Life with Libre

maglil55

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Type 2
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So perhaps what I am seeing is a normal pattern but exaggerated for some reason.
Very exaggerated! Seriously 5 out is a dodgy one. They've replaced for less.
It took me a while to adjust to their quirks and it is nigh on miraculous if you get one scanning at the same level as the strips.
As I mentioned above applying and waiting 2 days before you activate lets it settle and the scan is closer. Abbott don't confess to this but it was Scott-c that explained to me that when you think about it you are inserting a foreign body into yourself in the form of the filament so your body is going to go after it. Let it settle and it gets used to it.
As you get towards the end that's when you start to get bigger gaps when presumably whatever they put on the filament starts to break down. 2 under seems fairly normal at that stage.
I always check before bed with a jab and my FBG. After the jab I scan at 10 mins after and 15 mins to try to get an idea of where it is in relation to the finger pricks. Usually they are the only ones I do so long as I am getting a consistent gap.
I used to jab pre breakfast but the last 2 weeks I've been fasting 24 hrs most days and only eating dinner to get my weight loss moving again. The knock on effect had been I've had BG'S in the low 4's but Libre had me down in the 2's so that was enough to get me on extra jabs. Again once I see a consistent gap I just adjust for it.
Why did I stick with it? My fingers were a mess. I had to get really strict with food as I was having some weird highs so I was testing before every meal and at 1, 2 and 3 hrs after. Libre took away that need. I can see at a glance what a food is doing to me.
Another thing I've noticed is if you have a rapid rise or fall then you get a bigger gap between jab and scan but again usually around the 2 mark.
To be honest I don't want to be without them now. Once I get the measure from the jab and 10/15 min scan I'm happy to stick with the scan for the rest of the day usually and just adjust so if I was scanning at 4 I was saying fine that's about 4.6 and don't worry about it unless it come with a downward arrow as well!
Your one though is dodgy - tell Abbott about the readings and get it replaced. You can get weird readings but not that weird.
 
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cott97

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Messages
329
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Very exaggerated! Seriously 5 out is a dodgy one. They've replaced for less.
It took me a while to adjust to their quirks and it is nigh on miraculous if you get one scanning at the same level as the strips.
As I mentioned above applying and waiting 2 days before you activate lets it settle and the scan is closer. Abbott don't confess to this but it was Scott-c that explained to me that when you think about it you are inserting a foreign body into yourself in the form of the filament so your body is going to go after it. Let it settle and it gets used to it.
As you get towards the end that's when you start to get bigger gaps when presumably whatever they put on the filament starts to break down. 2 under seems fairly normal at that stage.
I always check before bed with a jab and my FBG. After the jab I scan at 10 mins after and 15 mins to try to get an idea of where it is in relation to the finger pricks. Usually they are the only ones I do so long as I am getting a consistent gap.
I used to jab pre breakfast but the last 2 weeks I've been fasting 24 hrs most days and only eating dinner to get my weight loss moving again. The knock on effect had been I've had BG'S in the low 4's but Libre had me down in the 2's so that was enough to get me on extra jabs. Again once I see a consistent gap I just adjust for it.
Why did I stick with it? My fingers were a mess. I had to get really strict with food as I was having some weird highs so I was testing before every meal and at 1, 2 and 3 hrs after. Libre took away that need. I can see at a glance what a food is doing to me.
Another thing I've noticed is if you have a rapid rise or fall then you get a bigger gap between jab and scan but again usually around the 2 mark.
To be honest I don't want to be without them now. Once I get the measure from the jab and 10/15 min scan I'm happy to stick with the scan for the rest of the day usually and just adjust so if I was scanning at 4 I was saying fine that's about 4.6 and don't worry about it unless it come with a downward arrow as well!
Your one though is dodgy - tell Abbott about the readings and get it replaced. You can get weird readings but not that weird.
Waiting for Abbotts latest response. I agree a few days without it and my fingers were very bruised. Always put in 24 hours before but strangely the 2 I've used immediately have been the most reliable. If the difference was standard I don't have a problem it's the variability I've had with the same sensor that have made me think whether they are worth the money.
 

cott97

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Messages
329
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Waiting for Abbotts latest response. I agree a few days without it and my fingers were very bruised. Always put in 24 hours before but strangely the 2 I've used immediately have been the most reliable. If the difference was standard I don't have a problem it's the variability I've had with the same sensor that have made me think whether they are worth the money.
Still nothing from Abbott - I have previously found their customer service good but I am beginning to have doubts this time
 

maglil55

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Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
Still nothing from Abbott - I have previously found their customer service good but I am beginning to have doubts this time
Have you checked your orders on your account? Last time I had 2 replaced together first I knew was they had generated a zero cost order on my account for the replacement together with biohazard packing to return the duds. Their email came after that.
If there is nothing on your orders call them. As you say they are usually really good.
 

cott97

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Messages
329
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Have you checked your orders on your account? Last time I had 2 replaced together first I knew was they had generated a zero cost order on my account for the replacement together with biohazard packing to return the duds. Their email came after that.
If there is nothing on your orders call them. As you say they are usually really good.
Nothing on my account...
 

maglil55

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Type 2
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New one on the way. Current one working normally
Oh good. You must have got one of the last - they've gone out of stock. Thankfully mine arrived yesterday. My current one is measuring 0.2 above or below which is good enough for me.
 

cott97

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Messages
329
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Oh good. You must have got one of the last - they've gone out of stock. Thankfully mine arrived yesterday. My current one is measuring 0.2 above or below which is good enough for me.
Do you think that's to prepare for NHS rollout? Will be interested to see if prices drop or you can get them from chemists from 1st November.
 

KenBachelor

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Messages
50
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
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If they're available on the NHS (subject to GCC approval) then they must be available through a pharmacy but whether that means that we can buy them on the net cheaper, we'll have to wait until 1 November.
 

cott97

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Messages
329
Type of diabetes
Type 2
If they're available on the NHS (subject to GCC approval) then they must be available through a pharmacy but whether that means that we can buy them on the net cheaper, we'll have to wait until 1 November.
I think it would increase usage of you could just go out and buy one.
 

maglil55

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Type 2
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Suspect they would need more competition to reduce prices. Call me a cynic but an increase in demand is usually enough to get them to increase prices.
 

cott97

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Messages
329
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Suspect they would need more competition to reduce prices. Call me a cynic but an increase in demand is usually enough to get them to increase prices.
But if the wholesalers get them at £35 or less then there might be an opportunity to compete. I can't see any pharmacy buying in at £35 or even £50 to only be reimbursed £35 by NHS - the amount quoted they will pay. Most CCGs seem to be going with the too expensive and not enough evidence response so the only way to change that is to increase usage and reduce cost.
 

bluk

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 1
All meters have to pass the same accuracy test, as laid down by the International Organization for Standardization. (ISO) before they can be marketed. The latest standards are ready for implementation, or should have been by May 2016. Some may still be following the 2013 standards. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose-meters/blood-glucose-meter-accuracy.html

We all know our meters aren't 100% accurate, but they are all we have. Doing several comparison checks daily and using the averages of these gives us a broad idea of how high or low they read, on average.
Your comment on international standards makes sense. I hope it is true. Nevertheless I am puzzled by the number of sources, including Abbott sources who tell me that when I travel from one country to another I need to bring my home country sensors with me for the Libre to work properly " becasue of differences" between countries. Really? I live in Canada where the Libre only recently became available. I live for 3 months per year in Spain and prefer not to take a 3 month supply of sensors with me, not even sure that I would not run into shelf life issues for that period. QUESTIO does anyone on this forum have experience with a reader purchased and used in one country and then using it with sensors purchased in another country? BLUK in Canada
 

Kate_B

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I follow the sense of what you are saying and I could live with the variation if there was some consistency to it but it is swinging between too high or too low and realistic figures inbetween. The only thing it's telling me is I'm 100% within range which is true it's just it's range is broader than the one I'm really in.
Of course the thing is, who’s to say that the finger prick is more accurate than the sensor.

I know that I’ve taken several finger pricks within minutes of each other and they’ve varied wildly.
 

maglil55

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Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Of course the thing is, who’s to say that the finger prick is more accurate than the sensor.

I know that I’ve taken several finger pricks within minutes of each other and they’ve varied wildly.
I'm a lot more used to its quirks now and would not be without it. Not cheap , but when I think how many strips I would go through to see the same trends and effects of different foods it would cost an awful lot more so well worth the sacrifices to self fund them.
 
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Kate_B

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I'm a lot more used to its quirks now and would not be without it. Not cheap , but when I think how many strips I would go through to see the same trends and effects of different foods it would cost an awful lot more so well worth the sacrifices to self fund them.
What is your view on the differences in readings compared with finger prick testing?
 

maglil55

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6,519
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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What is your view on the differences in readings compared with finger prick testing?
It's a lot closer now than when I first started using them. When I started this thread it was a learning experience to find out what worked for me. What did work was applying the sensor 2 days before I needed to activate it and I found with that the readings were around 0.5 - 0.8 under the finger prick and I can live with that. When I applied the sensor and activated it straight away the readings were all over the place (sometimes with a gap of 3 or 4) for a good 36 hrs.
I still finger prick but just to ensure I know where I am. Activation day I finger prick once the sensor is ready to scan and the scan 10 mins and 15 mins after the finger prick. I'll also do another couple of checks later in the day (usually before food) to see if the gap is consistent.
The last sensor was really good at only 0.5 difference. Current is about 0.7 so good again. As I said I can live with that.
 
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Kate_B

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It's a lot closer now than when I first started using them. When I started this thread it was a learning experience to find out what worked for me. What did work was applying the sensor 2 days before I needed to activate it and I found with that the readings were around 0.5 - 0.8 under the finger prick and I can live with that. When I applied the sensor and activated it straight away the readings were all over the place (sometimes with a gap of 3 or 4) for a good 36 hrs.
I still finger prick but just to ensure I know where I am. Activation day I finger prick once the sensor is ready to scan and the scan 10 mins and 15 mins after the finger prick. I'll also do another couple of checks later in the day (usually before food) to see if the gap is consistent.
The last sensor was really good at only 0.5 difference. Current is about 0.7 so good again. As I said I can live with that.
That’s good to know. So, you seem to indicate that the finger prick yields more accurate results, but what is your basis for this. I hope you don’t mind me asking, I have a scientific bent, so I tend to question everything.

So have you managed to identify food groups that are good and bad from your analysis of the reading System? I posted elsewhere about research done in an university in Israel where they found that no two individuals had the same reaction to differing food groups and in fact some people had opposing results to others.
 

maglil55

Expert
Messages
6,519
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
That’s good to know. So, you seem to indicate that the finger prick yields more accurate results, but what is your basis for this. I hope you don’t mind me asking, I have a scientific bent, so I tend to question everything.

So have you managed to identify food groups that are good and bad from your analysis of the reading System? I posted elsewhere about research done in an university in Israel where they found that no two individuals had the same reaction to differing food groups and in fact some people had opposing results to others.
No, I wouldn't say finger pricks are more accurate just that they are giving you a reading at that point in time from blood. The sensor is different as it measures interstitial fluid and runs (according to Abbott about 10-15 mins behind the blood measurement). So you expect a difference - just not one that is wildly different. You do get the odd 'rogue' reading (I find usually during a period of rapid change) which is well out from a finger prick. The difficulty I had initially was separating an odd 'rogue' reading from a dodgy sensor (fortunately I've only had 2 dodgy sensors both of which were replaced by Abbott without question). In case you are wondering 'dodgy' was measuring low 3's and 2's one minute and high 10's the next whereas I was more like mid 4's to low 5's.
It has been invaluable for identifying what I can and can't eat but that is personal to me. I am well aware that others can tolerate foods that I cannot go near. A prime example was porridge which sends my BGs through the roof and for a long period. Another no no is potatoes in any form and regrettably a lot of pulses. I used to eat around 100g of the so called 'good' carbs but this was too high for me. I lowered it to 40g daily but now I aim for 20g or less. So long as I am not ill this level is enough to keep my BGs in the 4-5's (illness sends it up regardless).
It would have taken me a long time to work this out with finger jabs but as I said this is what suits me and may not suit another person although life would be a lot easier if we were all the same.
 
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