My fiancee called me tonight and he told me that as of this past Tuesday he has not had a sugar reading. He's diabetic so obviously they are suppose to get 'finger sticks' at least once daily, if not twice. He was told that he has to fill out a 'sick call' slip each time he gets a finger stick and that would mean a $3 co-pay each time he had to have this done. So, if he got just ONE finger stick a day that would amount to $90 a month just in order for him to get his sugar readings. Is this not insane? Can anyone help me out here? I feel like i'm at my wit's end:angry: What, or who, would be my best resource to contact regarding this matter? Any help would be appreciated.

peaches

Peaches,
that's completely ridiculous! Call constituent services and ask for the person who handles medical issues. They'll help.

Thanks Julie, i'll be calling on Monday. I just think it's so ridiculous.

Peaches:

You really should call the ADA.... They will be able to give you specific information on what is considered "expected treatment" and what goes beyond "indifference". They are very clear on the laws of each State and they will step in on his behalf if those laws are not being followed. Due to an existing illness, he should not have to pay the $3.00 each time. Also, you should obtain a letter from his home doctor going over the "absolutely necessary" treatment for his form of the illness and send that (again) to the Prison Medical Director, the Prison Warden and the company that handles the outsourced medical services for AR (Correction Medical Services, out of St. Louis, MO). If you need numbers or addresses, PM me and I'll give them to you.

He will be out in the not too distant future and his health is not worth risking in the meantime. Try Constituent Services first, but if you get no results, at least call the ADA, they were extremely helpful in my situation.

I hear you and I understand the frustration and helplessness you must be feeling right now. Best Wishes

Thanks for that info. Unfortunately, he will not be out in the not too distant future. He's still facing Vo-tech which will be another 12 months so he really needs this taken care of.
I would very much appreciate the numbers and addresses of the ADA.

thanks again

Latest update about the sugar check...I called Correctional Medical Services and since it was the weekend, got the answering service. The lady I spoke with took all the information she needed, passed it along to someone and within 15 minutes, the vice president of CMS called me, said he has already contacted North Central Unit and he was letting me know that they are NOT suppose to be telling diabetics that they have to get a 'sick call slip'. He also said that if I hear of ANYONE else that they are doing this to, to let him know. He was very nice and very helpful. I won't know exactly what has happened as far as my fiancee getting (or possibly not getting) a finger check though until he calls me again and that will be tomorrow (Sunday) night. So i'm hoping that the call I made works out and that he gets what he's suppose to have. Thank you so much for the info to help me get this taken care of.

OMGosh Peaches,,,,,that is SO TOTALLY CRAZY!!!!! I hope you can get some kind of help with this ,,,,sorry I have NO idea what to tell you!!!! GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS!!!! I will be praying for you!!!!
Stacy

peaches030761:
Another solution within a CF is obtaining a prescription from your Sig. other's private physician, and arrange sending the prescription to him through the fac. Warden into his assigned medical facility. You can send doctors orders with a prescribed sliding scale, have the orders managed by the nursing staff, and provide all necessary medical supplies such insulin, syringes, glucose tablets, BS strips, BS tester, alcohol pads, bandaids, and finger prick mechanism. Call his doctor and assigned fac. Warden for arrangements. Good luck with the situation. 38 Special :thumbsup:

Bear with me please. What's a CF?
My fiancee's local doctor here will not do anything right now because he (my fiancee) is "out of his jurisdiction". But, when all of this started, my fiancee's records were faxed to the facility he is in and he still didn't get the proper insulin. I called person after person for help within the prison medical staff and was basically told that "THEY" will give him what "THEY" think he needs.
Thank you for the luck :)

peaches030761:
Another solution within a CF is obtaining a prescription from your Sig. other's private physician, and arrange sending the prescription to him through the fac. Warden into his assigned medical facility. You can send doctors orders with a prescribed sliding scale, have the orders managed by the nursing staff, and provide all necessary medical supplies such insulin, syringes, glucose tablets, BS strips, BS tester, alcohol pads, bandaids, and finger prick mechanism. Call his doctor and assigned fac. Warden for arrangements. Good luck with the situation. 38 Special :thumbsup:

I know Stacy...so so so crazy!!!!! I'm hoping we get some help too. It's all totally insane! Thanks for the luck and the prayers.

