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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.
Libre sensor
- Thread starter travis19
- Start date
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome.
What medication are you on for your diabetes and how often do you test your BG levels a day?
The guidance for prescribing a Constant Glucose Monitor (ie Libre or Dexcom) to Type 2 patients is quite stringent, so it may be that your surgery's hands are tied or it may be that we can help you to interpret the guidelines in such a way that you can meet them and challenge the practice.
Is the nurse that recommended Libre a practice nurse at the surgery or a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) working from a hospital clinic. If the latter then I believe they have the ability to prescribe.
What medication are you on for your diabetes and how often do you test your BG levels a day?
The guidance for prescribing a Constant Glucose Monitor (ie Libre or Dexcom) to Type 2 patients is quite stringent, so it may be that your surgery's hands are tied or it may be that we can help you to interpret the guidelines in such a way that you can meet them and challenge the practice.
Is the nurse that recommended Libre a practice nurse at the surgery or a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) working from a hospital clinic. If the latter then I believe they have the ability to prescribe.
goodybags
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @travis19 welcome to the forum, if it was a DSN that has recommended this, you might be successful in getting CGM on prescription, which obviously we can see from what you’ve posted on here your looking for.
have you already had a free trial of what both Abbot & Dexcom offer to Diabetics who are looking to experience CGM for themselves
nonethewiser
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
You don't say where this nurse is based, hospital or GP practice.
When changes are made to my diabetes management, be it insulin or devices such as libre/dexcom its normal routine for hospital clinic to write to my GP to ask them to change items or include them on repeat prescription, maybe worth this nurse doing likewise.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I wonder if perhaps it could even just be a clerical error if the nurse has recommended Libre 2 which has recently been replaced with Libre 2 Plus and the practice pharmacist can't find Libre 2 on the system..... or the practice pharmacist is following the letter of the NICE guidelines where the nurse sees you as a special case.
If you can tell us a bit more about your particular circumstances.
I would also say that many of us Type 1s self funded Libre before we got it on prescription and whilst it is expensive, it makes you really appreciate them and their benefits and get the most from them. I am fairly low income and I used birthday money to fund my first couple or sensors. Quite a few Type 2s here on the forum self fund them intermittently to help them manage their diabetes because they don't qualify for them on prescription.
If you can tell us a bit more about your particular circumstances.
I would also say that many of us Type 1s self funded Libre before we got it on prescription and whilst it is expensive, it makes you really appreciate them and their benefits and get the most from them. I am fairly low income and I used birthday money to fund my first couple or sensors. Quite a few Type 2s here on the forum self fund them intermittently to help them manage their diabetes because they don't qualify for them on prescription.
Hi I'm on 4 injections a day and test 3 or 4 times! It's the Diabetes Specialist nurse that's said I'm eligible and gave me my first one but our surgery are refusing to put on my repeat prescription! The DS team are furious and have a meeting shortly but my current one runs out in 5 days so I'm thinking that I may have to purchase a new one myself!
tesser raggy
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I've tried Dexcom 1+ on Free Trial, and now signed up to their monthly subscription @ £79 for 3 sensors + pp. Over 2 months this gives you 6 sensors @ £29 each.
Then cancel, anytime.
Then cancel, anytime.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Testing just 3-4 times a day might be the stumbling block. I think they expect you to need to be testing 8+ times a day to qualify as that is when it becomes "cost effective" and indeed this was initially part of the guidance for Type 1s to get it on prescription.
Good to hear you have the support of your diabetes clinic. As they are the people in charge of your diabetes management then they should write to the GP and instruct them as to what you need.
Are you definitely type 2? If you were Type 1 or Type 3c on insulin there would be much less of an issue and many people get misdiagnosed as Type 2 when they are Type 1, I myself was such a person and many more here.
If you can tell us a bit about how long you have had diabetes and how your diagnosis initially came about, perhaps that we might be able to advise you if that could be a road to investigate.
