Living with Diabetes and Lapband

I am using my diabetes alert dog again.

I stopped because public reactions to her were affecting my sleep. Encounters with people who didn't get it were disturbing me. Besides, I could afford CGMS.

Things have changed. Current insurance doesn't cover them and they cost almost $300 out of pocket.

Dulce is hanging out at the house and available.

The gym people love her and miss her. New tea place that just opened adore her. No problems at any place. We were even at a Starbucks in line in front of two constables and neither cared.

In fact, one asked to visit with her.

She has awesome public skills still. Right now she is chilling on a blanket in front of an exercise bike.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Yeah, my Facebook peeps know what is going on, but I have been out of touch.

Back at the end of February, my husband had to spend some time with a neurosurgeon.  Trust me, this is never a good thing.

My focus since then has been taking care of him.  Not the spoon feed thing, but getting him to appointments etc.  Currently he is recovering, on short term disability and doing physical rehab every day.

Yes, it’s fun.

But it has been okay.  Quick recap – I had been teaching high school at a large urban district, and was driven out a year ago.  I took a job with a mobile app, which was fun, but it got bought out by google and they are in the process of shutting it down.  Right after I took that job, I took a pat time teaching job with Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, and that has been a god send.  I have been doing 28 hours a week with them, teaching and recently added writing courses.

More later, I hope.

Those of you on Facebook know that my husband has been facing a medical crisis.

He had had a headache for several weeks and then had a major change in personality / behavior.  I had been requesting that he contact his doctor before that change because he wasn't getting better.  Of course, I was ignored.

He has United Health Care Choice insurance which we can't figure out exactly what the term Choice  means.  However, Baylor Scott White System is in network.

I've done research and different insurance experts at Baylor Scott White have been helping.  He has a deductible of $2000, which was alarming, I'm used to $1000 deductible.  He also has an out of pocket maximum of $6250, which I'm sure we hit the first day in the emergency room, if not there, in the operating room/recovery room.

So here's what has happened.  He has seen his primary care doctor twice (office visits of $30 copay).  We were sent for a CT scan and have paid co-pays and full price for the scan itself and for the reading.

We were sent to a specific facility and doctor (both in network).  We'll pay copays for emergency room and full price for any of that care until we hit the deductible.  Then we'll pay just copays and 20% of anything.  Once we hit the maximum out of pocket, we don't pay any more.

So far, here's what we got:

2 primary care visits
At least 2 CT Scans
1 emergency room visit
consult by trauma residents
brain surgery and recovery
Surgical ICU for at least 2 days
Regular hospital room for the remainder of the vists
Daily visits by neuro surgeon and by trauma doctor, PT, Speech Therapy, and one visit by Social Worker for plan.
Follow up visits with neurosurgeon, primary care physician
Out patient therapy

It could have been worse.