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Thank you. I've been a diabetic for 14 years and that's exactly how I feel. The only way I can have perfect glucose levels is to live like a robot: wake up eve

by Adirael 14y ago

Thank you. I've been a diabetic for 14 years and that's exactly how I feel. The only way I can have perfect glucose levels is to live like a robot: wake up every day at the same time, eat exactly the same measured amount of food, check my glucose level every time my alarm beeps and do nothing out of the ordinary. I'm trying to exercise more and the diabetes is the biggest barrier, I'm like a roller coaster right now. I don't want to stare at a graph and do even more calculations, I want those calculations done by a machine, which can infuse insuline constantly and use more or less depending on my glucose trend. There are new technologies out there, like this CGM [1] (continuous glucose monitor) which is very small and wireless (minilink minimed) which IIRC can work with an insulin pump (there is one that's very similar, wireless too, with a reservoir for three days of insulin) [1] http://www.diabeteshealth.com/media/images/article_images/5060.jpg http://www.diabeteshealth.com/media/images/article_images/50... The problem? Price. Most insurances won't cover this, the initial purchase is not cheap and the maintenance cost a lot too.

Firehed 14y ago
What kind of price are we talking about here? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands? I realize that there are plenty of people who will be able to afford nothing beyond what their insurance covers, but of those that can, I imagine the price people would pay to live a "normal" lifestyle is relatively high.
jimrandomh 14y ago
> The problem? Price. Most insurances won't cover this, the initial purchase is not cheap and the maintenance cost a lot too. I hear that a lot, but I think this may be a cached judgment and not be accounting for recent decreases in price and increases in CGM sensor quality. If you haven't asked your insurance recently, ask again.
- Adirael 14y ago
  I live in Spain and have no private insurance. Privates won't cover me because of the pre existing condition, if I had private insurance before being a diabetic they may have covered me, but things like CGMs and pumps always need a fight. Public insurance won't cover CGMs right now and are hesitant to give out pumps. I checked yesterday again, a Dexcom G4 [1] is around 1.5K, and I would need around 200€ each month on sensors. I'll probably end buying one out of pocket, but it's not something most people can afford! [1] http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/8066666840_465937321d_o.jpg http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/8066666840_465937321d_o.j...

by Adirael 14y ago

Firehed 14y ago

What kind of price are we talking about here? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands? I realize that there are plenty of people who will be able to afford nothing beyond what their insurance covers, but of those that can, I imagine the price people would pay to live a "normal" lifestyle is relatively high.

jimrandomh 14y ago

> The problem? Price. Most insurances won't cover this, the initial purchase is not cheap and the maintenance cost a lot too. I hear that a lot, but I think this may be a cached judgment and not be accounting for recent decreases in price and increases in CGM sensor quality. If you haven't asked your insurance recently, ask again.

Adirael 14y ago
I live in Spain and have no private insurance. Privates won't cover me because of the pre existing condition, if I had private insurance before being a diabetic they may have covered me, but things like CGMs and pumps always need a fight. Public insurance won't cover CGMs right now and are hesitant to give out pumps. I checked yesterday again, a Dexcom G4 [1] is around 1.5K, and I would need around 200€ each month on sensors. I'll probably end buying one out of pocket, but it's not something most people can afford! [1] http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/8066666840_465937321d_o.jpg http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/8066666840_465937321d_o.j...