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Blood glucose monitor

C

chester1964

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all.
I am trying the Freestyle Libre link glucose monitor at the moment and I find it really useful in seeing what food/drink causes spikes, although I seem to get spikes even when I haven't eaten anything for a while. I don't really want to spend approximately £50 every 2 weeks for a new sensor. Does anyone use anything else like the watches that appear on Facebook etc ? I can't see how they can work. Any other suggestions or advice greatly appreciated.
 
The Libre is great isn’t it? Unfortunately the watches seen on social media aren’t proven effective or accurate, so I wouldn’t waste my money on them. The only cheaper option I know of is a finger prick blood glucose meter.
 

Hi,
I’m a great fan of the libre2 sensor but £50 a pop is a bit steep if using all the time self financed.

I’m pre diabetic and I used one for a few weeks to nail down my diet. I must admit I could watch the thing all day it’s fascinating.

It didn’t take long to formulate a diet and my BG settled nicely. After a few weeks I wasn’t learning anything so I reverted to finger prick testing and even then not all the time.

As for watches they are totally useless according to most reports.

BTW I still have a Libre in my drawer, I’ll probably use it in a couple of months time . I’ll probably buy another to use a few months later still just for the fun of it!

Hope it helps.
 
Thanks for your reply.
I think I'll probably do the same and just use it to see what I react to most. I'm also a bit fixated by the thing ! All the best
 
I have learnt more about how my diet affects my blood glucose level in a month using the freestyle libre2 system than many years pricking my finger, writing down to show my doctor a month or two later. You can eat something and usually between 10 and 20 minutes later you know what its affect is on your BS, good bad or indifferent.
 

I remember one occasion where the sensor showed something that conventional finger prick testing wouldn’t.
I bought some low carbs noodles and made to eat with a bolognaise style sauce. After two hours the Libre showed no real / bad response .
However in the morning I looked on my watch and through the night my BG had been high ( for me) only going down to an acceptable level early morning.
I couldn’t understand it but eventually checked the trash and I’d picked up and ate the wrong noodles!
I would never of known. It’s made me check and check again what I’m buying to eat.
 
Can I ask which is more accurate, the Libre monitor or the finger pricks? I have the monitor (free trial for 2 weeks) and it has me mostly in the 5's or 6's but if I check against the finger prick that is always 1 or 2 points higher. So im just wondering if my average is 5 or 6 over a day, as the monitor says, or 7 or 8, as the strips tell me?
 

I noticed that the Libre sensor and finger prick testing were not always the same . I was told that there is a lag of about 15 minutes on the CGM which might account for some perceived inaccuracies.

BTW the estimated A1C was out by 2 points when I was tested at GP
 
Wow good to know. My next A1c is in a couple of weeks time so I'll see how it matches. I'm hoping it's close to as I'm happy with what it's showing me so far.
 
Hi @Rushkami - both are pretty accurate but will not necessarily read the same value. This is because they measure glucose levels in different places (body compartments for pharmacologists) - LIbre measures interstitial fluid glucose (IFG) and fingerpricks/Glucometers measure blood glucose (BG) and both are good in their compartments.

However, they may not always agree, especially when rapid changes are happening. This is due to the time it takes for glucose to move from blood to interstitial fluid (about 5-20 mins). This lag means you should see a change in BG first and IFG a bit later. Personally, I use BG first if I suspect a rapid change as it will give me more time to respond.

I've seen the Libre sensor give odd readings of 2 mmol/L higher than BG but it usually corrects it within 10 mins. Overall the IFG and BG readings should be comparable. I've never heard of a 1-2 mmol/L average difference over a day - are you estimating this as I have no daily average on my Libre - only 7, 14, 30 and 90 day averages? Are you sure the Glucometer strips are OK, washing hands, and all that stuff?

A 2 point differnce in A1c is a bit wild - mine is usually 0.5 lower than blood test.
 
Thanks that's all good to know! I'm not taking a proper average each day I just mean when I've checked against the libre the finger pricks are often 2 points higher so if I've been roughly 5/6 over the day on the libre I assumed it would be 7/8 on the strips. If that makes sense. But your explanation has helped clear up a bit of confusion for me.
 
These watches are 100% scams. Do not buy them.

FDA warns against smartwatches, rings that claim to measure blood sugar without needles

Smartwatches and rings that claim to measure blood sugar levels without piercing the skin could be dangerous, the FDA is warning.
www.cbsnews.com

Apple are developing such a watch having bought a few startups in the field - but from what i've read, it is years away. Believe me, i'll be first in the queue.

While £100 a month may sound a lot - and depending on your situation it may be, I see it like this. Loads of people spend £100 a month on latte's, beer, cigarettes, other subscriptions and contracts they don't really need, and heaven knows what else. Instead, spend it on your health and wellbeing. We're talking about £3.33 a day.

You don't need to wear them all month either. I take breaks, then start again just to see if i'm on track or not. In theory once you get an idea of what food affects you how - you can get into a routine of what you eat and don't eat and you may not need one at all or as often. If I go on holiday, I use one - as i'm in unfamiliar territory.

There are others around - but about the same price. The Dexecom only lasts 10 days too. There is also a Chinese one, but i'm not sure if it is approved in the UK yet, and i'm not keen on sending my personal data to the CCP
 
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