No test strips or lancets on the NHS?!!!

Yorksman - I'm not aspirind to be a third-rate Jim Bowen. It was a very negative thread and I tried to add a bit of personality into it, a bit tongue in cheek if you will. You just made a 'joke', so what. If you can't accept a humble apology and I did it for 2 reasons (1) I meant no offence whatsoever. (2) I don't want anyone putting their two-penn'rth in where they misunderstood and think I meant to cause personal offence. Thanks for ignoring EVERY SINGLE WORD I posted to you personally and choosing instead to prolong a non-argument. I'm not repeating myself and leaving myself open to an cheap shot misunderstanding. I'm NOT SORRY what I said, I'm sorry for for how it was mishandled. I don't come on here to derise others, so please have the dignity to understand that I even apologised to you, who had nothing to do with my initial post. I have lived and learned who is a real person and those who are antogonisers. [End of message].
Phew - Mo - sometimes life gives you lemons, and you make lemonade, right?

Mart, I have not met you, however, I am certain you are an active member of this forum and have always provided great advice and encouragement to others. Forums can be funny places. You can type something with good intention, and sometimes it can be taken the wrong way. Maybe time to knock this tread on the head and move on ? I am sure you meant no offence and I back you 100% ! Don't let this stop you encouraging others ;-)

martwolves said:

It was a very negative thread and I tried to add a bit of personality into it, a bit tongue in cheek if you will.

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Exactly as I wrote, "It was just a tongue in cheek Lee Mack impersonation".

martwolves said:

Thanks for ignoring EVERY SINGLE WORD I posted

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I was agreeing with you for heaven's sake.

martwolves said:

I'm not aspirind to be a third-rate Jim Bowen.

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I'm glad to hear it. Even a first rate Jim Bowen isn't that good.

I have had type 2 diabetes for some years now. Not once have i paid for my macines, lancets or strips. I cant understand why anyone else has to. I have been with two practices and both have given me free on prescription. I would take it further if i were you. Good luck!

I do not test very often as by now (some 15 years) I know the effect that various goods have on me. I do test if feeling out of sorts in case I need to moderate my diet for that period. A pot of test strips lasts me some months. My original argument with my GP was that if he wanted me to control my diabetes then I need the ability to test as necessary. If he wanted to control my diabetes then he needn't prescribe them - but reminding him that self-management was by far the best path. He agreed and I get the strips that I need.

Regards

Doug

It's years since I got free test strips and its years since my sugars were controlled type 2 diabetics will end up costing the NHS billions just for the sake of thousands

I am in N.E Lincs also and can confirm there was never any mention of testing strips by the diabetic nurse or the doctor.In fact if I hadn't come onto this forum I would never have known that it perhaps should be tested in between the 3 months. I manage without strips, hoping I'm eating the right things now. I changed my diet completely eating more veggies now but still learning as I know I had high sugar one day when I blended lots of fruits and made a smoothie as I was dizzy afterwards.I do think however that perhaps in between tests should be done if they don't provide the strips how are we supposed to know we're eating the right things.I'm on 2000 metformin a day and 40 simvastatin at night.

HI LOVELY ETC.,

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. IT IS HAPPENING FAR TOO OFTEN, TO TO MANY UNWARY BRITISH PEOPLE.

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR GP TO ENSURE THAT HE PRESCRIBES THE TEST STRIPS AND LANCETS APPLICABLE TO YOUR BGL BLOOD TEST MONITOR. YOU MUST GO AND SEE HIM NOW.

DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER.

RECENTLY CAMERON AND HIS BOYS SAID THAT PCT [AS THEY WERE THEN] MUST TELL GP'S TO TELL DIABETICS THAT ONLY TWO TESTS PER WEEK WERE OK!

WHY? SOD YOUR KILLER DISEASE AND SOD YOU TRYING TO CONTROL IT, CAMERON AND HIS BOYS MUST HAVE CUTS IN NHS SPENDING COME WHAT MAY. AND THEY MUST ALSO GET A HUGE TAX CUT INTO THE BARGIN.

IF CAMERON, HIS FAMILY OR ANY OF HIS CRONY TORIES WERE SUFFERING FROM DIABETES; MAKE NO MISTAKE, NO EXPENSE WOULD BE SPARED TO ENSURE THEY GOT EVERYTHING THEY WANTED FROM THE BRITISH PEOPLE'S NHS.

