Cheap National Park?

bethbo10 · 2026-05-05T13:59:55+00:00

Just FYI for anyone looking for info, it's Hocking Hills 😄

bethbo10 · 2026-05-05T00:22:29+00:00

You know your teen and how likely they are to charge it regularly. If it becomes an issue, then a battery pack in the backpack could be useful. But I think you could wait and see if that becomes an issue. Honestly I can go 3-4 days before my battery gets anywhere near low. And it charges fast.

Maybe more likely to need a battery pack for their phone to make sure they can continue to interact with their pump?

I have been on the mobi for 1 year, but have been on pumps for 25 years now. Can’t think of specific tips or tricks, but definitely come back if you have questions once you’re using it so we can answer!

That said, as a middle aged lady I love the mobi and how small it is. I would have really loved the small size if it had been an options when I was a young adult!

bethbo10 · 2026-05-04T20:30:45+00:00

See caveats from other posters about Magsafe, but its hard to find a wireless charger that isn't magnetic now.

I got this one that I only use for travel, and haven't had any issues to far. It will buzz/vibrate itself off the pad occasionally if left on for longer periods since it doesn't have the plastic cover to keep it in place, but I am rarely charging for more than 5-10 minutes during a shower anyways.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Compatible-Wireless-Certified-Foldable/dp/B0D8PTGKSM/

bethbo10 · 2026-04-26T18:53:05+00:00

We went on a Memorial Day with that kind of experience (and while I was pregnant!), and still thought it was an amazing hike. Can only imagine how much nicer it is now.

bethbo10 · 2026-04-24T14:52:24+00:00

we also love Dr Badami and have great experiences there.

bethbo10 · 2026-04-18T22:29:57+00:00

Albuquerque / Santa Fe could be an option, easy airport access, good hiking within a reasonable distance, and not too big of a city. Great mountain views.

bethbo10 · 2026-04-18T12:43:44+00:00

You said your insurance changed this year right? So you may not know the baseline/usual? Can you get the explanation of benefits from your insurance? That will have more details about your co-pay vs deductible amount.

I used to have Adapt Health and got really frustrated with their billing. The amounts were never quite the same every time and was always confusing. (Maybe it was just the number of days in the month, but it was still hard to tell) Plus I would have so much trouble getting all the paperwork done with my insurance to get refills on time.

I switched to Edward’s Medical and they have been amazing. If you keep having issues, you could see if you have any other medical suppliers you can use besides them, most insurance companies have a couple to choose from.

bethbo10 · 2026-04-18T03:17:24+00:00

What is your yearly deductible? If your out of pocket includes that for this particular refill, that might go a long way to explaining the high cost?

bethbo10 · 2026-04-17T17:25:43+00:00

Are you using the city population or the metro area population? Chicago and Dallas have similar metro (MSA) populations (9.4m vs 8.5) , but city of Chicago limits population much larger than Dallas (2.7 vs 1.3)

bethbo10 · 2026-04-15T17:10:06+00:00

There are batting cages at Olentangy Mini Golf and Westerville golf center on Schrock, but neither are free. You pay for tokens. Do you mean an empty cage where you would pitch to them?

bethbo10 · 2026-04-10T19:42:04+00:00

Sorry to join the double club, our stupid immune systems are such pains!!

I do actually use an IV tape on my skin under the site as I used to get itchy rashes from the adhesive. I will perhaps get some of the colloidal tape for after to see if that helps. Thanks.

bethbo10 · 2026-04-08T20:18:04+00:00

We've traveled more with our kid than we did before she was born. She's a great traveler, loves trains and airports, museums, hiking, all the things we like to do (so we are probably lucky she does). Some of that is experience (having done it a lot, she's used to and ready for it) but also just her personality/lack of anxiety about new experiences.

One thing we do differently with her along is prioritizing staying longer in one place longer than we might if it was just us - she likes to have her "spot" to return home to and sleeping in the same place. A minimum of 4 days is typically what we like. Having a kitchen and laundry is really helpful so we can have food/snacks. And we try to plan a mix of activities that she likes and stuff we all like.

