[Gary_W]

Originally Posted by shiftzor

That’s a good point about driving, problem with writing a letter for her to sign is that I am not a lawyer and therefore it’s hard to make it legally binding, instead GP can write a letter to me in which I will spread about to her disadvantage. Unfortunately as a student I am not working otherwise I would definitely use that. Thanks all again for the help.

Option A it is. with a diplomatic stage in between.

SueM's method is the one I've quoted before at my previous doctors surgery (my current ones are great about this and dish out 300 strips whenever I ask). The DVLA REQUIRE you to test before going behind the wheel and regularly on long journeys. For that reason, I have at least 4 tests every single day to comply with the law of the land, and that's before I've even worried about meals.

The Hypocratic oath has, at its core, the line 'First, do no harm'. As there is research out there that states that every 1 point rise in HBA1c above 6% gives an increase in your chances of complications of 40% and I would defy anyone to get close to 6% without test strips, I would argue that she is going against the very prinicipals that she took an oath to...

Good luck. I do enjoy a good fight when I'm in the right, and I'm sure you will too.

Gary

[RyanN]

I test A LOT everyday (about 10 - 12 times).
One way I can afford to do this is that I DON'T live in
the US (my home country). One box of 50 strips there
costs me $40-$50 (no insurance).
Here, the EXACT SAME BOX of 50 strips costs $18 and sometimes the lady gives me a discount.
This is all with no insurance too!!!!!!
This is the same for all my diabetes supplies.

What is the deal with those crazy US prices??????????

[ant hill]

Originally Posted by shiftzor

Well I just got back from my doctor, who recently decided to change my prescription from 200 test strips per month to a 100 per month without informing me. Naturally i soon discovered this when i went for my next prescription.

Hey that's just 6.5 strips per day!! as we test more than that MMmm.... Go doctor shopping.

[xMenace]

Originally Posted by ****

I cannot argue against testing often.
But, the notion that testing gets control is not reasonable.

Testing only provides information which must be acted upon.
High bs says your action must be to take a bit of humalog.
Low bs says your action must be to drink a cup of OJ.

So, I don't really test very often. I only test when I have an action that can do something about the test results. i.e. prior to eating a meal, I take humalog in an amount to cover my bs reading and the meal I am eating. Otherwise, the information is not useful. I rarely test prior to bed, as I do lantus in the AM and by night, any lingering lantus effect isn't going to sink me during my sleep, as it often did when I did lantus in the evening. Doing lantus at night time is stoopid to my way of thinking.

Testing is not just about compliance. Many of us use testing to learn how we react to food, insulin, and activity. It gives us informaion and information is power!

One can get by without testing often under certain conditions. They
- don't vary meals or activity
- have enough experience (with testing) that they know how foods are going to behave
- have no absorption issues
- have flat-lined and very predictable basal profiles
- have developed an ability to sense their own sugar levels
- have bodies that don't change as they age (also known as being dead).

The rest are just fooling themselves.

[Stuboy]

i stopped testing a 6 months (not complete, but only testing sparsly) and look what happened to my HbA1c!!

Im back on track now tho and im going for another tomorrow!

it will prove that a good HbA1c comes with the power of information through testing!

[shiftzor]

Well I had my meeting with her today and to bring closure to the topic I thought I should tell you what happened.

Basically GP told me that she can’t give me more than 2 x 50 on one prescription, so she gave me 3 prescriptions of 2 x 50. She told me to come back for another prescription for the last few months, before I move surgeries. It will do in the short term; thank goodness I won’t have to put up with this for much longer.

[davef]

Well at least you got some form of resolution and the supplies you need. Don't understand the whole thing of not being able to give a prescription of more than 2 x 50, my Doctor just asks me how many I need and right the prescription accordingly. I always thought that Ireland and the UK were similar in that way, guess not, or maybe my Doctor is even better than I thought.

[shiftzor]

Originally Posted by davef

Well at least you got some form of resolution and the supplies you need. Don't understand the whole thing of not being able to give a prescription of more than 2 x 50, my Doctor just asks me how many I need and right the prescription accordingly. I always thought that Ireland and the UK were similar in that way, guess not, or maybe my Doctor is even better than I thought.