THIS IS SHAMEFUL AND SICKENING.

REMEMBER YOU MUST STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS AS A BRITISH EUROPEAN CITIZEN. ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR NHS MUST BE FULLY AND FREELY AVAILABLE ALWAYS.

IF YOUR GP TRIES TO PLAY HARD BALL WITH YOU, TELL HIM THAT YOU WILL MAKE A SERIOUS COMPLAINT ABOUT HIM TO THE NHS MONITORING AUTHORITY AND THE EUROPEAN COURTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS.

IT IS NO WONDER THAT CAMERON AND HIS CRONIES WANT THE UK OUT OF EUROPE. IT IS SO THAT THEY CAN TREAT US LIKE FILTH.

STAND UP FIRMLY FOR YOUR RIGHTS LOVELY, DO NOT BE PHASED. TRUE POWER RESTS WITH THE BRITISH PEOPLE ALWAYS.

DO LET US KNOW HOW YOU GET ON.

just go to your gp and ask for a prescription if you are injecting its your right

lvellam said:

I have had type 2 diabetes for some years now. Not once have i paid for my macines, lancets or strips. I cant understand why anyone else has to. I have been with two practices and both have given me free on prescription. I would take it further if i were you. Good luck!

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There is a paper freely available online entitled,

Mapping English GP prescribing data: a tool for monitoring health-service inequalities

I have emboldened 'inequalities' for emphasis.

The paper looks at the regional spending on the drug Metformin. As you can se from the map below which ranges from £0.02 per person (blue) to £0.30 per person (red), there is quite a variation even in industrialised areas.



For a larger version : http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001363/F2.large.jpg

For some reason, spending per person in some parts of the Manchester for example is greater than anywhere in London.

It would be an interesting exercise to make a similar map for test strips. I tend to think that as Metformin is a cheap drug, profit oriented GPs will prefer to prescribe Metformin than test strips which are more expensive. They may do both of course, but limit the amount of test strips that they prescribe but I also think that anyone who wants to manage their diabetes through diet and exercise alone runs the risk of a GP claiming that the patient has been offered the standard treatment, ie. Metformin, but has rejected it bt the GP then sees no reason to waste resources by prescribing a more expensive treatment regime, ie test strips, when he doesn't believe the patient will make good use of it.

The full paper is available at:

Mapping English GP prescribing data: a tool for monitoring health-service inequalities
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001363.full

lifesway said:

hoping I'm eating the right things now.

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A concise and reasonably accurate summary of the approach by some GPs to diabetes.

I see you are on diabetes medication, do you have a medication exemption certificate ?
The thing is Metformin rarely cause hypo's unless you exercise hard so is a safe drug for diabetes so reduced need for testing.
See your GP & query changing your medication as your control is poor and ask outright for strips to help you
If that doesn't work -
If you go to a diabetic clinic ask them if they could suggest to your GP you need them prescribed.
Also keep a diary of any 'symptoms' indicating poor diabetes control .. blurred vision, bathroom visits etc ..
Go armed with facts and argue your case, cite your disability as a reason to gain good control so you don't have other problems
Ring up or send a card to the nurse you were rude to and apologise ,say you've been having mood swings which is probably due to poor diabetic control but what can you do as you can't afford testing equipment and what does she suggest.
You don't say what your disability is , but can it impact on your diabetes ?
what is happening with your blood pressure and your cholesterol ?
if they are both also above normal suggest to your GP you are at risk of a stroke due to your disability and inability to exercise
to help your diabetes which you also cannot monitor due to lack of stix.
perhaps request urine stix for glucose testing ??
hope these suggestions help.

Surely the problem is the cost of the strips.. An absolute rip off. I would like to see the diabetes.co.uk site start a campaign but not hopeful... Would offend the advertisers..!

Dear Lucja,

Not sure if this helps but if you do find yourself regularly having to pay over £11 pm for prescription charges then you'd probably be best advised to take out an NHS prepayment card. These currently cost about £10.40 pm but allow you unlimited use for prescriptions. Any helpful chemist (not all, alas, are) would be able to advise you. Here's a link too (to the CAB website) where you can find out what free health benefits there are for those on a low income or not working:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/h ... _costs.htm

All good luck and I hope you don't mind my saying well done for standing up for yourself on here. Some people vent their own problems by saying unnecessarily unhelpful or unkind things but that still doesn't excuse them.