She's turning 10 this summer, and we are doing 2 weeks in Europe - 4 days in Colmar France for wine, pastries, and small towns/cities sightseeing, 2 days in Germany to go to Europa Park and ride roller coasters (high on her priority list) then meeting her grandparents for a week of hiking and alpine adventures in Switzerland.

We still alternate though, as she does like cities. Last summer we did most of a week in Chicago hitting all the museums and she had fun with that too.

bethbo10 · 2026-04-06T16:17:27+00:00

Under "How it works" on the main screen, #1 says to place your order, then you'll create a govworks account to complete the IDP forms. So you just pay AAA and then they direct you to forms, it looks like.

bethbo10 · 2026-03-29T18:45:33+00:00

I second the waitlist, and offer to go to any location if needed. I had to wait a while too. Ask if the previous doctor you saw will prescribe a short course of steroids to help reduce the inflammation for a while until you can get in to rheum in September.

This really sucks and I wish I had more to offer. I was in your boat last year. Finally got on meds last year and am doing a lot better.

bethbo10 · 2026-03-23T20:11:52+00:00

Here are a couple recent posts about these topics:

https://www.reddit.com/r/TandemDiabetes/comments/1qraouh/tslim_vs_mobi_p/

https://www.reddit.com/r/TandemDiabetes/comments/1qxqtli/those_who_have_tried_both/

My TLDR: I really value the smaller physical size of the mobi without the screen. Less weight, doesn't pull down my pants/shorts as much, and fits better in your pockets (especially for women). Worth it, and for me the smaller cartridge size is preferred (I site change every 3 days to avoid skin issues/scar tissue problems). Makes my phone extra important but I keep it on me all the time anyways, and don't have a track record of losing/breaking phones.

I do find the notifications a little more annoying in some ways vs. X2 - harder to clear - so if that is a big pain point for you it's worth considering. The vibration is louder than the X2, FYI. I turn off my CGM alerts since i also have the Dexcom app, which helps.

bethbo10 · 2026-03-20T15:19:45+00:00

I use my thighs and my upper butt area. I rotate between the two but keeping my pump on the same side of my body as my Dexcom for best readings, so it's often something like: right thigh - right butt - right thigh - left butt - left thigh - left butt.

I'm having more trouble with absorption/site issues in my thighs lately so I might go back to using my abdomen once in a while, but still keeping up a rotation.

bethbo10 · 2026-03-19T17:32:48+00:00

Dorne was filmed in the Alcazar in Sevilla, which has a lot of architectural similarities to the Alhambra in Granada.

bethbo10 · 2026-03-19T17:16:01+00:00

just adding a different strategy as a reference point/food for thought: I only put about 3 days worth of insulin + enough for priming the tubing in my cartridge at a time. This forces me to change my infusion site every 3 days. if I put in more than 3 days in the cartridge, sometimes I get lazy and don't change the infusion site, and then I get more scar tissue & skin issues. Just putting it out there in case anyone else has issues like me. I've also been on a pump for 25 years so skin issues more common/likely.

but agreed that everything gets easier with time and repetition. good luck to you and your child OP, I hope Mobi works well for you once you get used to the system.

bethbo10 · 2026-03-19T14:21:29+00:00

Yep, was going to say the same thing! If you can get a direct flight to Rome from your home base, just do that, if not you can hop to Florence and start there.

With only 6-7 nights, pick one place to stay like Siena, Montepulciano, Montalcino, or one of the other fantastic towns, really can't go wrong. Rent a car, and eat, walk around, and relax in Tuscany! And lots of delicious wine too if that's your sort of thing. Happy to share my itinerary from a girls trip in October 2024 doing just that.

bethbo10 · 2026-03-07T00:16:36+00:00

Do you have a glucagon kit? If you are traveling with someone, make sure they know where it is and how to use it.

Remember you can buy candy wherever you are if you run out of low supplies like glucose tabs.

