I am really considering not going with any health insurance at all. I should be able to manage if I put money aside to use for any doctor visits or medications.  I hope nothing major will happen, but if it does I will have to deal with these issues.

Health insurance fees are very expensive and right now being on unemployment and trying to budget isn’t easy. There’s not a lot left over at the end of the paycheck. It’s amazing in this day and age the U.S. doesn’t have a decent health plan for unemployed or low income citizens.  What the president proposed will be way too costly.  We are in debt too far to add to the trillions of dollars Obama added when he helped the banks.

So, for the next few months I may be going without insurance and see what happens. Perhaps I will end up getting insurance in the future, but I am hoping a job will be connected with that. We shall see.

I have spent a lot of time on the computer doing research and filling out information forms to even get to talk to someone about health insurance. While there are many companies out there I am finding high deductibles and high prices per month. I’m not too concerned about co-pays, but I do need to have a decent health insurance that will cover doctor visits, medications, lab work, and testing supplies.

In talking with the office staff at my primary doctor I learned the one company I had hoped to get insurance from was one she never heard of. Now I realize my doctor takes many different insurances, but having one that was never heard of rather unnerved me. I am not about to get involved with a company that could be a fly by night operation.

Calling my doctors’ offices will be my next move. Perhaps one of them can give me some insight as to what companies will be available. I am especially going to contact my endocrinologist as that one might give me a better idea of what health insurance companies will cover me with the diabetes.

I find it very frustrating to not be able to pick and choose like other people can. Having diabetes is bad enough, but to have someone tell me no when it comes to maintaining health insurance is disheartening. When I do find a company that will help me secure insurance I will be sure to let my readers know.

Neuropathy can cause people with diabetes to no longer having feeling the their feet and hands, which can be a huge problem if they suffer a wound or infection. This can lead to amputation of the feet and hands. Diabetic Neuropathy is the second leading cause of amputation.

More testing is needed, but if this is doing so well in mice we may soon see this drug on the market. This is a plus for diabetics.

The 3 part starter kit is the best way to begin. There are 8 different systems all designed to help the type of hair you have. Fine, thin looking hair to chemically altered hair to coarse hair. There are also other products such as scalp renewal, styling, control, and volume.

There are many reasons why you can have hair loss. Acne, seborrhea, genetics, for women a hormonal imbalance, stress and trauma, medication, diet, health concerns, nutrition, and environmental factors. There is no alcohol, formaldehyde or lanolin in the Nioxin products. There is a very pleasant peppermint smell that lingers after your hair has dried.

Check out the website Nioxin System 2 Starter Kit to get yourself started. You should be very happy with the results. We are well pleased with this product and give it ***** ratings.

I have also tried to let everyone know about things that have happened to me with my health. Education with diabetes and its many complications is the only way to combat this disease until a cure is found. I doubt a cure will be found in my lifetime, but perhaps in my grand-children’s lifetime they won’t have to deal with the things I have had to endure.

To those who have gained knowledge from reading any postings I have done, bless you. You are learning things for a lifetime. I am glad I could help you.

HDL is the “good” cholesterol. This is a high density lipoprotein because it brings leftover cholesterol in the bloodstream back to the liver to be broken down.

LDL is the “bad” cholesterol. A low density lipoprotein it causes a buildup called plaque along the linings of the arteries. This gradual buildup is called atherosclerosis. This plaque narrows the artery openings and causes a reduced amount of blood to flow.

TRIGS or triglycerides travel in various lipoprotiens. Excess calories, alcohol, and sugar in the body are converted into trigs and stored in fat cells. Excess belly fat is associated with trigs. ‘

Total cholesterol levels under 200 are good unless you have a high LDL and a low HDL. Blood tests your doctor orders will determine what your levels are. Medications can be given to help regulate your system. It’s very important for diabetics to have their cholesterol levels under control. Dangers are heart attack and stroke. Quitting smoking can lower your LDL and raise your HDL, which is good.

Diabetics can having other problems with their eyes, including bleeding, fluctuations in vision, new blood vessel growth (neovascularization), early onset of cataracts, even retinal detachments. In many cases your eye doctor is the only one who can detect some of these diseases and can even tell if you are diabetic. You need to have an annual eye exam so you won’t have the biggest worry happen to you-blindness.

Another disease that can ruin your eye sight is high blood pressure. Bleeding in the eye, swelling of the optic nerve and retina, or occlusion of an artery or vein can lead to blindness. For this you need to have an annual dilated eye exam.

Glaucoma can lead to permanent blindess if not detected and treated early. Family history, age, high intraocular pressure, thin central cornea thickness, large optic nerve cupping, ethnicity and peripeheral vision loss can be found to cause glaucoma.

For adults over the age of 50 macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness. Some factors that increase the risk for this disease are older age, being female, blue or light colored eyes, smoking, UV light exposure, obesity, family history, and poor diet. Eating fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, decreasing sun exposure, avoiding smoking, and getting an early detection can help prevent blindness.

Don’t delay. Make an appointment as soon as possible with an eye doctor. You’ll feel much better and more relieved if you know that you are not having eye problems.

The biggest hurdle with stress when you are a diabetic is over eating. You may not think this is a problem until the pounds on the scale in the bathroom start to climb, adding more and more as each day goes by. Being diabetic, there are certain foods we should not eat. I didn’t say can’t, just shouldn’t. Lately I find myself on a potato chip binge. I swear the bags are calling to me whenever I go into a grocery store! I haven’t had candy in a while, until the other day when I bought some chocolate covered cookies. I ate one  then another. I did stop, but the fact that I wasn’t even hungry when I ate them made me realize I was feeling stressed once more. Then I read how stress can speed up the aging process. Oh, Lord, now what? I just wanted you to know you were not alone in feeling stress or over eating when you are stressed.

We need to stop and think of why we want to grab that junk food that we know we shouldn’t have. What is causing the stressed out feelings at the time? Worried about the future? Job loss? Expecting a huge bill in the mail that you know you can’t afford? Not being about to pay the bills you do have? Needing to purchase another vehicle and worrying about the loan being turned down? Worried about the kids? The spouse or significant other? All this can cause us to feel ill, even when we aren’t. Stress can cause all sorts of problems with your health, including stomach problems, ulcers, panic attacks, even heart attacks. We all need to be aware of our stress levels.

There are some simple things you can do to help yourself get off the stress train. Socialize with friends and family…don’t just sit there and mope, thinking about things you have no control over. Talk, laugh, cry, get angry, but don’t get too emotionally down that you begin to injure yourself, someone else, or punch walls. Regular exercise can help since it reduces anxiety. Eat a healthy diet, stay away from too much junk food. Keep doing things you enjoy or find a hobby that you will enjoy. Read! It doesn’t matter what you read, but do read. Learn more about stress, what makes things happen, life, fantasy, and more. It will take your mind off your worries and send you on a new journey of creating memories and knowledge. Watch a really good movie. Breathe! Go slowly at first. Try yoga or meditation. Your best bet is to find a friend who is also stressed so you both can help yourselves and each other.

I’m finding it overly frustrating not to know what is wrong and even more so not to be able to do something about it. I am too young to have to stress over this whole issue. Tendencies to cry more often are appearing, sometimes when I least expect it. Doing the research helped to a point, but I am not about to diagnose myself. I have a list of questions for the doctor and hopefully will get some answers. I did manage to lose another 3 lbs. which is a good thing for me since I have been a bit overweight these past few years. Losing weight will also help with the diabetes.

If anyone has ever had any problems with their kidneys or lower back pain I would like to discuss this subject with them. Please do not be afraid to put a comment on any of my blogs. I only want to be able to help someone else down the line when they come up with something they don’t understand. Helping one another is the best way to keep ourselves happy, sane and healthy.

I never asked for Diabetes, nor the stomach problems i am having right now. I do eat a fairly healthy diet and try not to over indulge. Seconds are not begging me to devour them. I know I could be doing worse, but the amount of pills I swallow in one day makes me cringe. Yet, what choice do I have? It’s either to life or to die. I am choosing life.

I know there are people out there who take more pills than I do. To you I would welcome any comments. To me it seems the drug companies are making money hand over fist and we, the ill, need to buy their merchandise to keep our bodies going. So, I will take the white, the pink, the blue, and the capsules as needed. Then there’s losing weight. Always hard to accomplish, but how to exercise with a stomach that keeps trying to knock me down. I don’t know if better health care would work to keep the prices down on the medications we need to keep going. Health care businesses must be booming right now even though we are in a recession. Pills are recession proof!