Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like to waste money. Well, who does? Then it may come as a surprise to hear that I've essentially just asked my endo if it's OK for me to throw $25 down the tubes.

You see, for about the last six weeks or so I've been battling some terrible, terrible seasonal allergies that are completely wrecking my blood sugar. I haven't been able to exercise in more than two weeks because my numbers were so unpredictable that I was getting very frustrated with still getting high numbers after my daily walk when normally my walk offers a drop in blood sugar or a stabilization of it.

I got so pissed off at diabetes and allergies that instead of waiting for Byetta to slowly bring a high down I broke open one of my remaining two pens of Novolog. Against my doctor's advice to take Byetta and Novolog together because it might cause a low, I took conservative amounts of Novolog with meals or if I had a treat. It was helping. And I felt better know I had more control.

And then, one day last week I noticed something floating in my Byetta pen. It was too soon for a refill, so I called the insurance company to explain the situation. They said they'd get it taken care of in a few hours. Well, that didn't happen. And it was a Friday. So I spent the whole weekend on nothing but Novolog and Metformin. It felt so much better to be able to correct ridiculous highs and to enjoy a meal out with my family without worrying about how many days the high would last afterward.

So where does the wasted $25 come in? I was finally able to get the new Byetta pen on Monday and took my first dose on Tuesday morning. I still kept the Novolog pen in my purse for "emergencies," but was trying to give the Byetta another chance to deal with my blood sugar and horrendous allergies. But my allergy meds weren't working either (can't I catch a break??!!), so I begged my doctor for something stronger. I'm now inhaling two different kinds of nasal sprays that are actually helping me breathe! However, it throws my blood sugar into more of a tizzy than the allergies alone did.

Last night I took one of the nasal sprays, checked my sugar (135) and went to bed. This morning's fasting was 188. And, no, I don't suffer from dawn phenomenon. I e-mailed my endo this morning to basically say "I give up." I told him I was letting the Byetta go until allergy season is over. That same Byetta pen that has only been used a handful of times. That I can't give or sell to someone else since I've already used it. That I can't keep until ragweed goes dormant for the winter.

A small price to pay, I suppose, for better blood sugar.