[Mary Huskey]

I am a diabetic and I am having issues getting someone to actually watch my care, my husband lost insurance at work and i had to go onto state aid it sucks you are treated like crap and seems like they dont care, i cant find a doctor that will get me in before aug 2011 who will see me for my diabetes its a night mare I am on humalog and lantus and on the 1st i start this diet using exchanges/ choices so i hope this works out for me i somewhat understand it however not really this is why i joined this site my obgyn did an a1c on me it was 10.7 (she did it cause i am not having a monthly visit) i am scared that if i cant find a doctor to work with me i may lose body parts even my life.

I hope to gain friends and support from this site and cant wait to meet all of you.

I am from St. Louis MO USA
26 years old
Married since 2006
Have a 5 year old son

 

[breezeonby]

I am a diabetic and I am having issues getting someone to actually watch my care, my husband lost insurance at work and i had to go onto state aid it sucks you are treated like crap and seems like they dont care, i cant find a doctor that will get me in before aug 2011 who will see me for my diabetes its a night mare I am on humalog and lantus and on the 1st i start this diet using exchanges/ choices so i hope this works out for me i somewhat understand it however not really this is why i joined this site my obgyn did an a1c on me it was 10.7 (she did it cause i am not having a monthly visit) i am scared that if i cant find a doctor to work with me i may lose body parts even my life.

I hope to gain friends and support from this site and cant wait to meet all of you.

I am from St. Louis MO USA
26 years old
Married since 2006
Have a 5 year old son

Hello Mary and welcome to the forum! First of all, are you type 1 or type 2? What medications are you on? What kind of insulin do you take, the name of the insulin, how many units and how many times per day? If you are on insulin, is state medicad paying for the insulin? Sorry to be nosey, but I want to try and see if I can help you out.

 

[Shanny]

Welcome, Mary. Sorry for your reduced circumstances and the indifference of the medical community to your precarious situation. We'll extend all the support we can . . .

 

[Mary Huskey]

thanks you guys, I am on humalog 15 units + sliding scale 6 times a day and 60 units lantus at bedtime, I am type 2 I believe. I was talking to my diatician last week she noticed all these dark markings in the neck, hand and wrist areas said i need to point it out to my doctor when i see him and to keep trying to get into a doctor asap so i am kind of worried about it now lol yes medicaid is covering my insulin and testing supplies. Thanks for all the help and Support

 

[jwags]

The dark marks on your neck may be a sign of insulin resistance. It has a name, but I can't remember it. I think the most important thing is to see a doctor, even if it is an internist or a GP for some immediate care. Endos can have very long waiting lists. Are you able to afford your insulin? Check with the drug manufacturers, many time they offer free or reduced prices on insulin. The most important thing is to keep your bgs as close to normal as possible. If you are insulin resistant cutting out carbs may help you meet your bg goals better. Many dieticians recommend way too many carbs for us to eat which then drives our bgs up and requires a lot of insulin to cover. Reducing some carbs at each meal may help you.

 

[Mary Huskey]

meal plan

The dark marks on your neck may be a sign of insulin resistance. It has a name, but I can't remember it. I think the most important thing is to see a doctor, even if it is an internist or a GP for some immediate care. Endos can have very long waiting lists. Are you able to afford your insulin? Check with the drug manufacturers, many time they offer free or reduced prices on insulin. The most important thing is to keep your bgs as close to normal as possible. If you are insulin resistant cutting out carbs may help you meet your bg goals better. Many dieticians recommend way too many carbs for us to eat which then drives our bgs up and requires a lot of insulin to cover. Reducing some carbs at each meal may help you.

they put me on a meal plan which i find hard to follow called exchanges or choices however either way you say it i am lost lol I am trying to figure out the best way to go about this are their no carb foods i can eat if i choose to cut out all carbs?

 

[Mary Huskey]

or stick to the exchange/choices meal plan?

 

[jwags]

The exchanges are basically a system where things are divided into groups of 15 carbs or so. You have Dairy Exchanges, fruit exchanges and starch exchanges. I find it very complicated. Many of us do a straight carb counting. Use your bg meter after meals to determine what is safe to eat. Every one of us will differ on the amount of food, especially carbs we can eat. I seem to be very sensitive to carbs so I need to limit them to no more than 15 carbs per meal or about 1 exchange. My CDE wanted me to eat 4 exchanges per meal. So I have made up my own diet, that I learned from trial and error. Yesterday was a bad day because I didn't test and I overate especially some of the christmas treats. Woke up 25 points higher, this morning. Bummer.

 

[Joshua Shorter]

I'm Type 1 so I can't be of much help other than to say welcome. This is probably the best place to get information and support for diabetics. If you have the will power to do the work the people here will come along beside you and help you through this process. I hope to see you around here often...

 

[Checochinican]

Mary, no doctor? With the severity of your illness, that's dangerous.

What I would do in the same situation - go to the emergency department of a good hospital, complaining of feeling terrible and panicky about my blood glucose levels. There, I'd be seen promptly, tested, and given a fast appointment with a specialist, whoever is on call that day for follow-up.

 

[Philly Bud]

Mary I can certainly relate to the anxiety and frustration about getting good medical care if one has no insurance and/or limited funds.

In 2008 I was laid off my job and suddenly had no health insurance. Yikes!!! Living in a big city (Philly) there was a public health clinic nearby - free to anyone without insurance - God bless them! Life savers! But going to clinic meant getting there at 6:45 AM and waiting in the waiting room for 3 or 4 hours. At least once you see the doc you get kind compassionate care and they run all the tests and your meds are (mostly) free.

