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Private Hba1c test?

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wobbles

Active Member
Messages
38
Hi all,

Q - Is it possible to pay to have a Hba1c test done as and when you (patient) wants to?

If so, where do I go? How much does it cost on average?

Reason for the question is that I am having a battle of wills with my GP regarding whether or not I should continue to be prescribed test strips (and how many - I won't bore you with the details of the conversation - suffice to say is was VERY frustrating). Anyway, I want to verify that my Hba1c IS where I think it is, before I get the GP version done. I want the figures to be so "good" that I can tactfully tell the GP what to do with their NICE recommendations! :shock:

Any ideas guys and girls?

Cheers

Wobbles
 
Hi, dont know what the answer is but i would like to know if the doctor can stop giving you test strips or how many they can limit you to. Are you on insulin or just medication, when i first started on meds only my dad used to slip me some strips ever week, you really need them if you want to see how certain foods affect you.
 

Hi Squirrel,

I'll bore you with the background...

I'm on diet and meds only. I have a prescription for x 50 strips that only lasts for a couple of weeks normally. I feel guilty so I have been buying strips once a month to make up the difference. The chemist (who is good) feels bad about me laying out this dosh on a regular basis and suggested that I speak to my GP about increasing my prescription...That was when all hell broke loose!

My esteemed GP does not see the need for a non-insulin T2 to check their BG at all! Hence does think I should have any strips...

Wobbles
 
I can't vouch for accuracy but there are home tests available. I haven't put in the website addresses but info to find them.
This one seems to give result ' immediately'.
google schill medical hba1c

and this one which you have to send away
google glucomen hba1c
 
Hi wobbles,
You don't mention which meter you are using.
Someone might know a cheaper source for your test strips.
Catherine.
 
catherinecherub said:
Hi wobbles,
You don't mention which meter you are using.
Someone might know a cheaper source for your test strips.
Catherine.
Click to expand...

Hi Catherine,
I use the Accu-Chek Aviva (Nano)

Wobbles
 
I got strips on eBay for less than half the normal retail price and even less than the manufacturer offers. It's pretty safe to buy from eBay if you check out the seller and use Pay Pal. Home Hb a1c equipment is VERY costly and I don't know how accurate it is. I too can't get strips on prescription unless I can make a special case.
Remember, you are entitled to a second opinion. You might try asking for a referral to the diabetic clinic.
 
Hi wobbles,
It might be a better idea to change your meter if you are having to fund the strips.
I can get strips for my Lifescan One Touch Ultra at half price at http://www.healthdrop.co.uk. On their homepage put test strips in the search panel. Sadly this is the only one that they do.
Catherine.
 
wobbles said:
Q - Is it possible to pay to have a Hba1c test done as and when you (patient) wants to?

If so, where do I go? How much does it cost on average?
Click to expand...

Hi Wobbles,
Yes, it is possible to have a private HBA1C done. This is normally at a private clinic and would have to be requested by a consultant. Consultant's fees would be around £250 and the last time I have a private HBA1C done (about 5 years ago) it cost another £90.

I'm not really sure what you are expecting to achieve with a private test. Because an HBA1C gives an average of your blood sugar levels over a 3 month period, if you are having a private and then an NHS test done, even within a couple of weeks they are going to give much the same result. There's nothing that you can do to influence what level your blood sugars were at up to 3 months ago. Has your GP quoted "NICE regulations" as a reason for denying you test strips? If he has then he is reading off a very old script! Or more likely he is telling you what his PCT have told him to say. Current NICE guidelines say that type-2s should be encouraged to self test and that doctors should take time to educate patients on how to interpret the results and what to do about a high test result . . . . . sorry I just got distracted by another pig flying past . . .
 
Hi wobbles, dont be affraid to sort out your doctor, ask him for the test every three months, i have two doctors at my surgery, one does the dieabetic stuff and kept telling me i was doing good my hbca1c was around about 9 when first diagnosed then went up to above ten, he still said i was ok, on another visit i got another doctor who told me my results were terrible, i got refered and was told i should have been on insulin around a year and a half before, was olso told there ment to start type 2s on insulin very quickly now.
 

Dennis,

The way my warpled logic works is that when I am in front of GP to discuss and hear the NHS Hba1c results, I want to already know what the results are! If they are low then I have a good argument to "negotiate" for some slack with the GP, if they are not so good, I will have egg on my face. The idea behind me looking into the possibility of an inexpensive private Hba1c is that i want to know the approx result BEFORE I walk in the room and be prepared with an argument. If, for example the private results were higher than I hoped, I could then spend 24 hours p/day on a treadmill for the next 6 weeks and delay the NHS test till then. If private test is OK then I can do NHS with confidence.

Confused? I know I am.

Wobbles
 
Yes that sounds mad, if you spend 6 weeks on a tread mill you would not be helping yourself get the right medication, eles you spent the rest of you life on the tread mill so your results were constant.
 
Wobbles,
We all worry about our test results even if we have good control so I think you would be wasting your money having a private HBA1c. Do the NHS test and go from there. If it is good then hurrah!!!
If it's not so good then you have a better argument for test strips as you need to test more often to see where you are going wrong.
I think that the worry you are causing yourself will not help your blood sugars.
I know it is difficult and most of us have been there and can empathise with you.
Worry about the things you can change and not the ones that are out of your hands.
Regards, Catherine.
 
Hi Wobbles,
I think Catherine is right. If you save your money and just have the NHS HBA1C done - if the result is good then it shows that you know what you are doing, your control is ok, and you probably don't need to test more than once or twice a day. If the result is not so good then you have a very strong case for more test strips in order to find out exactly where and how it is going wrong. As long as you are prepared in advance for either outcome then you won't get caught on the hop.
 

Agree with that.When my last Hba1c did not live up to my expectation of what I thought it would be I used that argument to get 100 test strips from doc.but only as a one off!!Using the hundred helped me find out where the 'spikes' were.I hope the next test will be down!!
 
hanadr said:
I got strips on eBay for less than half the normal retail price and even less than the manufacturer offers. .
Click to expand...

I hope you don't mind me saying but there has been a lot of faulty test strips sold on ebay rescently. If you are not used to Ebay then please check out the sellers feedback! Most are honest sellers but you do need to be careful.
 
Hi wobbles

I'm not sure that those home kit Hba1c's are that accurate. If you are really determined to get an Hba1c done privately, you could get it done through a private GP service as that would be a lot cheaper than seeing a consultant.

I've used a private GP company called e-med to get testing done. They charge £15 annual sign-up fee and then £15 to arrange tests. The results are posted straight to you. They are based in London but can arrange tests anywhere in the world. Obviously you would also have to pay the cost of the Hba1c.

It all seems a bit expensive though as the money you spend on the Hba1c might buy several boxes of test strips. Why not just prepare two arguments....one for if the Hba1c is low and one for if it is too high?
 
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