Rick Reuben wrote:Good luck there, Rayj. The lesson for any sick person in America is that the costs of your illness and your treatment are counted on many people's bottom lines, and you almost definitely will not hear about all alternative treatments from those reliant on the hospital/insurance/pharm system for their income. Just like you're not going to hear a Ford dealer tell you that a Toyota is a better car.
Research research research. You might be able to get healthier more cheaply and more safely away from corporate medicine. Don't let the system treat you like a child. They're going to try and scare you away from managing your own treatment. Think for yourself.
That was my approach. Further anecdote (of which there are several, along similar lines):
Early on, I thought that I could save on my cost and needless waste of needles by combining doses of the two insulins. I did this a few times...then, I mentioned this approach to another diabetic - and watched his face turn white. According to his physician, and some 'commonplace' medical knowledge, mixing insulins can cause crystallization in the bloodstream (i.e. a stroke). This happened right after administering a whopping mixed shot. So, I stalked randomly around work for awhile, wondering if I was going to suddenly become a retard or a corpse.
Later, I talked to a decent physician...an old Chinese fellow and 'alternative medicine' advocate, who related to me that he had patients who mixed insulins all the time, and recommended the practice as a way to limit waste.
My next thought was that, in general, 'typical' doctors are fed information geared towards increasing consumption of medical supplies, for all the afore-alluded-to reasons, and to avoid culpability. I also had a similar experience with a doctor who blanched when I told her that I often reused needles, out of economic necessity. Almost all diabetics I've talked to reuse their needles from time to time...
Seriously...here is the message for anyone out there who is looking at diabetes:
Do as much research on your own as you can, and be skeptical about any information a physician gives you in regard to any aspect of medication that will cost you money. Their place is to err on the 'profitable' side, almost without exception.
Also remember that, like I said before, a doctor only needs ONE, 7-HOUR COURSE to be 'qualified' to treat you. Honestly, you can research all that information yourself, in a few hours.
Further note: I was originally absolutely bombarded with literature 'about my condition' that was eventually revealed to be merely advertising for Betty Crocker foods and whatnot. The bullshit factor in this particular case is astounding, and probably not uncommon in terms of an approach by the industry towards people with long-term health conditions. Seriously...the amount of money wasted on this kind of tripe could have solved many problems by being used for research and genuinely useful support programs. Which, by the way, really don't exist except in the form of end-user forums, as far as I can tell.