I agree with those on this forum that stress that carbs are the enemy and we must reduce them drastically. The doctors might say "well, try to limit the carbs to 50 grams per meal" - Nonsense! - most of us have to cut that number in half. I've also learned that exercise really is important ... you just gotta do it ... like taking your insulin.

Good luck!

 

[jwags]

When I was dx'd with diabetes 4 years ago, at first I went into denial and thought why me. I already exercised and thought I ate pretty healthy ( low fat, lots of whole grains and very little meat or cheese). Well, when I got my first meter and started to test myself I found out all sorts of things caused my bg to spike. The biggest thing for me was that skipping breakfast would cause me to spike 30-50 points. So now I have to eat right away. Also if I have a meal without protein, I will spike. So now I eat more meat, more eggs and lots more cheese. It is about finding a balance at every meal of a few natural carbs, a good source of protein and always a good source of fat. It took me awhile to embrace fat. I was always taught fat was bad. Now with eating fat, I am at the lightest weight in 45 years. Same with exercise. I always played tennis and worked out but I did it when I felt like it. Now I have to do it on a daily basis to keep my bgs in range. I was bad over the holiday weekend and didn't get out to do my daily walk. So today I forced myself to bundle up and just do it. It really wasn't so bad and felt really good when I finished my 4 miles.

 

[breezeonby]

thanks you guys, I am on humalog 15 units + sliding scale 6 times a day and 60 units lantus at bedtime, I am type 2 I believe. I was talking to my diatician last week she noticed all these dark markings in the neck, hand and wrist areas said i need to point it out to my doctor when i see him and to keep trying to get into a doctor asap so i am kind of worried about it now lol yes medicaid is covering my insulin and testing supplies. Thanks for all the help and Support

Well that is good news that your insulin and testing supplies are covered. I know you said that you can't get in to see a doctor for awhile, so keep testing and taking your insulin. As far as I know, the dark skin markings are not dangerous, so please don't worry about that. Don't forget that if you ever feel the need to use the emergency room, do so, you have medicaid.

 

[jwags]

The dark marks are called Acanthosis Nigricanis

Acanthosis Nigricans

 

[Guest]

Hi Mary... I'm new to this forum too.
I can empathise with you on how complex it is to figure out your carbs. Like others have already said it is an individual thing most of the time as we are all different. eg. With me I find rice makes my BGLs sore, although pasta doesn't. I'm in a different country here so we have a different health system... it's still hard to get in to see a doctor, although once you're in they refer you to a public clinic for ongoing treatment. I have a diabetic clinic I attend where I have access to my endocronoligist, dietitician, diabetics educators, and podiatrists. I don't know if you have clinics like this in the US? It is really imperative though that you get medical treatment if you are insulin dependant and try and stick to the same doctor if they are looking after you and you get on well with them. I've been seeing my General Practitioner for past 8 years which is fortunate for me. Generally here we have very large doctor surgeries where doctors come and go quickly... but I've found a smaller surgery 8 years ago and there is only 3-4 doctors on at a time and they stay around which is good. If my doctor is not available, the other doctors know me too. Good luck.

 

[Mary Huskey]

i think i may do that also. because I am sick of not being watched and very scared of the outcome not being seen will have.

 

[jwags]

We do have insurance but it is high deductible, so we have to pay the first $6000 of fees first before insurance pays one dime. So my doctor says we are basically functionally uninsured. I don't use and endo because it would cost me $300+. My internist charges me $89, so I see him twice a year. I feel the doctor is there to write my Rx's. He even told me I could do those home HbA1c tests instead of the expensive lab tests. He works with me because he knows I have to pay out of pocket. I'm not sure if an endo takes any better care of you than an internist would. I would try to find a doctor that can see you in a week or so and start developping a relationship with him. The important thing about diabetes is keeping your bgs as close to normal as possible. If you adjust your diet to lower your bgs close to 100-125 you might be able to avoid lots of complications. Most doctors don't have a magic want that instantly makes us better. Most of it is in your hands.

 

[Guest]

I agree Jwags.
Even though I see a GP and a endo... they both have been playing the guessing game with me over the years. It's all a process of elimination with healthcare. It sounds like your health system there is harsher.... we're fortunate here to have 'Medicare' system which is a govt funded system. Although even though we have this system it's still not the best at times... extremely long waiting lists, etc. My GP had to present my story well to the diabetes clinic just to get me in quicker... it still took 6 months for an appointment. But once you're in they call you back initially every 6-8 weeks, then it gets longer after you are deemed to be "under control" with your BGLs. Being diabetic is so costly though no matter where you are in the world. @Mary, good on you if you find a local doctor you can stick to that would be a head start to getting on track.

 

[Guest]

ps... we do also have private health cover which is compulsory if you are aged 30+ (which I am)... you also have to pay a rebate in your tax every year for the Medicare system the govt runs. So in reality most of us here are paying for 2 health systems. We tend to use private health cover as a way to fast track treatment we need. Eg. I recently had to use it for gastro scope work or I wouldn't had to wait minimum of 8 months to get it done using govt system... that's their shortest waiting period really. Most 'elective' surgery stuff (which pretty much covers everything that isn't classified as emergency) has 2 or more years waiting period here... some other places may be much worse than city I live.

 

[breezeonby]

Carb Counting

Mary, carb counting is easy once you get the hang of it. We will be here to help you! Ask all of the questions that you want, we have all kinds of suggestions & opinions.