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A DIY diabetes kit

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Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#21

Post by monkmartinez »

aab0 wrote: post #15
maxerickson wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walmart sells older forms over the counter. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/12/14/45904732... Pricing info isn't super apparent, I guess it probably isn't a whole lot more than the $25 a vial suggested in various articles and comments about it.

It's not. I'm not diabetic, but there's some interesting research on intranasal insulin and cognition, so I thought I might try it out. At my local east coast Walmart, I bought on March 13th 2016 a 10ml vial of Novolin R insulin for $24.88. (No prescription required.)

> intranasal insulin and cognition

Please elaborate...

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#22

Post by monkmartinez »

oskarpearson wrote: post #16

Good to see this here. I'm one of the developers (though more on the radio comms side, rather than on the glucose control side. See http://github.com/oskarpearson/mmeowlink/wiki for info). My wife's been on the software since last September, and it's made a huge difference to us. If you've any questions, ask here or grab me on twitter at @oskarpearson

If I wanted to get something like this setup for a homeless person... what would I need to do?

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#23

Post by Symbiote »

jawngee wrote: post #5

My son was just recently diagnosed type 1 about 4 months ago (exactly on his 1st birthday, shitty birthday). Unfortunately, we live in Vietnam where access to even basics like pumps, let alone CGM, is non-existant, or incredibly hard. We had to fly to Singapore to get a pump, and then fly back every three months to get new supplies. CGM is a pipe dream. One thing this article doesn't touch on, which is unfortunate, i…

Will no-one post/courier the supplies to Vietnam? That would surely be cheaper than a flight.

If I'm looking at the right advice [1], insulin is £1.50-£3 ($2-4) in the UK, so that may be one possible source.

(The UK suppliers I found don't have information on overseas delivery on their sites; it's probably worth a phone call.)

[1] http://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin-pumps/buying-an-insulin-pu...

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#24

Post by tzs »

jawngee wrote: post #5

My son was just recently diagnosed type 1 about 4 months ago (exactly on his 1st birthday, shitty birthday). Unfortunately, we live in Vietnam where access to even basics like pumps, let alone CGM, is non-existant, or incredibly hard. We had to fly to Singapore to get a pump, and then fly back every three months to get new supplies. CGM is a pipe dream. One thing this article doesn't touch on, which is unfortunate, i…

> Test strips in the US can cost $1-2 per strip; we spend about 20-30 cents per.

I have type 2, and don't know much about type 1, but I am assuming that the test strips are the same. If so, you can do better than 20-30 cents in the US.

The key is to avoid the big brand name meters, like Contour, FreeStyle, AccuCheck, and such.

Get a meter from True or ReliOn. These are available retail online and at major brick and mortar pharmacies for around $10-15 for a kit that includes the meter, some lancets, and around 10 test strips. Example: [1].

Strips are available retail for around $16-18 per 100 strips. Example: [2].

The big brand name meters are nicer. My Contour just feels higher quality than my True, and it shows the results a little faster, and the lancet device that came with it works a lot better...but the True gets the job done too, and there is no rule that says you have to use the lancet device that came with the meter.

It's easy to overspend in the US on health care. I'm on Metformin. I have insurance. If I get that prescription filled at Rite Aid a 30 day supply is about $90, with the cost to me being a $20 copay.

If I get that prescription filled at WalMart it is $4, and there is no point in bothering with insurance.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/TRUE2go-Blood-Glucose-Starter-Kit/dp/...

[2] https://www.amazon.com/TRUEtest-Test-Strips-100-Count/dp/B00...

