Overall my BG readings are coming down. Some of it could be the consistent medication. Some of it could be me getting my carb intake monitored and under control. The numbers still aren’t where they should be, but they’re getting lower. I’m still in the 200s in the mornings, but what’s brining down the average is that I’ve been in the 200s in the after-dinner readings for the past couple of days. The high 200s — bordering the 300s, but still, it feels like improvement.
It’s still hard, though. It’s as if my brain senses the carb loss and sends out signals to every part of my body telling it to find some. Sometimes the urge is enough that I need to get up from desk and distract myself with a change of scenery.
I went to the grocery store yesterday and loaded up on things that I think will be a good alternative for snacks. It seems that most of the email I get from diabetes websites all talk about snacks that are good choices. It has to be a large topic for them to devote so much time to it. Baked chips seem to be fairly popular for an all-around healthy choice. What’s surprising is that the carbs in baked chips are just as high and sometimes higher than in regular chips. They say the baked chips are better for you because of the other nutritional information — fat, saturated fat, sodium, etc.
Baked chips, low-fat string cheese, turkey pepperoni, select Kind bars (http://www.kindsnacks.com) that are low carb, and fruit. Those will be the snacks of choice until I’m instructed otherwise. I have my first appointment with the Endocrinologist on the 11th and then the diabetic educator on the 12th. I filled out all of their paperwork today and registered with their practice online. I have to admit the technology side of this is amazing. I love the access I have to my records, appointments, and the ability to email the doctor’s office through websites and mobile apps.
Speaking of the diabetes educator, I said I would tell you about why I cancelled the other appointment and scheduled a new one with someone else. Here’s the story: my primary doctor gave me a referral to see a diabetic educator and recommended the group of educators connected to my insurance plan. I called them up and left a message saying I wanted to make an appointment.
A woman called me back the next day. While I was on the phone with her I asked her what the cost was going to be. She said that most insurances cover it. I told her that I was with the same company that ran her group. She said “That’s good. Most insurances cover our cost.” We ended up hanging up without me getting an actual number. I had this nagging feeling that she was trying to avoid giving me the actual price.
A couple of days later, the feeling still hadn’t left that she was hiding the cost. I called them back and again had to leave a message for someone to call. A different woman called me back the next day. When I asked again what the cost was, she said I should have received an email with codes on it that I could give to my insurance company that would determine what was covered under my plan. Still no actual number was given. I pushed in a little more and told her I didn’t have the email, but my insurance covers 80% for diabetes education after my deductible. We’re still early in the year so the deductible hasn’t been met. She said she understands that people are still meeting their deductibles, and then she opened up a little. She told me the cost was $36 every fifteen minutes. I was dumbfounded. She went on to say that the first appointment usually takes 90 minutes so the cost for my first visit to the diabetes educator was going to cost $216. I was almost speechless. This is the group that is run by the same insurance company I pay my premiums to. You would think that the insurance company would see educating their customers on diabetes as something that will lower their costs long-term — instead, they charge high fees.
I cancelled that appointment and scheduled one with a diabetes educator that was recommended to us by a trusted friend. Those types of referrals tend to go better anyway.