The thing with diabetes is that your Type is often largely based on guess work. An HbA1c result over 47mmols/mol gets you a diabetes diagnosis, but the majority of people with diabetes (about 90%) are Type 2. If you are a mature adult and perhaps carrying a bit of excess weight then they simply make that assumption that you are Type 2. There are no specific tests for Type 2 but there are tests for Type 1 however they rarely do them because they are not standard tests requested by GPs as Type 1 is a specialist field. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition where the immune system goes rogue and kills off your insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas whereas Type 2 is metabolic, usually because of visceral fat build up in and around the liver and pancreas. Type 3c is diabetes caused by disease, alcohol, trauma or surgery to the pancreas.
Anyway, just something else to consider.
I think it might be helpful to ask for the reason why the GP practice has rejected the request from the clinic staff to prescribe it and get that in writing. I think you would need to make the request through the practice manager.
Good to hear you have the support of your diabetes clinic. As they are the people in charge of your diabetes management then they should write to the GP and instruct them as to what you need.
Are you definitely type 2? If you were Type 1 or Type 3c on insulin there would be much less of an issue and many people get misdiagnosed as Type 2 when they are Type 1, I myself was such a person and many more here.
If you can tell us a bit about how long you have had diabetes and how your diagnosis initially came about, perhaps that we might be able to advise you if that could be a road to investigate.
The thing with diabetes is that your Type is often largely based on guess work. An HbA1c result over 47mmols/mol gets you a diabetes diagnosis, but the majority of people with diabetes (about 90%) are Type 2. If you are a mature adult and perhaps carrying a bit of excess weight then they simply make that assumption that you are Type 2. There are no specific tests for Type 2 but there are tests for Type 1 however they rarely do them because they are not standard tests requested by GPs as Type 1 is a specialist field. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition where the immune system goes rogue and kills off your insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas whereas Type 2 is metabolic, usually because of visceral fat build up in and around the liver and pancreas. Type 3c is diabetes caused by disease, alcohol, trauma or surgery to the pancreas.
Anyway, just something else to consider.
I think it might be helpful to ask for the reason why the GP practice has rejected the request from the clinic staff to prescribe it and get that in writing. I think you would need to make the request through the practice manager.
goodybags
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Possibly if the DSN has already given you your first sensor obviously he /she felt using CGM might be of benefit you you
hopefully you might eventually be successful in persuading a GP (once they know it can be funded) in getting these prescribed.
that was kind of how it worked in my case
was initially by my own GP outright (without any request actually being made) a sensor wouldn’t be available
however a request was made by another GP (at the same practice who looks after all T2 Diabetics medications and reviews) and initially the funding request declined, by who I can’t remember at the moment
as @rebrascora has just commented testing 3/4 times a day
or even being on Multiple Daily Injections doesn’t automatically qualify for the funding of these
I think you will should initially politely ask whoever at the surgery who has declined your request who the request was made to and why it was declined
also something I’ve just picked up on was you said in your post
you test 3/4 times a day
possibly you might be testing more often than that (sometimes we test more often than we realise as it becomes part of our routine)
like are you testing on waking, then before eating your meals (sometimes 2 hrs after)
& prior to using insulin if your using this 4 times a day / you might be using more than one type of insulin, plus do you drive ?
@travis19 I do hope you are successful as if your DSN thought you would benefit from using CGM you might
it’s annoying if you then need to fight the system to get something that might help you,
Proud to be erratic
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 3c
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yes, sensible plan. Also, because the Dex One+ is a 10 day disposable sensor, then you don't have to wear a sensor continuously. You could have 10 days, then any no of days off that suits you and then another 10 days with sensor. Etc. This provides the opportunity to experiment with food choices, exercise and activity response levels, but without the obligation to use up your 6 sensors continuously. You just have to remember to cancel the autorenewal in a timely manner.
The Dexcom G6 and it's cheaper Dex One are 2 part systems, tying you to a 90 day continuous commitment: one per lasts 90 days, the other only last 10 days, then throw away; but once the 90 day part is fitted, that clock is ticking!