REFUSED TEST MACHINE

[michellekilp]

Hi all, I was diagnosed type 2 approx 18months ago and ever since I have been told that I do not need to have a blood testing machine as I am on Metformin and there is very little chance of me suffering a hypo... I have read on here though that it is important to test before and after meals so that I know which foods my body can tolerate and which ones it cannot. I have also
read that having 'spikes' can cause long term damage and I do not know if I am having these 'spikes' or not. I am going to DN tomorrow for some more fasting blood tests and have made up my mind to ask for machine and strips etc - nothing to lose!!! x

 

[pav]

Unfortunately its a post code lottery to who will or won't provide meters and strips, your reasons are good for wanting to test as otherwise how do you know what's going on within yourself. Recently my BS rocketed up into the 20's and its only by testing can you identify which foods are causing you the problems.

My GP practice does not provide meters, but will provide test strips on prescription, though recently had to justify why I wanted test strips and how come my usage had risen sharply.

Its worth asking for both, if they will provide test strips but not a meter ring one of the suppliers up like abbott medisense, bayer, lifescan etc and they will generally provide you a meter for free.

You may get a answer there's no need to test your levels as the practice test them for you via the HbA1c tests, depending on how frequently they test may also affect the chances of getting a meter.

 

[fit2drop]

I have just come back from the quacks and have now asked the third doctor about test strips, I've told them where I'm at etc.
The response was "we believe type 2 is controlled by having a healthy life style, food, drink and exercise, if you think checking you bloods can help you with those things, then good, that's the choice you are able to make. Type 1 is quite different, then you would be required to test.

Yet another blank.

Phone any manufacture they will be happy to supply a meter FOC

 

[LisaR]

This really worries me. My husband has suggested I write to the Health Minister as I'm constantly moaning about this very problem.
I'm actually type 1, (diagnosed oct 2012, so quite new to all this!) and although I had to buy my monitor, I do get the strips on prescription.
The thing I have a problem with is this; if type 2' s were also given a monitor and told to look out for spikes, particularly after meals and especially after certain foods, it would put them in control and prevent the long term complications of diabetes. This in turn would save the NHS millions of pounds, I know it's not rocket science but when you speaks to a DN about it they imply its not your concern - you're a type 1! You've got what you need etc etc.
One of my husbands relatives has type 2, takes metformin and has a blood test every three months. During this time she basicaly eats whatever she wants, she also takes statins. She has no awareness of how the high sugars will affect her long term.
Am I the only one who feels this way?



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[Yorksman]

This really worries me.
.....
Am I the only one who feels this way?

You've got one part of the health service saying the heart unit at Leeds has a high death rate and should be closed down and another part of the health service saying there is nothng wrong with it and the figures have been falsified. You have another part which is never interviewed on the media which is of the opinion that centralisation is the way to go and patients will just have to travel to Newcastle or lump it and you have the Courts trying to sort out a sorry tale of misinformation as various competing interest groups jockey for position and attempt to get their own way.

I do not hold much for the chances of anyone arguing a rational case for a meter and strips even being listened to.

It's not worth the increase in blood pressure dwelling on the injustice of it. Get a DVD of the episode of Yes Minister entitled, 'The Empty Hospital' and put your feet up and have a laugh. For a taster, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyf97LAjjcY

 

[mo1905]

I agree ! There are probably more T2's than 1's and I actually think it's harder for 2's to control their levels. It's so easy to say diet and exercise but what a sweeping statement. I am type 1 and to be honest, it's not that difficult. I count carbs and inject accordingly. For most type 2's, it's not that easy. I totally agree that it's a false economy. Monitor before the complications set in. One thing I did hear was that the NHS were going to opt for 1 type of monitor only. Thus, getting huge discount on strips etc. i think this makes sense and will hopefully lead to wider distribution.


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[hanadr]

I'm sure NICE has something about newly diagnosed diabetics having education. A meter to teach you which foods push your bg up would qualify as "Education" In my mind. Try that approach. Not many GPs will give strips to established well-controlled diabetics, although I did get some when I had a nasty virus a few weeks back. I buy most of my strips direct from the supplier. It's the cheapest way.
Hana

 

[petite pois]

WOW having read about the difficulty in getting the monitoring machines I realise just how lucky I am to be living in france, no problem getting one and having managed to lose it on a coach just went to the pharmacy and was handed another free of charge and no questions asked.

