2/14 | Moose | AMPS = 86, +2 = 73, PMPS = 76, +2 = 71

Good morning, kitties and beans! Happy Valentine's!

Link to yesterday's condo.

Moosey is just surfing right along. No complaints here! He was begging for fuds all last night a few hours after dinner. He was all over DBF because he had chicken wings! I wanted to feed him a snack, but was hesitant because of his pukey episodes with the snacks over the weekend.

Big hugs and head bumps to all kitties and beans! Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

 

Moose is looking good. Love the Valentine's Day card.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

+2 = 73

 

Need to vent a little bit...

I went to Walmart this morning because I used the last test strip (I know...I need to keep extras stocked...I was waiting for payday - which is today - in order to stock up on supplies)

Anyway, I had a little time before work (and before dropping my car off at the shop) so I stopped by the Walmart that is on my way to work. This is the Walmart that I have been purchasing Relion Test Strips (and the new Relion Confirm meter that I had to buy when Moose puked on the old one) for the past three weeks (generally buying a pack of 50 test strips once a week). Needless to say, I bought them out of all of their Relion Confirm supplies!! (well, meter and test strips that is.) They had zero meters or test strips left. Not even the 100 ct or 25 ct box...

Is it odd that in the three weeks that I have been there, they haven't restocked these items once? I guess I don't really know how often companies stock their pharmacies...but had this been an emergency I would have been in big trouble! I don't even think that other people were buying these test strips/meters either. I specifically remember on my first visit there to purchase the Relion test strips noticing that there was only one Relion Confirm meter for sale (at the time I had contemplated buying a back up and was going to get it) and only a couple of boxes of the 50 ct. Relion test strips (they didn't have the 25 ct or 100 ct at all). I know that I was the one to purchase most if not all of those supplies...

Sorry, just felt that was really odd.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you couldn't get more test strips at that Walmart, is there another Walmart you can get some from?

 

Yes there is another Walmart about 15 minutes away from my work. I didn't have time to stop at that one also before work but I will stop on my way home. I'll buy the 100 ct box if they have them. I just ordered some backup strips for the Bayer Contour online as well, but they won't get to me until next weekend.

 

I'm sorry I don't mean to be a complainer, just having an off morning so it was the cherry on top of the cake. I know that I should be better prepared, but funds have been tight lately so I had to wait until payday to stock up.

 

No, we have all been in that boat before. We know what it is like.

 

My Wal-Mart's here have only one box of stripes out for each kind, in one of those plastic security boxes. The pharmacist has more, so if I am looking to buy more than one box, i have to wait in line. I guess theft of them is high in FL. In NH they were on the shelves regularly.

 

Good Morning Rae! My Walmart does the same thing ; they don't stock their shelves with much Relion test strips. But, my Walmart have a supply behind the pharmacy counter. I have to ask the pharmacy attendants to get them for me. Maybe a call into you Walmart to see if that's the case with them as well.

 

Interesting, it does seem to depend on the demographic of the area. I wonder if it would depend on which area you are in Florida?

The Wal Mart that I normally go to (the one I was talking about above) is in what I would consider a "bad area", but they do not have the strips in security box. However, the Walmart closer to my work which is in a much nicer area, they DO have them in a plastic security box (and they have a lot more in stock!)

Very good point about the pharmacist having more. The pharmacy wasn't open when I went this morning, but I will check next time I go. Maybe they are all behind the pharmacy counter, considering that theft is likely high at this store.

Thank you!

 

Good morning Bobbie!

I feel silly for not evening considering that! I don't go to the pharmacy counter at this particular Walmart anymore because they always give me a really difficult time about buying the syringes...they told me that I absolutely need to have my insulin prescription filled at their pharmacy for me to purchase the syringes there...I hope that they won't be that way about the test strips, but I will be sure to ask next time that I go! Thank you!

I sent an e-mail to Walmart about if they would restock the strips, so hopefully their response will include that they sell the strips behind the counter.

 

That's ridiculous!

 

Happy Valentine's Day! The card is awesome.

I've found the same thing at my Wal Mart and have never considered asking if they have more behind the counter. So thanks for bringing this up!

 

They shouldn't give a hard time about the stripes since you dont need a prescription for them.

What part of FL are you in? Jacksonville can be shady, so I don't blame them for being locked up LOL

 

Very true! But you don't need a script for insulin syringes either and they did give me a hard time about those.

Oh I'm not in FL, I'm in Baltimore, Maryland. It's pretty shady here, haha! But we've gone 10 days without any murders, which is a world record for Baltimore so maybe things are looking up LOL

 

Syringes are prescription-only in NY state. A couple times I had to take advantage of a policy that lets you buy 10 at a time w/o prescription (I didn't realize at first that I was really going to need syringes with half-unit markings, and then another time I'd just plain run out). One pharmacy was very nice when I did the OTC thing, the other one I will not go to to this day because they were so unpleasant (gave me a pile of materials about the hazards of IV drug use, made me fill out a form and sign my name, generally treated me like I was a criminal trying to get one over on them).

 

Oh my goodness, that it completely ridiculous! I understand (to an extent) why a prescription is needed...however handing someone materials on drug use and having them fill out a form is overkill! Those people who are intent on getting syringes to use for drugs will find a way...whether or not they are handed reading materials and have to sign a form. But those of us who just want to take care of our kitties (or in the case of human diabetics, themselves) it makes it that much more difficult!

 

PMPS = 76

 

That is absurd, wrong, and against the law! The state of Maryland does not require a prescription to buy syringes, you only have to show identification and proof of need (which could be a note from your vet confirming a diabetes diagnosis or show them a copy of an insulin prescription). Proof of need, by the way, could be "prevention of disease" so even I.V. drug users should be able to purchase needles, and they obviously aren't getting their drugs from Walmart!

I would ask to speak to a manager and go up the chain of command if the person who told you that was a manager. Perhaps bring a printout of state law with you. That is just wrong and I can't stand that you or anyone else should have to go out of your way or bend over backwards to get OTC medical supplies, close to home and for your cat when it's well within the law for you to do so, without a prescription, and without filling a prescription at their pharmacy. It's happened to more than just you on this forum, and the more of us that are willing to educate our pharmacists so it doesn't happen to the next person, the better.

Sorry you had to deal with that ignorance.

 

Sorry you've had such a hassle with the pharmacy at Wal-Mart. If you have the money, you can order the test strips online and have them shipped to your home.

 

Thank you so so much for that info! I honestly had never looked up the law for this before, and have had this happen on more than one occasion. Once on Christmas I ran out of syringes (the only time that I have completely run out and didn't have any backups, had to be on the day when all stores were closed!) The only store that was not closed was the CVS about 20 minutes away from me. When I got to the counter, they said they could not sell the insulin syringes to me. I went home, grabbed the bottle of Lantus, and went back. They still refused to sell me the syringes even after I brought the bottle of Lantus in. Very frustrating

Thank you again for the info, I will go well prepared next time and ask to speak to a manager if needed!

 

It's alright, no worries I do have the money now, and did order some Bayer Contour strips for the extra meter that I have (50 ct. pack of Bayer Contour strips was only $12 online through Walmart third party distributor, so even better price than the Relion!) but I admit I need to stop waiting until the last minute, that is my fault. I usually can't wait for the amount of time that it takes to ship them.

 

+2 = 71

 

Blimmin' jobs worths. They are the same the world over.