Test strip issues.............

[SJay]

Hi

I was diagnosed with type 1 in December 2009, not the 30th birthday present I was hoping for!!!! I am obviously still new to this and new to the site too but am after a bit of advice please.

My biggest issue is the amount of test strips that i am going through and the last time i went to the doctors to renew my prescription i was told that the 100 strips i am issued with at a time should last me about a month. I told my doctor that i am checking when i wake up, 2 hours before and after meals and before bed and he told me that i don't need to check it 2 hours after my food as if it is too low i will know about it and if it is too high there is nothing i can do about it anyway.

As I am still trying to get into a routine i need to check it as regularly as possible, i have also started running again which means checking before and after training and closely monitoring it for the rest of the day, it can also effect my levels the following day. I also do shift work which also has an effect. I am easily getting through 100 test strips in 2 weeks.

I just wondered if anybody else has had similar issues with their doctor restricting test strips and if my doctor can refuse to renew my prescription if i have used them all up?

Any advice would be muchly appreciated.

Thanks

SJ

 

[sorefinger]

just had my hands smacked for testing tooooooo much..have been told to only do 5 a day. so 100 for the month sounds about right as its all about cost,at 27.99 for a box of 50 and some packs of 10 come in at 34.99 for some meters. looks like most of use ,if we want anymore will be on ebay for them... :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[noblehead]

SJay,

Insist that your gp gives you the required amount of test strips to enable you to monitor and control your condition within the recommended guidelines, tell him/her that you do not want to run the risk of developing unnecessary complications due to these restrictions. Also remind your gp that you are using insulin to treat your diabetes, and do not wish to have repeated hypo's due to not knowing what your bg levels are at, which could result in injury or worse to yourself.

I use 200 test strips every 4 weeks, to date I have never had any issues with my gp on the amount he prescribes.

Good luck!

Nigel

 

[donnellysdogs]

Your diabetic consultant can write to your GP and tell him the qty of blood strips that you need. My GP would not prescribe the qty I need, and I was under the GP care not the hospital. So I asked to be referred to the hospital, and they were spot on and increased my test strip quantitys immediately.

My GP however would only allow me 2 per day, and I wanted 5 per day, but I have been diabetic T1 for 25 years, and this was the first GP (moved 17 times in 25 years, due to moving houses and areas.

If you drive, you need to have enough strips to test before you drive, so this is another reason to have a good quantity available.

You should be able to manage long term without testing 2 hours after a meal everyday, as you gain more experience. I only test 2 hours after meals on odd ocassions now, and I have good control.

 

[iHs]

SJay,

Insist that your gp gives you the required amount of test strips to enable you to monitor and control your condition within the recommended guidelines, tell him/her that you do not want to run the risk of developing unnecessary complications due to these restrictions. Also remind your gp that you are using insulin to treat your diabetes, and do not wish to have repeated hypo's due to not knowing what your bg levels are at, which could result in injury or worse to yourself.

I use 200 test strips every 4 weeks, to date I have never had any issues with my gp on the amount he prescribes.

Good luck!

Nigel

SJay

Phone up your PCT and ask to speak to someone regarding diabetes and teststrip restrictions. Quote them Nigel's reasons for testing and inform them that your GP is failing to adhere to his/her duty of care towards your condition and that should you find yourself in hospital due to hypos or hypers caused by lack of being able to test, you will seek legal help from a solicitor. This will hopefully sort your problem out and your PCT will then give your GP a phonecall with any luck.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

As said in a previous post, speak with your endo, or if you drive it may be worth gently reminding your doctor that the DVLA recommends that you test before you get behind the wheel of a car regardless of the length of journey.

If he/she still refuses you more strips tell him/her that you will hold him/her responsible should you have an accident due to a hypo, see how quicky your doctor then allows you as many as you want

Restricting any diabetic strips is at the very least short sighted but to restrict an insulin dependant diabetic strips is scandalous IMHO

 

[SJay]

Thank you everybody for your help, i feel much happier, I may print the replies off and show my GP. 2 weeks after being diagnosed i was told my the doctors receptionist that i am checking my blood too often!!!!!! I walked out and burst into tears, luckily we have moved house now so i have changed doctors.

Great advice about the driving too, i work for the emergency services so need to be extra careful when driving at high speeds with blue lights, currently suspended from driving in work at the moment but hoping that won't last much longer as my first HBA1C was 5.6 so my consultant was really pleased, as was I. Everybody at the hospital diabetes clinic have been so brilliant its just so frustrating the GP surgeries can't be the same.

Thanks again

 

[johnny37]

Sjay,

I use about two drums per week (100 strips). My gp is completely relaxed about it. My control was never that good so my gp allows me to test as much as I want. I order them on repeat prescription twenty drums at a time. Your lifestyle alone requires you to test much more than the minimum. Dont be intimidated by your gp. BG strips are the single most prescribed item by cost in the NHS budget so they dont want to overprescribe. I changed my attittude to gp's when I found out about their hundred grand salaries, which we pay for. If no result, talk to you consulatant who will certainly be prepared to write to your gp.

 

[sorefinger]

But why are the test strips so expensive in the first place.. when the meters are as cheap as chips :roll:

 

[cugila]

But why are the test strips so expensive in the first place.. when the meters are as cheap as chips :roll:

Because that is how the drug companies make so much money.........give away meters then charge over the odds for test strips. How to make a great profit as without the strips the meters are useless.

Good business I suppose ?

Ken