No benefit of self-testing for type 2

[TopCat_999]

As a type 2 diabetic, I have been told that I should try and keep by Blood Glucose below 7! If I don't self test how do I know what the current value is? If I don't know what my BG is then how can I control it and keep it below 7

 

[noblehead]

Yer **** right TC,

It is beyond believe, it really is!

Regulat testing is as important to type 2's as it is to type 1's. There is no way of controling this condition without regular testing...............that is a FACT!

Nigel

 

[pinklush11]

I self test. Don't know what I would do without it. I came off my medication after losing 3 stone. Was getting alot of low readings. Now I manage my Diabetes. But they don't like giving the strips out very often.

 

[cyclopse180]

Being a type 2 diabetic on diet control only i need to self monitor
last time i went to see the dietician i was told to do my blood sugar 2 hours after every meal but the doctor would not agree to perscibe the strips until he had spoken to the dietician as NHS methods are now no self monitoring

so therfore yet again left hand disagrees with the right

 

[Graham1441]

Seems to me it`s just the USA trying to save money just like our goverment at the expence of peoples health.
I will continue to test even if i dont not get strips from doctor.
It`s my health and I will test if i want to.
Graham 1441:twisted: :twisted:

 

[Janieb]

This really annoys me I'll be taking up again with my docs - I'm type 2 on diet only but in order to understand what my bodys doing and to help me loose weight I've been funding my own meter/strips.

Its pricey and I cant test after every meal because of the price but it definately helps me and my levels are now mostly below 6. So I am expecting my next assessment in march to be really good and hoping to come off the high collestrol tablets.

I dont think these people understand how we feel .

 

[Graham1441]

I get mine because i drive a 7.5 tonne van if you drive even your own car , tell doc you do long distance traveling and you may get some.
Graham1441 :twisted: :twisted:

 

[TheTartanPimpernel]

I have not regularly checked my BG levels for some time yet my latest HbA1c (last week) was 5.6. I would argue that testing over a longer term it is not as essential as some might have us believe. After diagnosis I tested twice per day only and within a relatively few months reduced my BG and HbA1c to levels which are ore than acceptable largely by simple portion control.

However, I have a friend who has been diabetic for about 20 years. He tests every day. He tests at the same time every day - 10.30. Why? Because when he goes for his 6 monthly HbA1c he always makes his appointment to have blood taken at 10.30. He considers that the value in daily monitoring is in comparing his last HbA1c with his daily test - and when challenged on that logic will not hear otherwise. His use of the results is simplistic to say the least. If it is higher, then perhaps it will be a few less biscuits tomorrow. If its lower, then lets push the boat out and have a treat or two. How many others I wonder are similarly wasting resources.

 

[sweetsatin]

Only been diagnosed with T2 since April 2009 Diet controlled.
My Gp is at the moment prescribing me testing strips x2 bottles per month.
But recently told me i should not be testing as T2's don't have hypo's Grrrr....sooo wrong!!!
My replie was....It's cheaper to test than to be treated later on through bad controll/ no control through no fault of our own. what has already been said here by most of you good people.
If i didn't test i would be up the creek without a paddle so to speek.
I too have had the odd hypo & without testing i wouldn't know weather my BG'S were high or low.
The symptons are almost the same.
My Gloucose monitor is now my best friend, without it i have no control of my condition.
We are the only ones that know our bodies & yes we do need to test for peace of mind as well as good control.

 

[T2forever]

As a patient myself, I was stopped by my GP from testing myself about 2 years ago, and since then I have not self tested ever.
At the time I stopped testing, I had reduced my HBA1C from 9.4 initial diagnosis down to 6.8 to 7.1 range using only Metformin and diet as my glyceamic control. Since then my HBA1c has ranged from 7.8 to 8.6, and is slowly rising. My medication now comprises 1500 mg Metformin, with Pioglipizide and a glicizide added to the regime.

When I was testing, I did experiments on my food intake, and determined that I was not severely affected by grains or pulses or potatoes, i.e. starch, but was extremely sensitive to monosodium glutamate and dairy products. That was how I reduced my BGL level using diet, and it worked.
When my doctor told me to stop, I lost heart in controlling my disease, and went on 'holiday' with my diet. So now I am almost back where I started.

I think that self testing is very important, and can make significant difference to the outcome. It is not suitable for all, but some of us would like to use this technique to experiment with our disease management, and act proactively.

For my own edification, I discovered that chromium, zinc, and vitamin B1 added to my diet were benficial. I discovered that cinnamon, selenium, Omega 3, and some other quack remedies being touted on the web did nothing for me except empty my pocket. I was about to start investigating CQ10 enzymes, but the doctor stopped that trial in its tracks.

