Posted on 08/05/2019 8:53:48 PM PDT by ransomnote
After aging out of his family health insurance and switching to a cheaper over-the-counter insulin sold at Walmart, a young man with type 1 diabetes has died.
Josh Wilkerson was 27 when he died this past June, The Independent reported Monday. When he turned 26 and became too old to remain on his stepfather’s health insurance, his other option was health insurance provided by his workplace, a dog kennel in Virginia. But that plan didn’t cover his $1,200 per month insulin costs. So in late 2018 he began using the ReliOn brand insulin sold over the counter at Walmart, which costs $25 a vial.
This type of insulin is not the same kind Wilkerson had been using before. ReliOn is called “human insulin” because it is manufactured using the DNA code for making human insulin and grown inside bacteria cells. Before switching to ReliOn, Wilkerson was using analog insulin, a newer-generation insulin that is similar to human insulin but genetically altered to make it quicker-acting. Human insulin therefore lowers blood sugar levels much slower than analog insulin does — it can take hours to work while analog insulin works in minutes.
Immediately prior to his death, Wilkerson agreed to stay overnight at the dog kennel for a week to earn some extra money. During the second night, he told his fiancée, Rose Walters (who also has type 1 diabetes and had been taking ReliOn), over the phone that his stomach didn’t feel well, but he would take more insulin. MORE AT LINK
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
That’s a fact. Four health professionals in the family here and two diabetics, and one pet with diabetes. There are a lot of factors that need to be monitored. Did he not eat something when he should have counter acted with some carbs? Was he normally using slow acting but needed a dose of fast acting for this emergency? Was the insulin ever allowed to get too hot at any point spoiling it? Were his organs already on the downhill slide over the long term and it was not checked as this happens quite often with diabetes? Whole lot missing in this story and his friend was right, he should have checked his level immediately and gone to the hospital.
I hope authorities have ruled out foul play.
“His blood sugar was reportedly 17 times higher than normal.”
Did he eat something that boosted his blood sugar that high? Or, can the body create sugar that can boost blood sugar without eating something? Not familiar with the specifics of diabetes.
I didn’t specify the man in the article and what I stated is from observation.
“More than likely he started using insulin for animals from the Vet clinic...”
Whoa...there’s an aspect not considered so far. The Vet better crosscheck it’s drug records/stash.
I just learned that an acquaintance is in renal failure which is result of not managing his diabetes. Nothing to do with money just (apparently) became apathetic over time.
Non-compliance is one thing but this to me is outrageous.
“I’m sorry, but if you need a drug that costs $1,200 per month, you better figure out how to get a better-paying job than working in a dog kennel.”
I’d be giving you a different answer if he were kicked off dad’s plan when he turned 18, or even 22 (the old system). But yes, we may not Obamacare, but this guy had 8 FRIGGEN YEARS to get a career going after high school...before turning 26.
And I also agree with others...there’s a political purpose to this story - particularly coming out when Trump is looking to cut drug prices.
Nor does suing the Manufactures of Prescription Pain Meds. But they are doing it anyway. Less than 1% ever become addicted to Prescription Pain Meds even after 2-3 decades on them. They become Dependent to function. Just like a Insulin patient does.
1 of the biggest Cons the CDC has pulled is this Fake Opioid Crisis. I’m 71 in a few days we called them Prescription Pain Meds not Opioids, Narcotics at most, we were taugh that the pain we have is INTRACTAVBLE PAIN, A SUBSET OF CHRONIC PAIN. It can only be treated with a Prescription Pain Med. PROPAGANDA USES THE SAME WORDS OF CHRONIC PAIN AND OPIOIDS TO CREATE A FALSE IMAGE THAT ILLICIT DRUGS ARE THE SAME AS PRESCRIPTION CONTROLLED BY THE FDA PAIN MEDS. Even my Seizure med is FDA controlled to a total of 20 mg per day. Doesn’t matter I need 30-40 mg per day. It’s the only 1 out of 15 I’ve been on that doesn’t have horrid side effects, cheap, and works. Just happens to be a Benzo called Valium. Lower the dose and I go into Seizures that are very dangerous.
Actually it would be the opposite, Vet insulin is even more expensive and so folks use human insulin for pets.
He was not buying it.. He worked at a clinic I thought and was working with animals..
These people are so cold and callous. It was someone’s son. He got the bad luck of inheriting D1 from his mom. He was working not slinging off the govt. We love our pets and he was caring for them. So so sad.
pfl
Something is not right there.
It is possible. I think that there is more to the story that is being told. It sounds like a hit piece on Wal Mart insulin.
FYI, potatoes and beans are high in carbs and increase a diabetics blood sugars. Not good foods for them to eat.
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