This Is How Much I Typically Spend In A Work Week To Manage My Diabetes

Around two years ago, Ang, a Las Vegas-based 23-year-old parent program supervisor and social work grad student, began to experience dry skin, but she brushed it off as eczema. Then, it was unquenchable thirst — she was drinking five bottles of water a day. But it wasn't until she felt chest pain that she knew something was wrong. In October 2023, she went into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and was in the ICU for four days — and that’s how she found out she had Type 1 diabetes, a chronic illness that can be an enormous financial burden.

“Even with insurance, out-of-pocket costs can total up to $4,600 or more annually,” says Karla Robinson, MD, medical editor at GoodRx, a medication savings platform and leading resource for people with diabetes. Dr. Robinson suggests speaking with your doctor if the expense of diabetes treatment is a concern. “Managing diabetes can be challenging, and financial concerns often add an extra layer of stress.” 

That’s why we tasked Ang to track her spending for one work week to share how much she’s saving on essential supplies (like insulin, glucose monitors, and testing strips), thanks to GoodRx. And in those five days, she saved *$291.95* — read her daily breakdown, below.

9 a.m. — I wake up late and realize I’m all out of my thyroid medication. I place a refill of my prescription online immediately, so I can pick it up at my local pharmacy later. My thyroid medication is $23, but with GoodRx I’ll only be paying a fraction of the price — love that. Having diabetes means I’m more prone to other autoimmune diseases, like thyroid disease. So, my thyroid medication replaces the missing thyroid hormone, and just like my insulin, I’ll have to take it for the rest of my life.

2 p.m. — Work is exhausting. I’m in back-to-back meetings all day and I have a small break where the first thing I eat for the day are some chips. I’m on a new insulin that’s faster than my last one. There are many different types of insulin, including a fast-acting one that works as soon as you inject it but stops two to four hours later. I’m still getting used to the fast-acting insulin, and I end up going low (which means my blood sugar level has dropped), so I correct myself with some gummies. Having low blood sugar is extremely dangerous because if it gets too low I can lose consciousness or have seizures. 

6 p.m. — I go out to eat with my girls. I order a cheese potato soup, chips and queso, and a zero-sugar drink. If I don’t have insulin when I eat anything with carbs or sugar, my blood sugar will rise and won’t come down. I need to give myself insulin in order to stabilize my blood sugar level. $16.72

10 p.m. — After dinner, I head to my mom’s house to pick up some goodies she brought back from Mexico. Nothing has a nutrition label, so carb-counting becomes something like an extreme sport. I’m slowly learning how to carb-count after my diagnosis last year.

8 a.m. — I’m running late to work (as per usual) and I realize I forgot my insulin at home (as per usual). My commute to work is 45 minutes, so I don’t go back for it. That means no carbs today. Normally, with my insulin, I eat carbs all day, so this will be a challenge. Before my diagnosis, I didn’t know carbs and sugar were the same thing. I remember the doctor telling me I had to limit my sugar intake, which as it turned out, included bread, tortillas, rice, pasta, potatoes, and chips — not just sweet things, like cookies, candy, and sodas. In the beginning, it was really difficult for me to accept my diagnosis, because I didn’t want it to stop me from enjoying the food I normally eat. But I’m learning that, with carb-counting and insulin, it’s possible to eat everything. 

12 p.m. — I’m at my internship and the office ordered lunch, but since I don’t have my insulin, I go out to get a salad. $20  

6 p.m. — On my way home I stop at the pharmacy to pick up my thyroid medication. With GoodRx I only pay $9.05, saving me $13.95.

8 p.m. — I’m home and too tired to cook, so my fiance, D, and I pick up pizza, wings, and a side of ranch for dinner. $32.65.

10 p.m. — Before heading to bed, I catch up on my favorite medical drama with some popcorn and nacho cheese. As a diabetic, I can eat pretty much everything, but some foods are easier to control than others. My favorite diabetic-friendly snacks are pork rinds because they have zero carbs, and I don’t need insulin to eat them. When I shop for diabetes-friendly snacks, I always read the nutrition label, and if it’s less than 10 grams of carbs per serving, I’ll add it to my cart. 

12 a.m. — Unfortunately, I’m still not asleep, so I’m doom-scrolling on social media instead. I’ve been studying for my licensure in social work and that’s all I can think about. I despise standardized tests — the stress of it all keeps me up at night, which also raises my blood sugar. 

Daily Total: $61.70

10 a.m. — Another work day, another meeting in the office. 

2 p.m. — For lunch, I eat tamales that my mom brought from Mexico. Anytime we travel to Mexico, we always bring food back. I will 100% leave my clothes and shoes in Mexico in order to make more room for food in my suitcase.

One thing that I’ve started to embrace throughout my diabetes journey is showing off my device: a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which monitors my blood sugar in real time (the sensor is inserted through a needle that stays in my body and sends my blood sugar levels to my phone through an app, so I don’t need to prick my finger every hour — instead, I just feel a tiny pinch when I replace my monitor every two weeks). When my arms are bare or when I wear tight tops, you can see my monitor, and honestly, I think it’s a cute accessory on me. 

