How to Get Low-Cost Diabetic Supplies

Are you on the search for low-cost diabetic supplies? You won’t believe how easy it is. These tips could save you $100s of dollars every year!

My Journey With Diabetes

In honor of Diabetes Month in November, I’m sharing my journey with diabetes.

I was first diagnosed with diabetes in 2009 while pregnant with my daughter. I had to learn about blood sugar, what good carbs vs. bad carbs were, and was placed on a strict carb limit per meal.

I had to test my blood sugar twice daily and take a new medication for diabetes to decrease my blood sugar. Although I did not like being told what I could and could not eat, especially with all of those pregnancy cravings, I did what I had to do for my health and for the health of my baby.

At that time, my OB/Gyn was managing my diabetes in conjunction with my pregnancy. The doctor’s office connected me with a mail-order prescription company, who shipped my products directly to my door.

Being diabetic caused my daughter to grow quicker than normal. My doctor scheduled an induction for me at 38 weeks. She was born at a healthy 7lbs 14 oz. After I delivered my daughter, I went back for my six-week checkup with the hopes that diabetes had gone away.

It was still there. I was diabetic. My control over it may get better along with its symptoms. It’s a disease that I will have for life.

Life After Seven Years Being a Diabetic

I had a doctor’s appointment in September where I learned that my A1C is not only NOT improving, but it is getting worse.

My doctor told me that if I am not able to improve it by my next three-month checkup, that I will have to start on insulin. I’m not a fan of pricking my finger to check my blood sugar. So I am definitely not excited to sign up for using insulin every day by a needle!

To help, he increased the strength of one of my medicines and required that I began taking all of this much more seriously.

So, this was my wake up call to get myself in check. I’ve tried many times before to eat healthier, but the bottom line is I wasn’t willing or able to modify my habits in order to improve my diet. I don’t have a choice this time.

So, I have begun bi-weekly meetings with a nurse in my doctor’s office to discuss counting carbs, daily exercise (or at least three times weekly), monitoring my blood sugar, and taking my medication correctly.

My schedule is crazy, but I’m trying to create new habits which in turn will make up a new lifestyle. To learn more about diabetes, you can also read about type 2 diabetes and how you can manage it.

Why I Need Low-Cost Diabetic Supplies

Affordability – Fast forward seven years – living with diabetes can get expensive. Quarterly visits to the doctor to monitor how well diabetic symptoms are being controlled, requesting prescription refills, and testing A1C along with other necessary bloodwork.

Insurance hassles – I need a prescription from my doctor to buy test strips and they can cost a lot depending on my co-pay. Plus, it’s a real hassle to deal with my insurance. I wish there was an easier way to get reliable and more affordable test strips without a prescription. Getting the Best glucose meter and strips should be as easy as buying other OTC products.

Daily management – Blood sugar monitoring (twice daily), taking two medications, monitoring my carb intake, and striving to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day are some of the ways I try to keep my diabetes in check. It’s challenging sometimes to get everything right.

How I Found Low-Cost Diabetic Supplies

Here are some of the ways I have kept the costs of monitoring my diabetes low over the last six years:

Request quarterly prescription refills. This means that you don’t have to request prescription refills each month and can take advantage of 90-day pricing from your pharmacy or Pharmacy online.

Keep it in the family. Ask your family doctor for monitoring instead of an endocrinologist. Be sure to talk to your doctor to see if this is right for you. This can be a significant savings since endocrinologists are likely considered a specialist by most insurance companies. Visits to a family doctor are likely much cheaper.

Talk to your doc less. Work with your doctor to control your symptoms and schedule minimal office visits. Seeing my doctor once every three months instead of every month is a great reward for working to keep my symptoms under control.

Explore different brands. I talked to my doctor about which brand he would recommend and he left it up to me. If you are willing to do a little research, you can save some serious cash on meters, test strips, and other supplies.

Go generic. I’ve been using the Kroger brand

• save money without a Rx
• affordable blood glucose monitoring system
• meter and test strips are available over the counter

What tips do you have on saving money on medication or other health related costs?