Access to insulin and other medications can be a catch 22. Many healthcare systems require in-person visits in order to renew prescriptions, but it’s not always easy to get an appointment as quickly as you need it. Here’s one family’s story of navigating the challenge.
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Just curious who to reach out I’m having trouble trying to afford my libre sensors and insulin. I have been diabetic for 25yrs and am trying to afford to be able to get back on my insulin pump.i am 28yrs of age and no insurance currently due to moving in with mom during covid .i am currently awaiting trying to get into a pap program but havent herd anything about any updates.ive been denied Medicare medicade and don’t know what else to do and Wal-Mart insulin doesn’t work for me. Thanks – irene
Hi Irene,
We do have quite a few resources on our website that you can explore here: https://tcoyd.org/2020/03/coronavirus-info-resources/
There are several prescription assistance programs listed, and many of the companies that make insulin also have their own assistance programs as well. You may want to also check in your area to see if there is a free clinic that can help.
This is a great video, and very real for many people. I just have to ask…why in the world is NO ONE in the video wearing masks!? You keep talking about the pandemic and how awful it is, but you’re not using a basic precaution to keep it from spreading!! It’s just so irresponsible and counter-productive to not take the precautions. Sad. Giving the life-saving insulin and things is great, but all I can see is the lack of masks and social distacing happening. 🙁
I am a total mask wearing person as well as all the other precautions. We wore masks when we were less than 6 feet and used hand sanitizer and washed our hands a ton. Thanks for your concern. Dr. Pettus has antibodies against COVID 19 as well. Stay well and thanks again.
Jennifer,
Don’t worry.
It seems like Dr, Pettus’ video was made way before the current pandemic. He refers to something that’s going to happen in the future, and that year is history, now. Listen again and see if you catch that.
Even more pertinent, TCYOD has canceled live conferences all Spring and Summer, as far as I know…another hint that the video is pre-Covid. (Right?) Whew: wearing masks is the smart and kind thing to do these days….
Please explain how antibodies against Covid-19 protect if the virus has changed? Also, do you recommend getting’regular’ flu shot? And should folks over 60 get an extra shot?
I do recommend getting the flu shot at any age, and if the virus is changing then the antibodies may not be protective. Check with your doctor about his/her recommendations for the flu shot as it pertains to you and your health history.
I’m over 70, got a flu shot about 2 years ago and got a very , very bad reaction.
I’ve been dreading getting another one.
What should I do?
As Dr. Edelman mentioned above, best to check with your personal doctor about his/her recommendations for the flu shot as it pertains to you and your health history.
I got a very bad reaction to the flu shot 4 years ago. I’m a type 1.
My Glucose level goes up very high in the morning as soon as I wake up even if I do not eat or drink any thing except water. For example, CGM data during sleep remains about 130-140, and after I get up from bed it shoots upto 200-220. I am anxious to know its cause and how to keep in control. Please advise.
-Neeru Sharma
Hi Neeru,
Here is an article Dr. Edelman wrote that addresses your concern, and hopefully will help you:
https://tcoyd.org/2020/07/how-to-manage-foot-to-floor-phenomenon/
Also, we have a conference coming up tomorrow (Saturday 11/7/20) with live Q&A sessions with endocrinologists. You can sign up for the conference (it’s free) and ask the doctors directly during the Q&A sessions. Here is registration information:
https://tcoyd.org/tcoyd-nov-2020/
Hope that helps!
1. Is there anyway that I can drop off un-needed insulin at TYOCD’s office? And if I do that, will it get to people who need it, or will it just be discarded? When we went from Lantus to Tresiba we had an extra vial of Lantus. That vial is still in the refrigerator, even though it is long expired. What a waste! While my son has plenty of Tresiba and doesn’t like Lantus, it was a perfectly good, unused, vial. I think that just as there are plenty of people in the world who are hungry, there are probably lots of people in the world who could have, and would have, used Lantus, if that’s all they had available to them. Also, when we went to the pump, we stopped using the Novolog cartridges and so now we also have about 3 expired cartridges in the refrigerator as well. Another waste! At one point I sent about 4 vials of Humalin to IFL (Insulin for Life), and it was a real pain because I was sure to send it with cold packs, etc. But I seriously doubt that IFL used it. So, in the future, I’d like to donate locally, assuming that anyone in San Diego needs it and will use it.
While I’d like to give the insulin away, I feel differently about supplies.
I would like to find a way to barter/exchange diabetes _supplies_ with other T1Ds.
My son is T1D and, as his father, I’m always trying to make sure he’ll have the supplies he needs when he will need them. And sometimes I find that we have accumulated supplies that we don’t need! For example, when we went from Omnipods to 670G we had a couple boxes of Omnipods that we weren’t using. I eventually sold those on Ebay, but I would have rather exchanged them for other supplies, like Medtronic supplies, instead.
Also, we’re not using the Guardian sensors we got. Is there anyone who would like to exchange an unopened box of Guardian Sensors for Medtronic Mio Advanced infusion sets?
etc. etc.
Hi Edward,
Thank you for your inquiry about donating your son’s unused insulin. Our physical office is closed at the moment, but you might try contacting a local free clinic to see if they could disperse to someone in need. Here’s a link to the clinic at UCSD as one option:
https://medschool.ucsd.edu/som/fmph/education/freeclinic/Pages/default.aspx
Very useful, thank you very much for sharing!