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#25

Post by hising »

Open question - What is the actual cost of living with Diabetes type 1 in the US with a good health insurance? The reason I am asking is I have a 10-year old son with type 1 and we are thinking of moving to US (from Sweden) and would like to estimate the actual cost of living with diabetes in the US in order to make a real life calculation of what it would actually cost us per month. Any tips would be appreciated - if you wanna take it privately - message me on Twitter (@hising) or send me an email - mattias at ridgestreet dot se

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#26

Post by terminalcommand »

et2o wrote: post #17
monkmartinez wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To the point about using Glucagon in some kind of fashion... We (EMS) give glucagon to hypoglycemic diabetic patients when we are unable to obtain IV access. I am not a doctor, but we almost always prefer to give them D50 via IV for diabetic emergencies in the field. Most of the time, they don't need to go into the ER after such intervention. As a last resort we give glucagon IM and wait, and wait... more often than…

Also not an MD (yet) so grain of salt, but from my experience: Yeah, D50 is a more direct way to get glucose into the blood stream. It does take a lot more time to mobilize liver stores of glycogen. But using glycogen stores isn't necessarily bad for you metabolically. Glucagon is used by your body everyday during periods of fasting between meals to maintain a minimum blood sugar. Your glycogen stores can supply enou…

I've had type 1 for nearly 10 years, after 4-5 years I think my body stopped producing glycogen. That's why I am super-alert for lows.

The constant fear of trying to catch if you're low is exhausting. Especially when a diabetic like me goes through sad phases, can't get enough sleep etc. The main symptom of being low is dizziness, and if you're blood sugar levels are not in control you always feel that diziness.

I've had panic attacks, thinking I'm low when I'm not, got really depressed, my blood sugar levels were like a roller coaster.

This year I managed to get a grip of my life, right now I'm on vacation and relatively happy, I noticed that I get by with much less insulin. Stress definitely has an effect on diabetes management. During exam weeks for example, it's nearly impossible for me to keep my levels under control.

A CGM could end all this suffering, but the cost of having one is very high. The insurance, at least here in Turkey, covers only 3 strips a day of the cheapest brand available.

I've seen 22 mg/dl at a time, and didn't lose consciousness. Most diabetics can feel when they're hypoglycemic.

PS: These are my own experiences, sorry if it's too verbose.

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#27

Post by throwaway_exer »

hising wrote: post #25

Open question - What is the actual cost of living with Diabetes type 1 in the US with a good health insurance? The reason I am asking is I have a 10-year old son with type 1 and we are thinking of moving to US (from Sweden) and would like to estimate the actual cost of living with diabetes in the US in order to make a real life calculation of what it would actually cost us per month. Any tips would be appreciated - i…

> good health insurance

In the USA, that generally means being a civil service or Microsoft employee. Anything else involves limits and co-pays, so find out in advance.

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#28

Post by Bromskloss »

hising wrote: post #25

Open question - What is the actual cost of living with Diabetes type 1 in the US with a good health insurance? The reason I am asking is I have a 10-year old son with type 1 and we are thinking of moving to US (from Sweden) and would like to estimate the actual cost of living with diabetes in the US in order to make a real life calculation of what it would actually cost us per month. Any tips would be appreciated - i…

Would an insurance ever cover something that is already known? That at least doesn't sound like an insurance in the usual sense of the word.

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#29

Post by whatnotests »

I had the chance to meet and interview the author of the open source tool (Tim Omer). Super smart, motivated and clearly capable.

I hope his work can help many people who are in need of this type of tool.

Re: A DIY diabetes kit

#30

Post by 0xcde4c3db »

Bromskloss wrote: post #28
hising wrote: post #25

Open question - What is the actual cost of living with Diabetes type 1 in the US with a good health insurance? The reason I am asking is I have a 10-year old son with type 1 and we are thinking of moving to US (from Sweden) and would like to estimate the actual cost of living with diabetes in the US in order to make a real life calculation of what it would actually cost us per month. Any tips would be appreciated - i…

Would an insurance ever cover something that is already known? That at least doesn't sound like an insurance in the usual sense of the word.

In the US, "health insurance" mostly isn't about actual insurance, it's just part of the evolved process of obtaining care with a degree of oversight and (semi-)centralized records. You can pay out-of-pocket, in much the same way that you can represent yourself in court: nobody can deny you the option, but the system isn't really set up to operate that way and something will probably go wrong when you try it.
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