Blood Glucose Monitors

[Dawn Poleon]

Hi,
I have read that the NHS don't provide the monitors but they do give you the test strips. Will I need one with type 2 to monitor myself or is it not required. I was diagnosed today so I am still finding my way.
Thanks 🙂

 

[Steff]

Hi dawn.
Well the NHS provide some not all with strips you would be surprised at how many on here now are getting told we will no longer prescribe you with strips it's been very well covered on here. Id say having a meter the main point is for it to tell you how your blood sugars react to all different kinds of food so in future you can avoid ones that give you a spike. Your very newly diagnosed so id say maybe look into a cheap meter on the market

 

[Dawn Poleon]

Thanks Steff, I appreciate your advice 🙂

 

[Sammi87]

I was given one with strips and lancets from my gp. Its not a great one but fot nothing i cannot complain. I was given a glucomen areo.

 

[grovesy]

I was given one with strips and lancets from my gp. Its not a great one but fot nothing i cannot complain. I was given a glucomen areo.

If you are Insulin you do get meters from the GP but some even try to restrict the strips they prescribe.

 

[trophywench]

The SD Codefree is the cheapest decent meter the members here have found. See https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/ - you need the 'mmol/L' one, as those are the measurements we use in the UK. ('mg/dL' in the USA and elsewhere)

 

[pav]

Being a type 2 can be a postcode lottery getting test strips, but always worth asking about them on prescription. If you are on hypo causing meds the GP practice should give you a prescription for test strips, though they may try and limit your supply. If on hypo causing meds you may also need to nudge them about DVLA driving guidelines and there requirements to test if you drive to get more test strips.

The more recent practice to cut costs on prescribing tests strips is to prescribe strips that are around £10 or less and in this case the practice will normally supply you a meter or two, if not they may give you a code so you can ring the supplier of the meter strips to order a meter which in most cases will be supplied free. Unfortunately there is no standard that this applies to all areas as each area operates differently within the guidelines. My new GP practice supports a different meter to what my old practice did and just had to get the prescription changed over and got new meters supplied free. I was also supplied the Glucomen areo which is an improvement over my old meter the Glucomen GM as the areo has a lot bigger memory storage and has meal and exercise markers available to make it easier to track what is happening espec if one does not eat at the same time each day. I also like that it's has an app for phones and connection via NFC connection that allows one to scan the meter results.

If your GP practice don't give you strips on prescription as for example if you are on diet or metformin controlled diabetic treatment, where GP's say you don't need to test and they will monitor your levels, most if not all agree they are wrong as one needs to identify what food effects us and in what way.

As trophywench says the SD code free is the cheapest to self fund if you want to go down that route, remember to select the option I am a diabetic as that removes the vat ff the price off the strips and meter.

 

[Sammi87]

If you are Insulin you do get meters from the GP but some even try to restrict the strips they prescribe.

Oh! Thats hardly fair is it? Surley you should be entitled regardless or your type that being diabetesist i think!! Lol i know i get alot of emails and things about free meters there always worth a look arent they?

 

[pav]

Oh! Thats hardly fair is it? Surley you should be entitled regardless or your type that being diabetesist i think!! Lol i know i get alot of emails and things about free meters there always worth a look arent they?

It's not fair, it's also not helped by some patients who don't bother about the illness.

Getting hold of a meter for free is not a problem for most. It's getting the prescription for the test strips as that's where the money is made.

 

[grovesy]

Oh! Thats hardly fair is it? Surley you should be entitled regardless or your type that being diabetesist i think!! Lol i know i get alot of emails and things about free meters there always worth a look arent they?

Companies often give free meters because they make the money on the strips, some of which are about £25 for 50, to buy over the counter.