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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Blood levels
- Thread starter Royston46
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Hi Royston, good luck with your request for a meter/strips. There are several threads that lay out the arguments to present, but I can't post the links as I need to get off to work now. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to give you some ammunition!
Redkite
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Parent of person with diabetes
Hi Royston,
GPs are reluctant to give type 2 patients meters, because the testing strips are quite expensive (around ?35 for 50 strips I believe). However, they are a really useful tool to help you manage your diabetes, so I would recommend asking your GP to prescribe them. You need to convince him that you know what you're talking about and would be using the meter constructively, ie. checking your waking BG level and then checking your level before a meal and 2-3 hours after the meal to see what effect different foods have on your BG level. If the GP refuses initially, I'd recommend you buy yourself a meter (from ?15-?20 from Boots), which includes an initial supply of 10 testing strips, and do a few tests, keep a diary (including food eaten and exercise done around the times you've tested), and then go back to the GP with the evidence of how this is helping you, and ask again for a prescription for the strips. Don't be fobbed off! Good luck 🙂
GPs are reluctant to give type 2 patients meters, because the testing strips are quite expensive (around ?35 for 50 strips I believe). However, they are a really useful tool to help you manage your diabetes, so I would recommend asking your GP to prescribe them. You need to convince him that you know what you're talking about and would be using the meter constructively, ie. checking your waking BG level and then checking your level before a meal and 2-3 hours after the meal to see what effect different foods have on your BG level. If the GP refuses initially, I'd recommend you buy yourself a meter (from ?15-?20 from Boots), which includes an initial supply of 10 testing strips, and do a few tests, keep a diary (including food eaten and exercise done around the times you've tested), and then go back to the GP with the evidence of how this is helping you, and ask again for a prescription for the strips. Don't be fobbed off! Good luck 🙂
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Many T2s find a meter invaluable in effectively managing their D with or without medication.
Many GPs insist that a 3-monthly A1c is all the information you need, but to my mind the real trick with D is in the detail. A 3 monthly test at best can only tell you whether things are generally OK or whether you need to improve levels - they can't help you do do that in any kind of precise way. With a meter you get instant impartial advice on how different foods and levels of activity are affecting your BG levels. Are you OK eating wholegrain toast in the morning? I have no idea... but a BG meter can tell you. Would porridge be a better choice? Your GP doesn;t have a clue (for you as an individual), but by testing before breakfast and then an hour after eating a bowl of porridge *you* could find out.
Most HCPs simply assume that people will not be prepared to put the effort in to finding out, and then adjusting their diet to suit their wonky metabolism.
As Redkite says, there is also the matter of cost to the practive prescribing budget. Some meters are more expensive strips-wise than others. So if you are self-funding it would be worth browsing the forum for previous discussions about which meters are the most cost effective, but remain reliable.
For more good info look at the 'Usefuls' thread - about half way down this page ad read AlanS's 'Test Review Adjust' http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10406
Good luck with your GP!
Many GPs insist that a 3-monthly A1c is all the information you need, but to my mind the real trick with D is in the detail. A 3 monthly test at best can only tell you whether things are generally OK or whether you need to improve levels - they can't help you do do that in any kind of precise way. With a meter you get instant impartial advice on how different foods and levels of activity are affecting your BG levels. Are you OK eating wholegrain toast in the morning? I have no idea... but a BG meter can tell you. Would porridge be a better choice? Your GP doesn;t have a clue (for you as an individual), but by testing before breakfast and then an hour after eating a bowl of porridge *you* could find out.
Most HCPs simply assume that people will not be prepared to put the effort in to finding out, and then adjusting their diet to suit their wonky metabolism.
As Redkite says, there is also the matter of cost to the practive prescribing budget. Some meters are more expensive strips-wise than others. So if you are self-funding it would be worth browsing the forum for previous discussions about which meters are the most cost effective, but remain reliable.
For more good info look at the 'Usefuls' thread - about half way down this page ad read AlanS's 'Test Review Adjust' http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10406
Good luck with your GP!
itsallgood
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Royston you might get more joy from talking to your diabetic nurse, mine was much more obliging than the doctor who was clearly more concerned about the cost.
I order my repeat prescriptions online and just added them to the form so I now get up to 100 a month which is more than enough for a type 2.
I order my repeat prescriptions online and just added them to the form so I now get up to 100 a month which is more than enough for a type 2.
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