FREESTYLE LIBRE ON SALE!!!!

[smidge]

Hey Guys. My skin is still not cleared up. I really want to put a new sensor on but I know it's pointless. Be patient and then try again. Please continue to post your experiences because it really does help.

Smidge

 

[AndyS]

I just want to get my grubby mits on them. Wish they would get the manufacturing and supply sorted... it could have been quite useful for my upcoming hols. Alas even if they are available tomorrow I doubt it would arrive in time.

 

[LucySW]

Just to say, when the **** thing works, the Libre is quite, utterly, superb. You can use every night's (or every day's, if you are fasting) readings as a basal test, you can see exactly what combination of food, timing and insulin did and didn't work - it's fabulous. Just fabulous.

Three out of eight at £100 a month is bloody awful though.

Lucy

 

[robert72]

Abbott have agreed to replace my 7th sensor, for which I am grateful. It's a shame that this is the 3rd sensor that I haven't been able to trust and my fingers are sore from all the blood testing. Must have been through 100 strips in the last 10 days which is pretty much what I was using before the Libre. But I agree with @LucySW that it's superb when it does work.

 

[tim2000s]

When you have a good sensor, it really reduces the finger pricking. I've found my current one to be great and I've been blood testing about once a day with it.

 

[Omnipod]

It's been a month sice I wore my last sensor, waiting and waiting for my skin reaction to clear up with Steroid cream. I switched to old fashioned Savlon in the last week as the steriod cream had done its job, but my skin was really dry. Boy, did I miss the trend data.

I've just put my latest sensor on.

I cleaned the area and applied Skin-tac, then placed a piece of Opsite flexifit on the skin. More Skin-tac on top of the flexifit and fitted the sensor over the top of that little lot. Hopefully this will keep a barrier on my skin, which won't peel off. I'll keep you all posted for those that are having a similar problem with skin reaction.

when I remove a sensor, I swap arms - i also rub bio oil on the old site for a few days. works

 

[Omnipod]

When you have a good sensor, it really reduces the finger pricking. I've found my current one to be great and I've been blood testing about once a day with it.

Ive not finger pricked in months. For the first time ever...my fingers are all healed...no tiny needle prick scars anymore. My HBA1C is the lowest ever - just on 7%.
I will get down to 6.5% with the Libre
Not really too worried about the marks that the sensor leaves. Using bio oil for those.
Only had 1 sensor fail since October and Abbott replaced that within 3 days.
Never had a sensor fall off. I find the best place is the back of the tricep. If I go toward the under arm, it starts peeling off a bit by day 8 and then I have to be extra carefull getting dressed or showering.

i just wish I could find T-shirts with a slightly longer sleeve and I wish Abbott would change the colour of the sensors from pure brilliant white to a flesh colour.

I realised my Humalog is a bit slow. A bit too slow to start working. Anyone know what the fastest insulin is? is novorapid faster?

 

[robert72]

I realised my Humalog is a bit slow. A bit too slow to start working. Anyone know what the fastest insulin is? is novorapid faster?

I found that Humalog was quicker than Novorapid. Apidra is supposed to be fastest, although never used it myself.

 

[CarbsRok]

When you have a good sensor, it really reduces the finger pricking. I've found my current one to be great and I've been blood testing about once a day with it.

If you drive be very careful as you have to do a minimum of 2 blood tests a day and test before you drive. DVLA do not accept CGM or libre readings.

 

[tim2000s]

If you drive be very careful as you have to do a minimum of 2 blood tests a day and test before you drive. DVLA do not accept CGM or libre readings.

Since I drive roughly twice a week, these are included!

 

[CarbsRok]

Since I drive roughly twice a week, these are included!

Hi Tim please please do check that you do not need at least 2 tests a day every day. It would be a dreadful shame to have your licence pulled due to getting the wrong info. Someone on the forum not long ago had their licence pulled due to not having the required 2 tests a day. So perhaps email DVLA for clarification just to be safe.

 

[iHs]

I found that Humalog was quicker than Novorapid. Apidra is supposed to be fastest, although never used it myself.

I used Apidra a while back and it does seem to work fairly fast.......I did a bolus for a large carb meal and decided to bolus 15mins upfront with Apidra....bg was 6.5mmol and within 15mins, I was starting to feel low so always bolused just as about to eat and not beforehand

 

[Sideburnt]

Similar here. Month later and not fully cleared up. Spoke to DSN and she suggested Cavilon or like you have, to try Opsite underneath. Have ordered the Cavilon but if it starts to itch it will be straight off. Then I may try Opsite. She also suggested Lift Plus for getting the adhesive off after she says free samples can be ordered from their website.

