Ontario Assistive Devices Program (OADP)

Beginning September 2008, the Ontario government provides funding for the purchase of insulin pumps and insulin pump supplies for adults with Type 1 diabetes.

This bit of information may very well likely have already been posted by someone else from Ontario long ago, but it is something I just found out about two months ago when I had my endocrinologist appointment. My doctor told me about the new coverage through the Ontario Assistive Devices Program (OADP). It was great news for me, because our health insurance through my husband's previous employer is on the brink of cancellation. Like so many others, he was laid off back in November. His employer extended our health insurance coverage for 9 months or until he found new employment, whichever came first. He has finally found new employment, but insurance with them doesn't begin until his probationary period ends in September.

So during my appointment, my endo gave me the form for the program; I filled in my part, and left the form with him to fill in his and submit. I finally received a letter in the mail last week from OADP telling me that coverage is approved and that I will receive my first cheque in the mail sometime in the next 3 to 4 weeks.

So, great news right? The government covers my supplies and we don't have to worry about insurance coverage anymore (at least for pump supplies; we still need coverage for test strips, insulin, etc).

The problem is that I have some receipts that are in insurance limbo right now. I applied for OADP coverage slightly late because I didn't know it existed until two months ago. Without knowing that I was eligible for OADP, I had been purchasing my pump supplies as normal - I bought what I needed each month and saved the invoices, then about every four to six months I submit them all at once to my insurance company for reimbursement.

I'd been wondering why it was taking so long for my last claim to be processed, and today I got my answer. I received a letter from my insurance company stating that because OADP now covers insulin pump supplies, the last claim I had submitted to my insurance company for pump supplies from October 2008 through April 2009 was DENIED.

Six months of supplies at approx. $250 per month is $1,500. $1,500 which I may never see again because I should have applied for OADP coverage sooner.

I'm mad, but I suppose it is my own fault for not keeping myself informed. I knew that OADP coverage for insulin pump therapy had been granted in December 2006 to children age 18 and under with Type 1 diabetes. However, short of checking the Ministry of Health website on a regular basis, I'm not sure how I would have found out about adult coverage any sooner than I did. The government doesn't exactly freely advertise when they are giving away money. I suppose this is a lesson learned the hard way to keep abreast of developments in the diabetes world.

If you live in Ontario and, like me, have also been caught in OADP/insurance limbo, let me know. I'm not sure if we can resolve anything together, but it would be nice to know I'm not the only ignorant one. :)

Still trying

Okay, I know... it's been a while again.

I'd meant to post a couple of months ago after my endo appointment when my A1C miraculously came back at 6.6 - yay me. Seriously, I thought I was in for some disappointed-in-you frowns from my endo (he has an incredible way of making me feel guilty when my A1C is over 7). But instead he gave me a knowing smile and said, "Go make babies." To which I replied, "We're already trying."

Yes, I've been trying to get pregnant without the 'official' thumbs up from my doc, which I know isn't ideal. But I have been trying to do everything right - eating right, no alcohol, exercising, checking my blood sugar about a thousand times a day. It seems to all be in vain though because so far nothing has happened anyway.

I have an appointment next week with my GP to see if anything could be preventing a pregnancy. My period has been seriously messed up since I went off the pill after our wedding last year. Like, my cycle has been 6-8 weeks long instead of a standard 28-day cycle. I know it takes some time to get back in order after stopping the birth control pill, but this last stretch has me a little freaked out. It has been 12 weeks since my last period. I have taken 5 pee-stick tests and they are all clearly negative. So it's time to find out if anything else is up. I mean, I am almost 35 and trying to get pregnant for the first time.

