Chelle 42 yr old Pagan Witch, mom of 4, living in the MidWest
willowraven's Journal
The Ongoing Saga of the ByettaMay 24 2007 20:47
My horoscope for today said:
Dear Michelle,
Here is your horoscope
for Thursday, May 24:
It's time to focus on your body. Actually, you'll discover that addressing your physical health has beneficial effects for your mind too. Start slow -- you can't run a marathon off the bat. It's all about baby steps.
Very very interesting! I'm many baby steps ahead of ya!
(no, this is not me!)
As for the ongoing saga about the Byetta... yikes!
I started taking the Byetta on May 17th, the day after I attended the class to learn how to properly inject it. Not a problem. I also received a blood glucose meter on the 18th (late in the afternoon) and started testing my blood on the 19th. So no problems so far. Well because what I received from the office all just had starter packs which only go for about 4-5 days, I call the endo. doctor's office to tell them that I'm on the last day of the mini needles, and I have about 2 days left of the test strips and lancets (I messed up a couple of strips the first day so...) So the nurse takes my info and says she will call the pharmacy and give them the prescription information. Great, not a problem. This is Monday, morning so I figure I can probably get them Monday afternoon some time. So I go in to pick the stuff up - get the mini needles, however the assistant tells me that they need the diagnosis code from the doctor so the testing supplies can be covered by insurance. So they said that they would try and get in touch and call me when they are ready to be picked up. The pharmacist calls me Tuesday, a little after 5 PM, to tell me the nurse at the doctor's office informed her that I do *not* have diabetes, so she could not get the code, and suggested I might want to call the office and get it straightened out. My exact response to the pharmacists was "then why does he have me taking the byetta?" and she said "I wondered that too." So I thanked her, told her I would do what I could. I wrote an email to my regular doctor, explaining the confusion as well, and wondered if maybe he could shed some light. I thought maybe he had test result info that I wasn't aware of, or something. Anyways, I call the endo. doctor on Wednesday and talk to 2 different nurses. I tell them everything, including my concerns about taking a medication for a condition I may not have, etc. Jeannie, who has been the one shining hope in all this, listens to me and is quite understanding. She tells me that Dr. Drake is not in that day, however when he comes in on Thursday she will tell him everything, including my concerns, and get back to me. Meanwhile, I get an email from my regular doctor who states: "Based on the lab tests mentioned on that letter, including fasting blood glucose and Hb A1C, I am sure to tell you that you dont have a diagnosis of diabetes. But you do have pre diabetes/ glucose intolerance, which means that you have a higher chance of getting Diabetes in future unless Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes are made and glucose tolerance improved. What I would suggest is that we talk about it at your next visit." (I go to see him tomorrow at 3 PM. Have to admit, I really like my regular doctor!)
Jeannie calls me today and leaves a message (I was still in bed LOL) and tells me that she spoke with Dr Drake and based on his notes in my records AND the test results that I *do* have a "mild form of diabetes", and she has called the pharmacy and given them the diagnosis code, and I should be all set, and to call with any questions. I called her back and thanked her, and asked her what my test results were - specifically the A1C and (fasting) blood glucose. She tells me the A1C is 5.9% and my glucose was 117 mg/dL. Later on, I'm talking about this with my son's tutor who comes up with the same conclusion: they may be trying to keep my glucose "under control", but we both think that it might be more for the weight loss benefits that seem to come with taking Byetta. At this point, I'm fine. It's not insulin, so it's not going to actually mess up my pancreas or end up making me insulin-dependent (which was a concern of mine). It is actually a protein which helps your body regulate (make more or less, depending) the insulin it currently makes. So.... can you tell I've been slightly stressed the last few days? LOL
In other news, Wes has been sick since Monday. I told him that he needs to call the Indian Clinic tomorrow and try to be seen as I am really afraid he's going to need antibiotics, not to mention I'm concerned about him getting dehydrated. So he relented and said to get him up around 8 tomorrow AM and he'll call in.
Kris and Rebecca's last day of school is June 1st. Rebecca will be going with her Girl Scouts troup for 5 days to Falls Creek. It sounds like a lot of fun, and she's excited. One of the best things is she got a scholarship to go, so we won't have to pay for it. Nice surprise! I just need to give her a little bit of spending money. Already told her it won't be much - she understands. She will also be heading to PA on June 12th - 19th to visit her godmother (my best friend). She hasn't seen her in a couple of years, so she's really looking forward to it!
And I think that's about it. Gonna go scrounge for some food - haven't had much today and I'm getting kinda hungry! Hope you all have a great night.
