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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 sugar
- Thread starter Spacie
- Start date
- Status
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hi Spacie
Welcome to the forum!
Many manufacturers provide the meters free of charge (either via Diabetes Specialist Nurses or direct from their own websites). The companies then make money on the strips needed to perform the blood tests.
As a T2, depending on the outlook of your GP you may find it easy or completely impossible to get test strips on prescription. There are plenty of threads on here documenting different people's experiences.
If you need to self-fund some or all of your strips, the choice of meter can become more important as some strips are cheaper to buy than others. I think Abbot (Freestyle) strips are quite cheap when bought direct from the manufacturer.
Welcome to the forum!
Many manufacturers provide the meters free of charge (either via Diabetes Specialist Nurses or direct from their own websites). The companies then make money on the strips needed to perform the blood tests.
As a T2, depending on the outlook of your GP you may find it easy or completely impossible to get test strips on prescription. There are plenty of threads on here documenting different people's experiences.
If you need to self-fund some or all of your strips, the choice of meter can become more important as some strips are cheaper to buy than others. I think Abbot (Freestyle) strips are quite cheap when bought direct from the manufacturer.
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Spacie, welcome to the forum 🙂 Yes, you should be able to get a meter and testing strips on prescription, but do be prepared for a potential struggle as many GPs will not issue them as it is common for them to say that you do not need to test if you are not on insulin or certain other medications. However, most of the members here would agree that being able to test your blood sugar levels before and after eating is the only way you can establish an appropriate diet that suits your own unique metabolism. People's reactions to various foods vary considerably, so there is no 'one size fits all' diet that you can follow some peole react badly to porridge or bread, for example, others are fine with them.
Have a read of Diabetes UK's position statement on self-monitoring and also Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter to understand the benefits of testing. I'd also recommend Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker as a good guide to understanding and managing Type 2 diabetes.
Please feel free to ask any question you may have and someone is sure to be able to help you out 🙂
Have a read of Diabetes UK's position statement on self-monitoring and also Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter to understand the benefits of testing. I'd also recommend Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker as a good guide to understanding and managing Type 2 diabetes.
Please feel free to ask any question you may have and someone is sure to be able to help you out 🙂
Steff
Little Miss Chatterbox
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi Spacie and a warm welcome to the forum if you fill this out here you should receive one within 28 days alot of us did https://www.abbottdiabetescare.co.uk/free-meter-signup
DeusXM
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
The best option for a free meter is to simply ring up the manufacturer, tell them you're trying to find a meter that works for you, and that you test between 8-12 times a day (if you're managing T1 properly, you'll probably be doing this anyway).
They'll generally then send you out a free meter. One-Touch will also give you the cables and software if you tell them it's a dealbreaker. Accu-Chek generally won't give you the infra-red receiver but will be prepared to give you quite expensive meters free of charge. They will actually give you their Mobile meter if you ask nicely, which is brilliant if you're sick to death of test strips ending up everywhere.
Bayer get very sniffy about giving you a free Contour USB, claiming it uses 'very high-technology' and so can't give it away. They also don't respond well to you pointing out that USB is not 'high technology' or that the meter is given away freely in the US.
They'll generally then send you out a free meter. One-Touch will also give you the cables and software if you tell them it's a dealbreaker. Accu-Chek generally won't give you the infra-red receiver but will be prepared to give you quite expensive meters free of charge. They will actually give you their Mobile meter if you ask nicely, which is brilliant if you're sick to death of test strips ending up everywhere.
Bayer get very sniffy about giving you a free Contour USB, claiming it uses 'very high-technology' and so can't give it away. They also don't respond well to you pointing out that USB is not 'high technology' or that the meter is given away freely in the US.
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