Refused blood testing equipment

@hanadr.... yes you should always carry your testing kit, glucose and some food everywhere. Here we have to report medical conditions for our drivers licence... but we don't have rules like you mention. Although it would be common sense to do that. I test before I drive all the time these days.

Unbeliever said:

serendipity said:

Because Metformin hasnt worked for me since being diagnosed in the New year I wasnt testing.
After my latest Hba1c and high LFT'S My Diabetes Nurse has changed my Medication.
I am no longer on Metformin instead a drug called Glimepiride which I was told helps your Pancreas and she said I need to test.
She gave me a BG STAR monitor with 50 test strips and 100 lancets inc and these have been put on repeat prescription, what I dont understand is I test once one day (fasting test b4 breakfast) next day twice ( main meal and 2 hours after)
She will phone me in 2 weeks time and Increase my tablets from the info I tell her on the diary she gave me and told me to fill out.
Im wondering if it depends on the Medication your on as to wether you are offered monitors/strips/lancets on prescription? Luckily my Prescriptions free.

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Glimeperide is hypo-inducing medication and that is why you have been given the strips. You should be Ok testing in the way she has said, If you have problems you will see when they occur.
Metormin never worked at reducing my bg either but I still take it because it is supposed to protect you from strokes and heart attacks, Just watch the glimepiride for the weigh gain If your levels soar after meals and they want to increase the glimepiride I would ask for sitagliptin {janvia] to be considered instead. Its very good for spikes after meals and doesn't cause weight gain. I once read that noone really knows whether more glimepiride actually works better than the starter dose of 2mg. After an initial huge drop n my levels it stopped working for me. I ended up on six mg and it didnt have any effect at all. II saw a specialist who recommended Januvia and gradually reducing glimepiride. I had to reduce it quickly as I was having daily hypos. i found however that if there was the slightest difference in my daily routine I stdill neede something extra. I learned that glimepiride is available in 1 mg doses .and asked the dr to prescribe it. Sometimes I could do wihout it but I find that the 1 mg works beter than the 6mg did,
Your nurse appears to be quite good. Hold on to her!

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Hi there
One of the reason's I was taken off Metformin and 4 other meds is because I have NAFLD and high LFTS.
I am putting on weight and my BG's are averaging around 14 2 hours after meals
I will mention the other drug to her when she phone's me on Tuesday.
She is very good and is also My HRT Nurse :thumbup:
I must remind her about my Mum's heart Disease and Massive stroke that killed her at an early age and My Dad's Heart disease Incase she wants to re start the Metformin or something similar.
My Mum and Aunty were Type 1

i went last week and my results after been diagnosed 10 week since was cholestorel 3.8 (never been that ever ) my hba1c worked out at 6.2 from 14 .nurse said excellent progress as ive lost over 13kilos aswell.when i asked about machine she said they dont give em out mainly due to costs. however since thursday not felt right cold then really sweating and a thumping head also really tired . to be honest i cant explain how i feel so im going to purchase a machine and strips to see if it is anything to do with the diabetes

Its nonsensical not to allow diabetics to monitor their own health. Especially newly diagnosed ones.

It is rather like a doctor telling you to go on a diet, then saying you cannot weigh yourself.

The fact that you monitor keeps you on the right track.

Goodness knows who they tested for the proposed NICE guidelines. Apparently there was no difference if people were allowed to test or not.

But surely a good doctor would be able to read his/ her patient to assess whether or not it was likely to be effective?

I actually think GP's are getting it from upon high at NHS HQ, as the test strips cost the NHS a fair old whack, and many diabetics are on free scrips in England anyway, plus the NHS is borderline broke.

Craigybus said:

I actually think GP's are getting it from upon high at NHS HQ, as the test strips cost the NHS a fair old whack, and many diabetics are on free scrips in England anyway, plus the NHS is borderline broke.

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It's a false economy though, isn't it? The cost of treating complications is probably far higher than the cost of providing the strips (at least to pro-active diabetics).

However, it reminds me of the old Yes Minister Episode, where Sir Humphrey points out that smokers actually save the Government money by dying earlier and therefore collecting less pension. Maybe that's part of the calculation for T2 diabetics too...

this is my fifth post as suggested by daisy1 ( thanks Daisy )Does pm'd mean sent a personal message ?

jonesd said:

this is my fifth post as suggested by daisy1 ( thanks Daisy )Does pm'd mean sent a personal message ?

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Yes, that's what it means. You access PM via the User Control Panel to send, or via the logo underneath the user name of the addressee, or if you have received one you will have an alert at the top LH side of the board which you click on.

when i was diagnosed in 2005 i was living in dorset and my GP was great, i was given a monitor and encouraged to keep an eye on my bs levels.
when i moved back to the new forest a few years ago my new doctor said i didnt need to test myself as i saw the nurse once a year :shock: and refused to give me test strips
well last year i was given one as my bs levels are still not right but was told only to test occaisionally so i dont become obsessed with testing myself. now i have been told testing daily at different times for the next three months.
i think i would test myself anyway because as others have said~how else am i going to know how my levels are and how different foods effect me?!

