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New to UK and have type 1 diabetes

K

kmolli

Newbie
Messages
3
Dear Everyone!

We will move to London in a few months with my whole family (me, husband and 2 small boys) and I'd like to ask some basic information about diabetes treatments.

Wich unit do people in UK use for blood glucose measuring? I use mmol/l, and I don't want to use mg/dl

How much do you have to pay for test strips per month? (How many test strips could be prescribed per month? And how much should you pay for a box of an average test strips if it is prescribed?)

What kind of test strips could be prescribed? (in my country it is soooo limited, we have approx. 4 types of test strips which the doctor can prescribe, but if you want to use e.g. some Accu Chek strips, you have to pay yourself everything)

Is the OmniPod reachable in the UK? And do you have to pay for it? If yes, how much?

Thanks for all answers in advance!! I searched on the internet these things, but I didn't find proper answer.
Molli
 
welcome molli and hello. Where are you moving from? It must be a bit scary and exciting at the same time.

Test strips for type 1 are free. If you are entitled you can ask your dr/DSN for a NHS exception certificate , which is actually a card. All your medication will therefore be free of charge as well. I still use the old bs measuring, but its easily calculated to the new one.

There are a lot of different BS machines, with the strips, I have just been given an ACCU-CHEK System, I find its very good.. With best wishes
 
Yes, we use mmol/l here in the UK. I am type 1 and i get 200 free strips a month of my choice.
 
kmolli,

Diabetes UK is the largest diabetes charity in the UK and has a care-line where you can contact them and ask any questions related to diabetes, if they don't know the answer they will point you in the right direction, click on the link below you will find the contact details for DUK:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Careline/
 
Thanks for all of you!

I live in Hungary now and I lived for a short time in Copenhagen, so I have a little experience in living abroad, but then I didn't have any children... so yes, it is very scary to move abroad But my husband got a job there, so we try it...

If I understand right, 200 test strips could be prescribed per month? Or does the doctor decide how many strips he prescribes for you?
I'm an unstable type so I make lots of measuring.. I use 250-300 test strips per month, but it helps me to keep my HbA1c under 6.5 (as soon as I make less measurings I get higher HbA1c and much more unstable blood sugars).

Thanks really!
 
I think 200 free strips is the normal amount on the NHS. I'm not sure if it varies according to where you live. I'm like you and have unstable blood sugars so I have to measure a lot too in order to keep good control. This usually means that I have to buy an extra two pots of strips a month roughly (which I have to pay for myself). When added to the free strips, that gives me 300 strips a month.
 

I think the number of strips that you'll get depends on the area, the GP and whether you can get anyone to vouch for the number you need! An old GP of mine objected to giving any more than one vial of test strips on any prescription. When I discussed it with my DSN, she wrote to the GP and asked him to increase it to three vials and he did it without too much of a problem.
 
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