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6 month check ups?

D

DazG

Well-Known Member
Messages
224
My first HbA1c that I had after diagnosis was 6.8 and I was put onto SR Metformin 750mg x2 daily.

3 months later my HbA1c was 5.9, due to medication and a severe diet change.

Due to this my DN said she doesnt need to see me for 6 months now.

Is this normal after being recently diagnosed or should I be seen more often?

If they think my control is good enough to only have a check up bi-annually then thats fine by me, but they wont let me have test strips on prescription and I cant afford to keep paying £27 a time for them, as well as the lancets.

So, I am a bit annoyed because how am I supposed to monitor myself or know how I am doing when they only want to check every 6 months. Everytime I mention testing they tell me I dont need to.

I have an appointment with my doctor in 2 weeks time, she isnt the Diabetic Dr we have at the surgery, but is the one I have been seeing for a while for other ailments, so should I try again and tell her that if they are not prepared to check me out more than twice a year then they need to give me the tools to do this myself? I dont want to get her back up because she is a nice lady, but at the end of the day this is my illness, not theirs and I need to make sure Im doing ok and looking after myself.

What do you think?
 
It is what can happen....whether it is normal or not is another matter. If your control is good then they just think it will remain that way, however as I am sure you now know, nothing in Diabetes is guaranteed.........

See the Gp, state your case, politely but firmly, giving the reasons why you want to continue testing and that you have learned much because of this. Then .........keep your fingers crossed !! :D

Where and why are you paying £27 for test strips ? Is that for 50 ? That seems very expensive !
 
cugila that's how much they cost on the high street :( I was horrified by the prices last time I went to pick up a prescription.

Good luck Daz, if you explain how worried you are to the GP you might get more frequent appointments.
 
What brand are we talking about. I can buy some for an Ascencia Breeze 2 if I was of a mind for £18 per 50.........that's with the VAT taken off as we are entitled to have.

My regular meter is a Lifescan OneTouch UltraSmart and even they are nothing like that price from my Pharmacy ??
 
I use the Freestyle lite, and this is how much they cost at my local chemist and pretty much the same on ebay. Im sure they didn't take the VAT off last time I bought them, but I didn't know they could be exempt otherwise I would have advised them of this.

I will say she is a really good doctor, she is just a bit flighty sometimes and you can have a struggle getting her back on track when talking to her, so I will tell her that if they want me to have check ups every 6 months then she really needs to prescibe the strips for me so I can monitor myself, she is quite a hard lady to other patients and a lot of people wont see her at the surgery due to this, she also shouts at the receptionist (who believe they are doctors themselves), but I get on very well with her so I will cross my fingers and tell her how it is. I think I can get them from her with a bit of effort and a cheeky smile, and if that doesn't work I may beg

I cant understand why they are so expensive myself, and I am put off testing at times due to the fact that when they run out I have to buy more.
 
DazG said:
I use the Freestyle lite, and this is how much they cost at my local chemist and pretty much the same on ebay. Im sure they didn't take the VAT off last time I bought them, but I didn't know they could be exempt otherwise I would have advised them of this.
Click to expand...

One very quick search on the net reveals your strips for sale at £18.63 for 50. Free P & P. There are many more, the most expensive was for £22.23 each when buying 3 boxes.

One member buys direct from Abbott and reckons they are much cheaper.
Phone their Customer Care line. Phone: 0500 467 466 for details.

The VAT exemption can be claimed at Pharmacies or online. Many have no idea what you are talking about but the actual Pharmacist should know and provide a form and delete the VAT.
If not, enlighten them !

You can take your own form from this website which is a download........

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/vat-exemption.html
 
Thanks for that info, if I am unsuccessful at the doctors I will search out those £18 ones, thats a third cheaper and much more pleasing on my wallet :)
 
My surgery has just annnounced it would be doing it's diabetic checks every 6 months from now on. I understood that NICE guidelines said every 3 months until stable. How can you tell how somebody newly diagnosed is doing with checks every 6 months? It could take years to get htings sorted!!!
 
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