Ontario Government rejects covering Continuous Glucose Monitor / Flash Glucose Monitor

Last Thursday, May 13^th, 2021 in the province of Ontario, coverage for ContinuousGlucose Monitors and Flash Glucose Monitor ( CGM / FGM ) for Type 1 Diabetics was sadly defeated.  We diabetics in this province are very fortunate that tax payers of Ontario currently fund our insulin pumps and some of our supplies through the Assistive Devices Program ( ADP ).  I am one of those working stiffs, that pays their taxes diligently to support important programs like this and feel like I've been slapped in the face hard.

32 Nahs / 14 Ayes

For many of us who advocate for the use of CGM / FGM, especially ones that do not have work/private/provincial assistance to purchase this life saving piece of technology this is a pretty hard hit!  Compiling the list of the “Nahs” list and seeing the faces of the Ministers and how they represent us, started to make my blood boil up (stress is not good for anyone, but with diabetes, it can cause blood sugars to rise … and the CGM will show it off with rising arrows and alarms).

If you were 1 of the just over 2,000 people that signed to push this bill through, fantastic!  Many of us reposted the petition asking fellow Canadians to sign, because if this had gone through, other provinces would hopefully follow suit.

John Whitehead stated to the public on his Facebook page that reflects in a nutshell my thoughts - 

    “So yesterday in Ontario, CGM for all was defeated. Who should we be mad at? Of course the current in power government with the voting power to defeat it is one.

    But who else is part of this defeat? You are not going to like this answer. Go to a mirror look at it, if you signed the petition give a high 5, if you didn't sign the answer is staring you in the face.

    Just over 2000 people signed to push this bill. Other organizations or causes get 20,000 signatures in a week.

    If you sat in the government which causes would you focus on? The more noise the more focus and attention given to it.”

OVERALL A BAD DAY FOR ONTARIO

That last statement above in BOLD RED, pretty well sums it up for me as an advocate trying to make living with T1D less complicated for ALL so we can live our lives to the fullest.  To not be a burden on our medical system that even with the current Pandemic, has been flailing with budget cuts to make corporations happy (the joys of a Conservative government ... NOT).  I would love to put those 32 members into our shoes for even 24-48 hours or spend time with us, to see how diabetes affects each one of us differently, even if we do the same thing every day in our workplace / private lives.  Would they perhaps have voted differently? 

Thank you if you’ve taken the time to read this far, are living in Ontario (or even if you’re not), consider sending an email to the MPP’s listed below who had signed Nah (what a horrible word to use for No) … let us be heard.  I know that even though I don’t notice my MPP’s name on the list, I’ll be writing to each and every one of those listed below, so that they hopefully understand how important these devices are and how the initial cost factor to the province/tax payers will reap benefits with having healthy Ontarian’s living in their province.

If you need further information such as snail mail address, etc.  you can find the details easily using the link for the Legislative Office at the following Ontario Legislative website -  

Deepak Anand (Mississauga—Malton) - deepak.anand@pc.ola.org 

Aris Babikian (Scarborough—Agincourt) - aris.babikian@pc.ola.org

Robert Bailey (Sarnia—Lambton) - bob.bailey@pc.ola.org

Hon. Paul Calandra (Markham—Stouffville) - paul.calandra@pc.ola.org

Stan Cho (Willowdale) - stan.cho@pc.ola.org

Lorne Coe (Whitby) - lorne.coe@pc.ola.org

Rudy Cuzzetto (Mississauga—Lakeshore) - rudy.cuzzetto@pc.ola.org

Hon. Doug Downey (Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte) - doug.downey@pc.ola.org

Hon. Jill Dunlop (Simcoe North) - jill.dunlop@pc.ola.org

Hon. Christine Elliott (Newmarket—Aurora) - christine.elliott@pc.ola.org

Goldie Ghamari (Carleton) - goldie.ghamari@pc.ola.org

Mike Harris (Kitchener—Conestoga) - mike.harris@pc.ola.org

Christine Hogarth (Etobicoke—Lakeshore) - christine.hogarth@pc.ola.org

Hon. Sylvia Jones (Dufferin—Caledon) - sylvia.jones@pc.ola.org

Andrea Khanjin (Barrie—Innisfil) - andrea.khanjin@pc.ola.org

Daryl Kramp (Hastings—Lennox and Addington) - daryl.kramp@pc.ola.org

Hon. Stephen Lecce (King—Vaughan) - stephen.lecce@pc.ola.org

Hon. Monte McNaughton (Lambton—Kent—Middlesex) - monte.mcnaughtonco@pc.ola.org

Norman Miller (Parry Sound—Muskoka) -norm.miller@pc.ola.org

Sam Oosterhoff (Niagara West) - sam.oosterhoff@pc.ola.org

Randy Pettapiece (Perth—Wellington) - randy.pettapiece@pc.ola.org

David Piccini (Northumberland—Peterborough South) - david.piccini@pc.ola.org

Jeremy Roberts (Ottawa West—Nepean) - jeremy.roberts@pc.ola.org

Hon. Laurie Scott (Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock) - laurie.scott@pc.ola.org

Donna Skelly (Flamborough—Glanbrook) - donna.skelly@pc.ola.org

Hon. Todd Smith (Bay of Quinte) - todd.smithco@pc.ola.org

Dave Smith (Peterborough—Kawartha) - dave.smith@pc.ola.org

Hon. Kinga Surma (Etobicoke Centre) - kinga.surma@pc.ola.org

Vijay Thanigasalam (Scarborough—Rouge Park) - vijay.thanigasalam@pc.ola.org

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson (Huron—Bruce) - lisa.thompson@pc.ola.org

Hon. Bill Walker (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound) - bill.walker@pc.ola.org

Hon. John Yakabuski (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke) - john.yakabuski@pc.ola.org

Drooling acidity as a diabetic

The first thing that came to my mind as I was trying to figure out what title to give this post was ...  yeah, that drooling alien that makes you just want to hug it and bring it home to meet your Mum (due to some problems with Google saying I violated rules of posting in 2023 - years after this post - I have removed the picture of the "alien" and instead you'll find what I'd posted in this YouTube video clip. 

