So close...and yet so far

This evening we went to a technology open house at the diabetes center. I got to see in person a new piece of technology that I had only heard about for the past five years. I would have given anything to have had it while I was pregnant. It is a small device that is worn (like a pump) that automatically measures blood sugar every five minutes and sounds an alarm when your sugar gets either too high or too low. It just became available to the general public in May, right after Rebecca was born.

I still would love to have one…in the past week I have had a low of 40 mg/dL and a high of 460, as well as many highs and lows in between. (For those of you who might be unfamiliar with diabetes, the normal range for blood sugar is roughly 80 to 120). However, some stupid powers that be that work for health insurance companies have decided not to cover this amazing, extremely helpful technology that does wonders to head off long-term complications (heart disease, kidney disease, eye disease, and neuropathy, to name a few of the big ones) that come from high blood sugars, as well as short-term dangers that come from low blood sugars (unconsciousness being the most severe). It costs $1000 up front, and $350 a month for the sensors that have to be changed out every three days. Yes, this is a large amount, but not as large an amount as it would cost to replace an organ or two later on down the road. And who can put a price on having a healthier pregnancy? Yet it is a large enough amount that we simply cannot afford it.

I suppose I should be grateful that we even have health insurance, and that it covers as much as it does…but it is still so frustrating to know that technology exists that would vastly improve my quality of life, and the only thing keeping me from having it is money.