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Can someone help with my diabetic supplies and doctor visits??
by Nikki Pelham, Apr 05, 2007 12:00AM
I am looking for some serious help. I am a diabetic I have had this since I was 4 years old I will be 25 on the 24th of May. I do not have a doctor that I can turn to, I do not have medical or health insurance, I also can not hold on to a job due my unstableness of the diabetes. I have always been unstable with this problem. I have applied for ssi, medidaid.. both tell me I do not quailfy due to not having kids, I am not physically handicap, I am not legally blind, I was also told that I do not have enough work credits to qualify. Right now I am not working out of my home... I am babysitting, and I also sell rabbits once in a blue moon. My income coming in from babysitting pays for me to have a place to live and to have lights, ac, and heat when needed. I get help with food not very much- and not the vegetables,fruits and all the other healthy things I am suppose to eat at each meal and between. I just can not afford to eat like I should. That is why I am probably not doing to well I really do not feel good lately. I had to move from Jacksonville, Florida now living in Cedar Key, Florida. I need to be able to see a regular doctor that understands diabetes, and that can focus on my health along with me. I have to go into the hospital to get seen, now the closest hospital for me to go to is 1 hour away- driving. I have had the strokes, and comas that has done alot of damage to me. My eyes ae bleeding close to my retina, but has not done enough damage for surgery correction, but the day is coming as my eye doctor has told me, he watches real close. I just do not know where to turn too, or who else to ask for some serious help before this kills me. The state and the government will not help me in anyway. To show you I get $10.00 a month for food through the government. What is to buy to help me with my diet?
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-Volunteer-CDB, Apr 05, 2007 12:00AM
Dear Nikki,
Life is clearly not easy for you, and you have many challenges, as well as my empathy. But you are young, and you can try to get control of your diabetes and therefore your life. Are you able to buy and take insulin? Are you able to test yourself? I'm guessing that you don't have the money for the supplies to do either essential task.
I am not a doctor, just the mom of a diabetic, so I can't give you much advice. But I would suggest that putting your efforts toward testing your blood sugar and taking the appropriate insulin will do far more good for you than trying to eat better on a small income. You are caught in a catch-22-- you can't get steady work when your diabetes is unstable, but you can't stabilize your diabetes without work to pay for the insurance and/or medication. This is a real challenge, but there must be a way. If you can get some kind of steady part-time work that would provide just enough money to buy insulin (after you get dosage advice from a doctor), and if you can get a doc at a hospital to get you a test kit, you could, if you were faithful in your self-treatment, become healthy enough to work more and qualify for health insurance.
Think of anyone in your life who might be able to help-- your eye doctor, for instance. Perhaps he can refer you to a clinic that get you diabetic supplies.
I wish I had an easy answer, but yours is a very challenging situation. I would encourage you to focus on the big picture of getting your blood sugar stable before your body is damaged any further. Good luck to you, and hang in there.
Life is clearly not easy for you, and you have many challenges, as well as my empathy. But you are young, and you can try to get control of your diabetes and therefore your life. Are you able to buy and take insulin? Are you able to test yourself? I'm guessing that you don't have the money for the supplies to do either essential task.
I am not a doctor, just the mom of a diabetic, so I can't give you much advice. But I would suggest that putting your efforts toward testing your blood sugar and taking the appropriate insulin will do far more good for you than trying to eat better on a small income. You are caught in a catch-22-- you can't get steady work when your diabetes is unstable, but you can't stabilize your diabetes without work to pay for the insurance and/or medication. This is a real challenge, but there must be a way. If you can get some kind of steady part-time work that would provide just enough money to buy insulin (after you get dosage advice from a doctor), and if you can get a doc at a hospital to get you a test kit, you could, if you were faithful in your self-treatment, become healthy enough to work more and qualify for health insurance.
Think of anyone in your life who might be able to help-- your eye doctor, for instance. Perhaps he can refer you to a clinic that get you diabetic supplies.
I wish I had an easy answer, but yours is a very challenging situation. I would encourage you to focus on the big picture of getting your blood sugar stable before your body is damaged any further. Good luck to you, and hang in there.
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Insulin companies (and other pharmaceutical companies) usually provide free insulin to those without insurance and who meet income requirements. Usually, you just need to fill out an application for whatever medication you need, then have your doctor sign the application and write your prescription. There are free and low-cost clinics usually in every state that will provide services to those who qualify, and it definitely sounds like you would qualify! :)
If there is a free or low-cost clinic in your area, then it may be possible for you to get free or very low-cost doctor visits and lab work. If clinics are low-cost, the price is usually determined by a sliding scale; you pay according to how much your income is and you must provide proof of income in order for them to determine what your sliding scale fee will be--it can be as little as $10 for a doctor's visit *and* lab work.
www.needymeds.com is a website that lists all kinds of printable forms and information for all kinds of free medications. See if your medication is listed on the site, print the forms, and take them to a doctor to fill out.
http://www.uniteforsight.org/freeclinics.php is a website that allows you to search for free or low-cost clinics according to state; select Florida from the state listing and press "Go" to see a listing of clinics in Florida. I know for a fact that this website does not list *all* of the free or low-cost clinics in states since it does not list all of the clinics that I know of in my own state.
Also, your local health department might have doctors available to assist you for free or low-cost; the health department might also be able to help you with obtaining test strips and other medications.
Also, since you have already been rejected by Medicaid, the Abbott Diabetes Patient Assistance Program (which is listed in more detail on www.needymeds.com website) is the only program that provides free test strips, and will only do so if you have already been rejected by Medicaid (although I think the rejection must be within the past year).
There may be some ways for you to get the help you so very well deserve. Please let us know how everything turns out, and God bless you! :)
***If anyone knows of a more comprehensive listing for free and low-cost clinics searchable by state, please respond, as there seems to be very little information available on the internet.***
I just noticed a link on the uniteforsight website that seems to provide a very good listing of free and low-cost clinics according to state. The website is:
http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/interim.cfm
Just select "Florida" from the list of states and press "Submit Search".
I searched my own state and I think it has listed every free or low-cost clinic in my area.
Hope this helps!