# testing strips



## libsmum (Jun 7, 2011)

Hi, libby was diagnosed in feb 2011. do any of you struggle with the gp to get enough testing strips? libby gets 200 a month. she can easily get through this number every month as she does a lot of sport, pe at school,and generally testing before and after hypos. she is only just 10 and i think if she is not with me she tests more fort reassurance too.


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## Northerner (Jun 7, 2011)

I would suggest that you enumerate all the reasons why Libby needs to test and present it to your GP. Do you use computer software with your meter? If so, it should show the average number of tests per day over a period of time, and this can be useful to show the GP - if you are able to justify all the tests then you have a very good argument for having the allocation increased. I just looked at my meter and I have used 197 strips in the past 30 days, and I have always done in the region of 6 tests a day, which is certainly not excessive. I can certainly imagine that a growing child can have much greater needs for testing, as do many adults. I am allocated 300 strips per prescription, which I can renew when necessary.


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## Tina63 (Jun 7, 2011)

Are you definitely restricted to 200 per month?  We just have a repeat prescription for all our items and I just order online what we need each time my son runs low of something.  We go through way more testing strips and needles than anything else, so sometimes I order just them, sometimes the whole list. We ordered some testing strips back to back the last two times with less than 3 weeks apart and we got them all no questions asked.  It might be worth a phonecall to your GP explaining why 200 isn't enough or that you need them 'on demand' as some months she will use more than others.  I know we go through phases of 2 hypos some days so those days we can go through loads more than normal.  You certainly need to have it available, and if you get illness too you would go through more than normal.  I order stuff in well in advance and always keep a spare box of both types of insulin in 'just to be on the safe side'.


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## libsmum (Jun 7, 2011)

gp have told me that the local pct are restricting quantities of testing strips to diabetics!! how short sighted is that!! this afternoon i spoke to pct who told me that this should not apply to insulin dependant diabetics. so, back to gp tomorrow to ask for more. they are happy if i re order during the month but for some reason wont give me them all on the same script. stupid thing is none of these decision making people have a clue about a day in the life of a diabetic child! not giving in on this one!!!!


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## Northerner (Jun 7, 2011)

Tsk! As you say, some pen-pusher is making decisions without a clue of the implications and upset it will cause.  Glad to hear that you were able to get what you need (with some reluctance, it seems), someone really should be held accountable for things like this.


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## Tina63 (Jun 7, 2011)

I have to say that our GP is a stickler for the rules and very super efficient and blood test crazy, so I did also wonder how he would be about his budget and what he would allow us to have, but he has come up trumps for us since my son was diagnosed.  He has prescribed without question everything we want,  thoroughly examined his feet etc, given us all sorts of extra advice, blood tests, eye test etc, as well as the hospital ordering all their usual stuff.  When we were given a new meter I thought he would be funny as we had only had a prescription filled the previous week but no, he was happy to instantly order the new items for it, telling us to keep the old stuff for back-up.  It's true as you said, with type 1 their life depends on it, so they NEED to know what's going on at all times of the day and night.  I am more concerned than my son when I know we are low of things and I would hate to have to fight for more.  Luckily so far, we haven't been faced with any difficult discussions with our GP.  Phew!


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## Robster65 (Jun 7, 2011)

Just wanted to add my support to your battle, libsmum. Yet again, a GP misinterpreting the rules in favour of his budget and then fobbing you off in the hope you won't follow it up.
Well done for going to the PCT. 

Keep us updated with how it goes.

Rob


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## Adrienne (Jun 7, 2011)

libsmum said:


> gp have told me that the local pct are restricting quantities of testing strips to diabetics!! how short sighted is that!! this afternoon i spoke to pct who told me that this should not apply to insulin dependant diabetics. so, back to gp tomorrow to ask for more. they are happy if i re order during the month but for some reason wont give me them all on the same script. stupid thing is none of these decision making people have a clue about a day in the life of a diabetic child! not giving in on this one!!!!



Oh deary me.   The GP obviously doesn't understand type 1 diabetes, lots of GP's don't.  There is no restriction on type 1's or insulin dependant type 2 people getting strip.

I have 500 on repeat and get them when I'm down to a couple of boxes.


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## Mel (Jun 8, 2011)

as Adrienne said the GP just doesn't understand type 1 . We had to get a letter form our DSN and consultant before we were allowed more strips on one perscription


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## rspence (Jun 9, 2011)

*keep at it*

hi libbys mum - i had the same issues when my son was diagnosed. it drove me to anxiety issues, as if type 1 diabetes isn't enough for our kids to then not be able to access enough /plenty of equipment is ridiculous. 

a year on we have enough ketone strips to sink a boat! laughable. we don't put them on the repeat order but they come anyway and due to a slip up at the chemist we automatically get a double dose - so every month we're sent 6 boxes of 10 ketones strips. 

hope you get it sorted

thinking of you

rachel


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