Dear Michelle,
Here is your horoscope
for Thursday, May 24:
It's time to focus on your body. Actually, you'll discover that addressing your physical health has beneficial effects for your mind too. Start slow -- you can't run a marathon off the bat. It's all about baby steps.
Very very interesting! I'm many baby steps ahead of ya!
(no, this is not me!)
As for the ongoing saga about the Byetta... yikes!
I started taking the Byetta on May 17th, the day after I attended the class to learn how to properly inject it. Not a problem. I also received a blood glucose meter on the 18th (late in the afternoon) and started testing my blood on the 19th. So no problems so far. Well because what I received from the office all just had starter packs which only go for about 4-5 days, I call the endo. doctor's office to tell them that I'm on the last day of the mini needles, and I have about 2 days left of the test strips and lancets (I messed up a couple of strips the first day so...) So the nurse takes my info and says she will call the pharmacy and give them the prescription information. Great, not a problem. This is Monday, morning so I figure I can probably get them Monday afternoon some time. So I go in to pick the stuff up - get the mini needles, however the assistant tells me that they need the diagnosis code from the doctor so the testing supplies can be covered by insurance. So they said that they would try and get in touch and call me when they are ready to be picked up. The pharmacist calls me Tuesday, a little after 5 PM, to tell me the nurse at the doctor's office informed her that I do *not* have diabetes, so she could not get the code, and suggested I might want to call the office and get it straightened out. My exact response to the pharmacists was "then why does he have me taking the byetta?" and she said "I wondered that too." So I thanked her, told her I would do what I could. I wrote an email to my regular doctor, explaining the confusion as well, and wondered if maybe he could shed some light. I thought maybe he had test result info that I wasn't aware of, or something. Anyways, I call the endo. doctor on Wednesday and talk to 2 different nurses. I tell them everything, including my concerns about taking a medication for a condition I may not have, etc. Jeannie, who has been the one shining hope in all this, listens to me and is quite understanding. She tells me that Dr. Drake is not in that day, however when he comes in on Thursday she will tell him everything, including my concerns, and get back to me. Meanwhile, I get an email from my regular doctor who states: "Based on the lab tests mentioned on that letter, including fasting blood glucose and Hb A1C, I am sure to tell you that you dont have a diagnosis of diabetes. But you do have pre diabetes/ glucose intolerance, which means that you have a higher chance of getting Diabetes in future unless Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes are made and glucose tolerance improved. What I would suggest is that we talk about it at your next visit." (I go to see him tomorrow at 3 PM. Have to admit, I really like my regular doctor!)
Jeannie calls me today and leaves a message (I was still in bed LOL) and tells me that she spoke with Dr Drake and based on his notes in my records AND the test results that I *do* have a "mild form of diabetes", and she has called the pharmacy and given them the diagnosis code, and I should be all set, and to call with any questions. I called her back and thanked her, and asked her what my test results were - specifically the A1C and (fasting) blood glucose. She tells me the A1C is 5.9% and my glucose was 117 mg/dL. Later on, I'm talking about this with my son's tutor who comes up with the same conclusion: they may be trying to keep my glucose "under control", but we both think that it might be more for the weight loss benefits that seem to come with taking Byetta. At this point, I'm fine. It's not insulin, so it's not going to actually mess up my pancreas or end up making me insulin-dependent (which was a concern of mine). It is actually a protein which helps your body regulate (make more or less, depending) the insulin it currently makes. So.... can you tell I've been slightly stressed the last few days? LOL
In other news, Wes has been sick since Monday. I told him that he needs to call the Indian Clinic tomorrow and try to be seen as I am really afraid he's going to need antibiotics, not to mention I'm concerned about him getting dehydrated. So he relented and said to get him up around 8 tomorrow AM and he'll call in.
Kris and Rebecca's last day of school is June 1st. Rebecca will be going with her Girl Scouts troup for 5 days to Falls Creek. It sounds like a lot of fun, and she's excited. One of the best things is she got a scholarship to go, so we won't have to pay for it. Nice surprise! I just need to give her a little bit of spending money. Already told her it won't be much - she understands. She will also be heading to PA on June 12th - 19th to visit her godmother (my best friend). She hasn't seen her in a couple of years, so she's really looking forward to it!
And I think that's about it. Gonna go scrounge for some food - haven't had much today and I'm getting kinda hungry! Hope you all have a great night.
Glad to hear that the doctors seem to be clearing things up for you. Hope your daughter has fun on her trip. Have a great holiday wekend!! |
How confusing and stressful this has all been for you. Hope you get it all sorted out. Take care of you. |
Wow. That all sounds very intense and stressful. Glad it seems to be working out, though. *hugs* |
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