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Libre and testing strips

June_C

June_C

Well-Known Member
Messages
821
Location
West Sussex
Type of diabetes
Prefer not to say
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Diabetes, know it alls
A question. If your gp knows you have a Libre, can he then try and reduce the number of strips on prescription? I'm hoping someone is going to say that just because I've bought an "aid" to help understand and manage my diabetes care that it doesn't mean that my gp can reduce his care and responsibility. I believe the NICE guidelines state that T1s should always have access to strips. I have my annual check up at my surgery next month (blood tests already done) and if necessary I'll keep quiet about the Libre.

Has anyone else had trouble getting strips once they have a CGM?
 
June_C said:
A question. If your gp knows you have a Libre, can he then try and reduce the number of strips on prescription? I'm hoping someone is going to say that just because I've bought an "aid" to help understand and manage my diabetes care that it doesn't mean that my gp can reduce his care and responsibility. I believe the NICE guidelines state that T1s should always have access to strips. I have my annual check up at my surgery next month (blood tests already done) and if necessary I'll keep quiet about the Libre.

Has anyone else had trouble getting strips once they have a CGM?
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I just told the GP I had changed my BG Meter to a Freestyle and asked to replace the strips with Optium ones.
 
So you didn't actually tell your gp that you had a CGM?
 
It doesn't matter whether I have or haven't. If I am paying for it it is no business of theirs. My Diabetic clinic knows though. They are the NHS representatives that I consider to have a responsibility for learning about how to manage T1 diabetes in a modern age. Not my GP.
 
Point taken. I guess if I'm funding it myself, then it's nothing to do with my gp or diabetic clinic.
 
June_C said:
A question. If your gp knows you have a Libre, can he then try and reduce the number of strips on prescription? I'm hoping someone is going to say that just because I've bought an "aid" to help understand and manage my diabetes care that it doesn't mean that my gp can reduce his care and responsibility. I believe the NICE guidelines state that T1s should always have access to strips. I have my annual check up at my surgery next month (blood tests already done) and if necessary I'll keep quiet about the Libre.

Has anyone else had trouble getting strips once they have a CGM?
Click to expand...

June, I'm not T1, so may have got a bit muddled here, but I thought there were some guidelines or directives out there in the ether, instructing GPs not to limit test strips for T1s. I have a feeling it may have been @noblehead who posted a link to the document. If not, he may recall who posted it.

At the time, I thought if I were T1, it would be a great resource to save on my laptop, to nip any strip reduction conversation in it's tracks, or be useful back up for increased supplies, should I need them. Hopefully, Noblehead will drop by at some point.

I would tend to agree with Tim, in his sentiments, and in any case, you should not feel committed to using the Libre on a permanent basis, bearing in mind some of the skin reactions some have experienced, never mind the cumulative financial burden.

Good luck with your review next month.
 
June_C said:
A question. If your gp knows you have a Libre, can he then try and reduce the number of strips on prescription? I'm hoping someone is going to say that just because I've bought an "aid" to help understand and manage my diabetes care that it doesn't mean that my gp can reduce his care and responsibility. I believe the NICE guidelines state that T1s should always have access to strips. I have my annual check up at my surgery next month (blood tests already done) and if necessary I'll keep quiet about the Libre.

Has anyone else had trouble getting strips once they have a CGM?
Click to expand...

Hi June.

I see it this way.? If your insulin dependant. They have a duty (is it part of a charter?) to supply the means to gauge BS.
You bought a CGM & are continuing to monitor BS using this method. But it's always advisable to have a spare method/meter as back up.
If you are happy with the number of strips supplied at each prescription request? Then say nothing.;)
Keep some handy & in date. & if the Librre goes down for any reason? The strips are there when asked for. :D
 
Jaylee said:
Hi June.