Today, I went to have my fangs scaled.  Something I'm doing now in between the once a year cleaning.  As of September, this will no longer be covered since medical insurance that we've had through my husbands work place ... stops.  No more, 80% payout for anything we have performed that isn't covered by the provincial healthcare (optometrists, eye ware, dental, specialist services).  So, of course, I'm stressed out (and maybe my Dad is right, my recent ocular rosacea flare up that sent me to ER since my regular eye doctors were both on holidays and their answering machines said ... take thyself to the ER ... which I did).

It didn't help that I was having a low about an hour before hand, and as I was telling this to the Stephanie, my dental hygienist, that I was okay at 4.1 (yes, yes, yes, I know, I was below 5 - but sometimes we break our own rules that we try to get others to follow - don't shoot the messenger).  Oh darn, I'm just realising as I write this, that I was supposed to contact the dental office that I arrived home safe .... uhmm ... that was like 4 hours ago.

Stephanie went off to my dentist, and they both came back to my chair to make sure I was okay for this small procedure.  If it hadn't been myself in the chair, Dr. Chadwick said if it was anyone else, she would have rescheduled.  So, we proceeded while I suspended Big Blue, my Animas Vibe (and the CGM was way off with saying I was 2.8 mmol/l when I was actually at 4.1 mmol/l ).

So, the point of this long winded story?  Here I was thinking, since I am known by many of my dentists over the year as the "Drool Queen" that this was a good thing.  It is ... and it isn't.  It's better to not have a dry mouth as this can cause problems.  In my case, Stephanie went on to say that with being a Type 1 diabetic, we tend to have acid saliva which causes tartar build up.   It doesn't help as she explained that when we have a low blood sugar we are eating sugar.

At that point, I told her that I after eating foods containing sugar when I have a low blood sugar, I tend to rinse my mouth with water, and eat either a few nuts or cheese to offset the evils of the sugar decaying on my teeth.  While it is good, what she suggested next for future use after eating a meal is something I wish I'd known about before!

You know how we've all been told to brush our teeth after eating?  Well, again, it's 50/50 sorta good.  Because we have such acid saliva, and because the majority of the foods we eat (yes, eating healthy foods like fruits, vegetables have/create acid in the mouth) ... that if you go to brush your teeth after eating a meal ... you are only pushing the acid further into your gums.

Her tip?  Before brushing your teeth, always rinse your mouth out with mouthwash BEFORE ... not afterwards.

So, here's my take on the whole thing ... that I will retain in my sponge brain for future, and maybe you will too, since as we all known healthy teeth and gums as a diabetic are important, and many people overlook this thinking

If need be (and do this on a daily basis anyways before bed), after your meal, FLOSS your teeth to remove any food debris stuck in between your teeth.   RINSE thoroughly with WATER to remove any dislodged particles.   GARGLE mouthwash for 30-60 seconds, then SPIT out.   Then without rinsing again,   BRUSH  your teeth for 2-3 minutes with a toothbrush, being sure to follow the correct brushing procedure shown to you by your dentist and/or hygienist.

Vampire testing on the fingertips

Okay, kidding aside ... as diabetics ... testing your blood sugar on your finger tips can be abit of a drag at times.  I've been doing this process since home testing was introduced back in the 1980's  (you can read more about the history of these blood sucking devices at David Mendosa's link HERE).  Even with wearing a CGMS (aka Bowie) which many people think means you won't have to do the old finger prick anymore, I still test on average about 6X a day, sometimes more, depending on what is going on in my life.

Recently, a family member of mine was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.  Luckily, with the help of their spouse, they're are diligently performing 4 tests a day in order to stay in a good blood sugar range to avoid any complications of high blood sugars.  The one thing they admitted to me the other day, was how much it hurt.  I discovered the "nurse" was pricking the fatty portion of the finger tip, where numerous nerves exist ... that beg <NOT> to be heard when they're mistreated.

Screaming Hands by http://lintza.deviantart.com/

I then slowly explained the best way to avoid the pain, by testing on their finger tips, which over the years I've shown nurses how to perform this task on their patients hands.  What better person to show them how to treat their patients, and not have them stop testing when they go back home to deal with diabetes on their own.

I even went as far as to post a few pictures on my Instagram account that you see below, since sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words!   If you've never tried testing on the sides of your finger tips, then give it a go next time, and be rewarded with no pain or scars.

Here's some of my tips to get the best results out of a pain free blood test:

• Always wash your hands before testing, simple soap and water are fine (alcohol dries out the skin).
• If your fingertips are cold, rub them gently to warm them up and get better blood circulation.
• Use your lancing device on the SIDE of your fingertip to get a drop of blood sufficient for test.
• Then hold the edge of the test strip to the drop of blood and wait for results 😀