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Test Strips - your experiences

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
JoeFreeman

JoeFreeman

Well-Known Member
Hello.

We're trying to get a more accurate picture of the issues people face regarding access to test strips. We hear more and more from people who are having their access restricted, but this is a relatively new problem.

Can you possibly spare 5 minutes to take our survey to help us understand how widespread the issue is? Anyone with diabetes can complete it, regardless of what type they have.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/teststrips

Thanks!

Joe
 
All done. Nice clear questions but would have appreciated a whinge box at the end.
 
Done, and agree with Alison. I don't have much to relate about getting strips - I've only just managed to get a meter, 8-ish years along on the D road. Good experience of getting a one-off, but battle over regular supplies to come!
 
Done! 🙂

. . .
 
All done, hope results will help
 
Joe, there is nothing in you survey, to show which area we live in.

Talking to people at some of the meets, test strips can be a post code lottery.

I am very lucky, as I have no issues at all. I think Scotland is better served.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing your results
 
All done, not that i have any problems with test strips, good job as i test 8-10 times a day😱 but in return i have very good control, so the money its costing for my strips, will help save money spent on complications later for not haveing good control.
 
done! hope you get some useful feedback!
 
Done Joe 🙂!
 
Completed the survey.

My gripe is that although my strips are not restricted in any way. I am only prescribed 100 per script. I can reorder online, but wish my GP would up to 200 strips per script.
 
Thanks so much to everyone who has done it so far - almost 600 people taken it already. Excellent. To address a couple of points raised...

AlisonM said:
All done. Nice clear questions but would have appreciated a whinge box at the end.
Click to expand...

Good point - feel free to whinge here though! We have been and will be pulling together comments from here, Facebook and Twitter to add to any work. We've got a lot of detail already, but always good to have more!

Hazel said:
Joe, there is nothing in you survey, to show which area we live in.
Click to expand...

Question 17 is "Where do you live in the UK?". We broke it down by how our regional offices are structured so it'll be easier for us to try and get localised press coverage of any story on this subject. With upcoming changes to PCTs/CCGs it started to get a bit tricky breaking it down any other way... And someone (probably me!) will be having to analyse all the data so it needed to be easy to digest! This will still give us a good picture of what's happening across the UK though.
 
Hello Joe,

I just wanted to add, after finishing the survey, that whilst I haven't been specifically refused test strips yet, I have just changed to a new GP practice because I moved house.

The new GP told me that I wouldn't be able to get a repeat prescription like my old GP gave me, but said that I could possibly get them on prescription if I wrote him a note when I needed them next.

Given that I no longer test frequently (it currently averages out at once per week or so), I haven't had to do this yet so don't know whether it was just 'moonshine' or not!

Andy 🙂
 
OK Joe, you asked for it. I'm in the Highlands and was originally diagnosed T2 though that was later changed to LADA, I put T2 for your questionnaire because I'm not T1... yet. And, for the purposes of treatment up here, I'm being dealt with more as T2. T2s in the region are not encouraged to test for any reason and even those on insulin are restricted in the amount of strips permitted. I seem to have an upper limit of 150 strips per month, if I ask for more I get calls from the surgery wanting to know why I need so many and reminding me I don't need to test that often, twice a day is enough I'm told. In the early days, I bought my own because I'm convinced testing is the only way any of us can get to grips with the effects of food, medications and exercise on blood sugar levels and teach us how to successfully live life as a diabetic. It has been an essential tool for me in my fight to get a correct diagnosis and proper medications.

T1s I've talked to at DUK meetings up here are also being asked to cut down the number of strips used. SIGN guidelines (Scotland's equivalent of NICE) are even less supportive of testing for T2s than the NICE Guidelines so it can be even harder for them to persuade reluctant GPs than it is in England and Wales. There are exceptions of course and Hazel in East Kilbride seems to be one of the fortunate ones. As far as I can make out from all this, your postcode really does make a difference.
 
I've done too - although I didn't see a Question 17! 😱

I'm one of those weird ones which the consultant hasn't firmly placed me in the Type 1 or Type 2 boxes yet. I don't find myself restricted right now on test strips but I'm led to believe that it would be a whole different case if I was a textbook Type 2.

I think the question on how many strips you get is potentially misleading - it's not necessary how many test strips you get, it's do you get enough for your needs? Depending on the medication you are on, the stability of your diabetes and your lifestyle you will have differing needs (obviously).

You can't just pigeon hole people either, since you don't ask any questions on lifestyle and medication and thus you can't make a educated guess about how many strips they need (eg, a T2 on a basal/bolus regime who is driving is still going to need lots of strips).
 
JoeFreeman said:
Ooops. It was actually number 14 for me when I tested just now - think the numbering depends on your answers to previous questions. So it is in there somewhere...!
Click to expand...

I've just done the test but didn't get asked where I live in the UK at all.
 
Done it .....but no address or location asked :confused:
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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