2 weeks into Freestyle Libre 2 Plus "trial"

[Davidden]

I was concerned about always having a morning spike, even after 8-10 hours after my last meal, so I was put on a cgm trial. Since getting the sensor I can see the spike starts anything after 3.00 and keeps going up - with a secondary rise just before I get up - until mid/late morning. The first week I was 60% of the time "in range", but despite making adjustments to my eating habits (even went no carb for a couple of days) the last 7 days I am 70% in the orange, and only 22% "in range"! Being able to see "live" data is actually quite worrying (not life threateningly so!) as before preparing a meal I check on the App, then before eating have another look - and it has gone up, maybe in anticipation of food, and even if I have no carbs it will still always rise a couple of units an hour or so later. I have my next review in 9 days, so am interested to see what they say.

 

[grantg]

if not sharing data with the diabetes team, suggest that you print out report for them the morning of the the review.

www.libreview.com

on the second page of glucose report there might be something mentioned in the section:
Considerations for the Clinician¹
Most Important Pattern:

i trust that your keeping a detailed log, of foods carbs & indeed any exercise? if not would ensure that do. it will be very helpful for team.

i found myself when first used cgm would look at the readings a fair bit and got a little stressed with high and indeed lows. mostly high/low alarm going off will now check, if high light exercise such as a short walk (if directly upwards arrow until arrow points straight if possible). or if low treat. i have customed the alarm to go off a little bit earlier than the default setting.

sorry to hear your time in range. what levels did u set those to be or did u leave them on default? what would be nice if abbots added the ability for range to be different day/night range day eg: 5-8 nights 7-10 was given in past. (now just straight 4-10) i was dropping through the night when they changed range to 7-10

 

[Davidden]

if not sharing data with the diabetes team, suggest that you print out report for them the morning of the the review.

www.libreview.com

on the second page of glucose report there might be something mentioned in the section:
Considerations for the Clinician¹
Most Important Pattern:

i trust that your keeping a detailed log, of foods carbs & indeed any exercise? if not would ensure that do. it will be very helpful for team.

i found myself when first used cgm would look at the readings a fair bit and got a little stressed with high and indeed lows. mostly high/low alarm going off will now check, if high light exercise such as a short walk (if directly upwards arrow until arrow points straight if possible). or if low treat. i have customed the alarm to go off a little bit earlier than the default setting.

sorry to hear your time in range. what levels did u set those to be or did u leave them on default? what would be nice if abbots added the ability for range to be different day/night range day eg: 5-8 nights 7-10 was given in past. (now just straight 4-10) i was dropping through the night when they changed range to 7-10

Thanks for the response - I am sharing the data with the team, so hopefully they can see what I see.
Am afraid I do not log my food intake, though it has been low carb for years (but if I ate pizza or bread I always got a high fingerprick reading that day!). Exercise? What is that? My exercise is walking to the chemist for prescriptions, or my weekly supermarket shop! I had surgery on both lungs a couple of years back (metastases from a chondrosarcoma) so get out of breath easily, and arthritis in one knee and the other ankle have slowed me down considerably, though my weight has remained stable for several years, cholesterol good, as are other bodily functions (liver, kidney, etc.)
My levels were set (possibly default) to under 4 (never been near that!), 4-10 in range, and over 13.3 for high - I had a couple of days when I was in the high (up to 15) most of the time with no logical explanation, other than I didn't feel too well!
Just had 2 good days so my time in orange has gone down to 62%, and my early morning "spike" didn't take me out of range today, though it got close!

 

[grantg]

Exercise? What is that? My exercise is walking to the chemist for prescriptions, or my weekly supermarket shop! I had surgery on both lungs a couple of years back (metastases from a chondrosarcoma) so get out of breath easily, and arthritis in one knee and the other ankle have slowed me down considerably, though my weight has remained stable for several years, cholesterol good, as are other bodily functions (liver, kidney, etc.)

exercise - just whatever like your weekly shop (med?) alongside popping along to the chemist. even the likes of some house chores being done, hoovering/mop a floor or whatever else. for me i marked light as those, swimming marked as moderate. whatever you happen to class as light/medium/high for yourself imo is fine.

hugs for surgery and arthritus. ps some chemists have the ability to deliever montly prescriptions off downside can be day or two out.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

T2 not on insulin.
Just noting that if I am not very low carb plus exercise then my BG goes up around wake up time and then tends to stay up until noon or soon after which it drops back.
So this may just your body's natural 24 hour cycle.

 

[Davidden]

. ps some chemists have the ability to deliever montly prescriptions off downside can be day or two out.

My chemist is very good, and will deliver (they also do vaccinations now, bp, and other minor stuff - very helpful), but if I accepted that, and home delivery shopping I would never go out! I do have one flight of stairs to my flat, and that also qualifies as exercise!! Lol.

 

[Davidden]

T2 not on insulin.
Just noting that if I am not very low carb plus exercise then my BG goes up around wake up time and then tends to stay up until noon or soon after which it drops back.
So this may just your body's natural 24 hour cycle.

