Sep 212011
 

If you are on an insulin pump, insurance coverage can be a real pain. If you use diabetic supplies such as glucose meters or diabetic medications, this blog post is for you!

Insulin Pump Insurance CoverageI recently changed insurance coverage and thought everything was OK.  I wrote this post to help diabetics be aware of how insurance companies do not look out for your best interest. As we know, there is a lot of paperwork, rules and guidelines which tend to take first place before health or common sense!

My last insurance company, did not cover the continuous glucose monitoring system which works together with my insulin pump. They claimed my overall diabetes was already controlled and it wasn’t necessary. What a surprise, I thought. Isn’t it important to always improve your health?

My new insurance company,  covered an upgraded pump and continuous glucose monitoring system BUT they had a contract with another company for the glucose meter and test strips. I am presently appealing this decision.

Although I love my insulin pump, I thought I would give it up and go with a new pump which was connected to the glucose meter and testing supplies which were covered. At this point, I learned the facts.  Only certain insulin pumps are covered and certain glucose meters are covered. And the irony of this is that none are covered entirely with pump and meter.

Isn’t that like getting a Toyota car with Chevy doors or making a Devil’s Food cake but using  some ingredients from an  Angel Food cake? It doesn’t work correctly unless you use all the parts from the same manufacturer or the ingredients from the same recipe.

I share this with other diabetics for one purpose. When looking for insurance coverage, find out all the detail about coverage for your diabetic supplies, insulin pump or diabetic medications first….then sign on the dotted line!

Jul 262011
 

Question: Can Diabetics eat chocolate?

Answer: Yes and no. When people first find out I have diabetes, they think I have to avoid all sweets (such as chocolate) But that  isn’t the truth since I have an insulin pump to help me maintain my glucose (sugar) levels. Diabetics need to be careful of any food that has sugar in it. Whether it is chocolate or a banana! (And both of these foods have sugar/carbohydrates!)

For type 1 diabetics on insulin, we can adjust our insulin intake to what food we are eating. For those who have type 2 diabetes, and do not adjust their insulin levels manually, it would be better not to eat any food with sugar.

If you eat chocolate, you need to be able to adjust your insulin levels.

Can Diabetics Eat Chocolate?

Diabetic Cartoon by Diabetes Health

Non-diabetics have islet cells that produce insulin in their pancreas. For type 1 diabetics like myself, we can adjust our insulin pump to take care of the additional sugar that chocolate or another dessert might contain. Type 2 persons do not have this option since they take a pill to help their pancreas produce insulin.

When you can balance your life with some sweets, exercise and carefully checking your sugar levels, chocolate and other wonderful foods can be added back into your diet. But, be careful and work hard to keep your sugar levels balanced and well controlled!