- Messages
- 7
Hi there. My name is Wendy and I'm new to the forum. I've lurked a bit and decided to join and man has it been quite the journey thus far. I hope it's okay to share that here.
I'm from the US and I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes back in either 2001 or 2002..my early 20s. I also have another condition that makes me insulin resistant, which I was diagnosed with at about 16 but nothing was really done about it by the doctor. No idea why, thinking back on it. The condition also makes it more difficult to lose weight, so I've been overweight for the majority of my life. I was a normal weight up until about age 7 and by age 8, I'd gained 50lbs in one year after having my tonsils out. Doctors couldn't figure out why, given that my activity hadn't changed nor had my eating and my mother was always pretty health conscious.
Oh, I also have family history of diabetes. My father was diagnosed in his early 30s. His mother died with it when he was 19. Both of my maternal grandparents had it. My grandmother got it in her 50s. My grandfather, who died when my mother was 8, didn't know about it. It was undiagnosed and was discovered after he died that diabetes had been the culprit. My mother isn't diabetic, but a couple of her sisters are. Her paternal grandmother was also diabetic.
Anywho, I was first diagnosed with diabetes after going to the doctor for feeling thirsty all the time and the lethargic nature of mine during that time. It was rather scary. All I wanted to do was sleep and during a family reunion, I pretty much did that. They did the tests and said I was a diabetic. They put me on Metformin, which I couldn't stomach...literally. I've always had a sensitive stomach going back to childhood. It interfered with work and my life. My body never got used to it.
Between that time and 2009, I just didn't take any medication and even asked doctors to just put me on insulin since the oral medications didn't work well with me...but was denied it. I couldn't afford to anyway due to lack of insurance and the jobs I had never offered it. Due to the pre-existing condition, I was denied insurance most of the time or either the cost was sky high with their deductibles and premiums. I also didn't qualify for the state programs like Medicaid because I wasn't disabled and I wasn't on government assistance and didn't have children...so I continued to skip out on the meds.
In 2010, I moved to Japan for a teaching job. I didn't do anything about my diabetes then either and ignored it. I returned back to the US after the tsunami/earthquake incident in 2011 and did get a job...but of course, no insurance. I still ignored my diabetes issue since it just wasn't affordable and knew that insulin would probably work best for me at this point.
In 2012, I lost the job I'd gotten after returning home, and once again went back over to Japan to take on another job. At that point, I decided I should get myself in order. I had health insurance there. When they tested my a1c, it was at a 13. When prescribing medication, they gave me the choice of, well, choosing. I chose insulin. They also checked my eyes and even told me, within ten years, "you'll more than likely go blind". I was like, "Nope, not going to let that happen!", so I semi-got my act together. Taking my medications as prescribed and also, I was calculating my carb-to-insulin ratio. I forget how to do it now, but I was doing it a lot back then.
I moved a few more times, other areas of Japan and by the time I finally left (May 2018), my a1c had dropped to a 7.1. I was so glad. They were very thorough there and saw me every month, practically to work with me.
Now...being back in the US, I faced the same issues I had before I left...lack of insurance. Job I have currently doesn't offer it and the previous job I found after I did move back to the states did offer it, but it didn't kick in until October 2018...I quit the job because of the toxic nature of it in November. Prior to that, though, I had to pay for everything out of pocket. The money I had brought back with me from Japan soon ran out as well as the insulin supply I'd brought with me and I was missing doses just to save on the medication after a while. Because of the healthcare there, I had no idea that my insulin (NovaRapid, LantusXR) were so expensive here in the US. My a1c ended up jumping back up to an 11.
August of last year, I managed to find a prescription program that covered my insulin (had it changed to Humalog and Basaglar since they were cheaper...but not by much) and I'm getting that along with Jardiance (which is a more recent medication, which I started last year and altogether, just for these three meds cost at least $1500 altogether every month). It only costs me $60/month with the Rx Program I'm doing. I'm forever grateful for this program and discovering it last summer. As of January 2020, my a1c is at a 6.8 and I'm determined to get this thing put into remission. I just hope nothing happens with this prescription program. I can't rely on insurance...high deductibles and inadequate prescription coverage...so going to the doctor regularly is an issue...