I find if I get up at 3.00 for a pee, then my BG tends to rise a bit, too, and I am a poor sleeper, so wake early, and then my BG goes up! Just now my BG was in range then I went for a pee and now it is climbing again! Maybe mine is back to front???

 

[grantg]

I find if I get up at 3.00 for a pee, then my BG tends to rise a bit, too, and I am a poor sleeper, so wake early, and then my BG goes up! Just now my BG was in range then I went for a pee and now it is climbing again! Maybe mine is back to front???

so many things can effect glucose levels. effects everyone differently, theres also the liver which likes to dump glucose when it thinks body is a little low (for it).

i'd certainly count the stairs as exercise

My chemist is very good, and will deliver (they also do vaccinations now, bp, and other minor stuff - very helpful), but if I accepted that, and home delivery shopping I would never go out!

have my upmost respect with that well done.

 

[Davidden]

Changed for a new (scheduled) sensor at 13.00 today, and since then I have not had my usual post-lunch spike, but stayed within range, which, though pleasing, is unexpected! I am a creature of habit so tend to eat at regular times, eat similar meals (for example my evening meal is always a cheese omelette!), and only have some carbs (obvious ones, like potatoes/pasta/rice etc.) at lunchtime, which, I assume causes the post-prandial spike around 2 hours later.
The second week on Libre my BG went up and my time in range dropped from 60% to 34%, but as I had a bit of a cold I put it down to that. Two weeks later I was back over 60% in range (the nurse wants 70!), but the past 7 days it has only been 48%, though 54% over 14 days. My A1c, per the App, is 65mmol/mol, down from 84 when I was put on the CGM, and my target of 60 looks within reach. I have got to stop stressing (OK, I don't really, not in my nature!) about inexplicable spikes, and maybe not check it as often as I do, especially as I am still learning to cope with constant monitoring!

 

[grantg]

Changed for a new (scheduled) sensor at 13.00 today, and since then I have not had my usual post-lunch spike, but stayed within range, which, though pleasing, is unexpected! I am a creature of habit so tend to eat at regular times, eat similar meals (for example my evening meal is always a cheese omelette!), and only have some carbs (obvious ones, like potatoes/pasta/rice etc.) at lunchtime, which, I assume causes the post-prandial spike around 2 hours later.
The second week on Libre my BG went up and my time in range dropped from 60% to 34%, but as I had a bit of a cold I put it down to that. Two weeks later I was back over 60% in range (the nurse wants 70!), but the past 7 days it has only been 48%, though 54% over 14 days. My A1c, per the App, is 65mmol/mol, down from 84 when I was put on the CGM, and my target of 60 looks within reach. I have got to stop stressing (OK, I don't really, not in my nature!) about inexplicable spikes, and maybe not check it as often as I do, especially as I am still learning to cope with constant monitoring!

sounds like right your on right track. not well with cold, alongside stress can have impact on blood sugar levels too. when is it that your checking levels? you can customise the alarm both high and low with standard waking/meals/exercising/bed maybe beneficial, can also ask dsn what to set your personal range to which may give you better TIR. takes a good while to get used to very valuable especially if check libreviews website and generate report. Its a marathron not a sprint best wishes

 

[Davidden]

when is it that your checking levels?

Other than every time I pick my phone up )), usually before a meal - and it always seems to start rising in anticipation! - a while after the meal, on rising and before bed. Since replacing the sensor yesterday I went out of range briefly around 21.00, presumably effects of evening meal, even though no carb, and again post breakfast, again no carb, and had two sub-5 dips overnight. Do you, or anyone else, have any experience of this when changing to a new sensor? My readings are still safe, but substantially lower than on the old sensor, so started me wondering if towards the 15 day expiry date the sensor isn't as accurate - maybe the filament gets partially blocked, or something? (I have the alarms turned off - never been low, and very rarely high)

 

[grantg]

any experience of this when changing to a new sensor? My readings are still safe, but substantially lower than on the old sensor, so started me wondering if towards the 15 day expiry date the sensor isn't as accurate - maybe the filament gets partially blocked, or something?

i found in the past levels can greatly vary after the initital warmup, however i now attach the new sensor at least 12 hours prior to activating no longer is there such a big difference (if i haven't eaten for a few hours). some call that "pre-soak" other possiblities "insertion tramua" or could simply been due to elma cream i use (needlephobic so numbs area prior which helps for me). some useless info about elma cream, readings were CONSIDERABLY lower than without inserting several hours in advance. any infection near the site can also appear to change readings (found to read higher for those).

out of range message: i get a fair bit, mostly due to swimming actually being too far away there has been the odd time where said out of range, even thou mobile right in my pocket less than a foot away, pretty rare occurance. only other issue generally can have if glucose readings are very rapidly changing (both up and down) sensor data paused. most other data seems fine or can be explained much simpler.

cgm for me usually reads a little lower others it can read a little higher, goldilocks and three bears comes to mind you can check accuracy of the sensor if graph is pretty stable for a little bit check against fingerprick if wanting some piece of mind. bear in mind give it 10-15 minutes for the cgm to actually catch up when comparing accuracy. despite the odd quirk invaluable tool really wish everyone diagnosed was given one to see effects various foods have on their levels imo it would help prevent a lot of the long term complications.