Diagnosed with diabetis - Page 7

Tissyanne · ‎12-07-2012

Why didn't you just tell your doctor you needed an RX for the meter and supplies before leaving the office?

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@Tissyanne wrote:
Why didn't you just tell your doctor you needed an RX for the meter and supplies before leaving the office?

Welcome to 2015 - our doctor does not give us a Rx he sends them electronically direct to the drug store.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@RedTop wrote:
151949,
Am sorry to learn of your recent diagnosis, but know you will be able to take what you know, and work with your physician to manage your healthcare needs successfully. Genetically, I have diabetes coming at me from every side of my family, so I have chosen to take an aggressive approach with my pre-diabetes diagnosis, and am keeping my A1c under 7.0, which is my target goal, set by my physician.

I appreciate doctors who prescribe a tried and true medication like Metformin, rather than newer drugs that do seem to work well, but have not been out long enough to know their overall affect on the body. Unfortunately, my system did not tolerate straight Metformin in any dosage, so I take a combination drug, which includes Metformin.

Our household has lived with diabetes for nearly 20 years, and I am thankful my daughters have a higher awareness of this disease to be taking proactive steps now, in their 30's. Our teacher daughter has her first student with Type 1 diabetes this year, and is far more comfortable helping this student with checking his blood sugar levels, and managing his food and snacks during the school day, than the school nurse.

Best wishes to you with this new challenge in your life.

My last blood work my A1c was 6.3 and my FBS was 134. Yet my doctor chose to decide this was the time he would change my diagnosis to diabetes instead of "unstable blood sugar" he has been using for 5 years. This is why I am worried about taking meds and falling blood sugars - it isn't very high to start with.

Tissyanne · ‎12-07-2012

@151949 wrote:
@Tissyanne wrote:
Why didn't you just tell your doctor you needed an RX for the meter and supplies before leaving the office?

Welcome to 2015 - our doctor does not give us a Rx he sends them electronically direct to the drug store.

Informed patients should always know exactly what is being sent electronically. That way you know if you receive the correct medications/supplies.

qbetzforreal · ‎08-28-2010

@151949 wrote:
@Tissyanne wrote:
Why didn't you just tell your doctor you needed an RX for the meter and supplies before leaving the office?

Welcome to 2015 - our doctor does not give us a Rx he sends them electronically direct to the drug store.

You can still ask for a prescription, if approved, it can be transmitted via computer directly to the pharmacy.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

My thoughts are that one 500 mg dose of Metformin daily will not cause you to bottom out, particularly with your daily steroid use. Since your doctor will expect to see written blood sugar readings, you will have a visual record of what the medication is doing. I personally would keep my diet as close to normal as possible when taking the Metformin.

The whole time my husband's doctor was taking a wait and see approach, his diabetic neuropathy had been hard at work damaging blood vessels throughout his body. Earlier intervention was absolutely the way to go, but now he lives with damage that cannot be reversed.

I agree your doctor hasn't crossed his T's and dotted all of his I's with caring for you as a patient, including, letting an over 60 year old patient on steroids, string along for 5 years with fasting blood sugars over 120. The doctors who care for me, will, in most cases, retest in 3 months after an initial 120 FBS. If that second reading is also high, action is taken, there is no wait and see approach.

Penellope · ‎09-03-2012

@151949 wrote:
@Tissyanne wrote:
Why didn't you just tell your doctor you needed an RX for the meter and supplies before leaving the office?

Welcome to 2015 - our doctor does not give us a Rx he sends them electronically direct to the drug store.

You said he handed you the prescription.

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

@RedTop wrote:
The OP knows the prescription is crucial in getting her insurance to pay for the meter, and all supplies. No one with insurance needs to pay for these supplies out of pocket.

That might be true on some insurance and perhaps medicare. It's NOT true for me on BC/BS standard. The "covered" brand of meter is free, but my co-pay on the strips is $35 for the 50 count! I purchased the Walmart Relion brand meter and use it because the full price on the strips is significantly less than my co-pay. I got a call from my health insurance! They were scolding me that I had to keep up with my testing (even though my last 3 blood work-ups had a1c of 5.6 and my fasting BS was always under 100. Anyway, I told them what I was doing and they were skeptical, so I offered to fax them my receipts. I faxed them to them for them to add to my file.

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

@Moonchilde wrote:
Even though I know I can have Rxs for strips, etc. since I don't test routinely I have thought about buying a cheapie Wal-Mart-ish meter and their cheap test strips to test a few times a week, both out of curiosity and to whack myself upside the head as far was eating a little healthier. Couldn't hurt, as they say. I know those meters aren't as accurate, but they are something. The thing I am picky about is the lancing device; some are certainly more painful than others.

I used both my prescription meter and the walmart Relion side by side with the same finger ****** blood for about 20 tests before my rx strips ran out. They were within points of each other every time. I know even with my RX meter and strips, if you do 2 tests in a row, you get slightly different numbers.

Tissyanne · ‎12-07-2012

@151949 wrote:
@Moonchilde wrote:
@151949 wrote:
A1C was 6.3 and FBS was 134 - same as it has been for at least 3 or 4 years. Up to now the doctor says he can't order me any meds for it because it would drop way too low. But this week - pow - your a diabetic and he puts me on metformin. Then he doesn't even order me a meter so I can watch my blood sugars !!! I guess this diagnosis just depends on his mood the day you see him. Whatever. I am not starting any meds with the potential to make me very ill by bottoming out my blood sugar until after Christmas day. Thank goodness my DH is a diabetic so we do have a meter - but I think that was very irresponsible of this doctor, just saying.

As an RN, you would be aware that it's almost impossible for your BS to go low on Metformin alone.

My doctor didn't provide me with anything but prescriptions for a meter and test strips. I got the meter free with my Rx and purchased test strips covered by my insurance and lancets. Went back to my doctor's office for a f/u and had the nurse educator help me practice finger sticks, and I was on my own.

What I found bizarre was that my diagnostic FBS was 550 and they started me only on lowest dose Metformin and didn't seem the least concerned. In retrospect, that seemed poor practice to me. Heaven only knows what my initial A1C was, they never told me.
You can buy a meter but not the supplies - test strips and the needle to ****** your finger without a Rx.