Test strips and monitoring doc says no!

Hello, I totally agree with your comments. I was told by a 12 year old (sorry, recently qualified doc ) at local hospital. Test ONCE a week, and
perhaps leave insulin off altogether!!!!!!!! After 47 years on insulin and confirmation my pancreas produces no insulin if anything at all. I
challenged the test once a week order by asking "what happens if I have high blood sugars because of latent infection and inability to tell high, low and correct blood sugar levels by "feelings" . Then end up with problems due to high readings when cost of treatment would be high? Would I be accused of not managing my diabetes by neglect or would
compensation be available to me because of un availability of strips and falling in between having monetary assistance and paying myself????
No answer was forthcoming, so I stood up and left the hospital. Bad enough having the disease, by why do drug addicts, alcohol abusers etc
get all medication freely when their problem is their fault????? Leaves me baffled and cross.

I must say you are very fortunate to be given a monitor. I was diagnosed 1yr ago with type 2. My gp put me immediately on metformin. He also gave me wee strips which are as useful as a chocolate teapot!! They always come up negative for sugar but my last hba1c was 62 (which i have been told is too high). I have 6 monthly appointments with gp and feel totally unsupported and i am being given no guidance or direction. When i have asked for test strips and a monitor i have been declined. I am working single parent on a low income and cannot afford to buy my own strips.

Squire Fulwood said:

Anyway she phoned and said that I was to get no more strips. Thinking I was being helpful I said, "That's OK I know where to buy them", and she said, "I'll pretend I didn't hear that".

Does this mean I am not allowed to buy my own either.

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Your pharmacist's comment would be related to people selling on eBay BG strips they have obtained from their GP. This is fraud as they are profiting from the NHS, which increases spend on strips and hence can lead to strip restriction strategies as part of QIPP. The person selling is also possibly not testing appropriately and hence at risk of developing complications.



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Brightside said:

thanks folks for the advice. I know I can buy the strips, but what I wanted to know more is....is testing once a week sufficient with a stable BG? Or should it be done daily??? Also I still intend to go off the meds soon....then testing will be more critical I assume?

Coming back the buying of the strips....here we run into a principle thing....I know I can purchase these, but I pay contributions to the NHS, over 300quid a month, so I expect the NHS to pay when its time to pay....

I wish more people in the UK would see it this way as we are all too easily fobbed off with "what do you expect from a free service" rant over....

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I agree! And your doc is given extra money for you! Have you tried pointing out that the meds cost more than the strips? It will cost less in the long term. If you manage your bs through diet and strips than if you end up on insulin! I fought and fought and got given one in the end! It made me go away! Ha, ha! Keep nagging. Also try a different doc in your practice. I did and he approves of my LCHF ways!

Westie2 said:

Your pharmacist's comment would be related to people selling on eBay BG strips they have obtained from their GP. This is fraud as they are profiting from the NHS, which increases spend on strips and hence can lead to strip restriction strategies as part of QIPP. The person selling is also possibly not testing appropriately and hence at risk of developing complications.

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Can't see how that works since I have never bought from a UK seller.

Scandichic said:

I agree! And your doc is given extra money for you! Have you tried pointing out that the meds cost more than the strips? It will cost less in the long term. If you manage your bs through diet and strips than if you end up on insulin! I fought and fought and got given one in the end! It made me go away! Ha, ha! Keep nagging. Also try a different doc in your practice. I did and he approves of my LCHF ways!

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Metformin is an incredibly inexpensive drug: http://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formular...rmin-hydrochloride/modified-release/metformin

According to the. BNF, the cost of Metformin is probably cheaper than 100 strips a month, which really is would be supporting a modest testing regime.

AndBreathe said:

Metformin is an incredibly inexpensive drug: http://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formular...rmin-hydrochloride/modified-release/metformin

According to the. BNF, the cost of Metformin is probably cheaper than 100 strips a month, which really is would be supporting a modest testing regime.

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But if I follows NHS eat well plate and then needed all the other drugs would they all be cheaper than the strips?

I contacted NICE a while ago and they say they don't stop GPs prescribing strips. However they qualify this by saying that strips should be part of a planned and agreed system of control. [I paraphrase their words] You need to try to get your doctor to agree your treatment. I suspect a lot of GPs just hand over the medicine and do a check of HbA1c once a year as the cheapest strategy, without thinking of the patients as individuals. In some cases it might be time pressure in others it's sheer laziness.
Hana