u/Impressive-Flow-855

I’ve been off Metformin since March, and my fasting blood glucose has been trending upward. Before, it’d be between 85 and 95 μg/dL. Now it’s around 120 μg/dL.

Being off Metformin has helped me in many ways. I no longer take a Vitamin B12 supplement. My body has become better defined. I’ve gone from a 32” waist to a 30” waist even though I haven’t dropped a pound. My blood pressure is now constantly up below 120/75, and of course, I haven’t been getting lows like I was. After all, my whole blood glucose profile has moved up by 20 μg/dL. What was 61 μg/dL on Metformin is now 82 μg/dL.

Since my blood glucose is a bit too high, I may get back on Metformin. I’m waiting for the wedding of my son in June, so I can still fit in my suit. Plus, I bought a whole new wardrobe of shirts and pants for my trimmer body. After the wedding, it’s back on Metformin, and old man body.

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Tomorrow I’m getting a colonoscopy, so today I’m on a clear liquid only diet which basically means soup broth and tea. No carbs allowed. And my morning fasting? 73 μg/dL. Really? Really? Now I’m running low? I’ve been dying for a nice piece of toast for breakfast for weeks.

I drank sugar in my morning coffee for the first time in three decades. That brought my blood glucose up to 93 mg/dl. It’s going to be sugar sweetened tea and soup broth for the rest of the day, and hoping I don’t get too low, and have to eat something more substantial and call off the procedure.

I’ve seen a lot of posts about snacks. I prefer to make my own food and I do my best not to use overly processed foods.

This is pretty simple to make. It could be used as a snack, a side dish, or even as a vegan main course. It’s easy to make and takes practically no time to throw together.

### Nutrition

* Calories: 120
* Carbohydrates: 22g
* Fiber: 5.5g
* Protein: 5.5g
* Fats: 2.5

###Ingredients

I buy these ingredients from Trader Joe’s. They come pre-packaged. For example, the butternut squash is already chopped. There’s no reason why you have to get them from Trader Joe’s.

I recommend you look at the label of the chickpeas and wash them to remove excess salt. Canned bean (especially Goya brand) can have a lot of sodium.

* 20 ounces of chopped butternut squash or another winter squash cut into medium sized pieces
* 10 ounces raw English peas
* 1 can chickpeas. (Rinsed)
* 1 chopped red onion
* ¼ cup olive oil
* Garam Marsala to taste
* salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

### Directions

* Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C)
* Spray cookie sheet with Pam or coat with a high temperature oil.
* Mix squash, peas, chickpeas, and chopped onion in a large bowl.
* Add in oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and garam masala. Mix again.
* Spread on cookie sheet and bake it at 425° for 25 minutes.
* Makes around 8 to 10 servings.

Not much to do with diabetes except that many diabetics have glaucoma or deal with insurance.

My insurance has moved Dorzolamide from “Tier 1” to “Tier 2”. That means rather than get it for free like I did last year, I now have a copay of $10 each month. Okay. Not thrilled, but I can afford it.

I picked up my medicine, and my copay was $12.50. Huh? Did they change my copay since January? I checked the formulary and it says Tier 2 medications are a $10 copay.

I called up my pharmaceutical benefits manager and asked. The representative was just as puzzled as I was. She contacted a few other people and found out that this isn’t a 30 day supply. This is a 33 day supply!

I use three drops per day or 90 drops per month. however, the PBM decided there are 100 drops in a bottle, so I get ten extra drops per month which is a 3⅓ days extra. Therefore, they prorated my copay for those three extra days.

I thought about that for a second. Three days is only 10% of a month. You are charge me a copay for 25% of a month. According to their logic, my copay should have been only $11.00.

The customer service agent understood my logic, and offered to appeal my copay. I’m retired, but even I have better things to do than fight for a $1.50 refund.

Besides that. I noticed they have another formulation that combines this with another glaucoma drug I take, and that formulation doesn’t require a copay. I’ll ask my doctor about prescribing me that one.

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Every insurer uses a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), and they have a formulary. The formulary lists all the drugs the PBM pays and how much of a copay they expect. Get their formulary and share it with your doctor. You may find prescriptions that just as effective, but because of the formulary, are way cheaper. Last year, a medication I paid $12 per month for was moved to a different tier and is now $495 per month. My doctor and I found a different formulation that has no copay.