Patrick

I really feel for you especially as I never know from month to month if I will get my prescription for strips. Basically was presdcribed strips in 2007 and have put in a repeat prescription ever since and have got it. I have been forgotten at the Doctors as I never go near them!!! I don't think I am entitled to them anymore as I controll on low Gi/ low carb diet and exercise. I have to say at the beginning I couldn't have done without tem to find out what foods I can eat and what spike me. Basically I stay <6 on a fasting . It goes up when I have a cold or am not well. I test if I try a new food which \i think might affect me.

I have just found this on Amazon:-

Codefree Blood Glucose Monitor/Monitoring Test/Testing Kit+Strips+Lancets+Case - in mmol/L by SD Biosensor (Personal Care)

What do I actually get with this pack - 1 x SD Codefree Blood Glucose Meter - mmol/L - stores up to 500 test results.....1 x Adaptable Lancing Device offering 10 different comfort settings.....10 x Blood Glucose Test Strips - Our replacement strips are just £6.99 for 50 strips.....10 x Lancets.....1 x 3V Battery Type CR2032.....1 x Carrying Case.....1 x SD Check Strip.....Full instructions and a helpful Self Test Diary. £13.19

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I thought this may be useful to you as £6.99 for 50 strips is good. This is the way I will go if my strips get stopped.

Hope this was useful.

Patrick

Lucja is on metformin and so will be entitled to a medical exemption certificate, paying nothing for all medications.

Regards

Doug



Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

Due to amount of pills and potions I'm on I got a medical exemption form. I can't remember if I applied for it or was just sent to me.
I honestly couldn't afford to be well if I had to pay for everything.

What IS a shame though, and I post this generally with no prejudice or malice, I promise, there are many people I know type 2, who do not eat too well and don't test a lot of the time and although they have the exemption card, don't use it as they don't bother most the time. I said without prejudice as one person out of a rogues gallery of tens that I know personally, is my dad. He's 63, right BMI,fit, not overweight, doesn't drink, does a physical job and has glucose when he's worked particularly hard, like helping me build my conservatory about 5 yrs ago. The other is a close cousin, who at best half-heartedly takes his tablets, drinks far, far, far too much and resembles a beachball. 5'7" tall and 6" wide. He couldn't give a good god **** about his diabetes and someone else could benefit from his medical exemption. I have to keep track of stuff that I have and don't have and it's a right pain in the ar$e, but I use all my medication. I think there should be a national ALL-IN for diabetes medication card. Some will rarely use it, which costs the govt. Sum total next to ****** all, and the others use as and when. I am type one and unless I've pre-arranged my tablets, a few colleagues, even now, with mouths open in disbelief as I prepare my doses, followed by insulin. I take the mick and so do they, it's all good banter in good heart. TLTL being asked to pay for yourself or get free is poor. We all live in the UK pay same taxes, etc and I think it is pot luck, lucky dip, tombola, type chance whether you get it or not and is at best, blatantly unfit for purpose and unfair. I urge you all to enquire about a medical exemption card asap! What's the worst the could happen? (Don't get one) and what's the best (an absolute godsend).

Good luck and stay well all.

Mart x

Beat me to it Doug!

Just want to add,
I to fell foul of the ridiculous, "sorry no strips", which I did find very poor, as I like to test, not all the time just to keep tabs on my readings and my diet changes as a "Type 2", and i just want to add to the poster above, I was kindly sent a link on this forum to the "code free" system and strips, although I found Ebay a better option in both cost and convenience.

And with my reading fluctuating between 3.4 way up to 11.3, I'm happy with my own readings, and my diet management with this meter helping greatly.

So i would really recommend , ditching the meter you have been given, buy a code free one, £9.99 i think, and the strips are £4.99 for 50....given the appalling way this is handled is really the best option left, I have lost times I ahve tried to persuade my Docs to give strips...no chance at all.....ridiculous.

Good luck, but really give this code free system a try.
This link is for the strips, and the meter is easily searched for.(By the way there £4.99 for 50 strips)
[url=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SD-...w.ebay.co.uk/itm/SD-CODEFREE-B ... 484295d80e[/url]