Laughed at for wanting test strips

[bopeep12300]

I received a free Onetouch meter & a few strips & lancets with it to get me going. I went to my GP today & explained I would like to be prescribed strips as I was experiencing hypo like symptoms & needed to test my bg to see if my levels actually were low.
She said Metformin doesn't cause hypos. To which I replied, they may not cause them but it is possible to experience them whilst on Metformin. She actually laughed & said I was only type 2 & only newly diagnosed so I don't need to test. I quoted the Nice guidelines & she said Nice only recommend testing if you're on insulin. Then I told her it says medication, not just insulin & Metformin was a medication.
She sat there & actually laughed at me as if I was stupid. I'm fuming. How dare she?

 

[2christine]

buy your own, be in charge of your own health. GP sounds nasty.

 

[Andy12345]

grrr, ....... just grrrrrrr

 

[2131tom]

She sat there & actually laughed at me as if I was stupid. I'm fuming. How dare she?

If it's a group practice, I wouldn't put up with it and I'd ask to change my GP.

 

[CollieBoy]

She sat there & actually laughed at me as if I was stupid. I'm fuming. How dare she?

If it's a group practice, I wouldn't put up with it and I'd ask to change my GP.

I may be a stirrer but I'd get some <4 readings , confront her and ask her if she was a liar or just incompetent! :twisted:

 

[douglas99]

She sat there & actually laughed at me as if I was stupid. I'm fuming. How dare she?

If it's a group practice, I wouldn't put up with it and I'd ask to change my GP.

I may be a stirrer but I'd get some <4 readings , confront her and ask her if she was a liar or just incompetent! :twisted:

How?

I'm on metformin, and as far as I'm aware you can't go low on that med.

(I am prescribed a meter and test strips, due to different meds in the past, and a good practice that knows I use them to test for control of carbs that spike me, getting good control of my HbA1c and working at heights and driving, even though strictly by the book I shouldn't be as I'm off gliclazides now - nothing is simple)

 

[IanD]

Your Dr is obvious not one you can trust with your condition. I suggest you ask local pharmacists to suggest drs who are likely to help, & you understand diabetes.

I'm T2, 13 years diagnosed, was advised from the outset to test, & have always been prescribed test strips - about 3 a day.

The dr's annual test - HbA1c - measures the average blood glucose for the past 2-3 months & gives NO indication of highs & lows, hypos or hyper episodes. You can have an acceptable HbA1c & still suffer complications - I did at about 6.8% (whatever that is in today's units - I strongly objected to the change as it is easy to relate the old % unit to the self tests.)

I was testing overnight - fasting every morning & I could see a trend - up to about 7.3 when I was becoming crippled with muscle pains. Actually self-testing without good info as to what to do with the results did not prevent several problems. Only when I learnt from this forum about low carb diet did I gain good control, with fasting readings around 6.2.

I also found that instead of measuring 2 hours after the recommended carb meals - normally with an acceptable BG of about 8, measuring 1 hour after could give a high reading - in the teens, which would fall over the next hour & keep falling to around 4 - near hypo. That meant my "acceptable" HbA1c was an average of extremes, that would never show to the dr.

Changing to low carb, I get a one hour reading of around 7-8, & a 2 hour of 5-6 & by the next meal is still around 5.

Only by testing can we find how different foods affect our BG through the day. And only by testing can we know we are safe to drive, or need a snack (I favour cheese or nuts - particularly a nut-cake I make, using ground almonds & other powdered nuts & seeds instead of normal flour - & of course no sugar.

Hope that helps.

 

[bopeep12300]

How?

I'm on metformin, and as far as I'm aware you can't go low on that med.

(I am prescribed a meter and test strips, due to different meds in the past, and a good practice that knows I use them to test for control of carbs that spike me, getting good control of my HbA1c and working at heights and driving, even though strictly by the book I shouldn't be as I'm off gliclazides now - nothing is simple)[/quote]



I don't know if it def is hypo. But I never got these symptoms before I started Metformin. I've read differing opinions on wether you can get a hypo while on them or not. That's why I want to be able to test, so I can see what my levels actually are when it happens.
If I can't test how will I know? :eh:

 

[CollieBoy]

I may be a stirrer but I'd get some <4 readings , confront her and ask her if she was a liar or just incompetent! :twisted:

How?

I'm on metformin, and as far as I'm aware you can't go low on that med.

