kal-el said:
I have type 1 diabetes, and had it for about 13 years or so. I take a shot of regular and nph twice daily. I was thinking about getting an insulin pump, as I have heard nothing but good things about it, but in order for my insurance to cover it, I have to provide numerous documentation, in other words, they would rather have you take 4 shots a day, then to benefit from science advances.
The lead guitar player in my band has diabetes, and has to take several shots daily, along with constantly monitoring his blood sugar. He can no longer drive because sometimes his blood sugar crashes. His blood sugar levels are all over the place, and controlling it is difficult for him, which made him a prime candidate for an insulin pump.
Now here is the kicker. The VA was about to give him an insulin pump, but when he went in to have the procedure done, it was unexpectedly cancelled due to cancellation of the funding. He was actually being prepped for the procedure when the doctors were informed that he was no longer eligible for it.
There are quite a few other vets at the VA here in the Houston area who are getting the same treatment, which sadly to say, is none. One of them is our lead singer, who has hepatitis C. He was badly wounded in Vietnam, and this caused him to have constant hernias. Eventually, his entire abdominal wall had to be reinforced with plastic mesh. He contracted hepatitis C during that operation, but did not find out until years later. He had to sue the Federal government to get treatment, and finally, after his lawyer proved that it was the VA which gave him hepatitis C, he began chemotherapy with interferon last week. If he hadnt sued, he would have gotten no treatment, and this would have been tantamount to a death sentence. The government just kept stalling his case until they could stall no longer.
His chances of recovery are still 40% at this time, but his chances would have been a whole lot better if the government really cared about our vets, instead of just paying lip service to them. He is tough, though, and I think he will pull through. He still rocks, and plays golf twice a week. We are all pretty upbeat about his chances, and he is not suffering the side effects that most people get from the treatment.
Incidentally, we are thinking about renaming our band "The Old and Decrepits"