Apparently it’s a funding issue with Hillingdon/Uxbridge in Middlesex (London). Don't know if it affects others as well. Its a stupid situation, oh well.

[Stuboy]

i still dont understand why she "can't" put more than that on the prescription... i get 204 on my repeat prescription and i use the Accu-Chek drums... i bet they ain't cheap!!

[1type2go]

Originally Posted by shiftzor

Well I just got back from my doctor, who recently decided to change my prescription from 200 test strips per month to a 100 per month without informing me. Naturally i soon discovered this when i went for my next prescription.

I have just spoken to her, apparently I am being unreasonable, and out of all the diabetics she has none of them ask for 200 test strips a month. She cannot give me more than 100 if I want more in a month I will have to go twice a month however she will not do this forever. She has offered me a batch prescription which means that every 2 weeks 100 test strips will be issued for a finite period.

So am I being unreasonable? I really don’t know anymore, I try to look after myself the best I can and according to her I have tight control (A1c 6.1) (testing on average 8 times a day at the moment), but without these test strips I will have to back to guessing and thus the fun continues. So what do i do? Option A: world war 3, threaten to leave and find a new GP who will offer me what I want or Option B: give in, conform to the norm and accept that I am being unreasonable.

Just wanted to share this and let Ya know my mother (Dx in 2006)was told 100 per month by her Dr. as well...Mabey they think we're sellin' em



The cost of diabetes*

Individuals and families bear the cost of diabetes through medical expenses, inconvenience and deteriorating health. These personal burdens translate into significant cost for Canadian society as a whole.
Diabetes resulted in $884 million in direct health care costs in 2000.
Indirect costs in lost productivity and premature death added another $1.7 billion, for a total cost of $2.6 billion to the Canadian economy.

............Increased since 2000?? Could have Hey!!

[MeadowLark]

sigh... I got the same run with my Dr here in South Carolina. Wonderful ****! I'm going online to buy a cheaper meter and teststrips for the "extra times that I want to test." this sooo stinks. It is one of the reasons I slipped into some depression issues.. cuz my doc doesnt care about "me."
Huggles
MeadowLark

[shiftzor]

Originally Posted by MeadowLark

sigh... I got the same run with my Dr here in South Carolina. Wonderful ****! I'm going online to buy a cheaper meter and teststrips for the "extra times that I want to test." this sooo stinks. It is one of the reasons I slipped into some depression issues.. cuz my doc doesnt care about "me."
Huggles
MeadowLark

Don’t be depressed about it, come up with a plan of attack, go straight back and demand what you need, change doctor if you have to. Seriously don’t stand for it, I didn’t and I got the quantity I wanted even if it means a little more effort i.e. prescription every 2 weeks instead of 4 weeks for a finite period (until I move GP). It’s not easy but neither is living with the lack of strips.

[Emm]

WOW! Not unreasonable at all. What's up with your doc??! A type 1 - or anyone using insulin - should have access to as many strips as they need.

I get 300 - 400 a month, and I need every single one. How could it ever be wrong to test lots and stay on top of diabetes? What's up with doctors these days sheeeesh!

[ant hill]

Originally Posted by Emm

WOW! Not unreasonable at all. What's up with your doc??! A type 1 - or anyone using insulin - should have access to as many strips as they need.

Doctors seem to think that enough strips for your control. Doctors in my view are just perscripton pushers and say take this and see me again in the morning or to a specialist that they think would suit you. and I think see an Endocrinologist as short for endo. Doctors know jack s***e on diabetes needs. as they just line their pockets of your hard earned cash.

[timmyp]

I can so relate. Like you I test around 8 times a day (often more) I had the same thing with my doctor who basically told me I was taking advantage and that my average usage was much much higher than his other patients (probably includes T2). He said the most he would give me was 3 boxes and said that unless I was a tri-athlete would not consider increasing this. I was rather upset and found the whole experience rather un-sympathetic.

I am now getting treatment by the diabetic clinic in the hospital and they totally understood that for me control = testing so they now issue 4 -5 boxes per month. This may very well change but I will happily fight for what I need.

Where about in the UK are you?