FREESTYLE LIBRE ON SALE!!!!

[Danaemac]

I just charge it every night along with my phone that has taken an absolute battering over the last 48hrs better safe than sorry but the plug is a standard mini usb handy to have a spare cable in the desk drawer/ handbag / manbag/ supplies kit / somewhere

 

[Geordie Girl]

Would also be very interested to hear more about this. Sounds as though it could be quite expensive to use though still tempted.

 

[Danaemac]

@phoenix I have just downloaded the software for the pc and you seem to be able to change the language when the meter is connected to the computer im not sure if someone has already mentioned it and im sure it was you that was asking but ive lost track now so apologies if its not you

Danae

 

[PaulinaB]

What's the frequency of the data in the exported csv file? I mean, what's the space (in time)between the numbers?

 

[Omnipod]

Mine is pretty accurate. I got some optium freestyle strips from my GP. They gave me 500 strips
Scan 8.3
Prick 8.6 using the libre

 

[AndBreathe]

Mine is pretty accurate. I got some optium freestyle strips from my GP. They gave me 500 strips
Scan 8.3
Prick 8.6 using the libre

@Omnipod - I may be off-beam on this one, but were you one of Abbott's user trialists? It's not a trick question; just wondering if that's the case, if you have any gems you could share with those who are a bit unsettled?

I'm watching with interest, but my experience, on the other side of product development and implementation, suggests trialists often develop little gem-like subconscious workarounds to get the best out of whatever they have been using.

I really do hope this develops into an extremely useful tool. Bearing in mind it doesn't have to be a massive outlay, it has a place for periodic monitoring; and discover, even for people like me with decent control, but an insatiably curious mind.

 

[Omnipod]

everyone is different. every diabetic has different expectations. A reading of 8 to me may be normal but to you or somebody else, it may be high. Theres not much I can share as such. Maybe some people just need to stop comparing and relax a little. You know your body and you know when you getting a bit hypo or hyper.
Use the Libre as a meter as and when and just give it a chance. After a couple of days, readings become more acurate. Drink fluids to keep your interstitial hydrated.
If I test with a strip, I test using the libre. Readings are pretty accurate and similar on both. If i test using my omnipod pdm, there is a variable within reason....1-3mmol.
It is what it is. It does deliver and I am 100% happy - not bias or 'gem-like subconscious workarounds' to get the best out of Libre.

If you use it for a while.... You will have access to the 'bigger' picture and to the AGP software. To me, that is more important in my long term care. Im getting an accurate profile and am able to fine tune my levels better.

I urge everyone to relax into it a bit more and to give it time and then to use the AGP software.

 

[smidge]

I echo @Omnipod's advice above. We all know that meters have a largish tolerance of error (20% in Roche's case - it even says this in their documentation). We all know that comparing tests on different meters drives us mad as they are rarely the same, so we always advise each other not to do it. The Libre is no different in this respect. Mine is now tracking the Mobile within about 1mmol, but whether it's up or down does seem a little random. I think it was the same though when I got my new Mobile last February - for a long while I didn't like it because it seemed to read differently from the older one I had. So, I'm thinking that I just need to wait until I am used to my new 'baseline'.

I do think Abbotts have taken their eye off the ball here though - they should have included a good supply of test strips with the starter pack - they must have known we'd all compare to our blood tests for the first month or so and it might have been a much more positive experience comparing against the correct meter - at least you'd know whether it was a fault or a 'within tolerance' reading. Again, they must have known that many of us have different makes of meter and do not have access to a supply of their strips. And they could surely have guessed that we wouldn't be rushing out to change our prescriptions until we were convinced we would continue with the Libre.

@Emmotha - I think your's is still tracking way too far out and you should contact Abbott about it.

Smidge

 

[Emmotha]

Just checked and it's 4mmol out. I phoned them and said it's probably faulty so sending a new one. Hope it works. Feeling very disappointed as I was so excited

 

[robert72]

Just checked and it's 4mmol out. I phoned them and said it's probably faulty so sending a new one. Hope it works. Feeling very disappointed as I was so excited

Hope the new sensor works for you.

 

[Danaemac]

Well I wakened at 22.8 libre read 24.5 set failed during the night

 

[Cherry-Pie]

Mine was saying I was constantly hypo & I wasn't sure if this was right, so I contact Abbott yesterday. Within 15 mins I had a call back from a support tech team member who did some diagnostics over the phone to check if it was the sensor or the reader and said they would send me a replacement sensor. To my amazement it has just arrived on my desk!! Well done for pulling your finger out Abbott, I am impressed!
Also feeling pretty good as I went to the docs to get my strips for the Libre today and they hadn't heard of it before & were really enthusiastic - ended up giving a demonstration to the peeps in the waiting room as they wanted to know why my nurse was shrieking with excitement!! They agreed to put the strips and ketone strips on my prescription and keep my other strips for my normal meter on there in case I need them. Feeling really blessed to have such a helpful & understanding healthcare team, as I can see from other peoples posts on here, many have problems.
Can't wait until lunchtime when I can export the data and take the fake hypo readings out !!

 

[Omnipod]

Hi Omnipod,

It's probably easier to relax when you are getting more accurate readings as you are. I think we are right to be upset when we pay £130 for something that's not working.
I compare my scan to a finger prick on the Libre and it's always up to 4mmol out, without a pattern.

Plus, not all our doctors will just hand us out 500 strips, I had to pay for mine :-(

My reply: why dont you then wait a while for the meter to be out longer? Surely its not to be expected that a brand new piece of technology is going to be released without any teething problems?
Its like the iphone.... whenever there is a new update or release, theres always teething problems. Paying the £130 was your choice. With all the reviews and trails, we always knew that the reading was taken from interstitial fluid and we all knew that these reading would be 'behind' the readings of blood.
This is why we are told that its not DVLA approved.

I am sure if you asked your gp for the strips, he wouldnt refuse especially if you told him that you paid £130 for the meter and 2 sensors.

Did you honestly think that readings from the interstitial fluid would be that same as blood? There is a delay by the two and Abbott have made that very clear.

 

[robert72]

What's the frequency of the data in the exported csv file? I mean, what's the space (in time)between the numbers?

It's every 15 minutes. Scans appear in a separate column.

 

[Minnie45]

The first 8-10 hours the libre was showing I was permanently hypo when I wasn't, now things appear to be working, I'm being extra careful and using my meter to benchmark, a few minutes later I'll use the libre and it's spot on or a teeny tiny difference to my meter. I'm using my meter a few times a day and the libre in between.

 

[logindetails]

....... Maybe some people just need to stop comparing and relax a little.

How can anyone relax and stop comparing when scans are telling me 'LO' and finger pricks are telling me 6.x which are the readings I have been getting all through the night - when the scan works at all that is!

....... After a couple of days, readings become more acurate. Drink fluids to keep your interstitial hydrated.

I'm like a walking swimming pool already.

....... If I test with a strip, I test using the libre. Readings are pretty accurate and similar on both.

I was initially running strip tests using both the Libre and a Contour Next usb but I have come to trust the Libre as a blood glucose monitor so now when I compare scan and BG readings I only use the Libre.
The problem is, Abbott in their wisdom decided not to suppy BG strips for the Libre, I am lucky in that I had some left over from when I used an Insulinx but I only have 7 left. Not everyone will be able to afford to buy their own strips and not everyone will have a friendly doctor who will prescribe them 500 optium strips.

....... If you use it for a while.... You will have access to the 'bigger' picture and to the AGP software. To me, that is more important in my long term care. Im getting an accurate profile and am able to fine tune my levels better.

The software is good, it has a simple and intuitive interface and with the number of non invasive readings you can take you should be able to build up a very accurate picture of what your blood sugars are doing - IF THE READINGS ARE ANYWHERE NEAR ACCURATE - this is what I get:

For those who don't know readings with an * next to them are blood sugar readings not scans.

I urge everyone to relax into it a bit more and to give it time and then to use the AGP software.

Oh how I wish I could.

I have had one sensor die after one day - kudos to Abbott I received a replacement this morning - and now the second sensor looks to be on it's way out as I am getting error reading data messages most of the time and when it does give a reading it is always 'LO'.

The meters event log (Settings > System Status > Event Log) is choc full of errors:

'Er3 365' is when the first sensor died. 'Er 373' is when it can't read the sensor data (try again in 10 minutes). There is another one to add to the top of that list, 'Er0 2012' - no idea what it means but the scan I did directly before the error was recorder was 'LO'.

I am extremely happy that many people are getting good results with this system but I am equally frustrated that I am not one of them and resent people saying that those of us who are not getting accurtate readings are expecting too much and to 'relax' and give it time

 

[Omnipod]

I'm not really sure why u're being a bit judgemental or defensive omnipod. I didn't expect it to be completely accurate but I did expect it to be useable, ie not swinging out between 1-4 mmol at any time. It's not useable for me. You are obviously having a better experience but that doesn't make me thick and not able to understand product launches.

I have bought something which does not live up to even my most basic expectation.

