Life with Libre

[Scott-C]

Thanks! I will call them tomorrow and explain the situation.
Today I fell a bit better and hopeful!
Going on a bike ride soon, that always cheers me up
All the best to you too!

It's a bit unfortunate you're getting such bad results. I've been using libre for almost a year now. Most of them have been fine, have made a massive difference to control, but there's been a couple of dodgy sensors I really haven't trusted.

It's not necessarily a problem with the sensor: you're sticking a piece of plastic/metal in your body, and your body reacts to that, and will have a go at coating it with a wide variety of stuff which will throw readings out, google bio-fouling.

Maybe you've just got a bad sensor, maybe you're just one of these people who cgm just doesn't work for because of body chemistry, but don't write it off just yet.

Don't e-mail Abbott, you'll never hear from them, but their phone line is pretty good. They prefer it if you can test scan results against meter readings on the inbuilt blood meter in the reader, see if you can get some Freestyle Optium strips to use for that.

 

[deborabaratto]

It's a bit unfortunate you're getting such bad results. I've been using libre for almost a year now. Most of them have been fine, have made a massive difference to control, but there's been a couple of dodgy sensors I really haven't trusted.

It's not necessarily a problem with the sensor: you're sticking a piece of plastic/metal in your body, and your body reacts to that, and will have a go at coating it with a wide variety of stuff which will throw readings out, google bio-fouling.

Maybe you've just got a bad sensor, maybe you're just one of these people who cgm just doesn't work for because of body chemistry, but don't write it off just yet.

Don't e-mail Abbott, you'll never hear from them, but their phone line is pretty good. They prefer it if you can test scan results against meter readings on the inbuilt blood meter in the reader, see if you can get some Freestyle Optium strips to use for that.

I hope it's just a dodgy sensor
Yeah I'm heaving also allergic dermatitis around the sensor, I'm don't know if that helps the wrong results.

I'll try to buy the Optium stripes, thanks for the tip!

 

[deborabaratto]

Hey guys just to give you an update I've called Abbott company and they are going to replace my sensor in five days!
@Scott-C
@maglil55

 

[maglil55]

Hey guys just to give you an update I've called Abbott company and they are going to replace my sensor in five days!
@Scott-C
@maglil55

Obviously they must have thought it was a rogue one as well. Here's hoping next one is closer. I've had Libre 3 on for 2 days so far and will be activating it this afternoon. The second 2 weeks seems to have gone by very quickly. I'm even more sad about this sensor as it has been really consistent at 0.2 under. Ah well here's hoping the time that No 3 has had to settle will make it consistent too.

 

[deborabaratto]

Obviously they must have thought it was a rogue one as well. Here's hoping next one is closer. I've had Libre 3 on for 2 days so far and will be activating it this afternoon. The second 2 weeks seems to have gone by very quickly. I'm even more sad about this sensor as it has been really consistent at 0.2 under. Ah well here's hoping the time that No 3 has had to settle will make it consistent too.

That's great! I putted a new one yesterday and I'll wait until tomorrow to activate it as well - I'm optimistic about it!
Hope yours works nicely like the current one

 

[maglil55]

Libre 3 is looking good. First check put it 0.1 under 10 mins after the finger prick. Will do another couple of checks later.
Noticed when I removed No 2 that there had been some blood after application as it was on my skin and the back of the sensor. Must have been that Harpoon
It was though a very accurate sensor.

 

[Bon83]

I was interested in this discussion as I ordered a free style libre from Abbot and it has just arrived. My husband thought it sounded fantastic and was keen for me to get one as I regularly have melt downs about having enough blue testing strips around bank holidays etc. From reading about it I realise that this device is not going to take away my almost obsessive attachment to my lancet and blood glucose monitor. I wanted it to help me exercise and I have been willing to pay for it because you get 30 days to decide from abbots. I try to rely on evaluating how I feel and doing blood tests if necessary when exercise - my dad was diabetic type 1 and used to go dingy sailing and rowing with just kendal mint cake in his pocket. From some posts I am concerned about the accuracy of the device and it has the delay so won't tell me necessarily if I am low that second? I am worried it isn't going to be of much use or, will I find the patterns it shows useful for the purpose of long runs etc.

 

[maglil55]

I was interested in this discussion as I ordered a free style libre from Abbot and it has just arrived. My husband thought it sounded fantastic and was keen for me to get one as I regularly have melt downs about having enough blue testing strips around bank holidays etc. From reading about it I realise that this device is not going to take away my almost obsessive attachment to my lancet and blood glucose monitor. I wanted it to help me exercise and I have been willing to pay for it because you get 30 days to decide from abbots. I try to rely on evaluating how I feel and doing blood tests if necessary when exercise - my dad was diabetic type 1 and used to go dingy sailing and rowing with just kendal mint cake in his pocket. From some posts I am concerned about the accuracy of the device and it has the delay so won't tell me necessarily if I am low that second? I am worried it isn't going to be of much use or, will I find the patterns it shows useful for the purpose of long runs etc.

Oddly I was just commenting about obsessing with testing today over on the Diet Doctor thread. I started thinking about Libre after some major spikes last year and I really had got obsessive about testing. My fingers were a mess. When I researched the Libre I was concerned I'd be even worse but as I said on the other thread it is actually the opposite as I am very relaxed. I still jab but a lot less.
My first Libre was a bit do lally and took a couple of days to settle. Since then I've attached the sensor and left it a couple of days before activating and that has made a big difference. The last sensor measured 0.2 under and I've done 2 checks on the new sensor which I activated today - first was 0.1 under , second was spot on.
My main times I jab is before bed, fasting and usually pre breakfast. Apart from that I leave it to the Libre unless I get a really odd reading.
I'm a Type II and I don't hypo so an 'odd' reading for me is one that is really low. It happened with the 1st sensor and I was lower than normal , just not as low as the Libre was suggesting. It happens apparently that you get these odd readings. If I'm doubtful at all I do a finger prick.
Like you I was doubtful with the 1st sensor but I decided to stick with it. Now I don't want to be without it. It took me a while to understand how useful it is. As far as exercise goes if I'm in the gym my mobile is with me and I just scan every so often to see what is going on. Aqua fit I can't scan until I come out but again it is just so easy.
My readings are still higher than I would like but the Libre has shown me that my BG is pretty much stable apart from 3am when there is a dip and the good old dawn phenomenon which is the bane of my life. I have odd days like yesterday where I had 3 points in the day where my BG went up for no reason. Still don't know why but without the sensor I wouldn't have known about it or if I happened to check and did know I'd be stressing and jabbing every 30 mins until it went down. I don't have to now.
You will need to check against a finger prick (I find after the finger prick reading a scan 10/15 mins later gives the best check) and you will get odd readings but I've been converted by it despite its quirks. There are others on here that have been using it a lot longer that may want to add more but hopefully my previously Libresceptic ramblings are of use.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi @Bon83

Once you have got used to the quirks you will love it. Each time you scan there is an arrow next to the reading. This tells you if you going up or down quickly. If the arrow is showing you are going down quickly, no matter what the reading says, you need to finger prick in case you are heading for a hypo. Watch the arrows and you should be fine. You still need to finger prick for insulin injections and driving.

 

[Ledzeptt]

Hi @Bon83

Again I'm not a T1 (I'm a T3c), but probably close enough in terms of insulin management etc.

I'm only on day 6 of my first sensor, but I'm learning so much about my diabetes and particularly the effect of diet, exercise and in my case inflammation, that I can see me keeping the system indefinitely. I'm starting to work out how I can budget for future sensors accordingly.

I had one "bad" day when I believe the Libre helped me to avoid two hypos, but of course I'll never know for sure. I had more information to know that my BG was dropping and likely to keep dropping towards a hypo, so that I could correct it earlier (before my usual hypos awareness symptoms kicked in). If I'd relied upon finger pricks and hypo awareness, it's possible that I could have dropped below 4 at least once before the glucose started to work as I remained in the low "danger area" for about 2 hours each time (a T3c thing).

I don't do the types of energetic exercise that you do, but I can get hypos from a long or particularly brisk walk, so it's great to be able to check every few minutes. (My reader works well through a reasonably thick coat.)

I'm not necessarily a worrier (except when my BG's too low or high), but I am a bit of a control freak, so it's fantastic to have so much data. I can't wait until I have more data and then I can really understand how different foods affect me and more importantly how I can make changes to improve matters.

I followed @maglil55's tips and am generally getting readings that underestimate my Contour Next meter by between 0.2 and 0.4, which is fine by me.

Ps. As far as I know, finger prick tests don't give an accurate measure to "that second", because it takes up to 15 minutes for blood to reach the capillaries in our finger tips. It's also one reason we can get slightly different results by testing different fingers. In addition, the meters we're given aren't 100% accurate, so in summary I'm less concerned by the inaccuracy of the Libre system/approach compared to the quantity of information it gives, including the up/down trend.

 

[Bon83]

Hi @Bon83

Again I'm not a T1 (I'm a T3c), but probably close enough in terms of insulin management etc.

I'm only on day 6 of my first sensor, but I'm learning so much about my diabetes and particularly the effect of diet, exercise and in my case inflammation, that I can see me keeping the system indefinitely. I'm starting to work out how I can budget for future sensors accordingly.

I had one "bad" day when I believe the Libre helped me to avoid two hypos, but of course I'll never know for sure. I had more information to know that my BG was dropping and likely to keep dropping towards a hypo, so that I could correct it earlier (before my usual hypos awareness symptoms kicked in). If I'd relied upon finger pricks and hypo awareness, it's possible that I could have dropped below 4 at least once before the glucose started to work as I remained in the low "danger area" for about 2 hours each time (a T3c thing).

I don't do the types of energetic exercise that you do, but I can get hypos from a long or particularly brisk walk, so it's great to be able to check every few minutes. (My reader works well through a reasonably thick coat.)

I'm not necessarily a worrier (except when my BG's too low or high), but I am a bit of a control freak, so it's fantastic to have so much data. I can't wait until I have more data and then I can really understand how different foods affect me and more importantly how I can make changes to improve matters.

I followed @maglil55's tips and am generally getting readings that underestimate my Contour Next meter by between 0.2 and 0.4, which is fine by me.

Ps. As far as I know, finger prick tests don't give an accurate measure to "that second", because it takes up to 15 minutes for blood to reach the capillaries in our finger tips. It's also one reason we can get slightly different results by testing different fingers. In addition, the meters we're given aren't 100% accurate, so in summary I'm less concerned by the inaccuracy of the Libre system/approach compared to the quantity of information it gives, including the up/down trend.

Thanks to all of you for the advice! I think I am going to find the arrows pretty useful as with exercise it's good to know! You could have a 6 for example but be the on the way up so ok or likewise you could have 10 with a bit of a run to go and be on the way down. It seems worth it after all

 

[maglil55]

Thanks to all of you for the advice! I think I am going to find the arrows pretty useful as with exercise it's good to know! You could have a 6 for example but be the on the way up so ok or likewise you could have 10 with a bit of a run to go and be on the way down. It seems worth it after all

I'm arrow following today. Feeling a bit off colour so I was very much upwards. Thankfully going down now though I've done another 2 checks on the 3rd Libre and it is still 0.1 under. Best one yet.

 

[maglil55]

Libre 3 is a really good sensor. Still checking either spot on or 0.1 under.

 

[Brunneria]

@maglil55

I get that little blood mark sometimes, when I remove a sensor. I hadn't ever made the connection, but someone else pointed out that those are often the most accurate ones (presumably the sensor is closer to the blood supply), and since then I have been noticing the same.

There is also a single spot on my arm that seems to work best. I know that I have hit it, because it burns a bit when I apply the sensor. I guess it is just the perfect combo - near a bit of me that reflects accurate bg readings and perfectly placed so that I don't lie on it in bed, or knock it off on doorframes... Have just put one on know, and got the 'burn' so I have my fingers crossed that this will be a good one.

Mind you, I try not to aim for the 'good spot' every time. The last thing I want to do is trigger some contact dermatitis from the glue, so I try and place them differently each time, and avoid the same spot over and over again.

(my last sensor ran a bit low, compared with finger pricks, but nowadays, I tend to take a lot less notice of the numbers. All I am interested in is the rise and fall, the peaks and troughs, and the arrow direction.)

 

[maglil55]

@maglil55

I get that little blood mark sometimes, when I remove a sensor. I hadn't ever made the connection, but someone else pointed out that those are often the most accurate ones (presumably the sensor is closer to the blood supply), and since then I have been noticing the same.

There is also a single spot on my arm that seems to work best. I know that I have hit it, because it burns a bit when I apply the sensor. I guess it is just the perfect combo - near a bit of me that reflects accurate bg readings and perfectly placed so that I don't lie on it in bed, or knock it off on doorframes... Have just put one on know, and got the 'burn' so I have my fingers crossed that this will be a good one.

Mind you, I try not to aim for the 'good spot' every time. The last thing I want to do is trigger some contact dermatitis from the glue, so I try and place them differently each time, and avoid the same spot over and over again.

(my last sensor ran a bit low, compared with finger pricks, but nowadays, I tend to take a lot less notice of the numbers. All I am interested in is the rise and fall, the peaks and troughs, and the arrow direction.)

The current one is nipping occasionally too but it is really accurate. I've decided inside of the arm is the best place for Nana's secret sugar thingy.

 

[Brunneria]

Well, mine seems to have hit the 'accurate spot' on my arm - which is great.

However, it also seems to be repeating the actions of a sensor I had a few months back. Very accurate at all times unless I am lying on my left side in bed, at which point it decides that my bg has pummeted to 2.5 mmol and flatlines till I roll over.

I'm not worrying about it in the slightest, but it is very amusing to be able to time when I roll over in bed.

It will, of course, affect my projected HbA1c, but that doesn't matter. I don't wear the Libre for that. As mentioned above, all I want are the trends and the arrows.

 

[Bluetit1802]

The current one is nipping occasionally too but it is really accurate. I've decided inside of the arm is the best place for Nana's secret sugar thingy.

Silly question, but what do you call the inside of your arm? Is it the part of the arm that touches your body when your arm is held by your side? That's where I put mine. (The flabby bit)

 

[maglil55]

Silly question, but what do you call the inside of your arm? Is it the part of the arm that touches your body when your arm is held by your side? That's where I put mine. (The flabby bit)

That's the place. This one and the last one have been there (on different arms obviously). First Libre was on the back on the right wobbly bit of the Bingo wing and I found it difficult to scan plus you'll recall the problems at aqua. Inside arm there is no danger of knocking it off and it stays firm.

 

[Brava210]

Does anyone get a painful sensor sometimes. I have on occasions had to take it out after an hour because it's painful
I have been using them for around 3 months and find the direction of blood sugar indicator the most useful

 

[maglil55]

Does anyone get a painful sensor sometimes. I have on occasions had to take it out after an hour because it's painful
I have been using them for around 3 months and find the direction of blood sugar indicator the most useful

I've had them sting a little bit but not to the stage that I've had to remove it.