like a medical thing and since they are counted out into 4 grams of carbs per tab, I can correct a low with precision.
Overlay tapes: Oh, these. I spend a lot on medical tape. Whether it’s OpSite Flexifix tape to anchor a pump site or a Dexcom sensor, or StayPut patches, my skin does not enjoy having things stuck to it and I’m always trying out different ways to get the approved wearability timeframes for my medical devices. (Trying out some Pump Peelz tapes next week – very excited to see how those perform!)
Goodies: Granted, these are not needs, but they are wants. Like a cute bag to carry my meter around in? Potentially with a dinosaur on it? Or perhaps a namesake bag? Stickers to dress up a sensor or a pump? No reimbursement for these diabetes upgrades but they are worth the splurge. And they are diabetes-related, so they fit into this list. 🙂
This concept of “the random diabetes stuff we use” is not new – here’s a video from five years ago about the things I used then, and some I still use now:
Not all of our tools are prescribed, and not all are easy to come by. But we do what we need to do in order to make sense of diabetes, and we lean on our community for tips and tricks on how to figure all this crap out.
Thanks for being there, you guys.
Then there are the non-billable hours of managing the supply chain of all of the above and the stuff that is cover or partially covered and the time to figure out who is on first and what is on second at the insurance bureaucracy.
And I think coffee. Because without coffee you can’t figure out how to get and use all of that stuff.
🙂
Love Ya / Mean It
Now I know why it takes me so long to gather “my stuff” together to even go on an overnight! It’s always so stressful to pack, I couldn’t do it without my lists. But I’m not organized to make a master list, I guess it’s time to do that. You are a true wordsmith and I love your posts.
One week until I turn on Control IQ 24 hours a day. So excited!!
I hear you. Just going for one or two nights requires as much “stuff” as going for a week or a month. And fitting all the ‘absolutely necessary’ into carry-on requires a large sturdy backpack or tote.
Airlines should allow an extra carry-on for medically necessary items.
I always used to tell my insurers when I worked.
“I have a job, and its not doing insurance”
LOL
oh hell I am retired and still doing insurance.
Shout out to Lauren’s Hope ID bracelets (though I’ve thought about Road ID instead of Medic Alert for actual service). And Sugar Medical bags (all 3 of us have one, my daughters love the “trash” pocket, I’ll have to get that next time). Wipes – uni-solve, bard barrier wipes, and skin prep are all used. Alcohol swabs!! Opsite Flexifilm, thanks for that recommendation! Juice boxes!!
maybe you could keep a running list of medical necessities besides the prescribed items and deduct from taxes? if high enough and likely they are.
You can, but if I remember correctly, those expenses have to be a certain percentage of your income before you can consider them a deduction. 🙁