OMGosh Peaches,,,,,that is SO TOTALLY CRAZY!!!!! I hope you can get some kind of help with this ,,,,sorry I have NO idea what to tell you!!!! GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS!!!! I will be praying for you!!!!
Stacy

What's a CF? Correctional Facility
He must sign a medical release at his original physician's office. You can pick-up a copy, mail it to him, and he can sign in the presence of a notary. He can mail you the release, you obtain a copy of his medical file for the prison medical officials and Warden. The doctor's orders will be included in the medical file that you provide the prison. Hang in there, pray, and God will provide a solution, 38 Special

Peaches!! This is a great update! I'm so impressed that someone helped you ON A WEEKEND!!!!

This also makes me even more proud to be part of PTO. You had a problem, you got info, the problem was resolved and MORE men may be helped because of what YOU did!!

Way to go, Girlfriend!! :yay:

Thanks Julie. I was actually quite surprised that I got anything accomplished over the weekend.
If it hadn't been for the people here on PTO, I would have had to wait until Monday and who knows how many phone calls I would have had to make before I got anything figured out. I thank each and every person on here that has helped me with info, support, encouragement, allowing me to vent and everything else :D

Thanks 38special! CF!! Ok, got it now. Sometimes I feel like an idiot, lol.
I will get a medical release and send to him so he can sign and see how far that will get us.
I'm hanging in there, praying, hoping and dreaming and I know that eventually this will all be over.
Have a good one and thank you for the info.

Here we still are dealing with the same S**T!!! My fiancee is still not getting the finger checks he is suppose to be getting when he goes to get his insulin. I spoke with Mr. Byus, who I have to admit was very nice but shocked at what happened, and he told me that anytime a diabetic receives insulin that he is to get a sugar check. Well, duh!!! I'm not the one that isn't cooperating with the diabetic here, right? He said that he will call the unit where my fiancee was at the time and found out what happened. He called back and said that yes, that actually happened but that should have NEVER taken place. He said he was sending out a "reminder" to all the units that when a diabetic gets their insulin that they are always to get a sugar check. Plus, he told me that he should have never been told that he had to put a 'sick call slip' in to get a sugar check.
BUT, as of tonight,when I spoke with my fiancee, he is still not getting his sugar checks. I will be making a few more calls tomorrow. I cannot tell you how angry this makes me!!! :angry:
That's all the venting I have, for now at least!

I'm not in Arkansas, but in Texas. My fiance is an insulin dependent diabetic and is only "required" to test once a week. It's a bunch of bull. He says he tests 3-4 times a week.. but that still isn't enough considering he takes insulin at night and in the morning. I'm infuriated. So thank you so much for this information. Now I can start the calling campaign here to get him tested more regularly. (of course he's gonna hate me for it :haha: he hates the finger sticks as it is)

Peaches! I admire your determination! It is so important for his well being and his future!!! Princess: I hope too that you will succeed. I wonder how these so-called medical staff people would react if they themselves had diabetes or their loved ones, it is a disgrace.
Abelle

You mean that the policy in Texas is that they are required to only get one test a week? That's absurd. When I spoke with Mr. Byus, he told me that the policy in Arkansas is that they are to be tested each time they receive insulin. My fiancee receives insulin twice daily also so that should be two tests a day. As of yesterday, it's been over a week since he has received a 'finger stick'. I understand your frustration princess...ohhh so well!!! As much as your fiancee hates the finger sticks, it is something that is crucial to their well-being. I hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted.

