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Refused blood testing equipment

This drives me crazy. I have just asked my diabetic nurse for a monitor and she said it wasn't necessary - and gave me a stupid reason why she thought this. I have signed the on-line petition on here. I had already bought myself one - and have really understood what foods make my sugars shoot up, but thought I would try and get one on prescription. They are happy enough to offer me all sorts of drugs but not help me manage the diabetes myself by simply letting me have a monitor.

Also, I am on 6 months testings - does anyone know of a way of getting more frequent tests than this? When I am in with my diabetic nurse she is always in a rush, and despite normally being quite assertive she gets me in a flap too and I come out without having said all I want!

However, in the past she has given me a torn up bit of paper with my results written on it - which I can never decipher - this time she gave me my own print out.

Talk about feeling like a second class citizen. It makes me concerned for the hundreds of other diabetics that she has under her care at the two practices. She knows nothing about nutrition and told me her cholesterol is far higher than mine but is very, very slim. I must say I had to laugh.

Grrrrrr.

Amanda
 
I had my Diabetic review with one of the GP's in my local practice.

I mentioned that I had been testing, I was expecting a "you don't need to". Nope he was very much the opposite, anything I want to try and manage my diabetes is pretty much good to his way of thinking. He is a very enthusiastic chap, bags of time given to listen and discuss.

If you want them keep trying, maybe change the practice you attend?
 
like everyone on here i was refused testing strips by my GP last week
I was give the reason as i'm not on insulin i don't need to test as i can't do nothing about my high readings whilst on metformin and they only give meters to people who are on insulin so they can adjust their dose accordingly. Recently i have been diagnosed with heart disease/angina, so i thought my doc would be keen on me to test and get control of this as i was told my HBA1C 2 weeks ago was moderate, wasn't even told the exact results so don't know what this means.
 
I have blood test meters coming out of my ears. My recent visit for a regular checkup at my GP yielded yet another Glucomen device, this one having much cheaper test strips than the LX I have been using. Needless to say, comparing the same puncture's blood on both meters gave a substantially different reading on the two meters - 8.0 and 9.2 ( I had recently eaten), so that may be one reason why doctors may be unwilling to offer machines. It is easy for some people to get a bit paranoid about testing and this causes needless worry. I compared the two meters again on a different day and received readings of 6.3 and 6.6, so better consistency, but still the usual variation. Comparing three meters on one occasion resulted in something like a 20% spread in the readings, all from the same sample blood drop, so meters cannot be considered as more than an "indication" of your true blood sugar reading.
The new Glucomen also uses two AAA batteries so easier to find replacements for than the older models that use the small 2032 or 2050 cells. It also has what looks like a USB data port, although no cable or software comes with the meter, but I suspect a trawl on the Glucomen website will yield something when I get around to it.
So I am happy with the support from my GP surgery, and do not live in an area where the GPs are not willing or able to provide decent support.
 
I am type 1 and my partner was diagnosed type 2 a few months ago. The nurse in our practice said that she can't give out a glucose monitor for him, but gave HIM a prescription in MY name for test strips so that he could use my machine!!!!


There are many many manufacturers giving away free glucose monitors. So even if you end up paying for strips (which is wrong) you won't have to pay for the machine.

Good luck
 
Hi
Both my wife and are type 2 diabetic under diferent doctors. My doctor will not supply me with strips as my wifes doctor will supply her with strips and this is within the same surgery.Is this standard over the country.
 
sjwheatley said:
Hi
Both my wife and are type 2 diabetic under diferent doctors. My doctor will not supply me with strips as my wifes doctor will supply her with strips and this is within the same surgery.Is this standard over the country.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I believe it is. I do get strips, and count myself lucky as so many do not and we all should.
 


Thanks very much, I'll take a look at the software for myself too!
 
I was refused a blood testing kit and was put straight on tablets luckly my wife entered me into a comp on this site and i won a test kit my blood sugar is 26 and i needed to know if i was reducing my blood level as not knowing is a nightmare
 
I had to buy my own meter as well because my gp said when you are on Metformin you don't need to test, I am in Leeds too and have had to change my doctor practise as I could never get to see the doctor and they only tested 6 monthly which was two weeks ago for the old doctors but they could not see me till the 7th of November so I can't practises and have been seen by the new diabetic nurse already and although they won't put testing strips on repeat prescription the doctor did give me some so I can test if I am not feeling well, I was lucky with my monitor as I got it free from the bayer website and as a pensioner I don't pay for my prescriptions
 
Newly diagnosed - straight onto Metformin. Asked Doctor re meter, told that the advise is not to give them out. After 3 weeks, check up with doctor, my Doc was sick, so saw locum - she asked me what my bloods were, and i said i'd not got a meter, she was horrified - ***?? i'm sure that the docs just don't want to spend any money. Will ask again at next visit in two weeks.
 
