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Anything learned from Freestyle Libre Use?

SamJB

SamJB

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,857
Location
Chester
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I've been using the Libre since just before Christmas and I have to say, it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. I thought it would be useful to see what trends people have seen in their Libre data that they were unaware of before they bought the Libre. My control has been good for the past few years (since low carbing) and thought I knew everything about my BGs, but I was wrong!

Here's mine:
  1. I didn't know I spiked after a low carb meal. I just assumed that because my 2 hour post-meal reading was consistent, that I'd stayed level. I know I spike when I eat carbs, but didn't think I would from a low, or no carb, meal. I've started injecting 20 mins before and that has fixed the problem
  2. I didn't realise that caffeine raised my BGs. I've swapped strong coffee for tea and that has solved that.
  3. My dawn phenomenon sometimes kicks in early if I've woken up (then gone back to sleep) an hour or so before I normally get up. I'm not a good sleeper and this happens a couple of times per week. The only way I think I can solve this would be to inject, but I'd rather minimise activity at 5AM!
Anyone else made any interesting findings?
 
I've been monitoring closely how meals that are high in fat effect my bg levels, the graph feature is ideal for this and it's enabled me to programme my bolus doses better on the pump to allow for the slow but gradual rise.

I've also made a couple of changes to my basal rates over the last few days to tighten things up, again the graph's have been of enormous benefit here.

The convenience of a quick scan over pricking your finger has been great and life-changing in a small way, I find the trend arrows a fantastic feature as it gives you some indication which way your bg levels are heading, overall I'm very impressed with the Libre now after a bad start.
 
noblehead said:
The convenience of a quick scan over pricking your finger has been great and life-changing in a small way, I find the trend arrows a fantastic feature as it gives you some indication which way your bg levels are heading, overall I'm very impressed with the Libre now after a bad start.
Click to expand...
Completely agree!
 
SamJB said:
I've been using the Libre since just before Christmas and I have to say, it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. I thought it would be useful to see what trends people have seen in their Libre data that they were unaware of before they bought the Libre. My control has been good for the past few years (since low carbing) and thought I knew everything about my BGs, but I was wrong!

Here's mine:
  1. I didn't know I spiked after a low carb meal. I just assumed that because my 2 hour post-meal reading was consistent, that I'd stayed level. I know I spike when I eat carbs, but didn't think I would from a low, or no carb, meal. I've started injecting 20 mins before and that has fixed the problem
  2. I didn't realise that caffeine raised my BGs. I've swapped strong coffee for tea and that has solved that.
  3. My dawn phenomenon sometimes kicks in early if I've woken up (then gone back to sleep) an hour or so before I normally get up. I'm not a good sleeper and this happens a couple of times per week. The only way I think I can solve this would be to inject, but I'd rather minimise activity at 5AM!
Anyone else made any interesting findings?
Click to expand...
There were a few things for me:
  1. How **** Lantus was and how it wasn't absorbing in a uniform manner resulting in terribly variable blood glucose levels and causing semi-lethal hypos.
  2. The time delay on fast acting insulin and digestion. That 15-20 mins was hocum and 30-45 was more realistic.
  3. Protein was having much more of an effect than I realised. I'd seen it in finger pricking but not understood it properly.
  4. Dawn/Waking phenomenon and the issues with early morning basal expiry, and how to deal with it.
  5. Just how hard it is to time insulin and carbs to avoid spikes.
  6. Precisely when the delayed action of pizza, chips, etc kicks in.
  7. Trends - I've wanted to know about the velocity of blood glucose for years, but couldn't afford CGM. This gives it to me and it's amazing. It allows pre-emptive decision making and treatment of lows and highs at a much lower cost, and has allowed me to Sugar Surf. The result? An Hba1C in the 5s.
 
I have also had one since just before Christmas!
- I never knew I experienced a small dawn phenomenon as it isn't large enough to really see via finger pricks
- I now treat hypos much less aggressively as I can see if it the bottom of the curve or looking like I am going down further. I have also had a lot fewer as I can see them coming.
- I have seen how much potatoes and root veg spike me. Again, my post 2-hr tests were always ok but I didn't realise I was coming down from a sharp spike.
- I always knew pizza was a tough one, now I see a double spike effect and know to split my insulin. This is still work in progress as I try not to eat it too much but good knowledge!
- Really useful to help time insulin. I now know if I am about to eat cake then injecting about 45 mins before is ideal.
- Exercise is much better as I feel more confident in what is going on. Also if I was going for a run in the rain I was always wary of my tester getting wet and dying, now I can keep it in a sandwich bag and swipe!

At the start of each sensor the reading are out by about 1 against blood, but this seems to soon settle into the libre being about 0.3 lower.

I really hope the NHS starts funding these. While I can afford to self fund a lot of others can't, and if people want better control this is so so helpful. I suppose they need to see the short term increase in costs offset by long term savings on complications. I am also using loads fewer test strips so that must help!
 
an interesting experiment could be for any libre users to test any OGTT style tests an display them to help members to understand the responses.
 
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