General Chat

As most will know, if you live in Scotland, then free prescriptions are available to all regardless of income etc

Now my dad had just been diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic. He is over 80. he will be on injections of Insulin along with Metaformin tablets.

When he asked about the Libra machine which measures blood sugars which is what my daughter has to avoid pricking her fingers 5/6 times a day, he was told, he will he will either have to check blood sugars buy pricking his fingers or buy the monitor machine himself.

The machine costs between £60-£100 plus he will have to buy the censors to which get put on his chest, leg or arm and each sensor last only 14 days.

He feels this is very unfair as even the nurse had trouble getting blood out of his finger for a blood sugar check, His skin is very thick and tough.

Are there any Diabetics on here down in England that use the Libre system and did you have to pay for it?

I have tried googling for info but it seems to vary from site to site.

Florence in the hebrides

Have you asked the charity Diabetes UK.

I have no one close who is diabetic but I thought you had to pay for it but I know nothing ;-)

I did look at Diabetes UK and it wasn't clear leading me to believe that as a Type 1 you are entitled to the Libre system but its down to your own NHS authority as to whether they will give it for free.

Which seems rather unfair, bit of a postcode lottery then?

I mean, medicine you cant live without such as Insulin or Asthma inhalers should be free shouldn't they? Without them, you could die.

He is already confused with all the new info being given to him and not happy about changing his eating regime! Oh the joys of trying to help him...very stubborn!

With 2 medically diagnosed coeliacs I know all too well about paying for something that will keep them well and alive.

Are you able to email them the question? And/or ask your fathers local Commissioning clinical group (CCG). Mind you even if they say yes I do beleive it is still down to the individual practice.

I once had to take an acquantence to her first Diabetes meetin held by the specialist nurse for the area ( someone else took over to drive her home). I sat there through the first bit and well it confused me so goodness knows how a much older person takes it all on board.

Florence I found this page which may or may not help.

You need to scroll down towards the bottom before it actually explains what you can do.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/diabetes-technology/cgm-flash-pump-who-qualifies-on-nhs
Edit to say that this might be the one you have already read. However there is a link to some forums with others in the same position.

Florence both my son and my daughter have the libra and both pay for it. I think it costs them £100 a month. Both are type 2

they mainly don't eat carbs such as bread, potaoes, rice and checking for carbs on other things. I think son aims for eating in reason anything under about 30 carbs per 100g. But it is difficult for an older person to understand.

I thought in England if you are over 80 you get prescriptions free? Surely if you are a pensioner on pension credit and you need insulin etc and you cant afford to pay for the machine & sensors, then what?

Even if its up to local authority, surely there must be exemptions as with asthmatics?

If daughter and I were living in England, I dread to think how much our medication bill would be??? I have 4 items a month. She has 10 prescriptions. So that would be £135.10 ....gulp

Poor dad, it is really hard for him trying to understand what he has to do. He has made a food diary and is checking labels before he buys now so that will help.

Took me ages when daughter was first diagnosed doing the shopping...complete minefield!

It’s free prescriptions from 60.
But it looks as though only certain categories can get the libretto on prescription.
Prior to that, if not on benefits, you can buy a years pass. I don’t know what it is now but if you had more than 2 items a month you saved a lot.
I wonder if they wouldn’t give it to him anyway until he was under control.

If he can’t get blood out of his finger tips then it would be worth appealing. I think that link, if you scroll down, tells you how to do it.

Added. Diabetes prescribed meds are free, unfer 60’s must get a medical exemption certificate.

This is a fairly new thing I think there might have been a different one before Libre. But they are only saying I suppose that if you can’t afford it you do it the old way which daughter has done for years. But if your Dad can’t do the thumb prick he should ask advice. On the other hand would he be able to cope with monitoring the results from libre on his phone?

When my OH was told he had T2 he was given a blood monitor etc for free and his prescriptions were free this was before he was 60 but for quite a few years now he has had to buy monitors and jabbers if he needs them. I had to buy my BP machine even though if was advised by the GP .We both only have our medication free now which is very much appreciated. My daughter has the prepayment option which is around £120 for 12mths but I think you can get 3mths ones still..

My OH does the low carb diet as well but he has to be careful to not go too low as he lost too much weight when he first did it . He is a diabetic that doesn't need to lose weight at all as he has always been quite a skinny chap He has a low carb but high protein diet which he is ok with atm.

Yes, I think you have to be careful with the low carb. Daughter does very low carb and has not lost much weight but she also on that diet eats a good proportion of red meat (not too much) fish, cheese and some cream. I think you have to find the balance that suits you.

I shall chat with dad tonight and tell him to ask some of the things you have all raised here when he goes to se the dr on Wednesday.

I shall then come back and let you know what the outcome was.

Thankyou for all your suggestions.

Florence in the hebrides

The thing I can't understand is why you get ALL prescriptions for free if you need thyroid medication.
That must cost the NHS £ billions.
My daughter has about a dozen tablets a day for various conditions and doesn't pay a penny.
I feel that the thyroid exemption doesn't make any sense and if someone needs a lot of medication they have the option of buying a prepayment to limit the cost.

Maybe they are more likely to have other ailments if they have Thyroid problems.. Maybe monitoring the situation would cost more if theyw ere only exempt the one thing.

Brian, when I was first prescribed thyroxine my gp had no idea why that entitled me to any other meds for free. Out of interest I've googled and found no explanation :-S

Re blood for testing... Can it not be taken from an ear lobe in this instance?

Dont think so as may be up to 8 times a day!

My wife is diabetic and enquired about a better meter than the one provided - which was a cheap nasty plastic thing which looked as though it had come out of a christmas cracker - and was told the Dr would only prescribe the very basic one due to costs. When she offered to buy one if the Dr would prescribe the testing strips, the answer was the same. Then when she had an annual review with the diabetic nurse she told her about the conversation with the Dr, the nurse said how mean he was and went to the cupboard and gave her a much better quality one.

I knew somebody else who had the meter permanently installed in his arm, he was full of praise for it but did say the Dr wouldn't prescribe it so he had to pay for it himself. I don't remember how much it cost him, but I know it was quite a lot as I remember my reaction.

Brian, I don't understand the free prescriptions for thyroid either. It's actually more ridiculous still, if it's underactive you get free prescriptions for everything, if it's overactive you keep on paying. Yet either way you are on tablets for life, and either way has the ability to become very complicated without the tablets. Makes no sense to me.

So just had a conversation with dad and the result is.
Doesnt qualify for the free machine

By taking insulin twice a day and keeping to a low card diet, sugars should come down.

Review in 3 months but also taking Metformin tablets too.

Dr. said he was an accident waiting to happen and he better take heed of all the advice.

If his sugars return to normal in 3 months, he can stop the insulin but carry on with the tablets. he does have a small amount of insulin in his pancreas but it has stopped communicating with his brain!

So think dad has finally agreed to listen and do what hes been told .

Its still a lot for him to cope with and having the worry of prostate cancer too etc.

Dr also said, to get more blood out if his fingers as he has thick skin, he should prick at the side of his finger where the skin is thinner.

I hope this course of insulin over 3 months does the trick and his blood sugars come down to a more normal. level.

Florence in the hebrides

Fingers crossed.

Would he accept some meal plans from you - it might help him get himself sorted?

I emailed him a 16 page booklet with the carb content of the most popular foods including take-aways and he says he's taking with him when he goes out for food, so that's a good start.