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Advive on Abbotts freestyle

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Geordie_73

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi guys,

I have been type 1 for about 12 years now. I test about 6 times a day, and id class my control as pretty good (floating about 7's in old money)

I have applied to trial CGM through my diabetic care team, who have said there is a 2 week free trial for the Abbott freestyle Libre.
My question is, after the 2 weeks if i self fund this i will need it to be as cheep as possible. So although they say you will get 2 weeks from a sensor, what will i really get, is there any prep, any tweaks i can do to increase this somewhat?

Thanks in advance!
 
The Libre sensor switches off after two weeks: it is not like a DexCom which you just restart.
I believe some people have found a way to tweak this.

By the way, the Libre is not a CGM. It is a Flash Glucose Monitor.
The difference is the Libre only provides BG readings when you swipe it: it does not alert when your BG goes out of range.
Again, there are some clever techno-geniuses who have combined the Libre with, I think, a bluetooth receiver to provide this capability. But it is not available from the standard Libre.
 
A sensor (the technology bit) will work for 2 weeks, if it doesn't Abbott will replace it FOC. Whether it sticks for 2 weeks is a separate problem some people find it sticks like a limpet, others need to use body 'glue' or tape over it, others like me have an adverse reaction to either the filament or the adhesive - only using one will answer some of those questions, reactions some times takes a while to show up though.

You don't have to always use a sensor if cost is a problem, 1 a month or one a year!
 
Thanks guys,
Can you point me in the direction of any groups/ forums etc where they have "tweaked" the sensor, so it doesnt switch off.
As you say i want to keep the cost down, and while i also want to tighten up on my pretty decent control, i do need to look at and consider the costs......and dont really fancy paying over £100 per month.

Any advice on tweaking the sensors would be really helpful!

Thanks :)
 
From what I have read, if you use a phone to read the libre you may be able to get a day or two extra but no more. There are facebook groups you can join. If you use the reader it automatically ends exactly 2 weeks after you start it. After 2 weeks, my skin shows some irritation so I have never tried to extend the life.
 
There is no reliable way to extend a Libre sensor.

The only way to make it cheaper is to use it, learn as much as you can from it, and use the knowledge you learnt when you're not using it. Repeat as often as you can afford/feel you need to.
 
Geordie_73 said:
Thanks guys,
Can you point me in the direction of any groups/ forums etc where they have "tweaked" the sensor, so it doesnt switch off.
As you say i want to keep the cost down, and while i also want to tighten up on my pretty decent control, i do need to look at and consider the costs......and dont really fancy paying over £100 per month.

Any advice on tweaking the sensors would be really helpful!

Thanks :)
Click to expand...
This simply isn't a possibility. There have been odd rogue sensors that have lasted longer than the allotted time period, but it really isn't something that happens often. There is a cut off built into the sensor and no-one has yet bypassed it.
 
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