Abelle, thank you! Sometimes i'm not sure if it's determination or stubborness, lol. But this is getting out of hand and I get so frustrated. I don't see why we're having to deal with it, period. Fact is, diabetics need their sugar checks and that's what they should be getting. No ifs, ands or buts about it. I hope I succeed as well in getting something accomplished. Hope all is well with you Abelle :D

I know that we've already talked about this baby, but no matter how you look at it, it is f***ked up!!!! I am just so very happy that it should be resolved by now...thanks to you again!!!!


Lisa

Brief update! My fiancee got transferred to Varner on Tuesday. As you all know, my major concern (and his as well) was him not getting finger sticks. This afternoon, at work, I get an emergency phone call and it's my fiancee's mom. She tells me that he has called her and told her he has a severe headache, sick to his stomach and feet are burning. Major diabetic coma signs! He also told her that the nurse told him that his records indicate he is to only get one insulin shot a day rather than two. He tells her to get a hold of me at work and call whoever I need to with CMS and get something done ASAP!!! He was feeling terrible. Plus, I guess he thinks i'm a miracle worker???? So, I leave work, come home, find the number of the person I spoke with the other day from CMS (George Lewis, who was very helpful by the way) and attempt to get in touch with him. He's not available i'm told. Would I like to leave a message? I said no, I need to speak with someone immediately, this is an emergency. Within 10 minutes, Mr. Lewis called me. I told him the situation. He said he was in front of Varner and would check it out right now. He called me back within 20 minutes, told me that my fiancee was suppose to be getting checked out at 6 this evening by the medical staff (this was at 4:30) but he told them (whoever 'them' is) to get him in to see someone NOW, just 'in case' this was an emergency. He told me he would call back and keep me posted of the situation at some point tomorrow.
My fiancee's mom said that he would call her back around 8:30 tonight and see what I had found out. I work 2nd shift so I wouldn't have been here to get his call. So, my fiancee called his mom tonight and told her that he did get to see medical staff. When the nurse checked his sugar, it was so high, it was undreadable!!! Imagine that! Finally, after digging through his medical file, she found on the very last page that OHHHHHH!!! Guess what!!! He IS suppose to have two insulin shots a day! He received his second insulin shot and is sugar finally dropped to a normal level again. PHEW, what a relief!
Sorry, this wasn't 'brief' as I first said. But I hope that they continue to keep giving him the proper insulin and the sugar checks. This has been such a nightmare. It's hard enough when our loved ones are home and get sick, much less when they're so far away and sometimes I feel totally helpless.
Just wanted to share with all of you. At least, this worked out...this time :)

Wowee, Peaches I am glad they finally got to read that he indeed is suppose to get two shots a day. Unbelievable what our loved ones with health problems have to go through. I am glad you had the determination and stamina to stick with it until you got satisfaction. Hurray for you. I know your fiancee is very happy and grateful to you.

Thanks babygirl, it's amazing what we have to go through in order to accompish things that should never have become an issue to begin with.
My fiancee better be grateful or i'll be kicking his a$$, lol
Hope you are doing well. :)

Wowee, Peaches I am glad they finally got to read that he indeed is suppose to get two shots a day. Unbelievable what our loved ones with health problems have to go through. I am glad you had the determination and stamina to stick with it until you got satisfaction. Hurray for you. I know your fiancee is very happy and grateful to you.

I have a feeling there are some lazy nurses who don't want to do the finger sticks. What if his sugar level was at 80, but the nurse didn't bother to check him, and gave him the insulin? I'm sure their policy & procedure manual says they are to perform a finger stick prior to giving insulin. Sheesh, we learned that in nursing school.

I know that there are alot of medical staff that have the attitude that, if these inmates were on the outside, they wouldn't be so concerned about their medical care as they are on the inside. So, I think that's how the nurses/doctors try to justify their treatment, or lack of.

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned the man's name with CMS was George Lewis. I was wrong. His name is George Wilson. Trying to keep up with all these names gets to be confusing...sometimes I forget who I am,lol.

