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No benefit of self-testing for type 2

I was diagnosed T2 6 months ago and am on the diet and exercise route to control. Self testing has been part of my regime and was extremely useful in figuring out why I felt shaky and weak, sluggish and tired, or had an insatiable craving for frozen raspberries (my sugary food "way better" choice substitute). I don't test daily, but when I feel "odd" or different, and by testing, have become more in tune with my body and the signals it sends out. Although my GP, practice nurse and practice dietician have encouraged self testing, I have also look at the cost of extra strips more pragmatically ---- I paid enough to fund a small country on sugary treats and a +2 litre daily coke habit, and did not count those costs, the cost of getting my resultant diabetes under control should be treated in the same light. (I don't think it is possible that strips can cost more than my sugar binges). It's about making choices, and I choose to self test. (My HBG test was 6.1 last month -- Yay!)
 
Am truly amazed and the response from people on this forum at this ridiculous report.
Is it possible that it was written deliberately to see what sort of a rise they could get from sane diabetics?
Seriously though, I really feel that your NHS is punitive and terrified that people might just get to know more about sucessful treatments for their conditions than their HCP.
With people posting who rarely do since joining DiabetesUK up to 2 years ago you have the bones for a healthy revolution happening. Viva the revolution!
Perhaps those of us in Commonwealth Countries who are able to get subsidised strips should be buying up warehouse loads and shipping them to you! We pay $14.20 AUS for 100 strips, do not need a prescription and can buy as many as we want.
 
I was just about to post a comment similar to Clearviews, in as far as the most noticeable thing about this thread is how many people have either just joined or made a relatively "early" post after belonging for ages. Amazing! There is a depth of feeling aroused that wasn't apparent before! It would be lovely if everyone posted more often and shared their experience when relevant.

I too have gained control by testing - I daren't add up the cost of testing so far but was keeping track at one point until I realised I had more interesting things to do!

But in the meantime, I'm going to pitch the idea of an article on this to various newspaper section editors and see if anyone bites. I'll let you know what happens. (I am a freelance writer as well as a child therapist.)

DG
 

This is very interesting, I would be interested to learn more about the group and the results to be published, my daughter and son have Hashimo's disease and have immense struggles in the control of their thyroid!

Back to diabetes, as a T2 - diagnosed some 26 months ago, I have been comparatively lucky to date in controlling my glucose levels by diet, however, having recently been unwell I became concerned that my prolonged feeling of illness could be related to my glucose levels spiralling due to the illness. I had no way of knowing, since self-testing is not recommended by my GP (whom I have great confidence in other ways). I think the matter certainly does require more conclusive testing, if as is the general feeling of T2 sufferers testing is of huge benefit, that way the medical profession may finally accept self testing is of benefit and even help with the costs! My other beef is that non-insulin users have to pay for prescriptions, as mentioned above my son and daughter are dependent upon thyroxin and do not have to pay for prescriptions as it is deemed they have a life threatening disease - whilst I certainly do not begrudge them free medication, I am not sure why the same ruling is not in place for diabetics (here I am really referring to strips for self-testing), but suppose I have answered my own question really, since the NHS do not advocate self testing.

Whilst, I have to be honest, I have not, to date, really been in favour of self testing, I can see the logic and I am currently leaning towards being in favour, despite my reservations of 'scaring' myself and becoming obsessive over readings. I have been glad of the 'get-out' clause provided by the NHS theory of thinking - conversely this may act against my views - if they had told me that self-testing was important to my well being I probably would have taken a different stance
 
I think you have to re-read this as no conclusions have been drawn. The headline is not the full story.

"According to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care and it's external experts, the quality of trials on glucose self monitoring is still inadequate overall. What is lacking are trials of a longer duration that enables the long term effect of glucose self monitoring to be evaluated. Even the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health has complained in it's recent assessment of blood glucose self monitoring, that there is a lack of long terms trials".