 

[Thundercat]

Absolute craziness not giving meters and strips to Type 2s. The logic is so flawed it boggles the mind. I live in Ireland and am type 1 and don't actually know what the procedure is here. I was given limited strips (100 per month) which was not nearly enough and tried unsuccessfully to get an increase. They cost €40 so cost is quite prohibitive. Last visit to dr had another attempt at explaining carb/insulin ratios etc and bizarrely (even though he believes in set doses) he agreed to grant 200 per month. Shocked but delighted about this. Said he'd draw the line there as it is crazy to test more than that. The government here randomly change the coverage on meters from pharmacy. Sometimes full price, sometimes tax free other times free. Last couple of meters were free thankfully. It is difficult enough to manage diabetes with a meter so my heart goes out to all who can't get them. How is it medically sound to base treatment on a test conducted every 3 months? As I said, crazy

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[Superchip]

Thank you Yorksman.....

Spot on !

 

[kerrycakes]

I couldnt get a meter, but after speaking to three different dr, i managed to get strips on perscription, as I basically laid it flat to them, I am diagnosed with an eating disorder, and I am trying my dammed hardest to sort myself out after this shock diagnosis, and how do they expect me to have a chance of doing that when i have not eaten properly in over two decades? even then, I pretty much had to beg, but right now I'd beg for anything I thought would help my situation. what would be the point of me trying to get better if they won't help?

 

[joycegill]

I have been diagnosed as type 2 for 17 years.
Last Thursday I went to the hospital for my check up. I explained I needed to cut down on my Metformin because I was going hypo at night. My docs initial reaction was the usual 'you don't go hypo with Metformin'. I showed him my BG monitor results plus my hba1c was only 41 - he had to agree I was going hypo.

The problem is when the docs do their training they are taught certain things as 'truths'. As time goes on more info on medication etc is found but the docs don't always pick up on the new info. This makes it difficult to explain you need to test on a regular basis - ie good self management - I am fortunate I can get regular supplies of strips.

By the way if you go to Diabetes UK they will give you all the legal bits about getting strips on your prescription.

 

[lifesway]

I was diagnosed type 2 taking 2000 metformin a day and 40 simvastatin at night. I was not offered any sort of testing apart from a 3 monthly one. I was pretty much told what I should be eating told to excercise 30mins a day 5 days a week and left to my own devices for these 3 months.I was originally told bs was 13 but how do I know if I'm doing the right thing now??? well I don't I suppose the only way is when my bs was high just sometimes I'd get slightly dizzy so if I don't feel dizzy then perhaps it's ok but really I suppose I could have eaten what on earth I liked and ended up in hospital they wouldn't know for 3 months but do you think they are really bothered???I'll be honest though and say I'm not keen on pricking my fingers each day so I stick my head in the sand for 3 months and hope the next test is better.

 

[ians1]

My wife had been diagnosed Type 2 for more than 10 years before any real testing was done by the GP practice. It was only due to purchasing some bathroom scales at the chemist one day and trying to get a refund and only getting a credit note that we purchased a testing machine. You get 10 free strips with the Roche ones. Anyway, we were away on holiday and took the meter with us, and one day I said maybe you should test your blood to my wife. She said what for? I said that nobody had ever tested her BMs before and it turned out it was 18mmol/l. I tested mine (non diabetic) to check and it was 6!. Subsequent testing showed that my wife's BMs were frequently going over 33mmol/l and going off the scale on the meter. As she had rigorously followed the diet and exercise advice and did not smoke or drink it was back to the doctors to confront them with the facts. To cut a long story short they tried metformin, gliclazide, insulin etc etc but found eventually she has a rare type of Diabetes known as FPLD. She was one of the first people in the UK to get Exenatide injections which controls the BMs very well and also causes weight loss through loss of appetite.

Unfortunately, because her BMs were so high for so long and she was totally unaware of it the Diabetic Neuropathy has affected her feet, heart liver and kidneys adversely. Thankfully her eyes are still OK at the moment.

