Much More

Thank you Karen Graffeo at Bittersweet Diabetes for hosting the 8th annual Diabetes Blog Week. Our community thanks you for making our voice stronger, introducing us to new sites and increasing our tribe’s strength of thriving with diabetes despite what diabetes throws at us. Today the following is the prompt for #DBlogWeek:

Insulin and other diabetes medications and supplies can be costly.  Here in the US, insurance status and age (as in Medicare eligibility) can impact both the cost and coverage.  So today, let’s discuss how cost impacts our diabetes care.  Do you have advice to share?  For those outside the US, is cost a concern?  Are there other factors such as accessibility or education that cause barriers to your diabetes care?  (This topic was inspired by suggestions from Rick and Jen.)

MUCH MORE

How cost impacts our diabetes care you ask?

Well, to calculate that quest is quite a daunting task.

And if you must know, you must first count the cost of all supplies one needs.

Meters, test strips, lancets to make you bleed.

Control solution for that meter is easy to forget.

An insulin pump complete with reservoirs and insets,

Alcohol wipes, skin tac, unisolve, and syringes for you to to jab.

Water for highs and juices for lows and of course, glucose tabs.

All in a cabinet, and some in a bag.

A back up supply,  always for you to drag.

Supplies that keep you safe, to help you treat your low and to treat your high.

Add the cost of that, all together, and that is part of the cost of your diabetes supplies.

And then add in the cost of Insulin–Oh that sweet elixir of life

But with that sweet liquid that keeps you alive

Comes a hefty sticker shock price and you must have it to thrive.

Is that it? Am I done?

NO, because to get that sum,

You must be able to know

To what the insurance claims to pay and retail cost combo.

Then you get a dollar amount of what diabetes cost.

But WAIT!  Yes, again. You are not done.

I told you this was not fun.

You forgot the time diabetes cost.

All that time, you have lost.

The cost of waiting for your glucose to rise,

and the amount of time for it to drop from a high

You forgot the waiting hours on the telephone,

to the doctors, the insurance, the pharmacy, and leave a message at the tone.

The time you lost in dealing with diabetes in a day

24/7/365?   That is a lot you say.

Yes.  It is, you see,

Diabetes is expensive and it is not just me.

It can cost so much more than money and time.

For some the price can be a limb, and/or kidneys and some will go blind.

And while we shall not dwell on that cost for long

It needs to be mention because diabetes sometimes can bring that along.

But the most precious cost to me, is none of the above.

It is the impact of my diabetes and the cost it brings to those I love.

The cost of their worry and concerns over me.

Is what I do not want to add up in the cost of diabetes.

So to others this task I will leave.

All I know is the cost to NOT treat diabetes is far too much for me

And to those who I love, and those who love me.