With metformin, you're not usually in danger of going too low. If you were on gliclazide for instance, you run the risk of going hypo. Which is bad enough in and of itself, but should it happen in traffic, you could kill yourself and/or others, so you have to test before you drive. (5 to drive when on certain meds, but not metformin). The whole thing around "don't test" seems to be based on the likelihood of hypo's. They don't take into account that you
might want to know when you're too high. Like long term damage to organs is potentially just as deadly, it just isn't as instantaneous.
You decide whether you test or not. Not us on the forum, not the nurse. You. Just weigh the pro's and cons, and decide whether it's for you. But like you said, if you don't know what's going on, you can't control your blood sugars either. A HbA1c only gives you the average of the past 3 months, so doesn't tell you whether a certain meal is best avoided for instance. Do you want that information, or not? That's entirely up to you, nobody else, especially since this is something you have to pay for yourself. After I tested around meals effectively for a while, I could quit frequent testing: i knew what bread did, I knew what eggs did, and could count on certain ranges. Right now I am testing again because I'm on steroids for a little while, and that raises my blood sugars some. But due to my diet, it hasn't gone over 8,5 as of yet. I have rather tight blood glucose control because I know which foods work for me and which don't, and I can keep an eye on things when I take steroids for a bit, or get a vaccination or something. (Both can raise blood glucose levels). I know what I'm doing, I'm not flying blind. That's a choice I've made, and it's one I pay for gladly.
The nurse has her reasons why you shouldn't test. You're not about to get a hypo, you're not going to have accidents in traffic, and the NHS has a limited budget, as well as certain rules and regulations. You have reasons you might want to test: better control of your blood sugars, the avoidance of complications in the future that can affect quality and quantity of life, for instance. Or just sheer curiosity.
Reasons not to could be financial, or fear of needles (in which case a continuous glucose monitor might still be an option), you know... Pro's and cons, like I said.
In the end, it's
your call.
Good luck,
Jo