As a consumer I am entitled to have expectations that the product I pay for does what it says it should do

Not being judgemental or defensive. All Im saying is.... Its new technology. There will be teething problems. Its not suitable for everyone.
Perhaps some people need to understand the difference between taking readings from blood and or from interstitial fluid. Have you carried out any research on the two Emmotha?

"I have bought something which does not live up to even my most basic expectation.
As a consumer I am entitled to have expectations that the product I pay for does what it says it should do"

It has lived up to expectation by most and there have been extensive trials conducted. The FDA would never allow a product to be released by a pharmaceutical company as big as Abbot. Its early days and the technology will get better as more people start using it and when the likes of you who have issues report them to Abbott. By living up to expectation, I am referring to readings taken from interstitial fluid and not blood. These readings are generally up to 10 minutes behind blood and as a diabetic, we know how fast our blood sugars can rise or fall. Perhaps your blood sugars rise and fall much quicker than you knew because you have not been exposed to this? Read the information on the two links below and maybe you may find that a little more helpfull.
The interstitial readings also depend on factors like how thin you are or how big.... fat layers under skin etc. This is why, this product may not be suitable for all.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2903977/
https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=readings+between+blood+glucose+and+interstitial+fluid

The product does what it says. It takes readings from your interstitial fluid.

All Im saying is..... try it out. Loads of people who have had issues have contacted Abbott who have sent out replacement sensors straight away.
There will be teething problems.
Try for a replacement sensor and see how that goes.

 

[logindetails]

My reply: why dont you then wait a while for the meter to be out longer? Surely its not to be expected that a brand new piece of technology is going to be released without any teething problems?

Teething problems I could accept. Something, which for many people, is not fit for purpose I can't.

Its like the iphone....

No it's not. It's for measuring your glucose level and to enable you to make informed decisions on what to do about that level - in my case if I acted on the readings it is giving me I'd probably end up with DKA. An iPhone isn't dangerous if it doesn't work propoerly.

Paying the £130 was your choice. With all the reviews and trails, we always knew that the reading was taken from interstitial fluid and we all knew that these reading would be 'behind' the readings of blood.

I know that, I suspect everyone who has purchased one knows that - what makes you think that we aren't taking the lag in readings into consideration?

I am sure if you asked your gp for the strips, he wouldnt refuse especially if you told him that you paid £130 for the meter and 2 sensors.

Or asked her even. You obviously have not encountered the more cost conscious doctors in the NHS.

Did you honestly think that readings from the interstitial fluid would be that same as blood? There is a delay by the two and Abbott have made that very clear.

Yes, and after the delay they should be in the same ball park as a BG test - WE ALL KNOW THAT!

 

[Omnipod]

Teething problems I could accept. Something, which for many people, is not fit for purpose I can't.


No it's not. It's for measuring your glucose level and to enable you to make informed decisions on what to do about that level - in my case if I acted on the readings it is giving me I'd probably end up with DKA. An iPhone isn't dangerous if it doesn't work propoerly.


I know that, I suspect everyone who has purchased one knows that - what makes you think that we aren't taking the lag in readings into consideration?


Or asked her even. You obviously have not encountered the more cost conscious doctors in the NHS.


Yes, and after the delay they should be in the same ball park as a BG test - WE ALL KNOW THAT!

So much negativity.
Im not interested in all this knit picking.
If you think its not fit for purpose and youve made your mind up, then I am sure you have the 14 days to return it and get your money back.
Re the i phone.... that was a reference i.e. to teething problems. If its not working for you then theres probably a reason and if you do your research as per my last post, it becomes clearer that it may not be for you.

Its working for me and many others. It was successfull in its trials.
This post was meant to be more about positive experiences. If you want to keep being negative and knit picking on positive experiences, then I suggest you start a negative thread so that many of who are having a positive experience dont have to be exposed to your negativity.

Ive had my say and wont be responding to you or any other negative posts.

 

[Omnipod]

@Omnipod clearly you haven't read any if my posts stating it is not lagging, it is completely random. Good for u, yours works. That doesn't mean you have to try and make us look thick because ours doesn't. I am perfectly capable of understanding the concept which is why I bought it. But it does NOT give an accurate indication of my blood level patterns, whether lagging or not. And I'm not the only one.

Stop trying to make us feel bad and go and enjoy ur sensor that works.
You're making a disappointing situation worse.

As I said in my previous post..... this thread started as a positive thread. Im trying to keep it that way. I took the time and effort to provide you with information so that you understand the difference and so you can make an informed decision as it may not be for you.

You said thick...not me.

Im not interested anymore and wont be replying to you or anyone else who keeps on with all this negativity. i suggest you start a negative thread so thos who are having a positive experience dont have to keep reading all that negativity and ignorance