Have you been told not to test your blood sugars?

[Bluetit1802]

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?

Yep.

 

[rowan]

What do the diabetes organisations say about this? Are they doing anything to change this ridiculous situation?

 

[carty]

I have tried all sorts of ways to try t persuade my GP to prescribe strips including "pleading poverty " (old age pensioner) "wanting to be a proactive patient" "I don't take the statins and aspirin you prescribed so I am saving you money". The reply to this was that statins were a cheap drug and they don't prescribe aspirin anymore ! I bought a code free meter ,but I still ask for strips when I have a telephone confrontation sorry consultation!!
CAROL

 

[sjm1966]

Had a similar conversation with my GP who was quite disapproving of me self-testing on the grounds that I "didn't need to as a Type 2". I did gently point out that an Hba1c reduction from 102 in August to 39 in February perhaps didn't happen by accident? We agreed to disagree as it is obviously working.....

 

[Muggle71]

Had a similar conversation with my GP who was quite disapproving of me self-testing on the grounds that I "didn't need to as a Type 2". I did gently point out that an Hba1c reduction from 102 in August to 39 in February perhaps didn't happen by accident? We agreed to disagree as it is obviously working.....

I wonder why we are 'fobbed off' in this way. Reading about the dangers of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes is terrifying, and seeing how my nanna ended up so ill after starting to take insulin when diet control failed youd think that gps would be taking this much more seriously. I don't want to be treat with kid gloves but I would like to feel my condition is at least taken seriously. Is it really a case of "it's JUST type 2" If they did the sums and compared the cost of prescribing test strips to the cost of treating the complications of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes they would see that we are actually saving the nhs money by keeping a good eye on our bg levels!

 

[sjm1966]

I wonder why we are 'fobbed off' in this way. Reading about the dangers of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes is terrifying, and seeing how my nanna ended up so ill after starting to take insulin when diet control failed youd think that gps would be taking this much more seriously. I don't want to be treat with kid gloves but I would like to feel my condition is at least taken seriously. Is it really a case of "it's JUST type 2" If they did the sums and compared the cost of prescribing test strips to the cost of treating the complications of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes they would see that we are actually saving the nhs money by keeping a good eye on our bg levels!

I couldn't agree more. I decided to "own" this from day one and have managed to successfully negotiate my first half year as a diabetic in no small part thanks to the good people on this forum. The help you get from the medics is minimal (unless you're really lucky) and seems to revolve around pumping you full of medications that they receive inducements to prescribe you! Have so far manfully resisted the GPs attempts to force statins on me and my ultimate goal is to manage my diabetes as effectively as I can to maintain a good, healthy quality of life and avoid burdening the state any more than I need to...

 

[Muggle71]

I was the exact opposite. I ignored it for four years, and since my gp didn't feel the need to monitor me since my diagnosis then neither did I. I didn't want diabetes anyway and I felt foolish and ashamed and told myself it was my own fault for eating rubbish and being such a fat ugly mess. Ive read on this forum that im meant to have a yearly blood test, feet check and eyes tested. All news to me. Not a word from my surgery all this time. Even speaking to my dr on the phone a couple of weeks ago, there was no urgency to have me seen. I will keep on testing and monitoring myself and take all credit for my improving health. Going on the way I was wasn't the way forward. I was killing myself slowly with all the wrong kind of foods

 

[Caractacus]

I can kind of see where they're coming from given the way they're controlled and measured.

Health service managers presumably want to show a clear cost/benefit analysis.

So e.g. statins are relatively cheap drugs that have a clear impact in terms of percentage reduction in heart attacks and strokes. So it's easy to justify shoving fistfuls of them down the throat of pretty much anyone who walks through the surgery door. The downsides in terms of side effects are much harder to pin down and research to make side effects quantifiable is no doubt harder to fund than research showing how great statins are.

I'd bet that it's not nearly so easy to show the benefit of prescribing expensive test strips to type 2s on Metformin. How do you quantify 'better control' where the benefits over simply stuffing more drugs into the patient and managing the complications are dependent on nebulous factors like the patient's commitment level and are expressed at least partly as better quality of life over those being managed purely through drugs and treating complications?

Not saying that I agree with the above. I strongly disagree with a lot of stuff about how the NHS is managed but I think the way to fix that is political, because what you're trying to change is the way care is funded, measured and managed if you want to have an impact on this. You've got to make it politically untenable to let a bunch of management consultants decide what care we get.

 

[carty]

I can understand why they don't prescribe strips automatically for type 2 because a lot of people wouldn't bother to test also some actually sell strips on e-bay but for one's who want to take control of their diabetes and maybe prove that we do check our bloods then we should have access to strips.Unfortunately though it is one size fits all
CAROL

 

[sanguine]

So e.g. statins are relatively cheap drugs that have a clear impact in terms of percentage reduction in heart attacks and strokes. So it's easy to justify shoving fistfuls of them down the throat of pretty much anyone who walks through the surgery door. The downsides in terms of side effects are much harder to pin down and research to make side effects quantifiable is no doubt harder to fund than research showing how great statins are.

Statins have a clear impact in reducing cholesterol levels and boosting BigPharma profits, whether you think either of those are 'a good thing' is a very controversial subject. There is no hard evidence that proves that reducing cholesterol reduces CVD. (Plenty of threads elsewhere on that subject, no need to pursue it again here ).