* * * * *
On another note, it's been like a wonderful diabetes Christmas-in-July this week! I registered both of my Contour glucometers a few weeks ago (my Contour Link and regular, old Contour which is my backup), and today I received my matching pump and glucometer skins AND a fancy-shmancy carrying case for my glucometer. It's, well... LARGE. I'm not sure whether or not I'll use it, but it really is very pretty and matches my pump skins quite nicely.




p.s. It is berry season. My mother-in-law brought me a big bowl of strawberries last night so I made my Berry Muffins this morning. See here if you missed the recipe the first time.

Where I've Been

Wow, I can't believe it has been a year since I last wrote here. It's been so long that I actually forgot my Blogger password and had to do the password e-mail dance this morning, begging for entry.

So, where have I been? In a nutshell, I graduated in June and about to embark on my new career. This past year was busy, but worth it for a chance to do something that I think I'm going to love.

Oh, and I got married last month. It was a perfect day from beginning to end. It was raining in the morning as we were getting ready, but I was uncharacteristically calm throughout my hair and make-up session and kept saying, "I know it's going to stop." And sure enough it did stop raining about an hour before the ceremony and stayed clear just long enough for outdoor pictures afterward. I wore my pump under my gown and used my remote control to bolus throughout the day and no one was any the wiser; although I have to say that using the washroom was comical, trying to keep the skirt and train of my dress AND the pump out of the way.

And we had an amazing honeymoon in Mexico, despite it being ridiculously hot and humid at this time of year. We spent most of our time by the pool, which was another interesting pump adventure for me being that it was my first time in a bathing suit since I started using my pump two years ago. Also, I think my insulin went funky in the heat on our third day there. I had perfect bg in the morning, then all of a sudden after lunch it spiked to 26 (468) and I couldn't do anything to bring it back down. When I had an inkling that it might be overheated insulin, I changed my set and reservoir and by late evening it settled back down to where it should be. An annoying disturbance, but our vacation was still fantastic overall!

Now, you may be wondering why am I back here posting all of a sudden after such a prolonged absence. Actually, there were many times throughout the past year that I meant to write something, then a pesky school assignment or lesson planning would get in the way, so it was always put on the back burner. But now that we are back from our honeymoon and settling back into "real life", we are planning for the next step in our future... expanding our little family.

I guess I am here to reach out to those in the Diabetes OC who have experienced pregnancy as a diabetic - and I want to be clear, I want to hear both sides, the good AND not-so-good. I have read all the articles about what to do before getting pregnant; have a good A1C and maintain it, yadda yadda yadda... I suppose I just want to hear more "real" stories about how it really went down for some women, not just doctors spouting what should be done.

I know I haven't been around in a while and most of you have likely forgotten who the heck I am, but I know there are some great people out there with sound words of advice, so this is the first place I'm turning to. What do you have to say, Diabetes OC?

Inflation

I logged into the Medtronic website today to order my monthly supplies.

I clicked through the ordering screens as I normally do without really paying much attention, it's become so routine.

When I finished, the "shopping cart" gave a total of $248.50.

Usually, the total is $238.00.

Huh? Did I select the wrong items?

I glanced above to review my order.

Paradigm 23 x 9mm Quickset 10/Box
Paradigm Reservoir 10/Box

The items are right. Dammit, the prices went up.

I guess even diabetes can't escape from inflation.

p.s. - One good thing is that at least I can order a box of infusion sets next month without a box of reservoirs and not have to pay a delivery charge since infusion sets are now over $200. I'm a couple of boxes ahead in my reservoir supply due to sites falling out and needing to change the set and not necessarily the reservoir of insulin.

I said "yes"...

This summer has turned out to be much more busy than I ever expected. As a result, I've fallen behind in blogging and reading blogs. I'm doing my best to catch up right now (still chuckling at Allison's birthday story).

I submitted my resignation at work last week in preparation for returning to school on August 28th. It's hard to believe that I will be leaving my job of the past 10 years, however I have to say that I will not miss it one bit. The company I work for has gone screwy and several others have also jumped ship, so I'm glad to go. The only thing I will really miss is having 100% medical coverage.

And, you can probably guess the rest from the below picture: