1) Is it measuring your BG all the time it is attached but you cannot see the results until you 'read' the sensor?
Other people probably know more technical detail (
@bluetit and
@AndBreathe 
) but i think the sensor reads every few minutes and produces a number every 15 mins.
Then when you zap it with the reader, those numbers are stored in the reader. You also get a read at the moment that you zap, so you can zap just before eating, and again at any time after, and get precise numbers. Or you can just zap a few times a day, rely on the 15 min numbers and the curve on the graph. The sensor on you arm only stores 8 hours of data, then writes over its memory. So you need to zap every 8 hours or you lose data.
Each sensor seems to be consistent. But will NOT match your prick tests. Lots of reasons for this. It is measuring interstitial fluid, not blood. Interstitial fluid shows bg changes 10 mins behind blood. Each sensor will run a bit high, or a bit low, but it is the trends we T2s are interested in, not the precise numbers (that way lies insanity, as we all know). But once you know how each sensor is running you can just allow for it and focus on the rest of the brilliant info it is giving.
2) Amazon have a starter pack with a meter and 2 sensors for £159. Do you need a meter or can you do just as well with the sensor and their smartphone App?
I buy direct from FreestyleLibre. Same price, no middleman. There is an Android app that means you don't need a sensor, but since i am Apple, i know nothing about it, im afraid.
3) I spend a fair bit time in a pool. Will that sensor stay on or do you need to protect it with something?
I spend a fair amount of time in a hot tub (im a decadent hussy). I did lose a sensor once through too long a soak (they are supposed to be ok for 30 mins in water). Since then, i tape over them with Opsite tape, and they stay put perfectly no matter how long i am submerged.
4) I've read stories of people getting control of their BG thanks to Libre. How? My frustration is with the mornings. I know my BG increases between rising and breakfast a Libre won't show me anything different nor will it show me how to stop it.
Cost is not the issue. In fact if I was having to buy all my strips the Libre sensors would probably work out cheaper based on the heavy testing I've been doing. I'm buying some strips just now but mostly they are on prescription. If I ever get stabilised again I know I'll reduce my testing again.
I think everyone is going to get different lessons from the experience. For me,
- it took just 3 days for me to realise that my Dawn Phen wasnt DP at all. It was a stress morning rise that started about 20 mins before the alarm. I was able to test different routines and breakfasts and watch the reaction on the screen. I stopped showering in the morning because that always spiked me too with a knock on effect all morning. Now i shower later in the day. Problem solved.
- I found that i get a hypo/dip EVERY NIGHT at 2.30am, then do a series of hoppy skippy liverdumps for the rest of the night. The low points coincided with waking up with sweats, or bad dreams. By dropping to below 20g carbs, the dip and the bumps are much reduced.
- The hot tub drops my bg by 1.0 mmol/l forthe time i am in the tub. Like clockwork.
2 squares 70% choc don't register on the graph.
4 squares do.
If i eat 2 squares every 45 mins, i could eat choc ALL DAY, with no bg impact. If i wanted
- When i had food poisoning, xmas before last, the graph curve was like watching a bouncing ball trajectory. Fascinating. And completely reassuring, because each bounce was slightly lower, and slower, so i knew what to expect next bounce.
- Im able to test a new food, in controlled portions, and have the results recorded for ever on the software. With notes.
And on... And on... I learn something new every sensor.
Two hours after breakfast it was still 6.1. I prefer it in the 5s 
), so am flying blind for the rest of the hol. No biggie. I am sticking to v low carb, just allowing myself unlimited quantities for a change. The problem at the moment is that the weather is so foul that we are having to carry the dogs over the doorstep for widdle trips. 