Glucose meter changes

[Andrew110758]

Just had my GP supply a new glucose meter out of the blue, not even an explanation. Not helpful when you run three identical meters, one at home, one at work and one in the car, and they decide to move you to a completely different make with different test strips. Last time I found it was cost cutting and pointed out the NICE guidelines and they backed off, possibly trying the same again. Anyone else had this?. Also, anyone have any comments on the merits of GlucoRx Q versus the Accu-Check Aviva Expert ?.

 

[helli]

I don’t know about the merits of your new meter but it is not usually advised to run multiple meters in parallel because they have different levels of accuracy and calibration. The usual recommendation is to carry a single meter with you and have a backup in case it fails. Ideally, the backup takes the same strips as the primary meter.

 

[Andrew110758]

I have found that the current meters all give very close results, and were actually far better than the Libre system which I participated in the trial of, finding it to be slow reacting and often widely divergent from the meter I use. Having several meters came about as a result of making life simple, I don't need to keep remembering the damn thing and there are distance issues if it got forgotten and I was at work. My blood glucose needs testing throughout the day, so not having the meter about is serious. In terms of accuracy and calibration, I would say thats a flawed argument when using good meters. For instance if meters ranged that badly in accuracy, determining fitness to drive would be impossible etc. Every time my readings have been duplicated ( as in when in hospital) the discrepancy has been small.

 

[Lucyr]

Do you use the dose advisor on the expert meter? If so you can use that reasoning to keep your existing strips. If you don’t then yes it probably is cost cutting but may as well save the NHS money

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’ve not used a GlucoRx meter for a long time, but I suspect you may be right about an attempt to reduce strip costs.

The Accu-Chek Expert has been discontinued, so users of that meter are being encouraged to find alternatives I believe.

But yes really I think you should have been consulted and asked about your needs before switching.

Would it work to contact GlucoRx and ask them for a couple of extra handsets?

 

[Andrew110758]

I’ve not used a GlucoRx meter for a long time, but I suspect you may be right about an attempt to reduce strip costs.

The Accu-Chek Expert has been discontinued, so users of that meter are being encouraged to find alternatives I believe.

But yes really I think you should have been consulted and asked about your needs before switching.

Would it work to contact GlucoRx and ask them for a couple of extra handsets?

All confused these days. When I came under the specialist outpatient clinic, they provided it all. Since then I now come under the Diabetic Unit at the main hospital. Not sure who to ask. On occasion when I did ask the GP they just said "not us" ! I really need to organise new injection pens soon,the current ones are getting old. Thats going to beinteresting, as I don't think the GP will be interested in that either.

 

[helli]

All confused these days. When I came under the specialist outpatient clinic, they provided it all. Since then I now come under the Diabetic Unit at the main hospital. Not sure who to ask. On occasion when I did ask the GP they just said "not us" ! I really need to organise new injection pens soon,the current ones are getting old. Thats going to beinteresting, as I don't think the GP will be interested in that either.

Why not ask the Fiabetic Unit you come under now.
As for replacement pens, please please get these as soon as possible and get spares. You never know when they may fail so you MUST have spare insulin pens. You can’t take the drug that is keeping you alive without them.

 

[Sally71]

We're under the paediatric diabetes unit at hospital, but if anything needs prescribing they write to the GP and get them to do it, so that it all prescriptions are in one place. They said it's not good to have all sorts of different people prescribing things, better to keep it all in one place. So it should be the GP that prescribes them.

 

[Andrew110758]

Why not ask the Fiabetic Unit you come under now.
As for replacement pens, please please get these as soon as possible and get spares. You never know when they may fail so you MUST have spare insulin pens. You can’t take the drug that is keeping you alive without them.

Don't worry, when I retire the pens, I keep them as an emergency fall back. The advice was that they should be replaced every so often. I tend to get years of use from them, but all things wear over time.

 

[Andrew110758]

Having had a play last night and this morning, two AccuCheck meters agree, however interestingly, at the low end the new meter agree's, and at the upper end it's adrift by a significant amount. I found this with the Libre before it was in general use, it was adrift enough to tell you you were safe to drive when the AccuCheck said no.

 

[trophywench]

Whereas that latter point is arse about face with my body - Libre will tell me I'm lower than my meter says, usually. It loves being between 4 and 10 - well so do I and always have done but if I ate summat sweet every time it reports being less than 4 I'd have even worse control than ever, which was only better controlled for a few months when I virtually did nothing else except concentrate on my diabetes - and I can't have a normal life doing THAT.

 

[Lucyr]

All confused these days. When I came under the specialist outpatient clinic, they provided it all. Since then I now come under the Diabetic Unit at the main hospital. Not sure who to ask. On occasion when I did ask the GP they just said "not us" ! I really need to organise new injection pens soon,the current ones are getting old. Thats going to beinteresting, as I don't think the GP will be interested in that either.

Just ring the company that makes the pens and ask for a replacement