"Are you sure you have diabetes?"

[TeddySue]

Your doctor can get you more strips if s/he words the prescription correctly by specifying the exact number of tests ordered per day. Some doctors are not willing to do that. Some don't know the correct wording that will work the magic. Ask your doctor.

What really gets me is when I read that someone got wonderful results and a lower A1c and the doctor then cuts down on the meds and the strips. The patient is then thrown back down to the starting point. What do the health practitioners think helped bring the A1c results down and improved control if not meticulous testing and meds?

You're right, I don't think there was any wording that would have convinced the company to give me more strips. I will put that on my list of things to talk about next week.
My doctor was telling me to lower the insulin and that's what caused me to go down too low and then finally back up to where I was going in the first place. I don't consider 40 mg a day too much insulin when I get good results. Thanks for the response.
TS

[PinkRose]

I've heard other people say that "Oh you have a great A1c, you can test less now" - yeah, but that will basically immediately raise one's A1c, won't it?

It puzzles me as well.

This is because we're confused with the largest group of diabetics - T2s. Because T2s are largely diet & metformin controlled, once they've restricted their diets enough, they can achieve good control. As T1s on the otherhand, we depend entirely on strip/meter readings to judge how much to correct & bolus for each meal as well as how much to basal. T1s are vastly far more strip dependent than T2s.

I just love it when the pharmacy tells me with carefree detachment that they've run out of strips & can I wait for another couple of days until the next order comes through. How on earth can I manage with no strips for the next 2 days I think with panic! It's like groping in the dark. I would not be able to achieve good control without test strips every step of the way.

[Kathryn10]

My doctor prescribes more strips but the pharmacy says the insurance only pays for 100 strips. Right now, and for two more years, we have 2 insurances and I can't figure out why I am only getting 100 strips a month. I just bought 200 extra strips on eBay to tide me over. Any suggestions on how to fight the insurance companies for more than 100 strips a month?
Thanks.
TS

Yeah, I think it has to do with the wording on the prescription. My doctor actually prescribed 400 strips per month for me and the insurance company made a huge deal over it and lowered it to 300. That's fine with me because I usually test between 8 and 10 times per day. Have you tried calling the insurance company and asking them what you need to do in order to get what was prescribed for you? I know it sucks talking to insurance companies but if you get a halfway decent person on the line he/she might be able to give you some tips.

[Michael R Zeigl]

I've had diabetes over 50 years. For the first 20 or so, there were no meters and no testing. One managed each day by how they felt and very inaccurate urine tests. I would absolutely hate to go back to those days.

[jbmacomber]

Yeah, it can be annoying, but you can look at it in a different, more positive light. Someone is actually paying attention, not at how good your control is, but in ensuring he is not handing out free insulin to someone who doesn't need it and who will make money out of it, and therefore depriving someone else of that resource. He is actually doing his job, and is actually noticing the A1c's of the people who come to him. Wouldn't it be more annoying if he told you he ran out of free insulin, only to find out he is just handing it out to anyone who asks for it? So, don't take it too personally because it's not you or a reflection of you. It's a sad reflection that others will take advantage.

That is great advice! I need to start looking at things in a more positive light. Thanks for post!

[mom24grlz]

Whenever I have to tell someone my A1c, usually one of my non-D health care team, they're always surprised and tell me every other patient they see is much higher. My eye doctor tells me that every time I see her and said it's very unusual for her to have a patient who keeps tight control. The sad truth is that there are millions of diabetics out there who do not participate in forums like this and who don't take care of themselves either through ignorance or laziness. Those are the majority of people that doctors and other people are used to meeting so when they run across someone who actually pays attention, they're shocked.

Same here. Our Endo team has told us they're not used to having a 13 year old with such tight control. Back in November her A1C was 5.9% (not a lot of lows or highs, just good control) and they were nervous. They said they weren't used to having a teenage with an A1C that low, that was not caused my a lot of low numbers.

[kingd]

My doctor prescribes more strips but the pharmacy says the insurance only pays for 100 strips. Right now, and for two more years, we have 2 insurances and I can't figure out why I am only getting 100 strips a month. I just bought 200 extra strips on eBay to tide me over. Any suggestions on how to fight the insurance companies for more than 100 strips a month?
Thanks.
TS

Thats tough to do,Not sure how your insurance is but I know my brother and his wife had two insurance companies and he was forced to drop one because neither one was willing to cover anything as long as one knew about the other.
Now on the other hand,when our insurance does not want to cover something,our Doctor contacts our company and it is usually taken care of. So maybe check with your doc if you haven't already.

[Hoping4Cure]

Reading this site makes me think : I hate american healthcare more and more. My cousin is a geriatric GP in Switzerland, and they have a mandatory "obamacare"-like health insurance system, where everyone is required to buy insurance but it's still private, and apparently it works well, but I absolutely detest the profit motive in healthcare.

If some bureaucrat told me that by testing myself 250 times a month I was wasting their money, I would buy a gun. Having better glucose control is what makes me feel calm and sane after all these years of desperation and despair.

Screw corporations.

[maryj711]

40mg? Don't you mean 40 units? My husband gets 500 strips/month because the doctor authorizes it. He's T1 and his bgs are quite unpredictable.

[bdelatte]

I would take it as a compliment that hes never seen a diabetic with such a low A1c. But then again, I would probably get highly annoyed too if he started quizzing me. But congrats on that A1c!