I hope that you went home sick. Honestly, when you are doing everything that you can to make sure that you are healthy and things like this list happen to you and it’s not your fault I think you would be within your rights to just go home and recover!

And you’re right – you do have plenty of friends and family there to help – like US!

Yup, you’re right Aaron and while I know the post above sounds dramatic when you overlay it with a lot of the other awful things going on in the world, the point of this blog is not to sweep days like this under the carpet – we all have’em from time to time and I think it’s good to talk about it.

Hi Nic

Sorry to hear you had a bad day yesterday. Don’t worry you not alone. Have been having some issues with lows and dancing and yesterday had one of those really bad headaches caused by low sugars.

You are doing everything you can and Diabetes is just so unpredictable.

You mentioned you wrote to Southern Cross. I also have insurance with them and was gonna write to them re funding of the pump. I know they will say no but I figure the more people who get on to them hopefully they will change their ideas. Can you please send me a copy of the letter you sent them if you dont mind so I have a starting point.

Had a dietician appointment yesterday. Was great. I now know the carbs in hot cross buns…yummy.

Also what insulin do you use in the pump? I am using Humalog at the mo and am changing to Novorapid pre my pump start because thats what I will be using in the pump. Got a pen for the Novorapid sent to me and I just have to say they need to learn something from Eli Lilly (Humalog pen makers). Firstly its an ugly orange colour. Secondly its flimsy and hard to use. Dialing back a dose when you make a mistake seems so tricky and its a breeze with my Humalog pen. Lantus pens are even worse.

Hi Sianne, thanks for your comment. In response to your questions:

1. Will fill you in on Southern Cross separately, going to do a post on it in the next couple of days.
2. I use Novorapid in the pump. Apparently it has very similar chemical makeup as Humalog (ie same length of acting as well as peak etc) but for some reason Humalog is more likely to crystalise in the pump tubing and create a blockage, so they recommend Novorapid.

I agree with you on the Humapens, they have been around for ages but still manage to look nice, are robust and work well.

Not long til your pump start – nice one!

Nic

I know we all know what it’s like – and having a moan about it is cool – you are doing good (and getting all us together online is totally awesome)

I heard that the Lantus pen was designed for the elderly who find the “trigger” mechanism easier than pushing the plunger mechanism – I find this a touch ironic as the drug that the pen dispenses is not specifically for any age group. Annoys me that the cartridges don’t fit into the Huma pen – I’ve got the “Luxura” which is a nice piece of engineering

Keep smiling and remember that Diabetes is an anagram of “Beast Die”!!

In fact – if anyone needs another Humapen I have one kicking around home that I’m no longer using, in as-new condition (how much battering does an insulin pen take?). Drop me a line at nic@beingdiabetic.co.nz if you want it – it’s burgundy.

Hi Nic – Same story with Southern Cross and pump supplies, although they did remind me they pay for test strips…which currently cost me about $3. Very generous (although I guess it’s better than nothing. Used to pay about $100 per vial of lantus too when it first came available – until that was subsidized by Pharmac…don’t get me started with them though!). Will look forward to your post.

Can I have it as a collectors piece?

Hi Tory… great to hear from you. I think Sianne is going to write to them too – at least if a few of us write to them and put pressure on their time and resources they might put pressure on Pharmac? The thing I can’t figure out is that they’ll pay for needles for us to put on our insulin pens but they won’t pay for the equivalent for pumps, even though they are effectively mutually exclusive… ?

A little birdie told me Southern Cross only covers what Pharmac covers. I assume Pharmac covers pen needles as they only cost me $15 a prescription. Of course the pump supplies aren’t covered by Pharmac.

That sounds about right. Just looked at how much microfine needles cost and they are $31 without subsidy for 100. (http://www.diabetessupplies.co.nz/product_detail.php?name=B-D+Microfine+31g+5mm&id=54). Thus it’s only about $10 a month even if you use a new one every day – does this sound right?

Oh my goodness what a day, I know exactly what your talking about, I had trouble with my sites, even ending up in hospital with keatones, feeling ghastly, and like a failure, not a
day I wish to repeat. So I get how awful this is for you. Plus it’s so lonely. How many people out there really get what a day like that means, feeling terrible, unproductive and sensitive. Twisting your mind inside out trying to figure out what you could have done differently.
But you know you’ll figure it out, If I could, anyone can. It’s so worth persevering, you won’t know yourself once you get over this. Keep going sunshine, we’re all behind you on this!

Thanks Flash – yup some days you just cop it all don’t you but as you say, it’s so worth persevering x