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Freestyle libre with type 2 non insulin dependent

A

Angelofthemarches

Well-Known Member
Messages
858
Location
Buckinghamshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Horrible shoes
Hi everyone
I am getting fed up of nhs hcps telling me I don't need to test if I'm type 2 non insulin dependent.
I was diagnosed 18 months ago (hba1c 62). Now 39-44, varies depending on how much effort I'm making. I have worn the libre from day 1 - intermittently, because of price. I just find it really motivates me to keep on track, and without it I drift into my old bad habits. Saw an endocrinologist yesterday who said why on earth was I using it. Incidentally I also seem to have cfs - have exhaustion even when my hba1c is at its lowest.
Anyone else feel testing is really important??
 
I think testing consistently is an essential part of managing diabetes of all forms but only if a) it is purposfull and b) the results are used proactively to guide treatment /diet choices
Ive been diagnosed T2 and on gliclazide for 21 years and have used testing with a blood glucose meter throughout that time in order to guide my dietary choices - this has enabled me to track my changing carb tolerance over the years and to stay on the same dose of medication throughout. Theres no way I would or could have forked out the price of Libre sensors over that time (over £20,000 in total) and nor do I think the NHS should have.
I knew a bit about carbs etc when first diagnosed as I was (incorrectly) first diagnosed as having insulin dependent diabetes ( no T1 & T2 back in the day) so with testing I was able to establish that 35-40g carbs a meal was my tolerance, testing has enabled me to track that tolerance, the way its changed over the years ( now 35-50g a day) and to adjust my diet accordingly in order to maintain good control
I recently invested in 6 Libre sensors in order to get a better handle on my BG patterns and to inform some medication / diet questions - my predicted hba1c from the4 Libre sensors Ive used and from concurrent BG testing come out at 38.1 and 39.3 respectively with a big dip in blood sugars around 6am so if they are accurate, something needs to change slightly to get rid of the big dip
 
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I would have asked him to tell me what the hba1c was of the last person he 'consulted' with that didn't test - I doubt very much it would of been in the 39-44 range - "and that Dr Endocrinologist is why I use it!"
 
Yes, I couldn't afford them all the time and like you, i wouldn't expect the Nhs to pay. I just find them really useful for guidance as to how my lifestyle including food affects me and also a really powerful weapon for staying on track.
 
There are quite a few Type 2's not on insulin on this forum that use the Libre, I'm one of them, and like you I am a part time user due to cost. I also test with a self funded meter several times a day when I am not wearing a Libre.

When I was first diagnosed I didn't have a meter for the first 3 months. My HbA1c at the end of that first 3 months was exactly the same as it was on diagnosis, even though I had cut out all sugary stuff, cakes and biscuits etc. I got a meter, and by my next HbA1c two months later I was out of the diabetic range. That was 4 years ago, and I am still out of the diabetic range. No way could I have done that without a meter showing me where I was going wrong with my food choices.
 
Testing is absolutely vital.
 

My GP actually told me I was wasting my money when I asked him to sign a form To include when I fly. I saw a couple of other GPs in my surgery since, and while they are super apologetic that they can’t prescribe testing strips to T2 insulin resistant patients, they acknowledge that I have seen great results since my diagnosis with using a Libre.

My take on my diagnosing GP, and indeed many of those who say we shouldn’t test (and I have even been called a burden on the NHS by a T1before now) is ... a resounding ... “**** you”

If testing helps you understand and control your diabetes and put you in a position to make informed decisions... then do what helps YOU manage it, not what others think.
 
Absolutely agree. We need every help to deal with our condition. It won't be the doctor who gets the complications. And you can bet your life, if it was them, they would be testing.
 
This thread sounds like a typical eco chamber thus far. My take is that,
There are effective ways of monitoring BG, it does not have to be with the most expensive option.
The NHS has finite resources .
 
brassyblonde900 said:
This thread sounds like a typical eco chamber thus far. My take is that,
There are effective ways of monitoring BG, it does not have to be with the most expensive option.
The NHS has finite resources .
Click to expand...
No one has suggested the nhs fund type 2 non insulin dependent. We were just discussing whether the use of the libre was helpful or practicable.
 
brassyblonde900 said:
This thread sounds like a typical eco chamber thus far. My take is that,
There are effective ways of monitoring BG, it does not have to be with the most expensive option.
The NHS has finite resources .
Click to expand...
Your point makes no sense... if I wanted to pay for strips and finger prick 15 times a day instead... my option would be the same.. pay for it myself. Genuinely curious... what is it to you how I choose to spend ,y money or how I choose to test?
 
brassyblonde900 said:
This thread sounds like a typical eco chamber thus far.
Click to expand...
At the risk of sounding rude, why continue reading it if you feel that way??

A lot of topics can be repetitive and will also crop frequently as very similar new threads because people, particularly when newly diagnosed, tend to have the same sort of worries and need reassurance or confirmation that what they are doing is right, so it matters not if we are in a never ending echo chamber if seeing people in agreement helps them to make the right decisions to enable them cope with their diabetes better.

.
brassyblonde900 said:
My take is that,
There are effective ways of monitoring BG, it does not have to be with the most expensive option.
The NHS has finite resources .
Click to expand...

But however helpful test strips are in general;, using the Libre for a while gives you a far greater insight into exactly what is going on 24 hours a day, and may well show show spikes and/or dips that you may otherwise never "catch".

If I was in the business of diabetic education, I'd provide all newly diagnosed T2s with the Libre for three months, educate them on its use, and let the see exactly what carbs can do to their glucose levels both eating a "normal" high carb diet and a reduced carbs one. I believe they will be a great diabetic health improver/money saver in the long run. And that opinion is in spite of me falling out with my Libre, due to a large number falling off this time last year...

Robbity
 
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