(I am prescribed a meter and test strips, due to different meds in the past, and a good practice that knows I use them to test for control of carbs that spike me, getting good control of my HbA1c and working at heights and driving, even though strictly by the book I shouldn't be as I'm off gliclazides now - nothing is simple)

I'm in a similar situation Ex insulin & Ex Glic, now on Diet & Exercise and exerting myself (physically or mentally) I can drive my BGs down into the 3's so you can go into hypo territory on D&E or metformin.

 

[munday1932]

I am diet controlled but my gp asked me if I had,any hypos but she has diabetics in her family so understands.

 

[stokenorth]

My GP is the same he will not prescribe testing strips. It is the same with the other 5 GPs in the practice, they will only prescribe testing strips for Insulin users. All though I don't agree with it I buy my own. I really don't test as often as I should for this reason. My sisters GP in the next village does prescribe them for her. I have a sister and late brother who are (was) on Insulin and my sister and myself are on medication. We are a diabetic family it seems.

 

[Zoe666]

my mum takes metformin and gliclizide and she still has hypo's. mind you, stupid woman forgets to eat sometimes so...

 

[Daibell]

There have been occasional posts on the forum with Metformin users having hypos but it's rare and even non-medication users can have hypos. You can get cheaper strips on the web including some sites which will not charge VAT. You can even use eBay as long as you check end-dates. The morality of the latter is questionable as they are mostly ex-prescription, but it's your choice if short of cash.

 

[mrcreosote]

Type 2, no meds (for the diabetes) but definitely a bit prone to hypos

Pointless talking to my doctor about testing. My last diabetic "review" took less than 30 seconds and I kept my socks on - once he saw the HBa1C was good couldn't get me out of the room fast enough.

It seems self evident that testing is the only way you are going to have enough info to change what and when you eat to smooth out the peaks and troughs.. Even if your overall BG control is good you want to avoid the bad days if you can. You're stuck with the condition for the rest of your life so why wouldn't you want to minimize the effects - not a point of view that seems understood by a lot of Drs. (sorry, in danger of going off on a rant)

I'm quite selective about when I test. Now I have identified what most of the food I regularly eat does to my BG I only test if I change my diet or routine

The Codefree meter is cheap and more importantly the test strips are just over a quarter of the price of most other brands and you don't have to worry about where they came from. Got the meter and 50 test strips for less than the cost of 50 test strips for my Freedom lite meter You can get them VAT free on amazon. First few tests I also did with my old meter and all results were consistent. So it was a good solution for me.

 

[CollieBoy]

Pointless talking to my doctor about testing. My last diabetic "review" took less than 30 seconds and I kept my socks on - once he saw the HBa1C was good couldn't get me out of the room fast enough.

You're lucky to get a doctor!
Most of us are palmed off on "Nursie Nightshade" the practice nurse.

 

[Lenny3]

I've never actually spoken to a doctor about my diabetes, unless it was to remind them when I see them about somethng else. But my Nursie is FAB, I love her I guess I'm lucky there. My 1st one was awful, stick thin horrid woman suggested after following nhs advice for 6 months and not losing a pound, that I should 'just go and get a gastric band' !!!!!!!! So next time I booked an appointment I said that I would not see her again!

 

[mrs gimli]

My docter this morning also said no need to test as they would do it every three months ..was not happy with the answers as lots of questions I asked were just fobbed of with oh yes its your diabeities..no clue as to how to fix it (the other probs not the diabeties )

 

[2christine]

my mum takes metformin and gliclizide and she still has hypo's. mind you, stupid woman forgets to eat sometimes so...

you don't get a mum for life , do look after her, she is precious xx

 

[tonyS54]

Once I got off glic my doc took strips off prescription and said metformin does not cause hypo's, I did plead my case but he would not budge and quoted from the drug company's information leaflet to prove his case.

I don't need to test as much these days but having to buy strips is an expense I could do without.

 

[Thommothebear]

My doc understands and in fact warned me that it is entirely possible to have hypos on metformin only if you are doing lots of exercise, especially endurance stuff. The amount of exercise I do means my body does not always react fast enough and I can go quite low with the usual symptoms. I dont have to do anything much about it though as my liver does get the idea eventually and dumps, but for a few minutes I can be collapsed in a heap, has happened a couple of time now, fortunately I can tell when its happening now and prevent it as falling off my bike is painful.