Test Strips vs. TV
I’m the first to admit that diabetes- is not a cheap disease. And sadly when I went from having an amazing health insurance company to…a not so amazing insurance company- my wallet felt it. And hard.
I have always had weird taste in TV. I seem to always end up watching “reality TV” : cooking competitions, wedding shows, real housewives of somewhere or other. Soo it wasn’t a very hard decision for me when I was noticing how tight bills were getting and how I had no money to be stashing away at the end of the month.
So there went my cable TV. No biggie, I had to ensure I could buy my test strips and insulin. Now, granted TV is not a huge deal. But, as stupid and little as it was , when you put it into perspective- whaaaaaaaaat the hell.
I’ve always heard “Anything worth having, doesn’t come easy”. Well, ain’t that that truth for diabetics! Let’s break it down: insulin is not cheap. Insulin keeps me alive. Insulin is a necessary thing in my every-single-day life. Therefore, when I’m looking at my stupid shows or my life? The decision truly was easy…but somehow didn’t feel quite right…
I work. And hard. I had a full-time job and then part-time jobs on the side. On a Friday night I would work my real job from 10am-6pm and then go and sling drinks from 9pm-4am. Next day, I’d be at my full-time job 10am-5pm. Then, I’d usually promo-ing some kind of liquor or wine, before it’s bedtime to get up and work on Sunday. And that’s where the feeling of “whaaaaaaaat the hell” came in. (prepare for mini rant) I didn’t choose to have this disease, I didn’t pick it. I didn’t even bring it upon myself with careless acts or downright ignorance – I just happened to be one of the lucky ones who it chose. (mini rant over)
How come it seemed that no matter how hard I work, I couldn’t get ahead? And how come it seems that the primary reason for not getting ahead on bills is because of a disease that consumes my moolah?! It was insanely frustrating to say the least.
Now, I’ve said before how lucky I am to have the job I have and the bosses that come with it. So once they caught word that I had actually fallen asleep behind the wheel coming back home after my full-time then shot girl gig: they put a stop to it. I know most people aren’t this lucky but my job actually gave me a promotion and helped me with medical bills I had in collections! Under one condition: I stopped the outside jobs. I could shoot for fun but only on my days off. I could hold no other set hours anywhere else…
SOLD
I lucked out. And though I still may not have cable TV, I have test strips. And I have money in the bank and I have the peace of mind I hope every betic gets someday : some sense of security. Betes isn’t cheap. It isn’t easy but the more I surround myself with good and genuine people: the more I’m realizing that help is okay. And it’s okay to admit when you aren’t.