"Due to the lack of urine glucose self monitoring, no conclusions can be drawn from a comparison of urine and blood tests either".

http://www.physorg.com/news182080534.html

This is a Canadian study and will possibly influence opinion here. Some PCT's have made up their minds on cost.
Time to lobby M.P.'s and Newspapers :?:
 
The benefits of self testing are obvious, thanx to the advice & guidance of the good people on this site I have managed through exercise & diet to reverse the Impaired Fasting Glyceamia (so far anyway) I was diagnosed with. It certainly wasn't down the NHS "fact sheet" given to me by the diabetic nurse. I did ask the Doc if the strip tests we do were as good as a proper NHS blood test, he told me the proper blood tests were more accurate but recommended me to keep testing as it would give me a
good idea as to whether blood glucose levels were too high or too low. I would have thought in a society such as ours (or indeed anywhere) where western style diseases are becoming more commonplace the emphasise from governments should be on encouraging prevention and allowing the individual through education (which is what your site does) to take responsibility for his or her own health, whether it be testing for diabetes, cholesterol whatever the condition. Theres a question, do these same people who think testing for type 2 is a waste of time think the same about cholesteral testing? following their logic I'm assuming they'd be against all forms of self testing?
 
Benefits of self testing are that
1.
you can see when you are going wrong.
2.
It gives you motivation to carry on when you see blood glucose levels dropping( as I'm experiencing now.)
3.
Helps by monitering not to ignore blood glucose levels and become ill and jepordise our health.
4.
I use self-testing as an important tool whilst on a weight loss program so I know when to contact my health care team about medication levels.
5.
My doctor asks for my blood glucose records to decide my treatment.
 
A nurse asked me 'being type 2 and not taking insulin what use is testing, what can you do about the result you get?'. Well my answer was that 'the number' gives me knowledge so then I can make a decision. Even if I can't do anything about a high number at the time (apart from run and up and down the stairs perhaps if the test result is on the high side) I can either not eat that particular food again or decide to eat half the amount in future. If I had not tested after eating that scone, for instance, I would not see with my very own eyes, how that affected my bg level two hours later.

I find it frustrating that nurses are given the mantra that people with type 2 on diet and exercise, or even taking tablets, cannot do anything about the meter readings. Also nurses are told that people taking Metformin do not get hypos. I heard the same nurse tell a gentleman who had no appetite that he did not need to worry about not eating and yet he had said he was taking Metformin. I know from experience that not eating or doing a lot of activity like gardening, can cause my bg to drop below 3.0 mmol/l.

What would magistrates say if told that accident occurred because the driver had a hypo but was told this is not possible by the nurse and so there was no need for them to test their bg? I buy my own and test and that they cannot, and will not stop me doing that.
 
(which is what your site does) to take responsibility for his or her own health, whether it be testing for diabetes, cholesterol whatever the condition

Yes, this site does give us support and help us to understand our 'condition', is informant, yet staying neutral, but most of all it gives us freedom to take control!

In relation to this topic, I am one of the countless T2s who has received a very emphatic 'No' from my GP on the subject when last broached. I have not been self testing but I feel I am going to, it is, after all, my body, my life and who else can take responsibity for it? I shudder to think of life without this very welcome website and forum, in the 'dark' days of pre-internet! Possibly great sufferings of this :roll:
 
i think this report misses the point somewhere along the line. on one hand they are saying that the trials looked at had no data relating to selftesting therefore they were concluding there was no obvious benefit to testing, counting their chickens before they actually hatched !! and one point raised was that allthe trials were too short to gain any useful data and that future studies should be more lone term. great,always supposing NHS and the bean counters haven't stopped us from doing our own checks on our own health.

I know I have derived great benefit, as a type 2, from being able to see what is going on in my own body without having to wait 3/4 months for a Hba1c to tell me i am in trouble because my AM reading are up in the 8's and 9's due to 'liver dumping' that my GP was not very well acquainted with. I tried to contact iQWIG but failed as their verification codes wudn't let me, keep on testing , folks as we know better than not too!!
 
With regard to testing.A friend at work has been diagnosed with type 2 just before xmas. I was diagnosed back in August 09, i live in Kent he lives in South London i have managed my diebetes by using a meter which was supplied free i also have the strips on prescription this has helped me change my diet. My friend however went to see his DN last week & was told he dosent need to test how is he supposed to know what food to eat. I have advised him but people are different so what might effect me could be ok for him, is this the start of PCT saving money by not prescribing test strips.
 