I don’t have an insulin pump, which is also a device that’s attached to the body with a needle, but it delivers insulin. Since my diagnosis, I’m still in the “honeymoon phase,” meaning my pancreas is still producing insulin, so my doctor doesn’t think an insulin pump is necessary yet.

4 p.m. — I shadow a therapy session at my internship. Afterwards, I go for a walk for some fresh air and a little bit of exercise. The walk is a good idea, because my sugar level is high. Working in mental health has its highs and lows, and it can be emotionally draining sometimes. Having diabetes can also be draining, especially because it’s considered an “invisible disease,” so many people don’t realize the mental and physical toll it can take on an individual. 

5 p.m. — I receive a notification from my pharmacy to pick up my prescription refill for my insulin, which my insurance doesn’t cover. But thanks to GoodRx, I don’t have to pay $300 a month in order to live, and my insulin prescription is much more affordable. $135

7 p.m. — We go over to my suegro’s house for dinner. On the menu tonight: birria with homemade tortillas — delicious. Afterwards, we play some loteria and toma todo. It’s the eight of us crammed together at a 4-foot-wide round table — all because no one wants to sit at the spacious 8-foot dining table (is this a Mexican thing? I’m not sure, but we always, always end up at the smaller table). 

Daily Total: $135

2 a.m. —  I wake up in the middle of the night sweating and shaking. My blood sugar is in the 40s, and I’m not feeling well at all. Normal blood sugar is in the 80 to 120 range, and anything under or over is dangerous. I had given myself too much insulin at dinner last night — this happens at least once a month, where I miscalculate my carbs and my sugar will drop in the middle of the night or go insanely high. I reach over to my nightstand and open the first drawer to get a drink. 

My drawer is stocked up with snacks for just this very situation (I have snacks everywhere: my purses, my car, at work, in D’s car, all the rooms in the house, my jackets, etc).

I wait about 30 minutes before I start to see my level rise and it’s safe for me to go back to sleep. I would never wish this feeling on anyone. I try to avoid miscounting my carbs by keeping track of incidents where I gave myself too much or too little insulin for future reference. 

1 p.m. — After four hours at work, I take my break for lunch, which is pasta and a pomegranate (that I add limón and salt, even though my coworkers think it’s weird). Carb-counting pasta is always fun because pasta has a slow effect on the body, so one minute everything seems great with my sugar levels, and the next thing I know, I am in the 300s. A “normal” blood range is 80 to 120, but each diabetic has their own “normal.” My personal blood sugar goal range during the day is 100 to 150, and anything over 150 is too high for me. Having a high blood sugar level is bad for the body because it makes the body work overtime and has negative long-term effects, like heart disease, eye problems, kidney damage, nerve damage, and skin problems. 

4 p.m. — On my way to my internship, I pick up a sugar-free drink, which turns out not to be sugar-free. I get alerts from my CGM that my blood sugar levels are high the entire time I’m at my internship. The annoying thing is that I can’t turn my alarms off. I knew it was too good to be true. $6

6 p.m. — Time to shop. Even when I have a grocery list, I somehow always forget items. For the week, we buy bread, tortillas, garlic salt, tostadas, sour cream, puff pastries, sugar-free drinks (for me), and sugary drinks (for D, and for when I have low blood sugar, since liquid is the fastest way to get my blood sugar back up to a normal range). I usually buy all the groceries I need for the week on Sunday and make dinner every day. I make about four servings of dinner because we take leftovers for lunch the next day. The good thing about taking leftovers for lunch is that I know the exact insulin-to-carb ratio, which makes it easier for me. Another good thing: Many of the meals I make include rice, and reheated rice has fewer carbs than freshly cooked rice. $36.89

10 a.m. — I wrap up a meeting at work. I’m starting to feel hungry, but I push through it and decide to wait until lunch. It’s still a challenge for me to manage my sugar levels in the morning. 

2 p.m. — I take advantage of the fact that work is slow, so I go to the pharmacy to pick up my CGM sensors. My CGM sensors and insulin have to be the most expensive part of my diabetes management. My sensors are originally $240, but with GoodRx I get them for $130. I get two every month. If it falls off, if it hurts me, or if it turns out to be faulty, then I buy a new one. $130

4 p.m. — I finish a work event and decide to take a four-day weekend. I love that my job is flexible and allows me to take the time to see the doctor, which was helpful especially at the beginning of my diagnosis. At first, my doctors didn’t know if I had Type 1 or 2 diabetes, because of my age. I was 22 at the time, and they thought I was too old for Type 1, but too young for Type 2. 

6 p.m. — I have dinner with friends tonight, so I do curbside pick-up for rotisserie chicken, chipotle peppers, mango habanero sauce, and sour cream. I rush home to cook — I’m making chipotle chicken while D is grilling ribs. $47.36 

11 p.m. — I’m home and realize that my sensor expired an hour ago. We were having too much fun. The sensor is good for 14 days, and I change it every other Wednesday and usually as late as possible, so I don’t have to worry about it during the day. 

For savings on diabetes medications, essential supplies (like continuous glucose monitors) and trusted diabetes information, visit GoodRx.com.