I see it this way.? If your insulin dependant. They have a duty (is it part of a charter?) to supply the means to gauge BS.
You bought a CGM & are continuing to monitor BS using this method. But it's always advisable to have a spare method/meter as back up.
If you are happy with the number of strips supplied at each prescription request? Then say nothing.;)
Keep some handy & in date. & if the Librre goes down for any reason? The strips are there when asked for. :D
Click to expand...
Thanks Jaylee. I've decided to keep Mum and let them think I'm only using bg test strips. As this is the first sensor I've used, I'm continuing to test to my meter so that I can see how close the cgm is getting to the bg reading and of course I have to test bg before I drive as a cgm reading won't count.
 
June_C said:
Thanks Jaylee. I've decided to keep Mum and let them think I'm only using bg test strips. As this is the first sensor I've used, I'm continuing to test to my meter so that I can see how close the cgm is getting to the bg reading and of course I have to test bg before I drive as a cgm reading won't count.
Click to expand...
Indeed. & a good point on the driving with regards to should there be any "road traffic act/law" issue? A meter reading on a device sanctioned by your doc may well save a bit of wrangle. ;)
 
AndBreathe said:
June, I'm not T1, so may have got a bit muddled here, but I thought there were some guidelines or directives out there in the ether, instructing GPs not to limit test strips for T1s. I have a feeling it may have been @noblehead who posted a link to the document. If not, he may recall who posted it.
Click to expand...
This is the letter and should help all Type1s having difficulty with getting enough strips.

http://www.input.me.uk/wp-content/u..._Safe-care-of-people-with-type-1-diabetes.pdf
 
June_C said:
Point taken. I guess if I'm funding it myself, then it's nothing to do with my gp or diabetic clinic.
Click to expand...

Quite.

Doesn't Abbott say that you shouldn't rely on just the Libre to monitor your diabetes and bg testing is still necessary, if your Dr does ever try to reduce your bg test strips then present them with the letter the @catherinecherub has provided above, or better still get your Consultant/DSN to write a letter to them.
 
noblehead said:
Quite.

Doesn't Abbott say that you shouldn't rely on just the Libre to monitor your diabetes and bg testing is still necessary, if your Dr does ever try to reduce your bg test strips then present them with the letter the @catherinecherub has provided above, or better still get your Consultant/DSN to write a letter to them.
Click to expand...
No, actually they advertise it as a way to end finger pricking bg tests. There might be something in the small print, but I haven't bothered to look for it, as the reason I bought it was to reduce the number of bg tests, definitely not to do away with them altogether. I totally accept that the Libre is not as accurate as a bg test, but it's a very convenient, discreet way to monitor my levels during the day and see how food, exercise etc are affecting me and also of course if I'm heading for a hypo.
 
I suspect that it won't make any difference to your GP.

My experience with the Libre (on hiatus at the moment due to skin reaction) meant I was using a lot less strips than before. This also meant less prescriptions required for strips as I only request when I'm down to a weeks worth left. Since I've stopped using it, my prescription needs have returned to the previous levels. No comment from my surgery either way.

You do still need to finger prick prior to driving (by law as the Libre isn't recognised yet) and also at times of rapid change in your blood sugar or if you feel that the Libre reading isn't right.
 
justbe said:
What are you saying tims? You switched your BG meter to a freestyle one, because you also have a freestyle libre (if so, OK, but I would prefer a DIFFERENT brand of backup meter, just to rule out similar errors on both devices, so I'm not sure I've understood you)? Or are you saying that you got your prescription changed to freestyle optium so you could somehow use the "credit" to pay for / contribute to freestyle libre sensors?
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No, the Libre uses Optium test strips as well as the sensors so I just switched to these test strips so I didn't have to carry a meter and the Libre.
 
justbe said:
I often find gauging BS quite easy around them ;) For example, when they say they want you to spend a year or more "working toward" a pump, when they really mean "our pump funding is really bad."
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I feel the it's more about priority..?
They are more inclined (for instance) in my part of the world to instantly give the "remote" of an Omni-pod to a woman that has never even heard of diabetes before her child was diagnosed on the basis of her own "needle phobia"..
 
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