Freestyle Libre

[Lubenz1]

Ive been using Libre for about 5 months BUT although convenient they very seldom stay on for 14 days. The worst was 90 minutes but mostly 4-5 days then they fall off. There should have been a LOT more work to ensure they stay on before they went
onto the market and at around £50 a pop they are a rip off (or should that be a fall off )
Its a thumbs down for me!!

 

[Antje77]

Ive been using Libre for about 5 months BUT although convenient they very seldom stay on for 14 days. The worst was 90 minutes but mostly 4-5 days then they fall off. There should have been a LOT more work to ensure they stay on before they went
onto the market and at around £50 a pop they are a rip off (or should that be a fall off )
Its a thumbs down for me!!

Like many others, I simply use an overpatch (Hypafix or Tegaderm) and haven't lost any since I started using the overpatches, a couple of years ago.

 

[Marie 2]

A CGM is so valuable. But I guess not for everybody. If you want one you make it work, I use Skin Tac on my CGM. When you do a fingerstick you just get a snapshot of what your blood sugars are at that time, not 20 minutes later or what it was 10 minutes ago.

Not only does it save on how many fingersticks you have to do but it tells you by a graph if you have steadily been going up the last hour or if you are stable or on the way down. A movie instead of a snapshot.

Since when do you fingerstick 60 minutes after you eat? Or the hour before? Now you know if you need a correction dose before you eat eat and bolus, or gees look how high I went after that meal and stayed that way for hours. Nuggets of information like that helps us correct our BG's better.

 

[SugarBuzz]

For those of you guys that are having the sensors fall off. I have a few queries. How are you putting the sensors on, and where?
What conditions are you wearing them in - like climate (excessive heat/cold, sweating, etc) activity levels (swimming?).

I must say that so far falling off hasn't been an issue for me - taking them off after 14 days has been more difficult than I'd imagined - as they are always stuck-fast on.

I am applying mine with some force and holding down for 10 seconds - as per the first video I watched about how to attach the sensors.

 

[becca59]

@SugarBuzz I too cover mine for extra security. It has just become routine, having started because of my heavy swim sessions. But like you getting them off is a nightmare. A cotton bud, baby oil and patience is required if I want to retain the skin underneath.

 

[KK123]

For those of you guys that are having the sensors fall off. I have a few queries. How are you putting the sensors on, and where?
What conditions are you wearing them in - like climate (excessive heat/cold, sweating, etc) activity levels (swimming?).

I must say that so far falling off hasn't been an issue for me - taking them off after 14 days has been more difficult than I'd imagined - as they are always stuck-fast on.

I am applying mine with some force and holding down for 10 seconds - as per the first video I watched about how to attach the sensors.

Hi, I would think most of us are using them in everyday, normal situations rather than any extremes. If we were swimming for hours or sitting in a sauna all day you'd expect them to drop off. I had one come half off (out of around 10). Now I place one on, (back of arm) and use the Tegaderm patch as already mentioned). This (virtually invisible) patch stays on for the whole 14 days and so does the sensor. I think the tape just gives me security. x

 

[Marksman4519]

Yeah. As well as possible dubious readings, there is all the other stuff too.

Having that thing stuck in you 24/7, God knows what it's doing. Then there are the worries about it not attaching properly, falling off (weather, sweat), pain, it getting in the way during activities, then the fact that you have a big obvious white thing stuck on your arm and all the questions that come with that.

One really big thing i found annoying was the fact you couldn't go back into the meter and edit the notes (carb dosages) etc.

As you can tell, I'm far from being convinced about this thing.

Reply
Hi I've been using these for more than 18 months and at the start it was a bit difficult with a ring of red marks when it came off and I complained to Abbot about it. After a few months these disappeared. I now wash the area before applying the new disc with soap and water before then using both the swabs. No more rings. As to editing after , you can by rescanning and making notes then with carbs or extra doses of insulin. These discs have transformed my control which has unnerved my doctor as he thinks my average is too close to a non diabetic. I have been a type 1 for 46 years and am now 74. Stick with it, like anything new it takes time and is well worth it.