Hello all from Australia

Came across this forum the other day and was horrified as to how difficult it is for some of you to get access to monitoring equipment. I somehow thought that England would be similar to Australia. I was diagnosed in 2004 and was immediately advised to get a meter. Strips are available from most chemists on production of a diabetes registration card. I pay 70 cents for a box 50 and have never had any restrictions on the number of boxes I buy. Its impossible to know whether your diet is working or not if you are not testing. A very short-sighted attitude.
Do you think some Doctors might be biased - if you've got type 2 its your own fault attitude, except if your a doctor of course!!!
I do feel sorry for all you newbies, but you do get used to it, no choice really. I sometimes feel like throwing the meter through the window when I get a high for no apparent reason. After 8 years of good control my levels are creeping up. Inevitable progression I suppose and gradual loss of beta cells.
A thought, have any of you thought of all the chemicals used these days. Pthalates for example (plastizers) . They are used in packaging, personal care products and even in enteric coating of some pills. They are implicated in insulin resistance and therefore type 2. Bisphophonates (not sure of spelling} are another problem and some studies show connections with type 2. A possible cause? Google them if you are interested.

Good luck and good health to all of you
grandmatas

HBA1C Feb 2012 7.3
Metformin 850g 1x 3 times a day
Gliclazide 60mg 2 per day

Hi peeps,

I was diagnosed at the beginning of the month and this was my first query. I went back one week later to the "diabetic specialist" who told me the exact same "We dont recommend / you dont need one yet" come back in 3 months for a retest.

Luckily i had already signed up to loads of sites where they send you out a free meter. I have a Caresens N. I went back the day after and spoke to a different doctor (the one who actually told me i was diabetic) and he wrote me a repeat script straight away without question as he agreed with me, i cant manage this without knowing what i eat is good or not.

anyways heres where i went to try and get free meters.
http://www.spirit-healthcare.co.uk/
http://abbottdiabetescare.co.uk/
http://www.glucomen.co.uk/

I got one from each of them thankfully as my mum and a good friend of mine are T2 and the GP told them the same but they didnt argue. i called Abbott Care & Glucoman and explained that i had recieved several meters and could i register the other meters for my mum and my mate, they said OK.

They then went up the GP anad got a prescription for strips and lancets.

the NHS in this country is backward they are more about controlling it afterwards than preventative measures. (I had to go out of my way to get a meter and see TWO doctors before i got a script for it.

My dad had T2 diabetes and it caused him to have his leg amputated due to infection and slower healing, I'm bigger than he was and younger i cant afford to have my leg amputated as i have drive to work and i cant stand not working so DLA and sitting on my todd all day isnt an option for me. Basically i feel like they dont care about their patients. Literally 3 weeks after his amputation he died. i havent forgiven the NHS for that and i dont think i ever will.

So you can see why it is VERY important to keep on top of this and even if your GP doesn't give you a meter, go get one anyway and see a different doctor and tell them straight how can you keep on top of diet and exercise when you only know if what you are doing is good / not good every quarter of half year.

Kind regards
mark.

I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 as my Hba1c levels were 8 and put on Metformin, I was recommended to get a blood glucose monitor but not to check all the time, just when I was feeling unwell to rule out the diabetes. I got a cheap Accu-check monitor from Lloyds Pharmacy and Accu-check have just sent me an upgraded machine for free. My doctor was really helpful in giving me ideal levels and when to come back if my readings start to creep up!

Hi all, I'm new here

I am Type 2 on insulin and have had a glucometer since diagnosis when I was controlled by diet alone. Now I'm on insulin I need to test 4 times a day. My parents were both diagnosed type 2 recently. They got the same line as so many new-diagnosed. They were told there's no need for them to test. It has to be said I didn't test much when I was on tablets since I couldn't see the point. It's not as if I could have done anything about it, other than fast. Now my condition has progressed I wish I had taken more responsibility for my own condition.

So, I bought my parents a glucometer and when my Mum went to see her GP with her monitor in hand, he prescribed test strips and lancets. This was the same GP who had told her she didn't need to test. So, I'm wondering if her desire to take control of her own diabetes led her GP to be more accommodating?

psychynurse said:

Hi all, I'm new here So, I'm wondering if her desire to take control of her own diabetes led her GP to be more accommodating?

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I really think that is the case. You can see from the first post on here about the persons doctor admitting that they were also a diabetic and very much over weight. We live in a very lazy world, or at least the western part of the world, and expect that if we have an ailment, we should just go to the doctor, get a pill and carry on. My nurse told me that I was one of the most proactive people that she had seen... 'star patient :angel: ' which would indicate to me that most are not interested in taking control. The problem that I have is that the medical staff don't try to fire their patients up to be proactive in their own health.

