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frustration over testing strips

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CarolK

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
Aaaagh!! have just spent 45 minutes in the chemist tryiing to pick up a repeat prescription for my son for testing strips. The doctor wont renew it automatically anymore because they think hes using too many! He tests 4 times a day. I have rung the doctors, and snotty receptionist has said ring back after 2 o clock . I tried to explain the problem is the chemist not putting in the last couple of prescriptions, therefore they have had to lend us 50, consequently when ive picked up prescription , I have to give them the 50 back and we are only left with 50 to last a month. It is so frustrating, my son didnt have a single strip left last night. If they werent so expensive I would buy them and stuff the doctor.
Sorry I am so frustrated.
 
Hi CarolK

Sorry you're feeling frustrated. I'm pretty sure that the receptionist told you to ring back after 2pm, as that's when a GP will be free to speak with you, after morning surgery and a meal break.

In the meantime, it might be worth contacting your diabetes clinic team, assuming you & your son attend a hospital diabetes clinic, as they may be able to write to your GP and tell them to prescribe sufficient strips.
 
Sorry to hear you are having so many problems getting hold of sufficient strips.

Have you been able to go to see your GP to explain your need? It may just be that you are victim of one of those practice-wide decisions about restriction, but that if you went and explained your use (and need) you would be supported. Some GPs have little experience of micro-management of Type 1 D, and may have been misled by questionable reporting of strip use in T2s.

If your son's D care is under your hospital's young people's team you could get your DSN to write and explain.

Hope you manage to get it sorted soon.

EDIT: Ha1 Posted at the same time as Copepod. Snap!
 
CarolK said:
Aaaagh!! have just spent 45 minutes in the chemist tryiing to pick up a repeat prescription for my son for testing strips. The doctor wont renew it automatically anymore because they think hes using too many! He tests 4 times a day. I have rung the doctors, and snotty receptionist has said ring back after 2 o clock . I tried to explain the problem is the chemist not putting in the last couple of prescriptions, therefore they have had to lend us 50, consequently when ive picked up prescription , I have to give them the 50 back and we are only left with 50 to last a month. It is so frustrating, my son didnt have a single strip left last night. If they werent so expensive I would buy them and stuff the doctor.
Sorry I am so frustrated.
Click to expand...

Carol,
sorry to hear of your problems regarding test strips.
Sit down and write a firm but polite letter to your GP.
Tell him/her that son needs to test before he injects and before bed. he also needs to test 15 mins after a hypo to check he is infact rising ok. Point out that games/pe at school also needs tests strips. Also point out Your son is entitled to be able to feel well and confident in all he does which when older would include driving a car thus the ingraining of good control is paramount from day one as is keeping his limbs and sight intact.
Add the point about more test strips needed when ill as well.
Also point out your son or you did not ask for the condition and his/her making life as difficult as he/she can really does not help his or your mental well being wondering if he is going to have a hypo that could have been avoided.
Perhaps s/he would like to swop places with you and your son? 😡
 
Thanks everyone, I was laughing to myself reading Sues reply, as my son is 22, and I realised I must be a CONTROLLING MOTHER!! I still get all his prescriptions etc, and fuss around after him, but Im afraid thats me, I wont change. He is a typical lad, who is quite happy to leave everything to me. The doctor is now ringing him back this afternoon, and we will see what happens. It is so frustrating because as you said, you cannot do without the strips, and diabetes is stressful enough without all of this.
 
LOL, i kinda go the impression he was younger also, regardless of age though, he needs the strips, and he need a realistic amount so that he doesn't need to go back for more more regularly than needed.......
 
CarolK said:
Thanks everyone, I was laughing to myself reading Sues reply, as my son is 22, and I realised I must be a CONTROLLING MOTHER!! I still get all his prescriptions etc, and fuss around after him, but Im afraid thats me, I wont change. He is a typical lad, who is quite happy to leave everything to me. The doctor is now ringing him back this afternoon, and we will see what happens. It is so frustrating because as you said, you cannot do without the strips, and diabetes is stressful enough without all of this.
Click to expand...

Oops (blush) Bet he's a big kid at heart though.

But do make the point about driving etc to the GP though.
Make a list of all reasons for needing the test strips and have it in front of him when he talks to GP. So doesn't forget and not side tracked.
 
His your son under a hospital diabetic team?

If he is tell him to contact them concerning his doctors refusal to provide adequate test strips.. And they will write a letter to your GP which your GP can not ignore... As his consultant over rules anything the GP says, so if the consultant says that he needs 200/300 test strips a month then the GP got to prescribe this..
 
Plus - does your son drive?

Actually really doesn't matter does it, cos his GP won't know if he does or not, will he?

To me the BARE minimum for a T1 is 5 tests a day, without driving hypos or anything else!
 
