Have you been told not to test your blood sugars?

[Clivethedrive]

I was told no testing was needed by GP on diagnosis, but when I saw the nurse she said I could have a testing kit and gave me the Nexus one. Going through the strips so eager to get on prescriptions!

At Docs on Friday and am going to ask, it seems to say you can have them as a guide to self management ... Surely that's what I'm doing if testing before/after meals to understand what gives me spikes?

Hi Penfold,you are quiet right "Moniter" bs's or we would never know what foods spike our bs's the Great DrRichard Bernstein explains the consequences for diabetics... Of just small rises over 2.5 mmols

 

[ejstonier]

I too have been told not to bother testing, I was then given a meter and a one off test strip and lancets prescription because my blood was high and was told to test regularly. Once under control again I was told to stop testing. But I am continuously asked by health care professionals if my blood sugars are well controlled. "Well I assume so, how do I know? Guess?"

 

[PenfoldAPD]

Saw Doc today, 6 weeks after diagnosis. Told her I was testing, she raised her eyebrows ... I'm ignoring her

 

[Daphne917]

Saw Doc today, 6 weeks after diagnosis. Told,her I was testing, she raised her eyebrows ... I'm ignoring her

Unfortunately there appears to be some medical professionals who consider that Type 2s should not be testing their own BS levels. Perhaps they are concerned that if they suggest it then we will ask them to prescribe them which will prove expensive. However I consider testing to be an integral part of self management of my diabetes - yes I do have 6 monthly checks (although they forgot to test my hba1c for my last one so it was essentially a waste of time) but that only gives me the overall picture not what I can or cannot eat on a daily basis - so my answers to the questions "why do you test?" or "why do you want to make your fingers sore" are generally "because I want to maintain/manage the good control that I have over my diabetes"

 

[JohnEGreen]

May be the doctors have the same prejudice as the general public and think we are too fat and stupid to be trusted with a blood glucose meter.

To my mind it would be like taking your car for a service and having the mechanic rip out the fuel gauge and temperature Gauge together with the speedometer and saying what do you need all that info for.

I don't drive my car blind and I am not going to do the same with my diabetes.

 

[dbr10]

Saw Doc today, 6 weeks after diagnosis. Told her I was testing, she raised her eyebrows ... I'm ignoring her

Stupid doctor. How can you control your BG level without knowing what it is.

 

[Deleted member 43917]

Spoke to new doctor at my surgery last week and asked for a meter. She was reluctant to agree over the phone and said that she would get back to me. She said according to my last HbA1C my bg level was fairly good (6.7). Will be getting back in touch with them as she hasn't got back to me yet.

 

[gillytee31]

I was given a monitor by my local hospital October 2014 but was told by my gP not to use it. January 2015 blood sugars went out of control and over 6 weeks my meds were increased from 1 500mg metformin per day to 4 per day and 4 gliclozide and during this time my GP said I had to test regularly (4 Times per day) Once blood sugars were controlled at the end of February I was told to stop testing again by both GP and practice nurse. However following a hospital stay in January this year for something unrelated the blood sugars were out of control again and I have now been put on insulin by the hospital as well as still taking the metformin and gliclozide.
My situation has made me wonder if perhaps going on insulin could have been avoided for longer if the doctor had allowed me to go on testing my blood sugars. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience. I also wonder if other people could have avoided going on insulin by regular testing. In the long term surely it would be cheaper for people to test regularly than have to go on to insulin.
As a pensioner, I found the continuing cost of lancets and testing strips to expensive for me to afford

 

[Daphne917]

Hi @gillytee31 welcome to the forum. As you are on insulin surely you should also be prescribed a meter and strips etc so that you know how much you need.

 

[tonyjr]

I worked hard to get my own Blood Glucose levels down and under control only to be told that I needn't bother to test anymore and that the test strips would not be available to me (I'm Type 2) on the NHS.
Unfortunately they are far to expensive to buy outright so I'm simply forced by the NHS to give up testing altogether.
The irony of this policy is that careful B/G monitoring saves the NHS money in the long term and if I were to let thing go out of control I would get my FREE B/G test strips and cost the NHS much more.
Seems to me like the lunatics have finally taken over the Asylum.