Sorry for this long story. Just felt like sharing and I hope to get to know everyone here. ^_^
I'm from the US and I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes back in either 2001 or 2002..my early 20s. I also have another condition that makes me insulin resistant, which I was diagnosed with at about 16 but nothing was really done about it by the doctor. No idea why, thinking back on it. The condition also makes it more difficult to lose weight, so I've been overweight for the majority of my life. I was a normal weight up until about age 7 and by age 8, I'd gained 50lbs in one year after having my tonsils out. Doctors couldn't figure out why, given that my activity hadn't changed nor had my eating and my mother was always pretty health conscious.
Oh, I also have family history of diabetes. My father was diagnosed in his early 30s. His mother died with it when he was 19. Both of my maternal grandparents had it. My grandmother got it in her 50s. My grandfather, who died when my mother was 8, didn't know about it. It was undiagnosed and was discovered after he died that diabetes had been the culprit. My mother isn't diabetic, but a couple of her sisters are. Her paternal grandmother was also diabetic.
Anywho, I was first diagnosed with diabetes after going to the doctor for feeling thirsty all the time and the lethargic nature of mine during that time. It was rather scary. All I wanted to do was sleep and during a family reunion, I pretty much did that. They did the tests and said I was a diabetic. They put me on Metformin, which I couldn't stomach...literally. I've always had a sensitive stomach going back to childhood. It interfered with work and my life. My body never got used to it.
Between that time and 2009, I just didn't take any medication and even asked doctors to just put me on insulin since the oral medications didn't work well with me...but was denied it. I couldn't afford to anyway due to lack of insurance and the jobs I had never offered it. Due to the pre-existing condition, I was denied insurance most of the time or either the cost was sky high with their deductibles and premiums. I also didn't qualify for the state programs like Medicaid because I wasn't disabled and I wasn't on government assistance and didn't have children...so I continued to skip out on the meds.
In 2010, I moved to Japan for a teaching job. I didn't do anything about my diabetes then either and ignored it. I returned back to the US after the tsunami/earthquake incident in 2011 and did get a job...but of course, no insurance. I still ignored my diabetes issue since it just wasn't affordable and knew that insulin would probably work best for me at this point.
In 2012, I lost the job I'd gotten after returning home, and once again went back over to Japan to take on another job. At that point, I decided I should get myself in order. I had health insurance there. When they tested my a1c, it was at a 13. When prescribing medication, they gave me the choice of, well, choosing. I chose insulin. They also checked my eyes and even told me, within ten years, "you'll more than likely go blind". I was like, "Nope, not going to let that happen!", so I semi-got my act together. Taking my medications as prescribed and also, I was calculating my carb-to-insulin ratio. I forget how to do it now, but I was doing it a lot back then.
I moved a few more times, other areas of Japan and by the time I finally left (May 2018), my a1c had dropped to a 7.1. I was so glad. They were very thorough there and saw me every month, practically to work with me.
Now...being back in the US, I faced the same issues I had before I left...lack of insurance. Job I have currently doesn't offer it and the previous job I found after I did move back to the states did offer it, but it didn't kick in until October 2018...I quit the job because of the toxic nature of it in November. Prior to that, though, I had to pay for everything out of pocket. The money I had brought back with me from Japan soon ran out as well as the insulin supply I'd brought with me and I was missing doses just to save on the medication after a while. Because of the healthcare there, I had no idea that my insulin (NovaRapid, LantusXR) were so expensive here in the US. My a1c ended up jumping back up to an 11.
August of last year, I managed to find a prescription program that covered my insulin (had it changed to Humalog and Basaglar since they were cheaper...but not by much) and I'm getting that along with Jardiance (which is a more recent medication, which I started last year and altogether, just for these three meds cost at least $1500 altogether every month). It only costs me $60/month with the Rx Program I'm doing. I'm forever grateful for this program and discovering it last summer. As of January 2020, my a1c is at a 6.8 and I'm determined to get this thing put into remission. I just hope nothing happens with this prescription program. I can't rely on insurance...high deductibles and inadequate prescription coverage...so going to the doctor regularly is an issue...
Sorry for this long story. Just felt like sharing and I hope to get to know everyone here. ^_^
Last edited:
