So I signed up for TuDiabetes a couple of weeks ago and finally got myself on there to check it out. I joined one of the groups, Canadians, and I instantly found a wealth of information. I guess since I am diabetic I am eligible for the Disability Tax Credit in Canada and that dates all the way back to my diagnosis in 2005. This is because I am on "Life Sustaining Therapy" that takes more than 14 hours every week. Someone on the TuDiabetes forum had even posted a detailed template of how we come up to 14 hours a week. I will include it here in case that any other Canadian out there needs to file for this:PUMP ACTIVITIES:
a) Changing tubing and catheter every 2-3 days
- cleaning area once found unused area
- filling up syringe
- priming tubing
- changing batteries if low
30 minutes X 3 = 90 minutes (1.5 hours) per week
b) Checking for air bubbles daily
Checking site daily
2 minutes X 7 = 14 minutes per week
c) Reviewing basal rate and change if necessary
Reviewing bolus calculation re: insulin/carbohydrate ratio
Reviewing blood sugar readings - looking for trends
20 minutes X 4 = 80 minutes per week
d) Troubleshooting:
- Messages and/ or alarms received by pump
- clear
- troubleshoot
- reset
5-6 / week X 5 minutes = 25-30 minutes per week
SENSOR (CGMS) ACTIVITIES (where applicable)
- Inserting infusion set
- Taping + connection
30 minutes / week
- Initialization + calibration
- Responding to alerts/alarms
- Double checking with meter check, and doing proper correction
20 minutes/day X 7 = 140 minutes / week
TESTING
a) Self blood glucose monitoring:
- proper hand washing before every test
Frequency:
- Wake up
- Before meals and 2 hours every meals
- Before snacks
- At bedtime
- Before and after exercise
- Reviewing readings
- Calibrating strips
- Retesting when not enough blood, when error
10 minutes X 6-12 per day = 60-120 minutes per day X 7 = 420-840 minutes per week
b) Managing periods of variable control
- Testing blood sugars to confirm change
- Testing B.S. after treatment
- Administering treatment
- Recuperating from extreme of fluctuation
- Logging in log book management strategy
40 minutes X 2-4/ week= 80 –160 minutes per week
c) Driving:
- Testing before, to rule out/prevent any lows (Ontario Ministry of Transportation requirement)
- Testing every 2-3 hours when driving
8 minutes X 2/day X 7 += 112 minutes per week
TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT BY PUMP USER PER WEEK…without sensor…: 821-1326 minutes ( 13.7-22.1 hrs ) per week
TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT BY PUMP USER PER WEEK….WITH SENSOR…: 991-1496 minutes (16.5-24.9 hrs ) per week
That sounds crazy eh? So I filled in the form T2201 and took it to my endo appointment yesterday. He gladly signed it and filled in some details. I included a cover letter just stating when I was diagnosed and all that and a copy of that template.
Now we wait. And my accountant will send in the adjustment for the previous 5 years. I guess it can make a huge difference on your taxes. If you guys have any questions about this, I will do my best to answer them.
Then I found out some more info about sensors and a bunch of other stuff. It's a great community of peeps. I am looking forward to going on mat leave this Friday (insane eh?) and then spending more time on my blog, getting the new name for the blog underway (can't wait for the big reveal ;) and also getting on TuDiabetes and learning as much as I can.
On another note, at the endo. appt yesterday my A1C was 6.1. Sooo excited. The doc is proud. And since I am an avid people-pleaser, this made my day. I asked him if he is looking for even better numbers. He said, my numbers and my A1C are great right now, but if I want to "go for the gold" to aim for an A1C of 5.7. So I will bring down my wake up sugars (from 6.5, 7.1, 6.9 etc to 4s and 5s) and try and get my before dinners down from 8s and 9s to 6s and 7s. I will work hard at this.
Since my insulin resistance is so high now I was replacing the insulin reservoir every day and a half. It was really frustrating. My Paradigm 522 only holds 180 units. So my fabulous team at my endo's office lent me a Paradigm 722 that holds 300 units of insulin. It's so great to have the support of a great team of health care professionals. And they were able to do my A1C right there in the office again - I didn't have to go for blood work. I love my team!
Wow, I'm so excited for you about the tax credit!!! Slightly scared at how much time is actually involved in managing our care, but when I read it, it made perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteAnd off onto mat leave - wowzer!!! :) :) Any chance of putting a baby ticker onto your blog so that we can count down with you? (and possibly an email addy on your profile so we can reply directly to you?).
And yay for your a1c - and 'going for gold' :) Those are minor tweaks in the scheme of things, it sounds like you'll be standing on that podium before we know it. And yay too for being lent a pump with a bigger reservoir. Great news all round I'd say!
I will certainly look into a baby ticker. That sounds great! I am excited about the tax credit. I don't care if I'll be labled as "disabled" - "a rose by any other name..." :) right?
ReplyDeleteAnyways, Mat. leave in 2 days! I can't wait! I will start getting ready for baby! And spending time with my boys! Noah is cuter and cuter every day. He cracks me up!!
Great news for sure! Thanks for your excitment!
Thanks a bunch Rebeca for this info! I'm going to do some research myself.
ReplyDeletePlease let us all know if you were approved!
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, diabetes is the most difficult disorder for someone to be approved for the Disability Tax Credit.
At the CDC we carefully choose the most knowledgeable and personable team members to serve you and your family. We will do our best to claim the Disability Tax Credit and any other related credits for you or a family member with a disability. To know more, visit www.canadadisability.ca.
ReplyDeleteI wish everyone could know how CDC has saved me. Sometimes you don’t believe good things can happen. I was wrong; I had never seen a company do so much for me for so little.
ReplyDeleteThank you again and again.