One person on this thread said that that their nurse told them that it wasn't any good because they would just obsess.... H3ll, if being told that you are now the proud owner of a non curable degenerative condition that has blindness, amputation and inability to drive as its consequences.... doesn't focus your mind, I am not too sure what in life is very important !

Good job getting the meters for your folks.... teach them what you learn here and if they have a windows pc, get a little free program called 'Health Diabetic Software v3.0.411. It not only tracks BG but BP, most important markers taken in a general blood panel, HbA1c, meds, notes etc. Anyway.... good look

Kenny :thumbup:

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with type 2 a few months ago and when i went to the diabetic nurse she told me I didnt need a blood testing kit, it was just about using your common sense. She told me she couldnt tell me things about diabetes but instead enrolled me on a course called Desmonds which I am starting on 28th November. It just so happens my husband is type 2 too and hes helped me alot, we both scrutinise the packaging when shopping and he has a blood testing kit so I actually bought one the same as his. They will only give my husband so many testing strips as he isnt on insulin so we've had to start buying them online(the chemist quoted £25 for a pack of 50!!). Because I had other symptoms the diabetic nurse decided to put me on metformin, so I definitley need testing as this has put my readings right down( I had a reading of 3.7 one day). Ive also had to find out the difference between low blood sugar and actual hunger so needed my testing kit for that too. This is all about money, thats the top and bottom of it!

Mine is not a case of not supplying testing equipment, more of changing mine without consultation. I bought my own Freestyle Lite meter- absolutely excellent. My sugery supplied the lancets and test strips for 5 years but now they have changed my 'script to a Gluco RX TD-4277 purely on cost grounds, so they say. My pharmacist has checked his supply prices and says that there is no difference in price ! in my opinion the Gluco RX is rubbish, the meter is too large as are the batteries. It is designed purely for use by a third person to read and not the person being tested. I don't like it, I don't want it and will be complaining as soon as.
I believe that PCT's are over-ruling patients' consultation exercise and relying on the reps who have the largest expense account to 'push' their products.

I am thoroughly disgusted with my PCT's and my surgery's high-handed decision I would recommend everyone who is dissatified to complain most strongly.

Hi, i was at diabetic nurse last week for review & after a lot of hard work on my part my hba1c is now 5.8 When i asked about more testing strips i was told no way as my bloods are all now normal, so keep doing what im doing & i wont be seen again for a year! I was only diagnosed T2 a year ago & said im getting fed up eating same things so if i had strips i could test my bg's & introduce new foods into my diet but i was point blank refused which i think is ridiculous as surely its cheaper for the NHS to give us strips to monitor ourselves rather than treat any complications caused by uncontrolled bg's!
How come drug addicts get methadone etc at the drop of a hat when diabetics get refused vital monitoring equipment to help us take control of our own condition??

I therefore have had to buy a new monitor so i can get cheaper strips. Also bought the blood sugar 101 book which is good & makes interesting reading.!

Think the NHS should be ashamed of themselves & i work for them! The amount of money they waste every year is unbelieveable & some need to look at the service diabetics are given, as i had no idea how bad some of it is until i joined the club last year!!

Hi, I was also told by the Dr and my Diabetes Nurse that I did not need to test my BG levels as the test they do in 3mths time will be able to tell what my blood sugars have been.I started off with a BG of 16.9 and was very concerned by this so i asked my daughter who is a nurse and she told me that all Diabetics should check blood sugars,so i sent off for a meter and do regular checks,I find that when my BG is high i just fall asleep and so for this reason it has been a god send,as my son found me and alerted my husband who found me sitting on a dining chair,but was able to put me to bed safely.


Take Care
Anne0257

I'm not sure what the policy is here in Canada re testing. I asked the doctor for a meter on prescription and he prescribed for a year's worth although I have to pay for the lancets. Test strips and the meter are covered by my employer-paid health plan. I am finding it really useful to test - it looks as though I am insulin resistant and I'm not sure this would be clearly defined by depending on the a1c test alone. I went in on Saturday to have my first a1c done - I don't even have an official diagnosis yet and still got the meter and strips.

My brother had the same kind of BS from a doctor that you had, Craigybus. We figure he was diabetic from about 30 and was started on treatment only when he was 39 even though going back through the doctor's records, his blood sugar was high a few years before that and the doctor never advised him. He found out when he went in for unrelated surgery and the resident asked him what he was doing to control his diabetes. Lots of doctors are great and caring and effective but sometimes you run into someone who isn't and at that point, we need all the tools we can get to help ourselves be on top of our health.

susy23 said:

How come drug addicts get methadone etc at the drop of a hat when diabetics get refused vital monitoring equipment to help us take control of our own condition??

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Sorry, I had to comment on this although I am in total agreement with the rest of your post. This is an unfair comparison and inaccurate as well, I'm assuming you don't have experience of addiction (apologies if I'm wrong) because if you did, you wouldn't write something like this.
There are many many areas where we could say the NHS is wasting money. Treating people for illnesses isn't one of them and addiction is an illness.