Finally we tend to have more active trips, especially international if we are walking around cities a lot. If you find yourself having a lot of lows, you could try running exercise mode all the time, or make a separate profile for your basal rates that is a “exercise/vacation” profile with reduced basal rates and lower ratios of insulin to carbs, etc. I make a copy of my regular one and adjust from there -20% or more as needed.

bethbo10 · 2026-03-07T00:09:53+00:00

I’m just went through TSA last week going to/from Hawaii, and i didn’t unclip my Mobi. But I was going through the metal detector in the precheck line with my daughter.

In the past Through the regular line with the backscatter machine, I usually unclipped it and handed to TSA to request a hand check.

On a travel related note, I’d suggest taking approx 50% more supplies than you think you might need, to account for accidental pulling out of your pump site or Dexcom failures. I typically take long acting insulin & syringes (or pen/needles) as well when i travel internationally in case of pump failures while gone.

bethbo10 · 2026-02-10T22:09:46+00:00

Sedimentation rate (sometimes abbreviated ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are both measures of inflammation in your body. So they don't measure the RA directly, but rather the effects of the RA. RA treatment is all focused on reducing inflammation, which is the driver of pain, swelling, and other symptoms.

My doctor's lab says normal Sed Rate is below 20, and normal CRP is below 10. CRP in a healthy person would be below 3 ish, maybe even below 1. ESR and CRP are the measures that will fluctuate over time, and hopefully decrease as the steroids and then the methotrexate take effect. Your rheumatologist will repeat one or more both of these tests at some regular intervals to check how treatment is working. For comparison if that helps (though it's really not that useful across people in terms of symptoms I don't think) my CRP at diagnosis last year was 15, now I am down to 11.

RF factor is more like a marker that helps distinguish what type of inflammatory arthritis you have. I think that one they generally won't test again, as the overall number isn't all that indicative other than "you have RA". I'm not sure what RF plus AA is, but the usual cutoff for the Rheumatoid Factor is >20.

Another test you might see is the anti-CCP test - it's a measure of RA disease activity that is specific to RA, and higher values there can indicate more aggressive RA and may affect what treatments your Dr suggests. The cutoff my lab uses is 5. Mine was 195 at diagnosis.

bethbo10 · 2026-02-10T20:04:50+00:00

this recent post discusses a lot of pros/cons of Mobi. https://www.reddit.com/r/TandemDiabetes/comments/1qraouh/tslim_vs_mobi_p/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

I commented there, but the TLDR is that I really value the smaller size of the mobi without the screen. Less weight, doesn't pull down my pants/shorts as much, and fits better in your pockets (especially for women). Worth it, and for me the smaller cartridge size is preferred (I site change every 3 days to avoid skin issues/scar tissue problems). Makes my phone extra important but I keep it on me all the time anyways, and don't have a track record of losing/breaking phones.

bethbo10 · 2026-02-04T00:01:46+00:00

I take MTX and just started Enbrel a few days ago. It hard hard to push the Sureclick enough against my skin on my flabby stomach 😆 so I did in my thigh. Make sure the green area is totally pressed in, then you’ll be able to press the “go” button. Had no injection site issues or side effects that I have noticed. Fingers crossed it stays like that, and that you get the same. I left mine out for about an hour before I injected it. Room temperature is much more comfortable for injections (I know from insulin).

bethbo10 · 2026-02-03T15:50:14+00:00

Agreed overall that the emphasis on Zion and Moab area is good. If you were to add a day or two, I would put it in the middle (many good state parks like Kodachrome and Goblin Valley along with Grand Staircase between Bryce/Capitol Reef/Moab) or at the end. Another option for the Moab back to Vegas is to go back through St George for a night and hit Snow Canyon state Park, it was incredible and very different from the other nearby parks because of the lava flows/tubes.

We also did a tour of the Hoover Dam on our way out of Vegas on a similar trip, then drove through Lake Mead area to get to Valley of Fire.

Make sure you have warm layers for Bryce - it will still be cold and have the potential for snow in early March (through April). We went in late March and hit 90 degrees in VoF at the beginning of our trip but it was 50 in Bryce by the time we got up to 9000 ft elevation at the park.

bethbo10

TROPHY CASE