• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Restriction of Testing equipment/strips

Aren't these problems with test strips sppalling.

I had problem with a gp in South Wales that 2 a day for a T1 was sufficient. Until my consultant wrote to him.

It makes me so mad. I really dont think the gp's are at fault... Its their budgets.... It saves their budgets, but they are unable or unwilling to see the big picture of how complications can lead to hospital admissions at a lot more expense.. ( but that cost isnt their budget!!).

Its shameful that the NHS still spends so much money on people that have abused their bodies from drugs, achohol etc but refuse basic strips to patients that need them.

Drug companies make so much money from increasing numbers of diabetics, why aren't they lowering their prices?-OTT greed for their profits..
 
I had to explain to my GP than an insulin pump didn't automatically test & dose you with insulin which is why I needed a minimum of 5 strips a day and often more. I also explained that if he was only going to prescribe less than 200 a month, I'd be getting repeat prescriptions every 2 weeks whatever he thought I might need.
 
300 a month minimum for pump users...consultants should write to gps as to the necessity of this
 
Not forgetting the lunar-month / calendar-month game either. The GPs prescribe for a 28-day lunar-month & expect you to call off the prescriptions on a 30/31-day calendar-month basis, thereby "saving" a calendar month's worth of strips a year.
Trickery.
 
My chemist who I collect from just brings forward by a week every 6 months to counteract the 28 days in a month. So last month I collected on the 3rd, but they sort my scripts for me and told me to collect next one on the 21st of the same month. If you let your pharmacy deal with your repeat scripts, you shouldnt have any probs, mine are always ready before 28days...
 
If we had got fed up with the low fat a bit sooner we would not be in the mess we are in now, fat was never the problem......
 
Quite right there! Glad I started eating butter & gold-top milk when they said "oh yeah, we were wrong about eggs". My quality of life is CONSIDERABLY improved!
 
Just a quick update on this never ending saga.

On Monday I had my first meeting with the DN at my surgery (luckily I know her very well), she had all of my figures in front of her:

BP 136/76 (please bear in mind I am morbidly obese)
Fasting Glucose Test: 6.5
Cholesterol: 3.6
Hb1AC: 50
GTT: 11.6 - after 120 mins

She said.... wait for it - we consider these figures to be borderline or pre-diabetic! - even the Hb1AC of 50 which according to this site is 'well maintained diabetes'. The 4 weeks of anger, frustration, self loathing and judgement from other people rose up in front of my eyes. She even believes that the GTT of 11.6 was just a blip. But this has given me a wonderful opportunity to do something about it.

She has left me on the SR Metformin as an aid to weight loss and helping to keep the BG down - totally agree with this. She also knows that I am not taking the Statin and when I mentioned testing she said that for me she would only recommend I tested once a week not just because of the cost of strips but because continual testing will damage the nerves in the fingers over a period of time (it did with my Dad). I have to say I do not disagree with anything she has said. She was professional, caring and knew what she was talking about. I have a chance and I am going to take it.

I value the input and comments from others on this site about the best ways to make the changes I need, I have lost nearly 3 stone since May 2013 and know that the only way to keep this condition away from me is to do it now. I am already reducing carbs but I am not having low fat products as when they take out fat they have to preserve with something and that is normally sugar. Catch 22 again.

Please feel free to make comments, you are the best to give advice, you are living with this not your GP's etc.

I look forward to hearing from you. Now I read it over it does not look a quick message at all!
 
Never heard or experienced nerve damage on fingers. I test 6-10 times a day on various fingers. Sensitivity still good (can pick up & handle the smallest electronic components & use the finest silk when sewing by hand - so the fingers nerves are as good as ever)
Sounds like an extreme case being used as a general excuse to me.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 



I was diagnosed in early December with levels of 7.5 and agreed with the practice nurse to diet for 8 weeks then have another hb1ac test to see if I have improved. I asked if I would be able to have a test kit and the nurse got one out the cupboard and gave me a prescription for 50 strips. I'm not sure if I will get any more but I am going to ask when I need them. I think it's ridiculous for some places to give them and others not.
 
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…