Have you been told not to test your blood sugars?

[sanguine]

Hi @m0lsx welcome . You're quite right you need the means to test yourself (I assume you are T2?). Unfortunately you won't usually get one prescribed, most of us supply our own. The SD Codefree is popular because the strips are cheapest, around £7 for 50, less in bulk.

Do you know what your diagnosis levels were? Get a print out of the blood test results, they are obliged to provide them.

Don't panic, this can be managed - have a read of the top item in my sig below to get started.

Ask any questions you like.

 

[m0lsx]

Thank you Sanguine..I have just ordered an SD Codefree...

 

[Ayrshire Dave]

I have been told testing is not required by type 2 so I have not bothered, have been toying with the idea of testing but apparently I would have to fund this myself and at the moment financially that won't be possible
Dave

 

[rowan]

I have been told testing is not required by type 2 so I have not bothered, have been toying with the idea of testing but apparently I would have to fund this myself and at the moment financially that won't be possible
Dave

How do you know which foods you can/can't eat to control your BG levels?

 

[Ayrshire Dave]

How do you know which foods you can/can't eat to control your BG levels?

Just guesswork at the moment

 

[shedlover111]

As a T1 I get strips albeit begrudgingly, (1 weeks worth at a time so am constantly asking for a repeat prescription and running to the chemist) and only enough for pre meal testing so I have to self fund the rest myself, It would appear to be relevant and important for T2's to test but when I have mentioned this to T2's that I know all I get is "Dr says no" or " if I do that I will have to watch what I eat" or the best one "oh cant be bothered with that its a waste of time"................Glad to see there are a lot of enlightened T2's in the world but suspect any poll would be met with a great degree of apathy.............Sadly!!

 

[rowan]

Just guesswork at the moment

It's worth asking your DN, one gave me a meter once, and my current doctor has put testing strips on repeat prescription for me when I explained how important testing was for my BG control.
I'd been eating what they usually tell diabetics to eat, which was sending my levels sky high, eg porridge, any bread I just can't eat. So it's lucky you're on this forum so you can get a better idea of what increases levels but we're all different and without testing you could be doing a lot of damage without realising.

 

[m0lsx]

I paid under £30 for a meter, 100 lancets & 100 strips.
I am obviously not paying for prescriptions & will save if I have any need for a prescription beyond my diabetes needs. For example I no longer need to pay for my eye test. So I have taken the view that I will test occasionally & self fund the small cost, in the hope that it will help me better manage my diet & exercise.
I also feel that an extra few pounds per year on top of my gym costs is acceptable. It is part of my health & fitness & if I can pay to go to a gym, I can pay a few pounds a year for a few lancets & strips.

 

[sanguine]

Just guesswork at the moment

Hi Dave,at the very least reduce the guesswork by reading the top two items in my sig below.

 

[sueevans]

I was told not to test any more this time last year. My blood sugar was always a level 6.5 /7ish (for 10yrs or more diet controlled and reg tested) and my doctor was happy with that. Since then I havent tested, but just after Christmas I borrowed a friends meter and test strip and it was 13. I was terrified. I requested a blood test and it came back as 66. Previous ones were around 40? The new numbers mean nothing to me, but I went to the docs today and she was a locum from China and said she had no idea why a practise would not standard issue test strips as I clearly needed them to manage my condition, so she gave me some.

 

[Paul59]

I one of the lucky ones but only get 100 every 4 weeks so can't do much with them, but I can monitor enough to be able to keep my lvls down by testing only what I'm not sure of.
But what I don't get with the Nhs is either they are stupid & not realise that a few strips even 200 a month can stop us getting complications that will cost a **** sight more to treat than a few strips or they have no real idea about controlling the condition & think the stupid diet they tell us about is going to do the job, when we know first hand from some members that have followed thier advice thing they know about cause they are trained, when unless they actually have the condition & know what's involved they really only go on theory, which is all wrong & needs to be sorted out. Why can't they follow other countries ways & learn from them instead of making us worse & having to speed thousands on treatment that can be avoided. (Rant over)

 

[millysue]

I was told not to test any more this time last year. My blood sugar was always a level 6.5 /7ish (for 10yrs or more diet controlled and reg tested) and my doctor was happy with that. Since then I havent tested, but just after Christmas I borrowed a friends meter and test strip and it was 13. I was terrified. I requested a blood test and it came back as 66. Previous ones were around 40? The new numbers mean nothing to me, but I went to the docs today and she was a locum from China and said she had no idea why a practise would not standard issue test strips as I clearly needed them to manage my condition, so she gave me some.

Can you send that locum this way.

 

[millysue]

I one of the lucky ones but only get 100 every 4 weeks so can't do much with them, but I can monitor enough to be able to keep my lvls down by testing only what I'm not sure of.
But what I don't get with the Nhs is either they are stupid & not realise that a few strips even 200 a month can stop us getting complications that will cost a **** sight more to treat than a few strips or they have no real idea about controlling the condition & think the stupid diet they tell us about is going to do the job, when we know first hand from some members that have followed thier advice thing they know about cause they are trained, when unless they actually have the condition & know what's involved they really only go on theory, which is all wrong & needs to be sorted out. Why can't they follow other countries ways & learn from them instead of making us worse & having to speed thousands on treatment that can be avoided. (Rant over)

Totally agree, it's so short sighted

 

[Caractacus]

Just had my request for prescription test strips turned down. Initially on the grounds that 'you don't need them.'

When pressed, 'we're not allowed to prescribe them to people on Metformin, they're only to prevent hypos in people on insulin or sulphonylureas or other hypo-causing drugs'

As far as I can make out from what she said, the Doc thought self-testing for control was a waste of time and only A1c mattered.

This was in the Wirral.

 

[Muggle71]

Just had my request for prescription test strips turned down. Initially on the grounds that 'you don't need them.'

When pressed, 'we're not allowed to prescribe them to people on Metformin, they're only to prevent hypos in people on insulin or sulphonylureas or other hypo-causing drugs'

As far as I can make out from what she said, the Doc thought self-testing for control was a waste of time and only A1c mattered.

This was at Victoria Park Practice, Wirral.

My doctor said that me testing my blood "isn't the way forward" what ever that means! When I asked her how i was meant to keep a check on what foods Have a bad effect on my bg levels she just repeated that she didn't think me testing is the was forward.
I very much get the feeling that it is "only type 2" and therefore doesn't require any level of medical care-i haven't been seen in 4 years since my diagnosis! It must be the same for us type 2s the whole country over. Im in northumberland.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Just had my request for prescription test strips turned down. Initially on the grounds that 'you don't need them.'

When pressed, 'we're not allowed to prescribe them to people on Metformin, they're only to prevent hypos in people on insulin or sulphonylureas or other hypo-causing drugs'

As far as I can make out from what she said, the Doc thought self-testing for control was a waste of time and only A1c mattered.

This was at Victoria Park Practice, Wirral.

This is the normal NHS advise these days. Most of us buy our own meters and ignore the "no need to test" lectures. How else can we judge what sort of foods we can or can't cope with, and how much?

 

[rowan]

It's always worth asking your doctor and explaining that testing is the only way to know what you can eat or not. I get 100 strips a month on repeat prescription and buy a few more myself.

 

[Caractacus]

Yep, I tried that. She wasn't having any of it.

'A1c is the only test that matters' etc.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Yep, I tried that. She wasn't having any of it.

'A1c is the only test that matters' etc.

Hands in pocket then, and buy your own! Nothing else for it I'm afraid.

 

[Caractacus]

Yep. I don't really mind doing that, but what about the people who can't afford it?

Do they just get told to take their pills and shut up?