Hi KTF, no its not the start, it has always been the case. Many PCT's adopt the rule that T2's who are not insulin dependant do not need to test, because the NHS dietary advice ands support is so good, that if followed, then one can be confident that without testing, their BG's are at "safe" levels.
What a joke!!!!
To be honest, the NHS do not even know what safe levels are and spew out advice which without being melodramatic - Will for some, lead to serious complications and worse!.
This very morning, I met a friend and asked her how her husband is coping with his T2. She told me that he had put on a lot of weight over Christmas and that he would not be able to diet until February, because that is how long it will take them to eat all of the cakes, sweets and chocolates that they acquired over Christmas. These poor people have not had the reality driven home to them and think that T2 is a mild illness. This chap is in his thirties!!!!. I have asked what their GP/DN have to say about it and they said they are happy with his HBA1C, but cant remember what his last reading was!!!.
Still, he doesnt need to test and if his GP says he's doing good, then he has nothing to fear :shock: :!:
 
Hi KTF, I also live in Kent, and my GP does not condone testing, so no chance of prescription on NHS! I think you are should consider yourself one of the lucky few, from this website many T2s are being advised by NHS not to self test
 

Now that is alarming, my deepest problem with diet advised my NHS is based on carbohydrates and their recommendation to eat lots! But to read the above is quite shocking. I had a diabetic Xmas pudding, and diabetic biscuits as a special treat, I must admit I indulged in one mince pie, a little light custard and so light soya cream, and a few dark chocolates over the period, the remorse I felt is quite awful, so decided not worth doing it again - I kind of get used to not having sweet things, and did find that some of these things taste far too sweet now! Also, worth noting that my husband insists on buying big tins of Roses for his and any guests consumption, I tried one and it had no flavour, just pure sugar - disgusting, to think I used to like them :!: Getting back to topic, it is appallling to think that people are going around so ill advised, on the other hand they need to take some control for themselves, and perhaps do what most of the people on this site have done, researched the topic and glean assistance from other diabetics knowledge and experience! This does not, however, condone such bad advice to a T2 sufferer.
 
After reading all the posts left on here, I really have to count myself one of the lucky ones.
When I was first diagnosed T2 Nov 09 I felt like my world have fallen apart, you see in March 08 I had a heart attack and was diagnosed all three arteries diseased, and had to have stents placed into two ateries, thinking that was bad enough. I get T2 Diabetes.
My MAIN worry was I am a single parent and always it is on my mind "I cant go yet, I have children" silly I know as we all have to go sometime.

But then I met my DN, Angie, who as soon as she started talking, made me feel at ease and I knew then I was in good hands.

She had, had a metre and prescription for test strips and a box of 200 lancers waiting for me even before I had entred her room.

maybe this being a general election year, we should all write to our MP's and demand everyone who has Diabetes wether it be T1 or T2 get free help with ALL the things needed to cope with Diabetes.
 
At the present time my GP has the same opinion, he says that there is no reason for me to test. Although I am a Type II diabetic I have to use insulin and am becoming increasingly insulin resistant. I am very lucky that I actually attend hospital for my diabetic care and they are of the opinion that I should be self-monitoring, currently 4 times a day - I'm on the basal/bolus regime. My only problem is being able to get enough monitoring stick from my GP who will only let me have 50 sticks a month because as I said before he doesn't see any benefit to self-monitoring.
 
Hi Kingfisher,
If you are a driver on insulin then your Dr. should know that you need to test more often. The DVLA are very clear on this and I suggest you inform your Dr. that you will hold him responsible if anything happens.
I would also get your hospital based team to write to your GP about their views on you testing.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/medical/ataglance.aspx (thanks Ken)
 
Hi i,m Trevor from Redditch just joined so i,m new to all this.
I,m on insulin,i,m 53 and live in Redditch
I must reply on the comment about blood glucose testing.
I,m personally glad we can do it because my doctor says I can increase or decrease my insulin
intake depending on the results.
It annoys me when people say we cant have any sugar.A diabetic specialist gave me a sugary
biscuit and cup of tea because I hit a hypo and didnt realise until I was shaking uncontrollably.
I hardly drink and dont smoke so occasionally I enjoy a little chocolate
Surely a diabetic hasnt got to be denied a life
 
"I had a diabetic Xmas pudding, and diabetic biscuits as a special treat,"
Be very wary of "diabetic" food. Boots range for example is only 2% sugar - problem is, its 100% carbohydrate :shock: :shock: :shock:
There are legal moves afoot to get Boots (once again!) to remove their so called diabetic range.
Please, please, please - read the carb content for any diabetic food before you buy it!.

Steve.
 
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