Don't put Opsite directly underneath. unless you leave a hole in the middle (Think Donut) I learned this the hard way, and had a sensor fail because even though the needle went into my skin, the little plastic 'sensor' stayed stuck above the Opsite.

 

[Sideburnt]

Hey Guys. My skin is still not cleared up. I really want to put a new sensor on but I know it's pointless. Be patient and then try again. Please continue to post your experiences because it really does help.

Smidge

Are you treating with steroid cream?, I found that this worked wonderfully up to a point, but then dried my skin out and didn't do much after that. Good old fashioned Savlon has helped heal the dry skin and the redness. It still took a month to heal, and I've still got the slightest hint of red mark where I got the worst of the reactions.

 

[tim2000s]

Hi Tim please please do check that you do not need at least 2 tests a day every day. It would be a dreadful shame to have your licence pulled due to getting the wrong info. Someone on the forum not long ago had their licence pulled due to not having the required 2 tests a day. So perhaps email DVLA for clarification just to be safe.

There's a document I have a copy of - I need to find the link. There is nothing that the DVLA states anywhere where you need to do two blood glucose tests per day. The DVLA only ever advises that you test before driving and in a long journey, every two hours after commencing your journey, and provides advised blood glucose levels that you should aim to hit. Note that the term used is advises and not requires. You would therefore be breaking no rules by not testing, however this is not advisable! You are also not required to test twice a day to maintain your license. That would be absurd if you had a license and drove once per month!

 

[misswhiplash]

One for the allergy crowd... I wore my last sensor for the full 14 days over a "comfeel" dressing which a lovely FB person donated. It was brilliant for the first few days, but the dreaded itch started at about day 4 and went on till probably day 8 on and off. Aftre that, it wasn't so bad.
The accuracy was ok (not the best I've had, but not the worst either) aside from two non concurrent days when the data was completely insane.
I took it off yesterday and, as expected, there was a reaction and I lost a layer of skin (in a perfect libre shaped circle), but it was nowhere near the severity of the last unbarriered one, so the dressing was obviously doing the job to some extent.
My new sensor is stuck over a compeed blister plaster, which is a little bit thicker and others have had some success with. It's working beautifully so far (less than 24 hours in) and I am cautiously optimistic.
Also worth noting (I see other people have reported similar) that none of my previoulsy reacted sites are sompletely healed yet, considerably more than a month down the line. They're getting better, but I think it will take a while. I *think* that new reactions also affect the old sites, albeit that they are in an entirely different place. I believe that can be a Thing with contact dermatitis.
Onwards and upwards, innit!

 

[Sideburnt]

My new sensor is stuck over a compeed blister plaster, which is a little bit thicker and others have had some success with. It's working beautifully so far (less than 24 hours in) and I am cautiously optimistic.

Did you use the inserter right over the top of the plaster? and it inserted the sensor just fine?. Because (like I've said in my other posts, sorry for bombarding the board recently) the needle went through fine, but the little plastic sensor didn't penetrate and was left above the Opsite, causing the sensor to fail.

Thanks for everyones feedback on this skin issue, I'd love to resolve it.

 

[misswhiplash]

Did you use the inserter right over the top of the plaster? and it inserted the sensor just fine?. Because (like I've said in my other posts, sorry for bombarding the board recently) the needle went through fine, but the little plastic sensor didn't penetrate and was left above the Opsite, causing the sensor to fail.

Thanks for everyones feedback on this skin issue, I'd love to resolve it.

Yes - it goes in fine through the compeed/comfeel, which is quite "second skin" like.
I know others (at least three) that have had similar problems with Opsite, though - I think it's just TOO stretchy...

 

[Hill28]

Hm not so encouraging to see every single forum user getting skin reactions. I am still fine at the moment, except for some dry skin on old sensor spots..now at 5th sensor so hope it will stay ok...

 

[tim2000s]

Hm not so encouraging to see every single forum user getting skin reactions. I am still fine at the moment, except for some dry skin on old sensor spots..now at 5th sensor so hope it will stay ok...

I wouldn't say every user. I am on sensor number seven and haven't yet suffered.