Aviva test strips

[SB2015]

Winge alert
I have had some difficulties getting hold of test strips. I failed to get my stock before leaving for holiday, but was advised that they could move my prescription onto the spine and I could get them anywhere, even in Scotland, where I am heading.

Bad
Fortunately we checked before going over the border, and I spoke to someone in a Scottish Boots, who told me they could not get hold of my prescription, and so perhaps I should just buy my own. She then told me that they had none to sell and she would not get any in, so why not just buy myself another test kit instead!!!!!

Good
We stopped before the border at another Pharmacy. I explained my problem and she was brilliant. She assured me that we would find a way round the problem. I left a lot later with four boxes of strips which she had gathered from three pharmacies. She could not have been more helpful. I have a lot fewer strips than I normally have but with my others they will get me through the holiday. Panic over.

I am usually very organised with orders, but I was hit by the recall and then Accu Chek lack of stock at the wrong time. I have been assured that the problems with the test strips will be resolved over the next few days and pharmacies restocked.

 

[Northerner]

It's so unexpected when a huge company like Roche have these sorts of problems, that affect so many people and that in itself must have a knock-on effect on supplies I have a standby Freestyle Optium meter, so it does give me some small security, although I only order 50 strips every 6 months or so - could hopefully switch to this as main meter.

 

[Sally71]

The trouble is, for those of us using Accu-Chek pumps, you HAVE to use the test meter that communicates with it, in order for it to work out your correct dose. Which means you have to use their strips. On the Combo there is no other way to get your blood sugar reading in (actually it's the meter that does all the calculations on that one and then it just tells the pump how many units to deliver, and I guess they made it like that so you can't cheat!). So it's not so simple for us to just use a different meter, otherwise I'd just get some Freestyle strips and use the Libre all the time. On the Medtronic pump the bolus wizard is on the pump itself and you can enter the blood reading manually, so you could use any other meter you like with that one if the supplied one was out of action.

@SB2015 glad you managed to get enough strips to go on with for now, we have been so lucky that we had only one affected box and plenty in stock, I'd be having kittens now if we had hardly any left! Let's hope their estimate is accurate and that it will all be back to normal I'm a week or two!

 

[SB2015]

The trouble is, for those of us using Accu-Chek pumps, you HAVE to use the test meter that communicates with it, in order for it to work out your correct dose. Which means you have to use their strips. On the Combo there is no other way to get your blood sugar reading in (actually it's the meter that does all the calculations on that one and then it just tells the pump how many units to deliver, and I guess they made it like that so you can't cheat!). So it's not so simple for us to just use a different meter, otherwise I'd just get some Freestyle strips and use the Libre all the time. On the Medtronic pump the bolus wizard is on the pump itself and you can enter the blood reading manually, so you could use any other meter you like with that one if the supplied one was out of action.

@SB2015 glad you managed to get enough strips to go on with for now, we have been so lucky that we had only one affected box and plenty in stock, I'd be having kittens now if we had hardly any left! Let's hope their estimate is accurate and that it will all be back to normal I'm a week or two!

Thanks Sally

Thanks Sally. A perfect description of the panic that was rising yesterday morning. I had sensibly brought with me a spare set, but I chose my spare pump and handset, which also need the Aviva test strips. If I had realised the size of the problem before I left, not having access to prescriptions in Scotland, I would have changed my plans. However all is well. I just find that when away from home I use so many more strips as My powers of carb counting are not so good on meals out. Added to that this is my first Libre sensor that seems to be giong bonkers. I shall hang on to it until For now and use a new one when I am out on the hills next week.

 

[SB2015]

It's so unexpected when a huge company like Roche have these sorts of problems, that affect so many people and that in itself must have a knock-on effect on supplies I have a standby Freestyle Optium meter, so it does give me some small security, although I only order 50 strips every 6 months or so - could hopefully switch to this as main meter.

Just found three freestyle strips in my test case. They were there in the days when there were tales of Abbott insisting that we had to have their readings if concerned about the function of a Libre. However I think I shall in future take these strips as my spares. But probably this event will never occur again!!,

 

[AJLang]

As Sally as said I need them for my pump. Six of my boxes (300 strips all dispensed on the same day) have one of the serial numbers listed and my pharmacy is currently unable to get me anymore. I will phone Accu-Chek on Monday but in the meantime I'm so glad that I stockpile.

 

[SB2015]

Accuchek have been brilliant, and are posting a tub of strips to my holiday destination. Now I feel that I will be safe and can do any walks we fancy without worrying about whether I should or shouldn’t test.