My daughter was diagnosed as Type I recently. After a lot of research on this and other forums, we zeroed in on the Abbott Libre as a 'must have' piece of equipment. However, there are two different versions of this device- the Freestyle Libre and the Libre Pro. Both differ in functionality, something which became evident on our initial internet searches. Yet the difference between the two devices seems to be unclear, even to the Abbott people tasked with selling the devices.
I ended up procuring both the devices.... only Libre Pro is marketed in my country so I had to purchase the Freestyle from 'elsewhere'! This post is to clear the confusion that others (like me!) might be having in choosing between the two devices.
The Libre Pro is marketed in US, India, Pakistan etc. This machine is deceptively named! In the final comparison, it is far inferior to the functionality offered by the Freestyle. The Libre Pro sensor can be activated only by the Libre Pro reader. No, Glimp S does not activate the sensor...despite what the Glimp user manual says. I know this because I have tried it! The reader is available only to medical professionals. The sensor stores upto 14 days of data. One can download the data earlier too, if you have access to the reader. However the graph displayed by the reader does not contain the latest Blood sugar level. Rather, the machine is designed to be reviewed by the physician at the end of the 14 day period. At this time the physician is to make 'appropriate' suggestions...like what? "MrX, on the 15th of August your blood sugar suddenly crashed after the midday meal..could you tell me what you ate and at what time? Or what you were doing at that time?."..DUH!
The Freestyle Libre is far superior to the Pro version. It is targeted at the individual patient and is only available in a few countries -UK, Europe, the middle east, Singapore. The sensors are not interchangeable between the Pro and Freestyle versions! The Freestyle sensors can be activated by Glimp S, and read using the Glimp app. You can also use the Libre app to read the sensors, but activation will require the Freestyle reader. The libre app is geographically locked...even if you download it to your phone, you can't get it working outside the countries where the Freestyle is marketed. So, if you come from a country where the Freestyle is not marketed, you will be able to use only the Freestyle reader - if you want mobile functionality you will have to use the Glimp app.
The Freestyle sensor stores upto 8 hours of readings at a time. You should wait for 24 hours before activating the sensor... readings tend to be erroneous if activated early after fixing. Be prepared to take a few Blood sugar readings in the first few days..you can use the built in Abbott glucometer. If you are using the Glimp app, the readings can be fed into the app manually, but you must be careful to give the exact date/time at which the reading was taken to help the app to calibrate.
The Freestyle reader can be connected to your computer where the Abbott software can download and store long term data. The reader itself will display a chart showing last 8 hours Blood sugar graph as well as the most current reading. This reading will be in mMol/L or Mg/dl depending on the country in which you bought the reader and cant be changed. So either buy your contraband reader in a country with the same measurement unit or be prepared to relearn your levels (Mg/dl = mMol/L x 18).
The reader also displays arrows showing the direction your blood sugar is heading- up,down or sideways. There is a built in insulin dose calculator, which can be accessed by a health care provider and will be available to the patient once pertinent data is fed into it.
If you are getting the Freestyle from another country, you will need to set up a channel for a regular flow of sensors - sensors have a shelf life of 6 months only. Also keep in mind that you may not be able to exchange the sensors if found defective!
Still, the Freestyle Libre is a real advancement that will definitely give you far greater control (and confidence) in managing your Type 1 diabetes.
< Please add your tips and pointers to this thread!>>>
I ended up procuring both the devices.... only Libre Pro is marketed in my country so I had to purchase the Freestyle from 'elsewhere'! This post is to clear the confusion that others (like me!) might be having in choosing between the two devices.
The Libre Pro is marketed in US, India, Pakistan etc. This machine is deceptively named! In the final comparison, it is far inferior to the functionality offered by the Freestyle. The Libre Pro sensor can be activated only by the Libre Pro reader. No, Glimp S does not activate the sensor...despite what the Glimp user manual says. I know this because I have tried it! The reader is available only to medical professionals. The sensor stores upto 14 days of data. One can download the data earlier too, if you have access to the reader. However the graph displayed by the reader does not contain the latest Blood sugar level. Rather, the machine is designed to be reviewed by the physician at the end of the 14 day period. At this time the physician is to make 'appropriate' suggestions...like what? "MrX, on the 15th of August your blood sugar suddenly crashed after the midday meal..could you tell me what you ate and at what time? Or what you were doing at that time?."..DUH!
The Freestyle Libre is far superior to the Pro version. It is targeted at the individual patient and is only available in a few countries -UK, Europe, the middle east, Singapore. The sensors are not interchangeable between the Pro and Freestyle versions! The Freestyle sensors can be activated by Glimp S, and read using the Glimp app. You can also use the Libre app to read the sensors, but activation will require the Freestyle reader. The libre app is geographically locked...even if you download it to your phone, you can't get it working outside the countries where the Freestyle is marketed. So, if you come from a country where the Freestyle is not marketed, you will be able to use only the Freestyle reader - if you want mobile functionality you will have to use the Glimp app.
The Freestyle sensor stores upto 8 hours of readings at a time. You should wait for 24 hours before activating the sensor... readings tend to be erroneous if activated early after fixing. Be prepared to take a few Blood sugar readings in the first few days..you can use the built in Abbott glucometer. If you are using the Glimp app, the readings can be fed into the app manually, but you must be careful to give the exact date/time at which the reading was taken to help the app to calibrate.
The Freestyle reader can be connected to your computer where the Abbott software can download and store long term data. The reader itself will display a chart showing last 8 hours Blood sugar graph as well as the most current reading. This reading will be in mMol/L or Mg/dl depending on the country in which you bought the reader and cant be changed. So either buy your contraband reader in a country with the same measurement unit or be prepared to relearn your levels (Mg/dl = mMol/L x 18).
The reader also displays arrows showing the direction your blood sugar is heading- up,down or sideways. There is a built in insulin dose calculator, which can be accessed by a health care provider and will be available to the patient once pertinent data is fed into it.
If you are getting the Freestyle from another country, you will need to set up a channel for a regular flow of sensors - sensors have a shelf life of 6 months only. Also keep in mind that you may not be able to exchange the sensors if found defective!
Still, the Freestyle Libre is a real advancement that will definitely give you far greater control (and confidence) in managing your Type 1 diabetes.
< Please add your tips and pointers to this thread!>>>