As has been pointed out by many posters on here and elsewhere, the GPs have got flawed information being fed to them by PCTs wanting to make cost cuts. I agree many GPs could do with a refresher course on current diabetic treatment and medication. It would save lives being ruined completely unnecessarily. The continuing treatment that my wife needs must be costing the NHS a fortune, but they could have avoided it for a comparatively small outlay on test strips and more regular testing at the GP surgery.

:roll:

 

[squirtsdad]

For my first post I am sorry if this goes against some of the replies here.

I have to admit I can sort of see what the doctors say when not giving the machines away.

Once we have type 2 diabetes we are given advice on what we should and should not do to help us keep it under control along with drugs to help if they feel it is needed. This costs the NHS quite alot of money as am sure they are quite expensive.

Part of that regime of looking after yourself is checking blood sugars for some people but this is only part of the wider package. Up until last month I was paying £75.00 a month to Virgin to train through the winter so that I could lose a bit more weight to help my diabetes. This is an expense I struggled to find but thought it important so found the money each month. I am sitting here typing this now with crutches and a broken ankle as I finally could not afford it any more and trip down a rabbit hole while out running on Wednesday but that is another story.

All I am saying is that it is a team effort to control our diabetes between the doctor, diabetes team and us.

I understand as much as anybody that money is tight for alot of us (me especially at the moment) and see everybody's opinion but this is pretty much mine.

On a slight side note, am I not right in saying that for those on mets or other diabetes drugs you can get the strips free on prescription as you then have a life long illness? I get mine via tax credits as self employed and on low income but thought this was the case.

 

[Osidge]

Joycegill

An HbA1c of 41 is just below 6 and is a good reading to have. My HbA1c readings are usually at that level and I do not have hypos. What were your meter readings and how we're they related to food intake and exercise?

Trying to help

Doug


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[Paul_c]

My doctor told me that I would only get depressed with the test results as I wouldn't be able to do anything about my blood sugar levels if they were too high...

I countered that it would inform me that I had to avoid eating too much of that particular food ever again.

He had no answer for that. Still wouldn't give me a meter and strips though.

 

[joycegill]

Doug. thank you for your response. Last year I was on insulin but I lost about 2 stone and was taken off insulin as my BG reading was down to 35.
I have been off insulin for 12 months and managed to put half a stone back on :-( ,my exercise is virtually zero (arthritis in both hips) plus CFS. I except I may be the exception to the rule regarding my BG's but what I was trying to get over in my message is we are all different and we react to medication differently therefore good self management is the way to go. It saves the NHS money in the long term. By the way my readings were just below double figures during the day but down to 2.8mm - 3.1 at night unless I made sure I had something to eat before I went to bed, which went against the grain when trying to control my weight.

 

[mousemat]

It would be stupid for a doctor to say that a patient has to go on a diet.The patient will be reviewed in six months.. But in the meantime, the patient is not allowed to get on the scales to see how he/she is getting on.

That is what doctors are doing to newly diagnosed patients.

I learnt tall about the foods that would send my BS up, simply by testing. I'm now consistently at 5.3/4 simply because I did so.

If I had not, I would still be on Metformin and my blood glucose probably much higher.

The money spent on initial testing has already saved two years Metformin prescriptions.

Now I'm told that I do not need to test. I would buy my own strips as I think ts important.

On the other hand, some patients take the strips and sell them on a well known selling site.

Your doctor should know what sort of patient you are.
If they don't, fund a doctor who does.

 

[kerrycakes]

My mum is also diabetic, and before being diagnosed myself, i didn't know much about it. She doesn't test, she skips Dr appointments and eats all the wrong foods. She has no idea even if she is on the right dose of medication. Now i realise how stupid she is being and i know i don't want my kids worrying about me as i now worry about my mum. So i do need to educate myself, and when my kids look at meter readings (i want to be open with them, so they know what's going on) and they see that my sugar are coming down, and that i am putting the work in, they don't have to worry. And my nurse uses my readings to get me to where i need to be med wise, hopefully by the time i get to my fasting blood test, i will be where i need to be on a daily basis. Cos the fasting test won't show where i am right now cos it will include when my sugar were higher nearer the beginning. I have agreed that once im controlled and not needing to test all the time that ill buy my own, cos although expensive, there is a difference between needing a pack of 50 a week, than say a pack of ten, unless im ill when i would be begging for more strips. Hope that all makes sense?

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