Moving to the UK with Diabetes-1

Trouble is Mo - would you rather see people in hospital with either ketosacidtosis becasue of high BS's or blacked out because of a hypo because they didnt recognise it in time. A few strips cost nothing in comparision to an A&E admission, doctors and nurses time, DSN time etc. Think people need to consider the bigger picture here and also recognise that all of us have differents needs. All well and good if you get by on 6 strips - other cant ...simples!

To even ask if I'd like to see people in A&E is ridiculous. I wish no harm to anyone. My point, which keeps being overlooked, is that the NHS is not a bottomless bit of money. I'd rather see the wealth spread out. Look at all the other postings on this forum about people who have either been rationed or cut altogether. If someone really NEEDS to test 14 times a day, cool. I don't think as a community though, we should considerate it the "norm" !

Mo

Nobody said it was the norm and I think we all would agree that need is the basis on which the NHS should be run.

Regards

Doug

The problem is not the amount of strips people use, the problem is the postcode lottery that the NHS have going! The thread starter has a GP who gives him as many as he wants whereas I see people on here who are type 2 and don't get given any and have to buy them themselves!

I was told I was only allowed to test twice a week by my DSN when I was listed as type 2 and then when she found out I was changed to type 1.5 and the consultant had said I MUST test at least 2-3 times a day her response was "do you know how expensive the strips are for a 50 pack? £25 each!"

What goes for one individual should apply to EVERYONE regardless of which part of the UK they live in and there should be guidelines in place so every patient gets the same as everyone else.... That's the problem in my opinion, it's not individuals its the organisation!


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 23 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.

Hi elaine, 2 to 3 times a day is
Ridiculous not sure but do you inject insulin?

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Probably best we just agree to disagree on this one ! I still hold the opinion that 14 tests a day is excessive but I respect other peoples opinions too ! A forum, especially an active one like this, will attract different ideas and views all the time ! This is what keeps it fresh. How boring would it be if we all agreed on everything ?

Depending on my day can easily use 10 to 14 a day.

6am morning test

7.30 am test before breakfast

8.30am drive to work TEST BY LAW

9.30am test b4 morning snack

11.30am Driving, work related, REQUIRED BY LAW

12.30pm test before lunch

2.30pm test before afternoon snack.

4.30pm Drive home LAW

6.30pm test before tea.

9pm collect.mrs from work, driving LAW

10~11pm test before bed.

This is 11 tests, without a hypo, in which case I would need to test and if hypo re test 15 mins later.
Also this is a day without excercise and we all know what can happen there!

Also the above includes 4 tests which I am required to do by law as I am am using Insulin.
I try to be economical with them and if possible use some of my before driving results four readings for before meals, snacks etc.

Simply put we need what we need
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Agree Mo. What is clear is that there is inconsistently in the system as Elaine says, and postocde lottery if definately alive and well in the NHS. I don't agree however that the answer would be that everyone gets the same though.
For many years, my T1 diabetes was stable and hypos were easily recognisable so 6 tests a day were probably about the amount of tests I did back then. I'm in a very different place now and have been over the past 2 years with very unstable diabetes (pump has helped a lot) - so giving me the same amount of test strips as joe bloggs down the road who's BSs are very stable would not make sense. As a previous post said, it has to be a judgement call based on an individual's circumstances. I'm hoping that sometime in the future things will settle down again and I can reduce my tests.

Ambersilva said:

Veizy

100 strips a week. I don't think it will very long before your test strip requests are reviewed by the Practice Manager.

100 strips last me nearly three weeks.

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LOL I was given 50 test strips and told to make them last 2 months.

'The exemption would cover all medications and not just those required for your diabetes.'

Is this correct? I didn't think you could get free prescriptions for things not associated with T1 diabetes.

Hi Brett

No I don't inject insulin yet, they don't know how quickly my body is destroying my beta cells though yet and after I had lots of ketones in my urine the consultant wants me to test regularly incase my insulin production declines rapidly. I've got no opinion on how many strips individuals should use I just think it's very unfair that it should depend on where you live.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 23 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.

elaine77 said:

Hi Brett

No I don't inject insulin yet, they don't know how quickly my body is destroying my beta cells though yet and after I had lots of ketones in my urine the consultant wants me to test regularly incase my insulin production declines rapidly. I've got no opinion on how many strips individuals should use I just think it's very unfair that it should depend on where you live.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 23 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.

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I agree, postcode lottery, gp lottery also but unfortunately it happens for alot of meds as well as diabetes related thingies. I also think all diabetics whatever type should be taught and able to test blood and adjust meds\diets\excercise according to readings, wouldn't life be easier for all diabetics.

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Many people are getting some success with their GP's by quoting DVLA rules where you must test prior to driving ! Levels must be at least 5 ! Doesn't work for everyone but certainly worth a try ? Good luck !


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mo1905 said:

Many people are getting some success with their GP's by quoting DVLA rules where you must test prior to driving ! Levels must be at least 5 ! Doesn't work for everyone but certainly worth a try ? Good luck !


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I rocked up to the doctor today and got my prescription changed to 400 strips at a time. This will last me 8-9 weeks. They've done this as it saves a mountain of paperwork every fortnight. They wanted it changed also!

Nice one Hale !


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That is indeed true. Once you have a medical exemption certificate it covers all medications, even if not related to diabetes.

Regards

Doug

Hi Everyone,

I'm so sad after reading this topic. My husband works in the UK and we (me and our 2 small sons) would like to follow him, beacuse we don't want to live separately (which we are since last summer). I have diabetes type 1 for 24 years and I'm quite an unstable one. I had two hard pregnancies and after my sons were born I realized I'm vulnerable, my diabetes eats me if I don't tighten on the control. I don't have 2 same days, I run after my kids, we have a lot of kid-illnesses which I catch from them, I'm trying to do some sports and I have a reflux which makes diabetes harder. So I have to make 10-12 measures a day othervise I'm moving between 2 and 20. I measure at least 1x during night, before all meals, after meals, after waking up, before going to bed, before every driving, before and after sports, before running after kids in the playground, I make measures when I feel high or low. Count it. This is my life, when I loose on the tight control, I'm bouncing between hypo and hiper, but with these measures I can make my HbA1c around 6 (6.2, 6.5 and still have smaller hypos and smaller hipers daily).
I know if I have to eat or give insulin correction after the measurements and I can prevent many hypos and hipers (or make them less extreme), and sometimes it is really important to know if my bg is going up, down or stable, so I make twice measurements in 20 minutes, just to know its direction (it is important before sport, drive, going out with kids or before sleep). A bad weather comes and my bg goes up or down, I'm women so I have to adjust insulins according to my monthly periods, we have lots of kindergarten's illnesses... I can't live normally without checking my bg so many times.
I'm NOT the average, but the average is not as unstable as me, but I'm not the only one. It"s not my fault. My diabetes is in the first place in my life, I'd like to see my grandhildren.

I"m sad, beacuse I don't want to go to a country where people think I'm not normal and I use other people's test strips who was born there. I don't want to have strips against others.

And I'm so suprised on some comments where people with type 2 and 1.5 compare themselves and their measuring habits to type 1's.

Hi kmolli,

As far as I'm aware it is usually type 2 diabetics that get their strips restricted, I've not heard of any type 1 diabetics who have been unable to get enough strips which is most likely because the chance of type 2 diabetics having hypos is nowhere near as high as type 1 having hypos....I'm not sure if they make allowances for type 2 diabetics who need to inject insulin..possibly they do but at the end of day no individuals are to blame for the way the NHS operates...it's an institutional thing I guess.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 23 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.