Testing

Hi Cosy. Doing only 4 tests a week to sort out what you can or can't eat will be very hard and quite hit and miss. If your GP will not agree to prescribing more strips then I am afraid the only other option is to fund your own, A lot of us T2's are, unfortunately, in this position. This can be expensive depending on which meter you are using. It may be worthwhile changing to a different meter which has cheaper strips. The current cheapest set up is the SD Codefree and this can be found on line. There is only one supplier that I am aware of so you should have no problem tracking them down.

Cosy said:

I know I can only find out if things are working by testing but I do not get enough strips to test all day every day, I was told only to test twice a day two days a week, but how am I going to tell when things spike my readings ! Anyone else have this problem ? :?

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I have come to the conclusion that I will have to buy my own strips. I know that if I do low carb I dont have to test because I know the reading will be fine but if I want to try something new (like I did this morning) then I do test. I got up this morning and just couldnt be bothered to cook breakfast or make any lunch. So succumbed to cereal, had 40g oats & more with almonds and skimmed milk. Tested two hours later and it was 9.3. Got some cooked prepacked chicken breast with skin from Tesco Express this morning and had one for lunch with 20g cathedral city - tested again and was 6.9. Know now not to have the oats & more again. Got myself a food diary (I go to weight watchers and have one of their journals) where I write down what I have had and what the results were. If it was a good reading I highlighted in green for "go" and if not highlighted in pink for"stop". I can look back at this to see what I can and cant eat with regards to my blood reading results. Will check the various meals from time to time incase things change and my body decides to work a bit better :lol:

I'm sure that if the NHS gave more people strips it would save a lot of money long term because there would be fewer people on medication and fewer complications arising because people dont know what suits them to control the diabetes

Sue

My GP recently pulled my presription for strips :evil: The doctors at my surgery do not "get" how I am using my strips, i am accused of testing to often. However, the new specialist diabetc nurse at my surgery does understand and has tried to support my position with the GPs. At my last review, when my HbA1c was 5.9% (up from 5.6%) I was told I was doing so well I didn't need to try any harder and my check ups were reduced to annual rather than 6 monthly. I'm actually aiming for as close to 5% as I can get, along with another 40 kilo weight loss :?

I buy strips on eBay. Check the finished auctions to see what price thihgs are going at so you don'y pay over the odds. I don't pay more than £10.50 a box for mine, including postage, and frequently much less. Once you have got more confident you will find you use strips differently to when you are just starting off.

Take a look on Blood Sugar 101 - Jenny has a page on there about testing on a budget. Google bloodsugar101 (not sure if we can post links).

The other things you can do is get the dipsticks for both blood glucose and for ketones. The urine blood sugar test is less helpful as it is a reading relating to several hours previously, but if you get in to ketosis the dipsticks are quite reassuring.