Have you been told not to test your blood sugars?

[beardie]

your posts didn't upset me

This is one of the things that is dangerous about the internet. I was actually smiling during our exchange, but I obviously am not good at communicating this way. Even Katy Hopkins does not upset me much.

 

[lucy jordan]

I was told by my GP and my nurse that because I am taking metformin I don't need to check bg levels. It was also said that constantly pricking finger ends can cause problems as diabetics nerve endings are easily damaged and injuries (even a finger prick) take longer to heal than those of non diabetics.

I have chosen to try to loose weight and just presume that the food I eat is ok because the metformin will level everything out.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I was told by my GP and my nurse that because I am taking metformin I don't need to check bg levels. It was also said that constantly pricking finger ends can cause problems as diabetics nerve endings are easily damaged and injuries (even a finger prick) take longer to heal than those of non diabetics.

I have chosen to try to loose weight and just presume that the food I eat is ok because the metformin will level everything out.

I hope you think again. You can't presume or assume anything with food, and Metformin won't level it out on its own. Diet is the key. Metformin helps as an appetite suppressant and to a limited extent with liver dumps, but not much else. It isn't a miracle drug.

 

[lucy jordan]

Agree with @sanguine. Of course you can test. That is a silly remark from your nurse. Will she send the police round if you do?

I suggest you start testing now, learn from it, and then you can tell your nurse you did it your way, not hers.

Nobody would argue with you we all are able to choose what we do. The Issue is more a financial one, because testing strips are not cheap, rather than a simple matter of doing as one is told if one hasn't the money to buy the strips.

 

[lucy jordan]

I hope you think again. You can't presume or assume anything with food, and Metformin won't level it out on its own. Diet is the key. Metformin helps as an appetite suppressant and to a limited extent with liver dumps, but not much else. It isn't a miracle drug.

Metformin has not reduced my appetite if anything I'm more hungry. I have only been diagnosed for 6th months and knew nothing about T2D before. I am aware that what I eat affects my BG levels but to test before food and 2 hrs after food would mean using 6 test strips per day. As these strips are not available on prescription it would be expensive to buy them and if I can't believe my doctor what chance gave I got to do things right on my own?

 

[CollieBoy]

Nobody would argue with you we all are able to choose what we do. The Issue is more a financial one, because testing strips are not cheap, rather than a simple matter of doing as one is told if one hasn't the money to buy the strips.

In some cases it is not financial but doctrinal.
To say we cannot afford to prescribe strips is acceptable, but to say you should not test, when they are not the strip provide, is exceeding their authority and if they persisted in that attitude would be informed that I would no longer permit them to treat me!

 

[sanguine]

Metformin has not reduced my appetite if anything I'm more hungry. I have only been diagnosed for 6th months and knew nothing about T2D before. I am aware that what I eat affects my BG levels but to test before food and 2 hrs after food would mean using 6 test strips per day. As these strips are not available on prescription it would be expensive to buy them and if I can't believe my doctor what chance gave I got to do things right on my own?

Hi Lucy, welcome.

You don't have to test for every meal - once you have established what foods spike you and what don't you can generally eat the 'checked' meals without testing. So you don't need 6 per day. It's not a question of believing your doctor, it's his opinion but your body - do you really want to wait until your next HbA1c to see what the previous 3-6 months of untested eating have done to your blood sugars?

Can I ask what your blood sugar levels are and what you typically eat?

 

[Brunneria]

@lucy jordan

I have been amazed how reasonable it is to use the SD Codefree meter. It's the cheapest I've seen.

The meter itself was about £14, and a pot of strips is £6-7 for (50 strips).

So, to map out your usual foods (2-3 weeks of 5 or 6 tests a day) you are looking at about £5 a week!
After that, you only need to test for new foods, or special occasions, when things are not routine.

Nowadays, I might go several days without testing.

But having the meter is such a reassurance. It has dramatically improved my blood glucose control. And I'm convinced that it will, over the long term, mean improved health and fewer diabetic complications.

