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test strips on the NHS

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matt28781

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hiya. iv been diabetec for about 4 weeks now so i got my self a meter last week even tho my nurse said not to as i dont need one. i dont see how i will ever get my diabetes under control and know whats going on with my sugars by testing every 4 to 8 weeks when im at the doctors somehow.

so anyway i did get my own meter i got a freestyle lite. since getting it i have been testing before and after meals and my sugars havent really moved from 6.4 apart from when i loaded myself on rice and my sugars went to 9.1 thats the highest i have seen them sinse diagnosis and that was only after over 100g of carbs in a single meal.

anyway i had no idea that test strips was so much money to buy and was a little let down by it i cant afford £30 for strips to keep testing myself. but i found this page

http://www.simplicityhealth.co.uk/blood ... onitor.asp

which says that my strips and lancets are available via NHS prescriptions?? should i go and see my doctor about getting them on prescription?

i dont want to see my diabetec nurse aboyut the matter as she is dead set against home testing.
 
Hi Matt,
Make a fuss at your Docs and don't take no for an answer quote Nice guidelines, being newly Diagnosed you should be able to get test strips on prescription. If you do decide to buy any ring the Freephone No. that came with your meter I think you can buy direct from Abbot.

Best of luck
Graham
 
Matt

Bolder dash to your nurse....

Ask her if you do not test between clinic visits, how can they determin how well or not so well you have controlled your diabetes, how with no information on the ongoing BG's how then can she advice or decide what your best options are...

At the end of the day, whether you're are T1 or T2 HbA1c's are useless if they can not be compared to a diary that contains BG, deitary, excerise, health infromation without all the data, HbA1c's can paint any picture you like!
 
i am going to see my GP next week for the strips and lancets. other than that what is really confusing me is i have been testing twice a day before and after meals roughly 2 hours after meals and my BS isnt changing much at all 6.1 two hours after a plate of mash and battered fish.

the lowest its ever been at the doctors is 10.0 so i am confused now.
 
Hi Matt,
That's a surprisingly low reading considering what you had eaten. Probably indicates that before your meal you were much lower than you thought, probably close to a hypo level.

When you see your GP you will likely be told that the HBA1C tests they do will tell them how well controlled you are, which is absolute nonsense. The HBA1C (that they should do every 3 months during the early stages of diabetes) is a guideline and will tell them what your average has been over the previous 3 months. Your BS could be completely out of control with daily swings of between 2 and 10, and your average will be 6. Or you could have great control, never dropping below 5 or above 7 and guess what - your average is 6!!!

You will probably have to stand your ground to get a prescription for test strips, but don't be afraid to remind them that the NICE guidelines state that all diabetics should be encouraged to self-monitor, and the new government initiative, the National Diabetes Framework, says the same thing. Its only the bean counters in many of the PCTs who are breaking all the rules by refusing to allow GPs to prescribe them. If you really can't get anywhere with your GP then many people have got round the problem by writing to their PCT, with a copy to their MP, asking why the PCT is in breach of NICE and Government standards in refusing to allow test strip prescriptions. That seems to work every time.
 
hi matt all i can say is what the rest have said stand your ground and dont give an inch...i personaly have had no problems with strips i get 100 a month and more if needed.
 
matt28781 said:
i am going to see my GP next week for the strips and lancets. other than that what is really confusing me is i have been testing twice a day before and after meals roughly 2 hours after meals and my BS isnt changing much at all 6.1 two hours after a plate of mash and battered fish.

the lowest its ever been at the doctors is 10.0 so i am confused now.
Click to expand...

Try doing this for a while

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm

some forms of Type 2 begin with "Reactive Hypoglycemia" where your pancreas is still fairly capable of insulin production but the control circuitry is ********. I can have a normal FBG and at two hours be around 5 but this fails to discover that at 1 hour I am around 10 and at three hours I am below 4

Only by doing fairly intensive testing at first was I able to discover the pattern and what to do about it. Now I don't need to test nearly as much. These patterns fail to show up on the A1c.
 
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