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Just been told I should only test twice a day.

I fund my own.
I now only need to test on average once a day.
 
I find that I need to check my sugars at least 6 times a day, the novo rapid I take works that quickly that if i havnt calculated the dose correctly and have had a bit to much I hypo very quickly, this can be averted by regular blood sugar checks, I feel a lot more comfortable within myself when i know were my sugars are.
I don't believe I you have this horrible illness you should be told that you cannot have something as important as this to help you control yourself.
 
As we have been handed control by the doctors then it is us who decides how many times we test of course they don't have this problem in scotland wales and northern ireland only in england of course i'm lucky than most my doctor cares about my health not his budget
 
If you are on Insulin then you need to test to determine your insulin dose. If you are on any glucose lowering drug such as gliclazide, then you then you need to test before any operation that would be affected by a hypo. If you are are metformin only and you have established what you can eat then you only need to test once a week. Those on just Metformin and doing multiple tests are spoiling the pitch for us that really need the strips. I am on Metform and Gliclazide. I test after the gym, test if I feel a hypo coming on, test if I am sick. I certainly do not test after I have scoffed half a packet of chockie bikkis. Another reason for testing is that you get some idea wether or not your doctor knows what he is talking about. Mine does NOT
 
I'm Type 2 and was told that testing 3 times a day was far too much, twice a week was sufficient. i test more weekends as got time tp do it. My levels are coming down but I haven't really gone into carb counting and testing 1hr and 2 hr after meals yet. as my AM levels were 7's and 8's i was put on glicazide 80mg to sort that out and it seems to be working as i am now 5's and 6's in am. nurse told me to inform DVLA that i was now on glicazidev because of hypo danger so how do i tell if i don't test!! Been as low as 3.9 just before dinner and i am regulsrly in low 4's now when i get home from work and ready to cook dinner. My GP gives me 100 strips and i got a 100 back up with meters given to me so got something to play around when i go on to testing after every meal ( mainly weekends ) So far, no moans about how many strips i use from practice but then i don't pay for prescriptions anyway as got the magic number ( the big 60 ) my last BG was 6.9 ( 9.8 on DX ) so at least heading in right direction and my average readings over last 30 days was 6.1 so i feel like i'm controlling my destiny so far, so good,lol, peter :lol: :lol:
 
Manogwent said:
I. nurse told me to inform DVLA that i was now on glicazidev because of hypo danger so how do i tell if i don't test!! quote]

Hi.
You do not have to notify the DVLA if you are taking Gliclazide. See this link for latest Medical Standards for Drivers from the DVLA. Your Nurse is not up to date. It is when you go onto Insulin that you would have to notify. See list.

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/medical/aagv1.pdf
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Grrrrr....that makes me sooo mad...but i was told exactly the same in my surgery. Consequently...by trying to test less often i had a severe hypo which led to hospital and a broken nose. I'm type 1 as well and their cost cutting ******** really makes me angry. I didn't go back to the surgery since the accident which happened to me 3 weeks ago. I'm gonna go there very soon and probably shout at them. And if they keep on giving me not enough strips...i'll just go there to get my repeat prescription every 2 days!! :twisted:
Anyway DAFNE said to me 6 times a day if i wanted to...and well...at the mo i'd probably do it 15 times a day not for my health but just to bother them :D
I'll let you know about what they tell me next time i need a prescription.
Take care...and don't hesitate to push it....Strips are the only way we can understand and deal with the condition.
 
Hi erroneous,

So, as a result of medical malpractice by your surgery, you had a hypo, from which you suffered physical injury, not to mention the resulting trauma. If you were to take that to any half decent lawyer I suspect that as they rub their hands with glee, the only question they would ask you is "would you like to be rich . . . . . or very, very rich?"
 
At diagnosis my GP told me that I didn't need to test. He also wanted to put me straight on to Metformin. We eventually agreed a compromise - weight loss, diet and exercise for 3 months then review it together.

He saw me about a month ago (half way through this trial) and he was very pleased with my results so far. I discussed testing with him again after mentioning glycaemic index and telling him I wanted to find out what food does to my blood sugar after I eat.

Then I said that I wanted to test about 8 times a day. I said that I had worked out that if the strips were bought privatly it would cost me around £300 for a 6 week period :shock: although this was before I realised that I didn't have to pay VAT on them.
My (very lovely) GPs response to this request was this >>> :shock:

After a bit more discussion my GP agreed that he would prescribe me as many of the strips as the PCT would allow, but he said that they would not let him give me the number I needed.

I have yet to find out how many strips will be allowed he was a bit vague about it. I will buy the extra I need and may take it up with the PCT, but to be honest I don't really need another argument.

I have not chosen my meter yet, how are the strips prescribed - is the scrip brand specific or is it a generic strip?
 
I just love the health service!

My doctor tells me control is the key to beating diabetes. But, she can't give enough test strips. She smiled wearily when I told her I was buying them, then laughed when I told her what my dentist said. As a type 2 diet controlled, he was concerned that if I tested sporadically I would be in danger of missing episodes of high blood sugar. As he put it, if you don't test enough, you will can easily lead yourself into a false sense of security. I told her, the doctor... she said, he's not a doctor, he's a dentist!

Thing is, after all of this, she then told me that it was about time I went on Metformin, after all, I'd been diabetic for at least two years with a history of gestational diabetes! Do I get more test strips, I asked? She blamed the PCT...

