Leighann Calentine's Blog, page 53

Express Scripts…and what to try if your insurance stops covering one of your diabetes supplies

Please remember that I never give medical advice. Ask your endocrinologist or pediatrician for advice about your own child. Make your own informed decisions for your own child. We don’t personally use Express Scripts, but many people have mentioned the following predicament to me…

Express Scripts recently announced that it has taken 48 drugs off it’s formulary for 2014. Among them are several very popular diabetes drugs and supplies including:

Test Strips

Abbott (Freestyle, Precision)
Bayer (Bree...

{Halloween} LOTS Of Posts About Halloween!

Don’t get spooked just thinking about Halloween. Your kid with diabetes (and/or food allergies) can definitely haunt the neighborhood and indulge in treats. Join me, leading up to Halloween, as I share some ideas and experiences with All Hallow’s Eve.

We’re dealing with food allergies and diabetes this year. Here are a few treats we found, some of which are nut-free and even gluten-free. Read Treat Finds.

We have a few strategies for making Halloween less about diabetes and more about the fun....

{Halloween 2.0} Halloween Haul (with nut-free guide)

Don’t get spooked just thinking about Halloween. Your kid with diabetes (and/or food allergies) can definitely haunt the neighborhood and indulge in treats. Join me, leading up to Halloween, as I share some ideas and experiences with All Hallow’s Eve.

Dealing with diabetes at the holidays is one thing, but food allergies add another (very annoying) dimension. Here’s what our candy haul looked like last year and how I dealt with the tree nut allergy.

Halloween Haul

We had our first Halloween with...

{Halloween} Treat Finds

Always use the consumer package for nutritional information as formula and ingredient changes may occur at any time and may not match the information provided here.

Don’t get spooked just thinking about Halloween. Your kid with diabetes (and/or food allergies) can definitely haunt the neighborhood and indulge in treats. Join me, leading up to Halloween, as I share some ideas and experiences with All Hallow’s Eve.

In our family, we don’t eschew Halloween candy. All thing in moderation, right? It...

{Halloween 2.0} Spooky sPODers and PUMP-kins

Don’t get spooked just thinking about Halloween. Your kid with diabetes (and/or food allergies) can definitely haunt the neighborhood and indulge in treats. Join me, leading up to Halloween, as I share some ideas and experiences with All Hallow’s Eve.

Here’s one of my favorite craft activities we’ve done with used diabetes supplies.

If you make these decorations, please share them with us. Include a link to your blog post in the comments. Additionally, send a photo to leighann (at) d-mom (dot)...

{Halloween 2.0} All Treat, No Sweet

Don’t get spooked just thinking about Halloween. Your kid with diabetes (and/or food allergies) can definitely haunt the neighborhood and indulge in treats. Join me, leading up to Halloween, as I share some ideas and experiences with All Hallow’s Eve.

Here is a post I wrote about one of our Halloween traditions. If you have read Kids First, Diabetes Second you will recognize the clown costume Q is wearing in the photo below and it’s significance to her diagnosis. She wore that costume for year...

{Halloween 2.0} 2 Carb “Candy Corn”

Don’t get spooked just thinking about Halloween. Your kid with diabetes (and/or food allergies) can definitely haunt the neighborhood and indulge in treats. Join me, leading up to Halloween, as I share some ideas and experiences with All Hallow’s Eve.

I have a few variations of this low carb treat that’s incredibly easy to make. Here are the instructions for “2 Carb Candy Corn” that I shared last year.

I’m not saying you should eschew the pumpkin pie, because, hello, pumpkin pie is delicious. B...

{Halloween 2.0} Where Are The Sour Patch Kids When You Need Them?

Don’t get spooked just thinking about Halloween. Your kid with diabetes (and/or food allergies) can definitely haunt the neighborhood and indulge in treats. Join me, leading up to Halloween, as I share some ideas and experiences with All Hallow’s Eve.

Here is a post that I wrote just after Halloween last year that recounts our trick-or-treating experience. I’ll definitely bring my A-game this year!

Where Are The Sour Patch Kids When You Need Them?

So, of course we went out trick-or-treating on H...

Why the Medtronic 530G is NOT an Artificial Pancreas

I always say that every pump has its positives and negatives. You have to sit down and make a list of pros and cons about all of the pumps on the market. You need to decide which features are important to you and your child. What is right for one family isn’t necessarily the best choice for someone else. There is no right or wrong answer.

When we began researching pumps, we made the best decision for our family. It was the right decision. Is the pump 100% awesome 100% of the time? No. It’s not...

Warning From Insulet About Over Filling New OmniPods

Check back later this week for more information about the Medtronic pump/CGM combo that recently received FDA approval.

With our most recent shipment of pods, we received this warning letter from Insulet about not filling pods past the 200 unit mark, even though it may accept a little more. We fill somewhere between the minimum line and 100 units, so it hasn’t been an issue for us personally.

I also wanted to note that word on the street is that supplies of new pods are low (that’s not any offi...