Your last sentence says everything of course. Truly independent drugs research is very rare for obvious reasons.

This gives some idea on the costs to the NHS of diabetes http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Diabetes UK Cost of Diabetes Report.pdf

If you find anything in there that says "It's the carbs stupid" please let me know.

 

[cold ethyl]

I do sometimes wonder if it isn't all part and parcel of the over medicalisation of illness in general that drives this blinkered approach to self management. As a generation we have grown used to popping a pill to solve everything and handing over responsibility for ourselves to others and Big Pharma has stepped up to this by producing a drug for everything. Many are reluctant to hear any message other than continue as before but take this tablet twice a day till it doesn't work and you.need more and more drugs with varying side effects. My great gran had type 2 as did many of her family and my mum recounts how she had a dish of marbles that she used to carb count as that was the recommended diet control method. I don't think the physiological nature of diabetes has changed since it was first discovered so why we have set our minds against a simple and effective "treatment" is beyond me.

 

[DeejayR]

I became aware of this "pop a pill" policy when in America a few years back a lady showed me her fancy pill tray in pink and white plastic and with labelled compartments . She was taking 35 pills a day.
Surely the drug companies make more profit keeping us sick than making us well?

 

[Muggle71]

I became aware of this "pop a pill" policy when in America a few years back a lady showed me her fancy pill tray in pink and white plastic and with labelled compartments . She was taking 35 pills a day.
Surely the drug companies make more profit keeping us sick than making us well?

Spot on!! My thoughts exactly!

 

[rowan]

I can understand why they don't prescribe strips automatically for type 2 because a lot of people wouldn't bother to test also some actually sell strips on e-bay but for one's who want to take control of their diabetes and maybe prove that we do check our bloods then we should have access to strips.Unfortunately though it is one size fits all
CAROL

That's no reason not to prescribe them. If we all got them on prescription there'd be no market for them on ebay.

 

[AndBreathe]

When I asked, eventually, we agreed (after I put it forward) that the NHS is no longer able to support prescribing strips to T2s for financial reasons. When I then asked, if she were T2, would she be happy to sit it out for 3 months or more, playing diabetic Russian roulette, it all got a bit quiet......

 

[rowan]

When I asked, eventually, we agreed (after I put it forward) that the NHS is no longer able to support prescribing strips to T2s for financial reasons. When I then asked, if she were T2, would she be happy to sit it out for 3 months or more, playing diabetic Russian roulette, it all got a bit quiet......

They must know it makes no sense not to test

 

[Robbity]

@Caractacus Welcome to the "Type 2s Don't Need to Test" Club.

I was told by my own GP that he was not allowed to prescribe test strips on a permanent basis to due their practice financial policies, but would do so if I was ill or having any problems. So at least I was given a genuine reason of sorts, even though I don't like it! When I was finally given an appointment to see the practice diabetes doctor, he just spouted the usual "type 2s don't need to test" spiel, but allowed that I could go on testing (at my own expense) as a hobby. He also felt that I had good control (I wonder how that happened ???), that issues with my hands were probably due to trapped nerves as I hadn't been diabetic long enough for that to be the cause, and I didn't need to see him again for 12 months... I reckon he probably gets a bonus for each "healthy" diabetic he sees.

But in general I think there's general NHS belt tightening going on: I now get an NHS label on my repeat prescriptions bag regarding not ordering items I don't need this month, and when I last saw my eye specialist, she was not allowed to prescribe extra drops for me but had to write to my GP about this instead. She isn't even allowed to keep a prescriptions pad in her office, but has to ask for it. So it appears that it's not just an evil scheme to persecute us type 2 diabetics...

Robbity

 

[rowan]

When I was finally given an appointment to see the practice diabetes doctor, he just spouted the usual "type 2s don't need to test" spiel, but allowed that I could go on testing (at my own expense) as a hobby.

Noooo, how bloody patronising!
What do they say to type 2 patients, in for an amputation or who have gone blind, when they say they never really knew what they should/shouldn't eat because they couldn't test and just followed their doctors advice of carbs at every meal? This is a shameful situation and I don't understand why the diabetes charities are kicking up a fuss about it?

 

[brottonmoores]

Don't know if I mention anywhere on this thread I get my test sticks Bayer Contour Next from EBay they are the cheapest I've found especially ordering more than 1 box at a time I usually pay less than £10 for £50 ( chemist charges £24 for 50) just make sure you ask the expiry date, quite how we are expected to manage blood sugars without testing I'm not sure.
Does anyone have a crystal ball?
I am on metaformin and Gliclazide and horrified a Desmond nurse when I said I was only supposed to test twice a week

 

[Bluetit1802]

Don't know if I mention anywhere on this thread I get my test sticks Bayer Contour Next from EBay they are the cheapest I've found especially ordering more than 1 box at a time I usually pay less than £10 for £50 ( chemist charges £24 for 50) just make sure you ask the expiry date, quite how we are expected to manage blood sugars without testing I'm not sure.
Does anyone have a crystal ball?
I am on metaformin and Gliclazide and horrified a Desmond nurse when I said I was only supposed to test twice a week

I thought Gliclazide is one of the meds that requires testing due to possible hypos, especially before driving? Your GP should be prescribing enough to cover all this.