It appears to be the standard policy of the NHS to refuse free testing equipment or strips to type two diabetics, I have never heard
of anyone on diet or tablet medication in this area getting them from a GP or hospital, it appears to be standard practice all over
from what you appear to say, I live in Tory controled Norwich North and they are certianly not giving away free meters of test
strips here, there is one big problem, many diabetics with type two on tablets have no way of testing their blood, out of curiosity
I did some research on this and found the levels recorded by these groups can be very high, some going up to 27, avaerages of
14 to 22, some are working in heavy industry or as lorry drivers, they do not fully comprehend how serious the situation can be,
I can put my hand on my heart and say I now more ttpe 2 on medication who have died than those on insulin, I beleive in part
this is do to not being able to record their condition properly, it is a myth to think type 2 diabetics on diet or medication are less
at risk than ID, they do have control over their condition on a daily basis, those on diet or medication do not, you can buy meters
quite cheap, some are only a few pounds, you could ration the test strips and take readings every day at different times, this will
give a crude idea to what is going on in morning, midday, and last think at night, put the figures together and see what times are
the highest and lowest, adjust intake to try and get a better balance and more stable readings, yes, your right when you say your
GP could have killed you, I have had similar experiences, if you have made a complaint, you normally find they make false entries
in the GP records and notes to cover their tracks, if you complain to much, they normally try and section you, this has happened
to a number of people, if you make a complaint make sure all calls are recorded, or witnessed, they do make false allegations of
being threatened an abuse if make complaints formal in order to get out of it, most GP's have little knowledge or training in diabestes
do to it's complex nature to understand, they like the quick in.......quick out......type of patient.
 
My Dr said I had no need to test, but I am not so sure, my fasting count was very high. I have made an appointment to see her again now that I am more confident and have read around the subject. I want to be able to test!
 
I was prescribed 50 testing strips, told that they should last the year. I've used them all up within a month or so. I was testing daily.
They want to fast tack me on to insulin, surely then I will have to test daily multiple times. It might be time to change doctors.
 
Hi Dave

I don't use the codefree myself but have read that the test results from it are higher (probably by 1.0 mmol) than they would be from the well known brands.

If it is the only way of testing that you can afford, then having a reading that is slightly high will still tell you the direction that your BS is going and if it is spiking too high.
 
I received my SD Codefree this weekend and tested with that and my current meter the caresens n. the caresens n was 6.1 and the sd codefree was 6.4. Im happy with that, its a nice little meter and has a nice case.

I now have 3 meters the caresens that my DSN gave me. A bayer contour xt I was sent for free and the sd codefree I purchased. I boutgh this because I only get prescribed 50 strips every 2-3 months. and as my levels are much better I have a feeling i will soon lose those. I believe I may also have another meter being sent free. Not that i'll use it.
 
The Healthcare professionals are just saving money. Self monitoring is the best control you can have; even if you have to pay for supplies.Testing once a day is about the minimum necessary, once you've learned what works for you. If you don't already have a meter, try Abbott Diabetes Care [number on-line] phone and ask about their various meters and the costs of test strips. this company provides an excellent service at fair prices. Retail phharmacies are much more expensive
I used to think all the meter suppliers were likely to be similar until I tried to get strips for my mother's meter and found it not to be the case.
I know that a number of folks have bought the Codefree meter, because of the cheap strips. I tried one and the readings were way off my Freestyle Lite, so I sent it back. Others seem to have been luckier
Hana
 
hanadr said:
The Healthcare professionals are just saving money.
Click to expand...

and it's a very false economy... saving pennies now and not worrying about the costs later of this current scrimping... and they've got the gall to blame T2's for putting strain on the NHS when it's their own false economies in the past and terribly bad dietary advice now catching up with them.


hanadr said:
Self monitoring is the best control you can have; even if you have to pay for supplies.Testing once a day is about the minimum necessary, once you've learned what works for you.

Hana
Click to expand...

Yes, "Eating to your meter" IS the only proper way of managing your OWN diabetes...
 
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