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No longer need to test

Karl S

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have received a letter from my medical practice is morning (in association with the county CCG) informing me that as I treat my Type 2 Diabtees with medication and the type of medication I am on (Metformin) does no cause hypoglycaemia, I no longer need to self monitor my blood glucose levels and that my test strips and lancets will be removed from my repeat medication list. Has anyone else had a similar letter? The letter states that he best way to monitor my blood glucose levels is my annual HbA1c test.
 

These days, most are decline testing supplies from the start, so that will limit the number of such letters going out.

You could always make an appointment to see your Doc and explain why you feel continued testing support would be worthwhile. You have nothing to lose by trying?
 
Thanks for the reply. One of the reasons I am concerned about not testing is the effect on my other health conditions. I have serval other health conditions in addition to my diabetes including chronic heart disease.
 
Hi @Bluetit1802 and @AndBreathe
Have they recently pushed the prices up?
I remember it used to be about 35 pounds for 10 or am I incorrect.
Is there any checkout code for discount still valid or working?
I am almost coming to an end of my supply.
 
brettsza said:
Hi @Bluetit1802 and @AndBreathe
Have they recently pushed the prices up?
I remember it used to be about 35 pounds for 10 or am I incorrect.
Is there any checkout code for discount still valid or working?
I am almost coming to an end of my supply.
Click to expand...
No price rises to my knowledge. The website states the full cost, with the multi pot discount applied at the checkout. It comes down to c£5-odd a pot, with the multi-buy discount.
 
The strips I use to be honest, looking on the web, seem to be amongst the cheaper ones. The machine I was given by my surgery when I was diagnosed in 2011 was the FreeStyle Freedom Lite.
AndBreathe said:
No price rises to my knowledge. The website states the full cost, with the multi pot discount applied at the checkout. It comes down to c£5-odd a pot, with the
Click to expand...
 
Thank you so much just ordered and took a picture too this time.
 
I had a similar experience. When I was first diagnosed and on Metformin I purchased a monitor and was given given strips on prescription. After a year or so my GP told me that government changes meant I could no longer have them on prescription as they are expensive to produce. I found monitoring my blood sugar invaluable in calculating suitable foods for my diet as information and guidance (as I think we all pretty much know) is virtually non existent. I already knew a lot about foods as I worked for thirteen years in a nutritional therapy college but I was still surprised to find foods that spiked my BS levels. It's sickening the lack of help given by the NHS and ironically the government are now saying that more attention to treatment and information must be put in place for T2 sufferers.
 
I was given a monitor and test strips 3 weeks ago when diagnosed with Type 2 to be perfectly honest I am just getting used to it, and now my doctor says I do not need to test regular anymore, but I will continue as I do not think the doctors know how important testing to us is. Firstly because it takes time to find out what we can and not eat by testing, yes I am convinced it is the price and not the patient. doctors and diabetic nurses should know this not enough research.
 
Hi
Many type 2 diabetic patients who are taking tablets are being stopped of their meters and test strips.

If your type 2 and on insulin you will be given a meter and test strips.

The reason is the cost of it. I've had people who went to their GP and protested and still did not get anywhere.
 
I am on metformin and have never self tested however I do have 6 mintly reviews and everything is fine so dont worry.
 
I was initially diagnosed with LADA (basically a kind of T1), put on insulin and given a meter "to test for hypos". That's what the NHS thinks testing is for. If you believe (1) that testing is only for hypo-prevention, (2) that metformin can't cause hypos and (3) that the only diet T2s need is portion control and the balanced plate, then it's logical not to prescribe test strips for anyone not on insulin. The problem from a patient's point of view is that this means there are three separate entrenched beliefs to fight.

Although I still have strips on prescription (50 a month), I find I don't need as many as I used to: once I'd worked out what raises my BG and got into a good LCHF diet routine, I stopped needing to test for every food and every meal. I now do random tests every week or two: if I get a high result I do a full 7-a-day set of tests, and if any of those are high I do tests on specific foods. This lowers the cost of test strips in the long term.

Kate
 
Like @kesun above, my husband only tests once in a while (about once a month, maybe a bit less, just out of curiosity). Once we got it into our heads that even the very best muesli, sold in brown paper bags at the health food shop, was not healthy, that it was just a bowl full of sugar spiking carbs, even with the raisons picked out, it all became clear. There was no need to test, simply don't eat anything with a starch or sugar content and blood sugars won't go up. For us, the important thing was to learn and accept that everything we had been told would give us perfect health for the last 30 years, would do exactly the opposite, after that, its all been easy. Once over this hurdle, routine testing was irrelevant. James is on no diabetic meds and no test since a few weeks after diagnosis has given anything but a normal reading.
Sally
 
The problem is that Type 2 Diabetes is 90% of the population. Providing blood test strips for each and everyone would cause terrible problems with the NHS funding. They are starting a Diabetes Prevention Programme to try and prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Some of course have it because it's Genetic. But the people who have it because of their lifestyle should pay for their drugs. I know it sounds harsh but this could be a wake up call.
 
Cathn61may said:
But the people who have it because of their lifestyle should pay for their drugs. I know it sounds harsh but this could be a wake up call.
Click to expand...
I see two problems with this: first, medical science doesn't yet understand how much of T2 is genetic, or whether a genetic component leads to the lifestyle (similar to the idea of an addiction gene). This inability to tell which diabetes is genetic and which isn't would make enforcement of a free drugs ban for "lifestyle" diabetics problematic.

Second, T2s on medication do get their drugs free; this discussion is about whether they should get test strips, an aid to changing their "lifestyle" eating problems, on prescription. If they don't, they won't know what foods worsen their diabetes and hence are likely to end up costing the NHS more in drugs for the resulting complications of uncontrolled high blood sugar.

Kate
 
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