FREESTYLE LIBRE ON SALE!!!!

[Knikki]

Arh! fair enough.

 

[daisy22]

I am lucky to get this on our Social Security system in France.

I think it's brilliant but it's a pity more people in UK aren't given the same options.

I did sign a petition a little while back for UK diabetics to get it.

In the long run, doesn't it work out cheaper than sticks and machines for blood testing?

 

[Alexandra100]

I am lucky to get this on our Social Security system in France.

I think it's brilliant but it's a pity more people in UK aren't given the same options.

I did sign a petition a little while back for UK diabetics to get it.

In the long run, doesn't it work out cheaper than sticks and machines for blood testing?

Most T2s have to pay for their own sticks and machines here, never mind Libres.

 

[Sydodyas]

Hi there. I am also looking to purchase Freestyle Libre. At present Abbott the company who sell it are not accepting new customers. You can register your interest on their website but that is as far as it goes. Sensors can be bought for example from Superdrug for £35.00 each.

Hope this is some help

Superdrug have increased the price

 

[vic hill]

best and update blood sugar moniter going in my mind
go for it gives one hell of a guide how blood sugars are doing very best for sorting out low bloods at night and most update sensor when driveing
vic 62 years insulin

 

[videoman]

Hi one and all; I have been using the Libre now for 3 months and it has allowed me to reduce insulin and less near hypo's great piece of kit but what a battle to get it!

 

[Fenn]

I recieved my libre today, what an amazing thing, and going to be very very useful, ive already shocked myself, I bought some watermelon on the way home, I often do this and munch on it on the way home, I was shocked it took me from 4.8 to 9.2, still rising, I know its not berries but without this wonderful thing I would not of even tested for a bit of melon. Looking forward to seeing what happens when im sleeping (pink job) looking forward to seeing exactly just how long insulin takes to kick in, happy days.

 

[Scott-C]

I recieved my libre today, what an amazing thing, and going to be very very useful

Welcome to the libre club, Fenn!

One tip I'd suggest is that in the first week of using it, try to bg test more than you would normally.

Sounds counterintuitive, seeing as the whole point of it is to reduce bg testing.

But remember that it's measuring ifg, not bg. There is a difference between the two. I found it really helpful in the first week or two to test bg a lot more than usual, like every hour or so. It gave me a clearer idea of how to understand the differences between the two and why they were sometimes very different.

For example, they're likely to be reasonably close when stable, but much further out just after a meal or when on a rapid drop, because ifg takes a bit of time to reflect bg: that's just biology 101 - carbs into stomach, glucose into bloodstream, glucose then from blood into interstitial fluid, and that last part from blood to fluid takes a bit of time, so the two will be different.

Doing the extra testing in the first week meant that when I saw differences between libre and meter, I wouldn't just say, oh, it's not the same as my meter, I'd have a think about why.

Still, some of the differences will be because it's a sketchy sensor - identifying those dodgy ones is another skill you'll have to learn!

Have fun - it's hugely enlightening seeing things happening in (more or less) real time!

 

[Fenn]

Welcome to the libre club, Fenn!

One tip I'd suggest is that in the first week of using it, try to bg test more than you would normally.

Sounds counterintuitive, seeing as the whole point of it is to reduce bg testing.

But remember that it's measuring ifg, not bg. There is a difference between the two. I found it really helpful in the first week or two to test bg a lot more than usual, like every hour or so. It gave me a clearer idea of how to understand the differences between the two and why they were sometimes very different.

For example, they're likely to be reasonably close when stable, but much further out just after a meal or when on a rapid drop, because ifg takes a bit of time to reflect bg: that's just biology 101 - carbs into stomach, glucose into bloodstream, glucose then from blood into interstitial fluid, and that last part from blood to fluid takes a bit of time, so the two will be different.

Doing the extra testing in the first week meant that when I saw differences between libre and meter, I wouldn't just say, oh, it's not the same as my meter, I'd have a think about why.

Still, some of the differences will be because it's a sketchy sensor - identifying those dodgy ones is another skill you'll have to learn!

Have fun - it's hugely enlightening seeing things happening in (more or less) real time!

Thankyou, thats very interesting, earlier I tested 9.2 with finger prick but libre said 8.8, approximately 4 minutes later libre caught up and was also 9.2, I am currently addicted to zapping my arm hehe, thanks for the tips

 

[philchap1]

I recieved my libre today, what an amazing thing, and going to be very very useful, ive already shocked myself, I bought some watermelon on the way home, I often do this and munch on it on the way home, I was shocked it took me from 4.8 to 9.2, still rising, I know its not berries but without this wonderful thing I would not of even tested for a bit of melon. Looking forward to seeing what happens when im sleeping (pink job) looking forward to seeing exactly just how long insulin takes to kick in, happy days.

There's 10g of carbs in 2 profitteroles and 10g of carbs in 140g of watermelon.

 

[crazyhenlady]

I recieved my libre today, what an amazing thing, and going to be very very useful, ive already shocked myself, I bought some watermelon on the way home, I often do this and munch on it on the way home, I was shocked it took me from 4.8 to 9.2, still rising, I know its not berries but without this wonderful thing I would not of even tested for a bit of melon. Looking forward to seeing what happens when im sleeping (pink job) looking forward to seeing exactly just how long insulin takes to kick in, happy days.