Had same experience, blood sugars at diagnosis was 32 ! Worked hard over 2 years to get off metformin and glicozide. Got hba1c to 6.3 and new nurse said as I was back to reasonable level I couldn't have strips. She even asked if I was eating normally!! I buy my strips £27 for 50 and test once a week. I also am only called in once a year now.







Had the same experience.

 

[Judie1]

I went to a diabetic meeting with a top diabetic consultant speaking and he told us that type 2s should not be testing themselves.I had a diabetic review this week and asked the question again and was told not to test.It was also explained to me that the surgery would not write a prescription for this as it was costing the nhs millions.What should I do?

 

[Liam1955]

@Judie1 - Hello . The most important and vital piece of a Diabetics equipment is a Meter. You need one to check your blood sugars throughout the day, and get to know which foods makes your blood sugars high.

 

[jal16]

Hi, I was officially diagnosed in January this year with a HbA1c reading of 70. The nurse told me that they don't encourage testing for Diabetic type 2's and there wouldn't be one available on prescription. I have since bought one anyway that was recommended on here, the Codefree because the testing strips are much cheaper than others and the monitor was a great price.

 

[mizloco]

I was back at the doctors this week and I asked again about testing and she started quoting the NICE guidelines and I told her I thought they were wrong as did everything I have read about it but it fell on deaf ears. So I will continue to pay for my own testing and monitor myself.

 

[amgrundy]

Saw Doc today, 6 weeks after diagnosis. Told her I was testing, she raised her eyebrows ... I'm ignoring her

You know what, we are the diabetics and we know our bodies the best, why do they not understand that we do have to test, my doctor is ok with me testing now because I explained to him last time I saw him that if I didn't test not only would I not know what I was eating was ok for me or not, and if I could not test anymore then I would be stressed to the limit, I think I can speak for everyone else here.

 

[Frazzle44]

DN2 metformin was told in no uncertain terms she worked not give meter or strips if I want one BUY ONE. So all I seem to be doing is 4/5 nightly visits to the loo and putting on weight. HELP

 

[Nuisance]

I'm allowed to test at my own expense if I do it as a Hobby. (According to our practice diabetic doctor!) My own doctor did at least admit after giving me some test strips when he saw my results, and then later refused when asked for, that the powers that be wouldn't allow prescriptions to type 2 diabetics - so at least he was honest.

I believe I've read somewhere that there was actually a petition requesting supply of meters and test strips to us - but this was before my time on the forum, so have no more information on this. I assume it must have been vetoed/ignored since it's still an ongoing issue...

Robbity

I would think that with the vast cuts to the health budget recently it would be frowned upon even more. However, as no-one can stop us doing anything legal in our own homes I would suggest that we can still test if we buy the strips ourselves. This of course touches upon the subject of the poorest and most needy people being the last ones to get help? Oh and PS, for your own use, keep a record of your results.

 

[Robbity]

My own GP (who is fortunately now also responsible for my diabetic care), is actually quite interested in seeing my results, so I'll do some more print outs or take my meter in when I see him in a couple of weeks time.

@Nuisance: I've always kept records! In addition to the current 90 days worth of data on my meter, I have over 18 months data uploaded onto its computer software, and another 3 months so of handwritten records from my previous meter from when I first began testing, which have been partially uploaded manually since I wasn't able to get it to connect to my computer.

Robbity

 

[shellysexbomb]

My Dn actually shouted at me for testing. 'Who told you to tesst? Where did you get the meter?' All because I questioned her judgement. I rarely have BS under 12. Yet my hba1c is 7. So therefore I must be having a fair few lows too and as I understand it its the spikes that do the damage. My DN says this is me 'panicking' and I dont need treatment yet and to carry on wolfing carbs as per the eatwell plate. 'This is why you shouldnt test' she says :/

 

[Clivethedrive]

My Dn actually shouted at me for testing. 'Who told you to tesst? Where did you get the meter?' All because I questioned her judgement. I rarely have BS under 12. Yet my hba1c is 7. So therefore I must be having a fair few lows too and as I understand it its the spikes that do the damage. My DN says this is me 'panicking' and I dont need treatment yet and to carry on wolfing carbs as per the eatwell plate. 'This is why you shouldnt test' she says :/

Time to change doctor: Banghead