Although I did try recently to enquire about starting self testing again, I was told quite categorically that the PCT only supports those on insulin. Since test strips are not available OTC, I am unable to even contemplate it.
Mike

 

[T2forever]

I think a lot of T2 patients would invest in testing if the strips were readily available over the counter at the chemist, as a consumable. I have made enquiries at the local chemists, and I can get strips if I order them specially, but they are very expensive, and there is an MOQ of 500 strips per order. At around £50 per pak of 100, that is significant outlay, and the strips have a relatively short shelf life.
If the NHS wanted to reduce their outlay for this activity, surely they could subsidise the consumables or use their bulk purchasing power to provide them at lower cost, say, through the GP practice.

Mike

 

[sugarless sue]

What test meter are you using ?

 

[Dalekkiller]

A couple of years ago, my GP started to put his foot down over test strips and told me I should only be testing myself once a week. In this time, my HbA1C has steadily risen which is not good news for him financially as (so I've been told) he gets more money if I reach certain targets. When my medication was changed in September, the consultant told me to test twice a day to make sure I wasn't going too low or too high.

Admittedly, I'm not good at sticking to this but when I do, I'm able to make an informed decision about what to eat which is a good thing. As far as I'm aware, the NICE guidelines on testing for type 2s are only guidelines and should be considered on a case by case basis. After a friend took up my case for me, my GP is now happy to prescribe strips as he now knows that I will use the results to help myself.

 

[pth1145]

When originally diagnosed as Type 2 in 2000, my GP wanted to immediately prescribe about six medications, which I refused and have been controlling reasonably with diet & exercise ever since. Initially, I was prescribed urine strips, but since I have a high renal threshhold for sugar, I went on to daily testing with blood samples. A year ago the local surgery told me that this was ineffective and I now have to buy my own strips & lancets or rely on the half-yearly HbA1c!

It is, of course, possible to self-test HbA1c, at a retail cost of about £10 a time and I have tried the kits out. They work fine, but my GP won't (of course) prescribe them.

It is the self-disciplinary aspect of self-testing that is the main benefit. If my 6 a.m. test is above 7 mmol/l , then I know that I need to keep a careful eye on what I eat/drink and how much exercise I take. I don't have hypos or hypers and I can keep an eye on my general level of control in a non-stressful manner.

The problem with the NHS (or one problem, anyway) is that they have lost the plot. They cannot cure diabetes, thay do not know what causes it, they can only provide palliative remedies which generally don't have any long term benefits, they are in thrall to the pharmaceutical companies and cannot see further than pill-pushing and they are incredibly patronising from start to finish!

Before the synthesis of insulin, diet & exercise was the main way of treating all types of diabetes. When it first became available, insulin was precribed for every diabetic and his dog and hundreds of thousands died from insulin poisoning! Even now, the methodology applied to the treatment of diabetes is more 'suck it and see', rather than science. The results of the ACCORD trials that resulted in so many deaths that they were stopped short is not encouraging!

It is about time that we - as a body and as individuals - stood up for ourselves and demand to be treated as individual patients and not as irritants to busy GPs, who would rather flog useless flu vaccines than practise medicine!

 

[Graham1441]

I beg to differ but ANY decent chemist stocks test strips and are avalable over the counter, at a price.
I know because when i was first told i bought a meter on the way home.
Graham 1441 :twisted: :twisted:

 

[libra201055]

This infuriates me sooooooo much - without testing and adjusting my diet I would/could not have the A1c I have now.

WE SHOULD HAVE THE CHOICE - There are many T2's who do not want to know and just accept everything they are told, but there are also a growing number of us who WANT to take and control and minimise problems in the future - we should be allowed to test if that is what we want to do AND given adequate tools to manage our condition.

 

[libra201055]

Re purchasing test strips - I understand they are available directly from manufacturers at a much lower price than over the counter.

 

[suffolkboi61]

I have just been given 50 freestyle lite test strips on prescription but have been told only test twice a week, so went onto ebay and got 100 for £22.95.
This is the only course of action there is if I want to test enough to find the right foods for me.

 

[baggyba]

I am a type 2 diabetic i self test 1 or 2 times a week normally to keep a guide of how things are going . More often than not i go hyperglycemic the only way to confirm this is to self test . Thed people who say their is no benefit do not have to live with dizzyspells or any form of neuropathy . I wonder how many type 2's have been diabetic from their teens and only jus found out a long time after . I firmly believe a well controlled blood glucose level is easier to achieve by self testing , as it gives you a better insight on how different types of food affect you . After all we are all individuals and what will affect one will not neccessarily affect another .

 

[jrhodes]

I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN TOLD TO STOP ALL MY TESTING BY MY GP,I HAVE HAD TYPE 2 DIABETES NOW FOR ABOUT 7 YEARS.ITAKE METFORMIN 850MG X2 A DAY.I USED TO TEST AT DIFFERENT TIMES DURING A WEEK,BUT IT WAS STOPPED BECAUSE MY GP SAID THAT THE READINGS WERE NOT CORRECT THE ONLY WAY TO GET AN ACCURATE READING IS THROUGH A BLOOD TEST.