It's odd advice. Even on the libre training they tell you you still need to check if there's a difference between how you feel and what the libre is telling you. My surgery is pretty good overall, I've been given a GlucoFix and new strips now as well as the Libre, had glucorx before but now I need to be able to check ketones too. I wonder why your surgery has said that, I would have thought it dangerous advice to rely solely on a cgm. Also for driving, you do have to take a meter in the car with you even if wearing a cgm. Sounds like your nurse needs a bit more education and you did the right thing.Was told by the GP practice nurse on receiving the holy CGM, that I didn't need to do finger pricks anymore. - since which time I've done just as many as before to control the CGM or to get a more rapid BG result. She needs offing and I've reported her to the GP.
It's one practice nurse who is stealing a living. She was my intro to Libre - she never mentioned the lag or interstitial fluid or checking the CGM against BG ans she write in my notes that I had agreed to "change to freestyle Libre from testing strips" - and that's before I had even tried out the Libre! Even now she still refers to the Libreview data as "blood glucose".It's odd advice. Even on the libre training they tell you you still need to check if there's a difference between how you feel and what the libre is telling you. My surgery is pretty good overall, I've been given a GlucoFix and new strips now as well as the Libre, had glucorx before but now I need to be able to check ketones too. I wonder why your surgery has said that, I would have thought it dangerous advice to rely solely on a cgm. Also for driving, you do have to take a meter in the car with you even if wearing a cgm. Sounds like your nurse needs a bit more education and you did the right thing.
It's a sad refection of the quality of UK GP practices in general. Fortunately, the majority of DSNs at the hospital level are competent and helpful.As I am a type 2 I have been told I don't need to test! However, I ignore what I am told generally. If I am told not to do something, I will do it! I test and self fund
Yes my DN knows not to rattle me know lolIt's a sad refection of the quality of UK GP practices in general. Fortunately, the majority of DSNs at the hospital level are competent and helpful.
It's so variable isn't it. At our surgery we have one diabetes nurse who is pretty good. Then we have one who is the exact opposite and is bad, very bad, in that she doesn't seem to have any knowledge at all. I've now been told by the good nurse, that if I have any problems with my insulin or diabetes, I'm to ring the surgery and request to speak with either her or my Gp, who happens to have specialised in diabetes. They must know how bad she is to have said that!It's one practice nurse who is stealing a living. She was my intro to Libre - she never mentioned the lag or interstitial fluid or checking the CGM against BG ans she write in my notes that I had agreed to "change to freestyle Libre from testing strips" - and that's before I had even tried out the Libre! Even now she still refers to the Libreview data as "blood glucose".
I suggested she get some more education on the Libre and even offered to give (I'm a jr. clinician in a gestational diabetes ward at the Hospital where we use Libre's a lot). She declined and went back to being an oxygen thief.
I was diagnosed last week and told not to test.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.
Par for the course it seems in far too many surgeries.I was diagnosed last week and told not to test.
The nurse basically told me I have type 2 diabetes, go for 50g of carbs per meal, and see her again in 3 months for more blood tests.
I came away feeling totally confused and wondering how I'm going to manage this disease. Then I messaged my surgery and insisted on needing a monitor as I'm feeling so awful, I need to learn what is making me feel so ill. I've been given a monitor but been told I need to supply my own strips and needles etc.
Re your predicted A1c. My Libre also predicted 38 and my actual turned out to be 41. Very happy with that.By the time I actually got to see the DN I had made the decision to self fund a libre2 (T2) and had over a weeks data. During our appointment she never mentioned testing till I brought it up at the end and said I had a CGM and offered to show her the data. Her response was she had never seen one except in her training. I found the whole experience very frustrating - including the poor advice on diet. I was scheduled to see the GP a few days later. I did tell them it was not a positive experience but I don't think they wanted to listen, although the GP was much better and supported my approach of wanting to manage the T2 with diet rather than medication. I have been unendingly grateful to find this forum. It has helped me so much. I am currently 2 months in and predicted HbA1c on CGM is now 38 compared to my starting point of 55. I know that is only a guide but I've seen my numbers improve over the weeks and feeling much more confident in what I am doing, thanks to this group.
Also to add - the DN was not new and actually had a student in with her, so she was training someone else!
Most of us weren't even aware a civil war had begun inside us.I have been told to test my bloods regularly now as they are getting higher and the nurse wants me to stabilise or go on further meds. But I wasn't encouraged to test for the first 10 years
Hi @Swiggy , I'm sorry to hear you are struggling.I have been buying my own strips and following a low carb diet for more than five years. My hba1c was 143 when I was diagnosed and I got it down to 53 but it has never gone below this. I have not lost any weight since I was diagnosed but I have really tried. GP agreed to C-peptide test in 2020 which showed I was producing very high quantities of insulin. GP said that this would inhibit weight loss and told me to carry on restricting carbs and hope that it would work eventually.
My levels have gone through the roof, I have not had a reading below 16.9 since October and my hba1c is now 83. I had an appointment with the practice nurse today to discuss it and she told me that I should stop testing because that is causing me stress and this has probably caused the high glucose levels.
She's suggested that I start taking an SGLTZ and said that I should have three meals a day with starchy food, meat or fish and vegetables but I'm not sure about it.
I'm feeling very confused and I don't know what to do next.
Yes, I was told testing is unnecessary for type 2's not on insulin by my nurse.
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