The business of Diabetes

You know we’ve all thought it at one point or another while injecting our kids with life saving insulin, or testing their blood 15 + times a day with those pricey little $1 a pop strips. How about ketone testing with $5 strips (each)…..

How bad is is when flu season hits it scares me to my core. Why? One because the flu for those with Diabetes can be downright deadly. Two because I think of all the money that those in the business of diabetes will be making this year alone. Each day when Clifford is sick with the flu we go through at least 25 test strips ($25) 10 ketone strips ($50) not to mention the fast acting carbs to keep those #’s from dropping too fast. Testing alone costs $75 a day (at least).

I remember not to long ago adding up exactly how much it costs right now with the treatment method we’ve chosen for Clifford of being on the pump, blood ketone testing, testing blood sugar’s around 15 x a day, etc, etc. This total was well over $20,000 per year! Add onto that the cost of using a continuous glucose monitor, you’re looking at more than a full time job at minimum wage could pay for in one years time, all to keep this child healthy and alive.

As parents we will do whatever we can to ensure the safety of our children. It just seems depressing and downright pisses me off sometimes the amount of money those in the “business” are making off our children’s lives! I no longer can see a test strip as a test strip, I see it as a $ symbol. I surely hope and pray long and hard that one day their will be a cure for this gold awful disease, but deep down inside part of me thinks why would they do it when they are making loads of money, living the dream life and sipping drinks on the beach all the while our children suffer…….