 

[Clivethedrive]

Hi bruneria, just an aside... I had bloods taken at my doc' this morning, and the nurse informed me that i will be given a new meter ...soon,she showed me said meter "true form" i said i have my own accu- check but the surgery gives me a prescription for the strips and lancets ,oh she said how much are the strips for your accu' ...about £15 for a tub of 50 strips........oh she said i think the strips for the true form are £ 22 for 50.........long silence...so i said of course if the nhs really wanted to save money they would issue new diabetics with a sd codefree as the strips are only £ 6 for a tub of 50 strips...oh i'll tell the doctor!!!:)

 

[pamK]

Hi everyone I have been watching and reading the topic's on the forum but have never posted before. I have type 2 and would like to ask what is the best meter to buy but not to expensive to buy the test strips ( being a pensioner ) I would like to keep testing myself as i am doing the LCHF and I am getting my BS down to 4.6 up to 5.3 but my nurse said type 2 don't have to test being on metformin 2 tablets twice a day. I would like it if someone can help.
Thanks great site

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi everyone I have been watching and reading the topic's on the forum but have never posted before. I have type 2 and would like to ask what is the best meter to buy but not to expensive to buy the test strips ( being a pensioner ) I would like to keep testing myself as i am doing the LCHF and I am getting my BS down to 4.6 up to 5.3 but my nurse said type 2 don't have to test being on metformin 2 tablets twice a day. I would like it if someone can help.
Thanks great site

Hello and welcome. You are doing really well. Your nurse was right, you don't need to test because of Metformin, but you do need to test for your own benefit and to learn which foods you can eat.

The meter with the cheapest strips is the Codefree. http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

Many of us on here use it. If you buy strips in bulk there are generous discounts
5 packs use promo code 264086
10 packs use code 975833

 

[pamK]

Bluetit1802 Thanks for the reply I will be looking into it.

 

[Bluetit1802]

reported

 

[Dilly40]

I was told last week I have type 2 and I was told no need to test, but if I want to reduce my bs with diet then wouldn't testing help?

 

[CollieBoy]

I was told last week I have type 2 and I was told no need to test, but if I want to reduce my bs with diet then wouldn't testing help?

@Dilly40
In my opinion testing and acting on the results are essential in trying to reduce your B.S.(the blood kind)
(IMHO the contrary is total BS (the bovine kind!))

 

[Sigalit]

That's not a proble of just UK or an indivdual doctor not being educated enough.

My doctor warned me it's not true, and gives me all the support she can, but... the maximum the law here allows to give T2 for free - and even that only if they are on insulin - is 1 pack (50 pcs) of test strips in 2 months, 1 pack (100 pcs) of lancettes in 3 months and 1 pack (100 pcs) of insulin needles in 6 months. I pay approximately 100 EUR every month for strips, lancettes, needles etc. (and the average salary in Slovakia is just 800 EUR). A lot of other people with T2 then chooses not to test, because 'it's expensive and the doctor said it's not needed anyway' and often have no clue about the progress of their illness until it's too late.

I checked the situation in other EU countries, and it's more or less the same. I was wondering why is that. Other people (not doctors) say that it's good we have to pay - theydon't want the state to spend taxes from their money to help lazy gluttons, as one woman put it. Maybe that's the reason...

 

[sallybee]

It depends on Health Authority whether Type 2 get the strips or not on prescription. Oxfordshire limits it to Type 1 and Type 2 who are injecting!

 

[robwillett281]

This is not about whether the NHS should, or can afford to, provide test strips on a permanent or temporary basis to non-T1 diabetics. Having read #EveryCloud ’s post, and so many more like it over the years on this forum, I wonder whether we could gather together examples of Healthcare Professionals who have told people that it is either unnecessary or just plain wrong to test their blood sugars. It is a scandal that needs highlighting.

I have been told this. But I do it anyway at my own expense. To be honest I am not so sure I am actually type 2 at all. I am not on medication and my average fasting BS is 5.7, rarely goes above 7. Total average is 6.9

 

[brottonmoores]

I was told by the hospital diabetic clinic nurse to test three times a day before and 2 hours after meals until I worked out what upset my blood sugar and make an appointment to go to my local clinic
Which I did the district nurse I saw took one look at my instructions all neatly set out by the hospital said it was a knee jerk reaction from the hospital stopped one lot of tablets prescribed by the hospital diabetic nurse and said I only need test a couple of times a fortnight because they can't justify the cost of the strips
But when my blood test results came back she rang me up to tell me I should start the second lot of tablets immediately
There must be a lot of confused folk around
The hospital clinic told me about this wonderful site
Cheers
Jan

 

[equipoise]

I was told by the hospital diabetic clinic nurse to test three times a day before and 2 hours after meals until I worked out what upset my blood sugar and make an appointment to go to my local clinic
Which I did the district nurse I saw took one look at my instructions all neatly set out by the hospital said it was a knee jerk reaction from the hospital stopped one lot of tablets prescribed by the hospital diabetic nurse and said I only need test a couple of times a fortnight because they can't justify the cost of the strips
But when my blood test results came back she rang me up to tell me I should start the second lot of tablets immediately
There must be a lot of confused folk around
The hospital clinic told me about this wonderful site
Cheers
Jan

Testing a couple of times a fortnight really WOULD be wasting the cost of strips. What a stupid woman