I just got one too and it's showing me how low I often go overnight and my dsn has already seen my results via the auto download and changed my long acting insulin. Wonderful bit of kit.

 

[vic hill]

onwards and more like this will be a great to inspire those in the N H S WE NEED THIS .
VIC

 

[Richard F]

I enquired but apparently to qualify I need to have had 2 x diabetes related hospital admissions in the last 12 months.
I'm hoping the criteria changes in April.

 

[ChrisJ_SLH]

I enquired but apparently to qualify I need to have had 2 x diabetes related hospital admissions in the last 12 months.
I'm hoping the criteria changes in April.

This is madness. Keeping people out of hospital and minimising complications has got to be cheaper long term?

 

[Scott-C]

I enquired but apparently to qualify I need to have had 2 x diabetes related hospital admissions in the last 12 months.
I'm hoping the criteria changes in April.

This is madness. Keeping people out of hospital and minimising complications has got to be cheaper long term?

The up to date position is that CCGs in each area were coming up with widely different policies, leading to a postcode lottery, the high heid yins got fed up with it, so they decided that from April 2019, all of them would have to apply the RMOC guidelines, this page has a link to a pdf setting them out:

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/reg...committee-freestyle-libre-position-statement/

Two admissions per year is one of the conditions, but there are several others, for example, people testing more than 8 times per day, and folks with a1c over 69 where it might avoid using a pump, and those with hypo unawareness.

Enter stage left T1s upping testing to 8 a day for a few months to comply and it should be a shoo in.

The conditions are not ideal (certainly not compared to my area NHS Lothian, where any T1 who wants it, gets it.) but people like Partha Kar, who is a diabetes lead in the NHS, says it's a good starting point and the conditions will likely loosen up as time goes by and docs see how good it is at safely dropping a1c and making patients happier (NHS Lothian has already published info showing that).

There's a lot of politics involved but it's moving in the right direction. Slowly, slowly, catchee monkey.

 

[ChrisJ_SLH]

The up to date position is that CCGs in each area were coming up with widely different policies, leading to a postcode lottery, the high heid yins got fed up with it, so they decided that from April 2019, all of them would have to apply the RMOC guidelines, this page has a link to a pdf setting them out:

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/reg...committee-freestyle-libre-position-statement/

I 'qualified' due to testing >8 times a day on average. General days probably only 6~8, days when I'm cycling or running typically 12~14.

As you say, hopefully things will normalise and improve wrt availability once it becomes more widespread and there is evidence of improved outcomes for those with the condition. I would also expect the cost to the NHS to decrease with greater adoption.

 

[Scott-C]

I 'qualified' due to testing >8 times a day on average. General days probably only 6~8, days when I'm cycling or running typically 12~14.

As you say, hopefully things will normalise and improve wrt availability once it becomes more widespread and there is evidence of improved outcomes for those with the condition. I would also expect the cost to the NHS to decrease with greater adoption.

ABCD, the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists, has been inviting metabolic units across the UK to submit clinical results re libre, think it closed in December, so they're likely now stitching together the numbers, will be interesting to see.

Reduction in long term complications will take time to filter through, but a few questions on the ABCD question sheet also asked about severe hypo/dka admissions, so it'll be interesting to see if there's been a major reduction in those. Those are expensive and within yearly budget consideration.

Up here in Scotland, a report was produced by the Scottish Health Technology Group, which advises NHS Scotland, can't remember the details now, but I'm pretty sure there was mention of libre being cost effective just on reducing hospital admission alone, but don't quote me on that.

The info coming out of NHS Lothian is extraordinary. They compared before and after a1cs for about 300 T1s (there's more now) and the figures were showing safe drops in a1c across the board, numbers below 48 had doubled, numbers above 75 had halved.

The docs involved are being vocal about it, and quite rightly so:

 

[ChrisJ_SLH]

@Scott-C That data speaks for itself. Let's just hope that the proliferation is rapid.

 

[Scott-C]

@Scott-C That data speaks for itself. Let's just hope that the proliferation is rapid.

Indeed. At some point in the next year or two, some CCG CEOs and/or Board members are going to be doing a face-palm and asking themselves why didn't they ok libre earlier.

 

[Richard F]

The up to date position is that CCGs in each area were coming up with widely different policies, leading to a postcode lottery, the high heid yins got fed up with it, so they decided that from April 2019, all of them would have to apply the RMOC guidelines, this page has a link to a pdf setting them out:

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/reg...committee-freestyle-libre-position-statement/

Two admissions per year is one of the conditions, but there are several others, for example, people testing more than 8 times per day, and folks with a1c over 69 where it might avoid using a pump, and those with hypo unawareness.

Enter stage left T1s upping testing to 8 a day for a few months to comply and it should be a shoo in.

The conditions are not ideal (certainly not compared to my area NHS Lothian, where any T1 who wants it, gets it.) but people like Partha Kar, who is a diabetes lead in the NHS, says it's a good starting point and the conditions will likely loosen up as time goes by and docs see how good it is at safely dropping a1c and making patients happier (NHS Lothian has already published info showing that).

There's a lot of politics involved but it's moving in the right direction. Slowly, slowly, catchee monkey.

Thank you, I'll see what the situation is later in the Yr.