Home Storage Tracking & Health Questions

[stltraveler]

Hi All, long time lurker; first time poster. I've got a question for the group, my fiance and I are working on getting my home better outfitted for what may come. We both work in emergency management and public health so we are all to aware of the potential calamities which could fall upon society as a whole. We've been pretty good about putting away food and things at my house. I live near St. Louis and she lives in Indiana currently we've been trying not to duplicate our storage so that we can spend our money more effectively. We need to find a way to track what each of us has and make it easy enough that we can update it after our weekly trips to the market or wholesale shop. We're planning on moving her here after the wedding in September.

We've spent a lot of time recently talking about the potential issues and how to best address them, she is a insulin dependent diabetic which opens an entirely new can of worms. I'm sure there have to be others on the board with diabetics in their family, I'm interested to know what you've incorporated into your plans to account for the potential inaccessibility of medications and other diabetic related issues?

I've been a member of the church since I was 1, although I've been inactive for a long time. I recently had the opportunity to see the church's response to the floods in Indiana and it was truly a moving experience for me. It helped to rekindle feelings I've not had in a very long time and I think it's possibly helped to turn my non-member fiance` to being more responsive to the missionaries as well.

I would like to thank anyone from the Terre Haute area for the assistance they provided with the flooding and with the help they provided guiding me where I need to be. I am enternally grateful.

[pam]

Very good question about the diabetic situation. I look forward to seeing the responses. Would apply to anyone else that is reliant on medications for other things such as high blood pressure etc etc.

[prospectmom]

Is it possible to get an extra month supply of the med and keep rotating it.?

[stltraveler]

Well we usually try to keep an extra 1-2 bottles of insulin on hand as well as several bottles of test strips for her glucometer. We usually try to get the samples at the Dr's office whenever she has an appointment, since a sample bottle of insulin is the same as what we get at walgreens.

[Loudmouth_Mormon]

Hi STLTraveler!

Originally Posted by stltraveler

I'm sure there have to be others on the board with diabetics in their family, I'm interested to know what you've incorporated into your plans to account for the potential inaccessibility of medications and other diabetic related issues?

We're not diabetic, but we are on several medications, and we struggle with incorporating this into our preparadness/food storage activities as well.

We order all our meds via my insurance company's mail order pharmacy. I keep careful track of order dates, and request a refill at the earliest possible moment. Usually, for a 3/mo refill, they'll process a refill order in 83-85 days or so. So, every quarter that goes by, we gain an extra 5-10 days worth of meds.

This is pretty much the only option open to us for one of our meds, as it's one of those tightly controlled meds with a street value.

Other options are to discuss things with your doctor, and just ask for extra prescriptions. If your particular med does not lend itself to abuse, a doc is quite likely to understand your reasons.

I'm glad to hear that the church's relief actions have had a good impact on you.

LM

[goofball]

I agree that stocking and storing medicine is a tough issue. Most medicines for long term usage have a refill on them. As a result it may be possible to have a month or two on supply. I would talk to your medical provider about your concern as you dont want them to get a letter from your insurance company asking why you are filling all these scripts.

[stltraveler]

I do appreciate your input, it's an interesting problem to address and there are many ways to do it. I am hoping we will be able to find a cooperative doctor in the St. Louis area when she moves here after the wedding in September.

[goofball]

I have found as long as I feel the individual is trustworthy and keeps up with their medical issues than it would be okay. Good luck in those endeavors and congrats on the upcoming marriage