When I was pregnant with gestational diabetes I got as many strips as I wanted, when I wanted with never one word about cost. That was as true for when they put me on insulin to when I was diet controlled with number 2. I was told to test at least twice daily.

So how come if you're pregnant stips are fine, but when you're stuck for life it's a different matter? I miscarried last year, but for 3 months, she was positively throwing them at me!!
 
Does anyone know why test strips are so expensive? Considering that it's possible to buy a fairly fast CPU chip which is adequate for most peoples' needs for less than a tub of strips, the cost doesn't seem justifiable.

Also, I'm sure it wouldn't be beyond the wit of man to create a meter that doesn't require the use of disposable strips in the first place. I suppose that would be killing the goose that lays the golden egg for the pharmaceutical companies.
 
This is my experience. I went for an appointment with the "Diabetic Nurse". After going through all the preliminaries, etc I raised the subject of testing and having some testing strips on prescription as I have bought my own meter. She looked at me as if i was crazy and said "why would you want to test? We do all the testing here when you come for your appointment".

Yes I said, but I would like to keep an eye on my levels, I had a pretty bad time before I was diagnosed and I believe that if I am going to keep on top of this, surely it is in my best interests to test myself?

She says "Type 2's hardly need testing, its not as if you are going to die of this is it? :evil:

Needless to say I have put in a complaint to the practice manager and the PCT about her behaviour.

I'm still totally fuming over this!
 
Stupid woman. Type 2s go blind, suffer heart attacks, suffer kidney failure, lose limbs and die. 10% of deaths over 35 are due to diabetes. I have an idiot diabetic nurse and doctor but I do get test strips. Type 2 diabetes is NOT a mild form of diabetes.
 
Absolute rubbish... Tell your health care team to take a hike. I am training hard at the moment in the gym and on bikes swimming etc. I test sometimes 10/15 times a day if i a on a long training session. If you have reason to think your blood sugar is not within the normal boundary either because of excersie or poor control you have the right to test.
 
And Thirsty...i think that's why the pharmaceutical companies give meters for free...so that you HAVE to buy their strips...and so that they can get away with ridiculous prices over a small bit of cheap plastic. Just making profits over the needy. They are eeeeeevils too :evil:
I'm a paranoid diabetic :D
 
erroneous said:
I'm a paranoid diabetic :D
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Actually we were thinking of starting a new section here for just that. :D

Like to be the Founder member :?:

Not sure we could cope with the huge numbers though. :twisted:
 
wpaisley said:
Stupid woman. Type 2s go blind, suffer heart attacks, suffer kidney failure, lose limbs and die. 10% of deaths over 35 are due to diabetes. I have an idiot diabetic nurse and doctor but I do get test strips. Type 2 diabetes is NOT a mild form of diabetes.
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Beleive me I quoted something similar to her. she just looked and smiled at me as if I was a idiot!! Makes me mad just thinking about it.

martinsoton said:
Absolute rubbish... Tell your health care team to take a hike. I am training hard at the moment in the gym and on bikes swimming etc. I test sometimes 10/15 times a day if i a on a long training session. If you have reason to think your blood sugar is not within the normal boundary either because of excersie or poor control you have the right to test.
Click to expand...

I spoke to the practice manager about the nurse the other day, apparently she is a locum that comes in occasionally to help out. I've told her that no way will I attend the clinic if she is running it. Practive manager has said to me that it the PCT's view that type 2's do not need to self -test, hence not giving monitors or testing strips.

No use writing to my MP, he is less than useless................ great at having an opinion about how bad the government is.......... but try and get him to deal with his constituency problems........ forget it!!
 
If you are told to test only twice, but feel you need to test more often, do it! As long as you are sensible about it your GP or nurse wont have a leg to stand on.

With my last pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes. I used between 5-7 strips a day. The PCT pharmacist ' reviewed' my notes and decided/instructed my GP to withdraw my strips even though I needed to test at least 5 times a day - more if i went low - and was injecting insulin. I went back and explained the situation -ie. how can I keep my BG levels in control if I couldn't test?? Common sense prevailed. If you inject, you need to test!

Now, type2 diabetes has taken hold, Im on insulin and metformin. I have been told to test just twice a day - at breakfast and dinner or lunch and bedtime on alternate days. For ME I find this to be enough. I can now gauge how my BG levels are. But I still use more than 2 strips on some days. If I feel odd, I can still test. I also test before I drive and if I feel to low or even to high. Sometimes my strips fail or I drop the blood onto the strip to early - esp if Im low. All these factors can mean you use more strips than prescribed.
 
wpaisley said:
IIf you are are metformin only and you have established what you can eat then you only need to test once a week. Those on just Metformin and doing multiple tests are spoiling the pitch for us that really need the strips. I am on Metform and Gliclazide. I test after the gym, test if I feel a hypo coming on, test if I am sick. I certainly do not test after I have scoffed half a packet of chockie bikkis. Another reason for testing is that you get some idea wether or not your doctor knows what he is talking about. Mine does NOT
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Don't altogether agree with that!

At first I tested a LOT which was necessary to find out what was causing what. Agreed a lot of the time nowadays I don't bother as the tests just confirm what I have already predicted BUT every couple of weeks I will test a whole day, checking for long term changes. Then like you I will test when I am outside of my normal parameters, eating out, feeling ill etc. I adopted this plan as the best way to maximise information while minimising costs as I have to buy all my own strips. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for anyone whose control isn't good. But then how do you get good control without testing?
 
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