Florence is a public affairs professional, working from home in Wisconsin for a pharmaceutical company. She loves to travel with her husband of nearly 28 years, she enjoys going to the movies and reading a good book, and she is a big foodie. This is her story.
Livongo: Tell us about the story of your diagnosis.
Florence:I was diagnosed in December 2018. I lost my mother 10 years ago and my 57-year-old sister in June 2018, both to diabetes complications. You would think that my family history would put me in the mode of doing something about diabetes, since I was overweight and had prediabetes. In fact, my sister’s passing was very traumatic for me and I developed poor eating habits. When my doctor diagnosed me, he told me if I wanted to survive, I had to manage my diabetes. At that point, my A1c was 11.5%.
Livongo:What is the hardest thing about living with diabetes?
Florence: This might sound weird, but I actually think it’s really the easiest condition to manage. If you have cancer or heart issues, it’s harder to know what’s going on in your body. But I know what I need to do when I see my blood glucose reading.
Livongo: How did you find out about Livongo? What did you think about the program?
Florence: We learned about the program through my husband’s employer. We got a mailer from Livongo, and I signed up in early 2019. Through my health plan, I had to pay about $100 for two vials of test strips, so not having to pay anything for strips was very appealing.
I love that you guys contact me immediately when my numbers get low. When I signed up, I hadn’t realized this would happen. It’s refreshing to know that, if I need help, someone is there for me. Also, the fact that when I am low on supplies, I get a refill right away. And the “Did you know” messages after every glucose reading on the meter are very insightful. The whole Livongo program has been VERY helpful.
Livongo: How is life today? Where do you see things going from here?
Florence: My most recent A1c was 6.5%. Livongo has contributed to help me get to that point.If I didn’t have this program, I wouldn’t be able to check 1-2 times a day and manage the condition the way that I do. I would be on the little crummy meter I was using before and checking my blood glucose sporadically.
My goal is to keep managing my diabetes, lose weight, and eventually get off all meds. I look forward to living longer than my parents or my sister. I want to see my son have children and be a grandmother.
The testimonials, statements, and opinions presented are a pplicable to the individuals depicted or quoted. Each member’s exact results and experience will be unique and individual to each member. The testimonials are voluntarily provided and are not paid.
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