I'm not sure what the policy & procedure manual says but Mr. Byus told me that when an inmate goes to pill call that they can request a finger stick. Apparently, it's not an automatic thing they do every time. Sometimes I get so confused trying to figure all this out. But either way, there should be no reason for any diabetic not to get a finger stick when requested.

I know from experience with my fiancee how crucial those finger sticks are. It could be the difference between life and death in some cases.

Excessive blood sugar (BS) can cause necrosis of the limbs and kidneys. Inadequate BS causes extreme sweating, stupor, malaise, glassy eyes, and death. BS should be checked at least daily. Most diabetics have a sliding scale, which prescribes dose within a graph of standard dosages. The diabetic has a normal dose such as 3U Humalin or whatever a number of times per day.
The diabetic client has a finger stick for evaluation of their BS. Should the client feel abnormal, a BS is ordered for level evaluation while dose is prescribed accordingly. Sorry for your boyfriend's incident of medical urgency, which should receive attention for urgent correction. 38 Special

38special, I agree, BS should be checked at least daily. Like I was told, if they do not do that at his unit, then he can request a check when he feels his sugar is out of whack.
Luckily, he did receive immediate attention but i've wondered how long it would have taken if he didn't have someone out here in the free world to help along with the process. I'm just glad he's doing ok.
Thank you for your insight and for your advice.
peaches

Like I posted the other day, my fiancee was to be seen on Thursday as soon as I spoke with the person from CMS. I just talked to him earlier today and asked him when he got seen on Thursday. He told me it was 9 pm!!!! First, he was SUPPOSE to be seen at 6 pm. BUT, CMS guy told me he was to be seen ASAP, like NOW, when I spoke to him. It was 4:30 pm when I talked to CMS guy and he gets in to see someone at 9??? How crazy is that? I'm so angry!!!! :angry: Will be talking to someone tomorrow. I'm just so SICK OF THIS S**T!!!! UGH UGH UGH. Ok, had to vent.
peaches

Peaches you saved his life!! And this George Wilson... wow!! IF you don't mind, I'd like to personally send him a thank you letter. My dad was a diabetic too, so i can sympathize, and i'm just so touched that SOMEONE actually slapped ADC upside the head to get the man help! HONEY whooo you goooooo!! :bow:

I don't know about saving his life. I just get so infuriated, as you all well know by now, that they are toying with his condition. Oh and also, he is back on his Humalin R (don't know if I spelled that right or not) three times a day. He told me though that his sugar gets low in the evening. He can tell his without finger checks.
Julie, feel free to send a thank you letter. May even send one myself. I just can't believe it took until 9 pm to get him in to see someone in the infirmary, that's just ridiculous.

Peaches PM me his address please. thanks

Hello! I know this post isnt about "finger sticks" but I wanted to post that my hubby is also having trouble with getting medical help in the unit he is in! A couple years ago he had a hernia that required surgery to correct. He now, since going into the ADC has developed another hernia that causes him severe pain almost constantly. He has put in requests to see a "dr" or whatever they have there and has been told his condition isnt serious enough to get help for and after repeated request and lots of pain, they have given him a brace of some sort to wear that is supposed to help but, its not helping (surprise surprise!) He has to wear it for a little while before "they" (whoever they are) will consider doing anything else like surgery (which is what he needs and the only thing that will fix it)! I am soo aggravated that they arent doing anything and he is left to hurt with not even anything to help ease the pain. (He receives Advil for the pain which wont get rid of a headache much less pain from a hernia!) I just wish they would the surgery and get it over with so he wont hurt anymore! Do you think this is something I should contact Constituant (Spelling?) about? I am aggravated at everything I guess and the thought that he is in there and no one is taking care of him just makes me soo mad! What do U think I should do?

Michelle, YES call Constituent Services today!!!!!

Michelle, definitely call Constituent Services and if that doesn't help, try contacting CMS (Correctional Medical Services). If you need to know how to get in touch with either of those places, ask. I've had a lot of assistance from people on PTO that were extremely helpful.