Since I was diagnosed I have used 6 strips a day, sometimes more - only less if I miss a meal, sleep in etc. A box of 50 would therefore last me about 8 days in a good week (if you see what I mean!), possibly less if I had other reasons for testing, which I often do. My GP was a little surprised when I asked for my repeat to be increased from 200 to 300 per prescription, but after I explained that I did 4 injections a day and 6 tests, and how EVERY test informed my decisions, she agreed. Some people need to test far more than me, but as long as it is clear that every test provides valuable information to aid your diabetes management then there should be no argument or restriction. Ihope you can get things sorted out once an for all - whoever is doing this is not looking at the simple fact that your son has insulin-dependent diabetes, so if it is a 'blanket' restriction they need to refine their criteria somewhat!
 
How do they expect an insulin dependant diabetic to get by on 100 test strips a month😡 Your son does well to only use 4 strips a day and the surgery should thank themselves lucky, I can test 8 times daily and couldn't test any less without shutting myself away.

Ask his consultant to write to his doctor and explains his reasons to test regularly, I get 200 a month but sometimes this doesn't last and find I myself putting a repeat request in earlier.
 
I have found that many HCPs believe adamantly that anything more than 4 per day is excessive and obsessional. Because they have been 'trained' in diabetes and see several a day, that they know what's best for us and can freely tell us what we should and shouldn't be doing. Especially when it comes to test strips.

That is until you need advice on a more technical aspect of diabetes. So my advice would be to find a couple of complex topics to go to the doctor with, making sure you know all the details yourself, and when they can't answer it and feel inadequate, maybe you can ask again for the strips and they'll realise they really don't know diddly squat about it. They tend to be more obliging afterwards.🙂

Rob
 
Hope Carol's son's test strips prescription issue is sorted out - and that he realises that, aged 22 years, he really should be sorting out his own supplies! 🙂
 
Carol sorry to hear about whats happening with your son and lack of strips, its such a travesty as Toby said your son is insulin D type 1 do they expect him to go day to day never mind hour to hour without testing,utterley disgusting never mind life threatening.

I hope by now your son has heard from his GP
 
Thanks everyone, spoke to the doctor and he has agreed to up to 200 for one month only to let us catch up with things and then back to 100. Better than nothing I suppose, but I will make sure son asks when he goes to the hospital end of December. By the way, I am quite happy to do it for my son. While he still lives at home and I see the bad hypos and everything else that comes with D, its kinda hard to switch off, but theres no problem there!
 
CarolK said:
Thanks everyone, spoke to the doctor and he has agreed to up to 200 for one month only to let us catch up with things and then back to 100. Better than nothing I suppose, but I will make sure son asks when he goes to the hospital end of December. By the way, I am quite happy to do it for my son. While he still lives at home and I see the bad hypos and everything else that comes with D, its kinda hard to switch off, but theres no problem there!
Click to expand...

Carol does your son drive a car?
My personal view is that your son's GP is failing in his care of your son.
 
CarolK said:
Thanks everyone, spoke to the doctor and he has agreed to up to 200 for one month only to let us catch up with things and then back to 100. Better than nothing I suppose, but I will make sure son asks when he goes to the hospital end of December. By the way, I am quite happy to do it for my son. While he still lives at home and I see the bad hypos and everything else that comes with D, its kinda hard to switch off, but theres no problem there!
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but that still isn't good enough! Let's see some simple maths: 4 tests a day, minimum for 4 injections X 7 days a week = 28 strips. 28 X 4 = 112 strips in four weeks, meaning he runs out of strips at least 5 days before the end of the month! And this is for an absolute minimum number of tests! How did the doctor justify 100 strips is sufficient for a month? My usual 30 day average includes around 185 tests, and I do NOT test a lot by any stretch of the imagination.

I wish I could talk to this doctor!!! 😡
 
That's why I asked, if he does -and as I said IF there is no need for the Dr to know otherwise? - then he needs more than the minimum without having any hypos!

Now - why is he hypo-ing frequently? - he shouldn't be ...... does he need help? Would he come on here himself to try and get some? - a lot of us have been there and did that, before we knew better how to treat ouselves, from other diabetics on forums like this one ......
 
I dont think I mentioned he was hypo ing frequently, he doesnt really have an issue with control. He might have a few when exercising etc, but again no great problems there. Good point to mention the driving, as we are going through things regarding that at the moment. He will def be bringing it up at hospital appt at end of month and maybe they can contact GP. It does make you mad though doesnt it? How are diabetics supposed to manage on restricted strips. On the one hand, every time you see a consultant/DSN they bang on a bout test , test , test, and yet on the other hand you have this problem, due to funding!
 
Basicaly Carol if your son gets behind the wheel of a car with a lower than normal blood sugar and crashes that car due to hypo, he could end up in jail for driving whilst under the influence of drugs. He will also loose his driving licence.
 
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